The Inner-Vision of the Spirit

“In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men,” John 1:9.

2 Corinthians 5:7 certainly is one of the most often quoted and loved portions of Scriptures by believers around the world.

It reads – “For we walk by faith and not by sight……”

One of the things most however do not know or immediately recognize, is the fact that what the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul, is not what most people assume it to be.

Most reading this understand from the text that it is implied that, as opposed to being able to see in the natural, faith is blind, and walks by trusting itself to an unknown future in the hope of the goodness of a known God.

Have you heard the phrase – “Never be scared to commit an unknown future into the hands of a known God”?

Although this may have a noble and pleasing sound to the ear and a soothing effect upon the soul, and although well intended, and possibly applicable in some insistences of our lives, it is however also as wrong, as it may be right.

The fact of the matter is that faith does have eyes! Faith is never blind. It has eyes in the Spirit and those who are led by the Spirit and who follow Him, do so being led by the Light of the Life of Christ in them!

They are not fumbling around in the dark hoping to find their way and trusting that they will not stumble all fall, they are walking in the Light, as He is in the Light!

They walk by Divine revelation, a different Source of Light than that of natural vision. They see what human eyes can never behold – They see with God’s eyes!

This God-given, Spirit-inspired ability, to see in the Spirit and to walk in Vision, is God’s provision for every Spirit-filled man and woman on earth. It is a direct “link” with Him, connecting us with His Presence within us and with His present will for us, being revealed by His Spirit within.

Just like having natural eyes, our soul has eyes as well, in fact, our soul has all of our natural senses also.

These senses are however blind, deaf and mute without the Spirit-Life of God within us bringing it to life, and as far as our soul’s sense of feeling is concerned (the soul’s ability to feel and touch), that too is dead without the Spirit-Life of Christ in us.

When Christ comes Alive in us by His Spirit giving us Life by birthing us into New Life, our spirit comes alive, and the scales fall from our soul’s eyes to be able to see, our soul’s ears are opened to begin to hear, and our soul’s sense of being able to presently detect the Presence of God and to feel His Love and Peace, comes alive within us!

We enter and become apart of a new world that never existed to us before – The world of the Spirit of God and of being a part of His Eternal Kingdom.

We also enter a new realm of consciousness that we never knew, or had access too. Everything around us appears differently and takes on a new meaning and is seen in a new Light!

The Life of God, the Spirit-Life that become a part of us, as it was a part of Him, has been imputed into us by His Son, and that Life has become our Light!

We, now, find ourselves presently being led by the very Presence of God – His will is present in us, because He is present in us, and because He is presently guiding us into His will.

We are no longer separate from Him, having to seek Him and to seek His will, but living in a place of being absolutely One with Him, He presently guides and leads us in His will and reveals it in us so. Lighting our way before so that we may walk in His Light and live His will!

The very Life of God, the very Spirit of Christ is our Light and leads us to walk in ways He has prepared for us to walk in.

From this perspective it becomes clear that faith can never be blind! Faith is always following the Light!

Faith is always seeing with God’s eyes, walking in a revelation that the natural world cannot see (access) and cannot perceive (understand).

When we live by faith, we walk in the revelation of the inner-Vision of the Holy Spirit. That is what a true life of faith means, it means that I have been United with God and that I now live my life, not by what I see in the world around me, but by what I perceive in the Spirit, being led by God and in His Divine will.

My life is no longer governed by the world and its goings, or the circumstances that surround me, but it is governed by the Life of God which is my Light, leading me into His Divinely appointed will for me and in His predestined will for my life.

That is the true foundation for all faith – Nothing can affect me, nothing can harm me, and nothing can deter me, from God’s prefect plan and predestined will for me. Not because I believe what I cannot see, but because I have perfect hope in what I see!

When studying the Holy Spirit and why He came, we may find many reasons. The predominant reason however is found in the promise that God first made in the Book of Joel –

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” Joel 2:28-29.

This ‘reason’ is clearly witnessed all throughout the early church, as we see men and women who have walked in the revelation of the Spirit, being led in Visions, dream and in Living utterance being given from God upon their lips.

The Holy Spirit came to make us One with God, to lead us, teach us, and guide us as the Spirit-Life of God Himself inside of us – He became our Light!

What happened on the day of Pentecost?

What was evidently seen in those early disciples?

Did they come out of the upper room performing miracles in the streets (not saying that miracles should not be performed)?

Did they come out of the upper room laying hands on the sick?

Did they come out to perform God’s works of Power?

Or did they come out clothed in Him, One with Him, filled with Him, communicating with Him, being One with His Being, communicating the goodness and the greatness of God in Spirit-inspired languages for all present from around the world to hear and to understand – They became instant vessels through whom the Holy Spirit could speak and declare His Voice!

They became Spirit-filled people who had access to the Spirit-realms of God and who could see, hear and speak from that realm as they beheld Him and we completely saturated with His Life!

What did Peter point the people too? Did he point them to the great miracles being done? Did he point them to the sick being healed?

“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.” Acts 2:17-18.

“and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” Acts 2:33.

He pointed them to WHAT THEY WERE SEEING AND HEARING – People filled with the Holy Spirit, giving utterance to the Living Voice of the Spirit of the Living God from the realm of the Spirit, becoming living vessels through whom God could give utterance to His Voice in every tongue that could hear them speaking, telling of the greatness of God, in their own languages!

“These are not drunk as ye suppose” – They were filled with the Holy Spirit – They were seeing, hearing and experiencing (feeling) the reality of His Life in theirs!

“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he,” Proverbs 29:18.

The Holy Spirit sure came to give us Vision! To lead us to walk in the Light of the Law of God’s Own Life being present, and governing our lives in His will.

Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.

“For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death,” Romans 8:1-2.

“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence).
Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.” Galatians 5:22-25 AMPC.

The Holy Spirit Himself rightfully testifies that if we are so filled with His Life and if we walk in His Light, we shall bear the fruit of His Life, and that no other law could be greater in guiding us, or be against us in any way, when we are governed by the Law of the Spirit of the Life in Christ, being made Alive in us, guiding us along His Light and His way – Yes, and neither can there by any condemnation for such as are so led of the Spirit of His Life – on what possible grounds?

“Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].”

“Who will be able to lay any claim against us?” Romans 8:33.

For we are controlled and led no longer of our own will or of the flesh, but of His will and His Spirit-Life in ours!

 

~ Johann van der Hoven

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Johann van der Hoven is in South Africa. He has been serving the Lord in ministry since 1991 and has hosted numerous apostolic revival meetings in South Africa and in South America. He also currently pioneers a organic church planting movement across South Africa. For more information about him and his ministry visit www.sonsofsovereignty.com or Revival.

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