Gaze Through the Glance

Have you ever seen a person at a glance and thought you knew them?  But the closer you looked revealed they were not who you thought they were.  A gaze through the glance showed the amazing likeness, but they were definitely not the person.

If people would gaze closely at things that appeared at first glance to be wholesome and pure, more times than not they would see counterfeits for what they actually are.  These imitations are look-alikes of the real thing that Satan places in our path to beguile us.

Satan has a world full of look-alikes.  He is determined to fool as many people into accepting, at a glance, his deceptions by keeping their mind occupied with the titillation of desire.  Naïve and gullible people hope it is truth they are reaching for and not deception; failing to recognize its origin.  Falsehood is easily camouflaged when a person is not looking closely at what’s being offered.

We must learn to gaze through the glance and focus on the purity of past teachings of right and wrong that we have received.  Like a familiar face or loved one—we know what they look like, just as we know what sin looks like when we see it.  If it doesn’t line up with God’s Word, it’s sin.  We recognize it for what it is when we take the time to observe its source.

Deception is the devils forte.  He leads people astray by making them think something is familiar and right, at first glance, by masking it with partial truth.  Most always he mixes limited truth with deceptive trickery.  But a gaze of caution dispels any doubt as to its validity, because sin reveals itself even though it is seasoned with bits and pieces of truth. 

The key is to observe and determine from what source it came—God or Satan.  Prayer provides the time needed for conformation. When we walk in the Spirit we are not easily deceived. 

A gaze through the glance divulges Satan; the liar that he is.  When we ask the question, “What would Jesus do?” it provides time for God to open our eyes to Satan’s schemes and look-alikes.  We can then turn from his manipulative methods and thank God for the light that the Holy Spirit provides, which allows us to see more clearly. 

The lyrics to a chorus we sing at church says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full in His wonderful face.  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim; in the light of His glory and grace.”

Don’t be in such a hurry to accept things at first glance for fear of not receiving God’s 100% truth.  Good things come to those that wait.  75% truth plus 25% counterfeit add up to 100% deception.  God and Satan cannot mix.  It’s like water and oil.  Water is contaminated when oil is introduced.  It is better to drink from the springs of living water than to settle for the dregs of contamination.

A gaze through the glance encourages stability and right standing with God.  What more could a person want than to know Jesus intimately?  Jesus becomes the focal point of vision; the visual awareness of right and wrong when we look and wait for His perfect plan for our life.

We need not fear that our spiritual eyesight may grow dim.  The light of God’s promises in the Bible will always brighten our way.  Because of this illumination we see clearly how to make right choices as we gaze through the glance.

Written by,

Papa Boyd