Seeing As Jesus Sees [Part 3]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. Of course, nobody believes a lie on purpose. That's not logical. But the reason we believe a lie is because we think it's true.

And then that just begins to distort everything. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to be with us today as we're sitting in the studio with today's message that comes right from the pages of this new book soon to be released from Pastor Alan. It's titled Seeing as Jesus Sees How a New Perspective Can Defeat the Darkness and Awaken Joy.

It releases October 10th, but you can pre-order the book today. And with it, when you let us know, you'll receive a free audio book copy of this book, a daily reading guide, and companion video course. All is our thank you for supporting the launch of Pastor Alan's new book and the important message contained right here in it. All of this is over $100 in value and it's yours simply when you pre-order the book from your favorite book retailer and then let us know you've done so at this special website, seeingasjesussees.org. Seeingasjesussees.org. Of course, if you've got Pastor Alan's site bookmarked, you can come there as well, Pastor Alan.org.

And it is so good to be with you again, Pastor Alan. We've kind of gone through the pages of the introduction and I think you will appreciate this in me. I never skip the acknowledgements. I never skip the introduction.

I always go from cover to cover. If I'm going to read a book, I'm going to read it. I know some people who blow right past all that stuff, but it has important information that sets the pace here. And as we dive into chapter one, as some of the themes from chapter one, we kick it off with a story of joy and we'll call her Joy. And it's important to hear her story and understand what's going on here as the rest of the chapters unfold. After having introduced this concept of a simple prayer, Jesus, how do you see this?

Yeah. Brief enough for a single breath, deep enough to change everything in your life and introduce the idea that it's seeing that changes us, Daniel. It's not the doing. Most Christians, I think, wanting to be more like Jesus, you know, are in some way or another striving to do what Jesus would do. But it's not powerful for the same reason that the law isn't powerful. It shows us what we ought to be, but it doesn't actually change us. But boy, when your eyes are opened, that changes everything.

And we saw in our introduction how just revelation of truth of a situation could change everything. And the opposite of that is true, that when we don't see correctly, we don't see ourselves correctly, we don't see others correctly or the world around us, that it is not only the pain of spiritual blindness, but it really is hell's deliberate diabolical strategy designed to rob us of wonder, send us down dead end roads and ruin relationships. And if we don't have the right perspective, then we can feel like failures. We can wind up mistrusting and judging people that we don't know.

We can lose hope for life. And so this is about spiritual battle. So the book is in many ways about opening our eyes to wonder.

It is about the transformation that happens when you can cultivate this capacity to see with Jesus's eyes, look through his eyes at everything. But let's not lose sight of this. This is a spiritual battle. And this is why the battle is typified by light and darkness. And darkness represents the lies that we believe. So you see something incorrectly. And it's because we're believing something that is false. Of course, nobody believes a lie on purpose.

That's not logical. But the reason we believe a lie is because we think it's true. And then that just begins to distort everything. So it's a spiritual battle.

And Jesus called the devil the father of lies. And so that's why I don't think that learning to live a more spirit-led life where we are looking at things as Jesus does, that's not optional because we're in a big spiritual battle, which leads me to the story of beautiful, beautiful joy that you mentioned, whose story Daniel runs through the book. And you'll come along and another chapter will come up and here continues a piece of joy story because it is a dramatic story and it is a powerful story.

It's a hopeful story. And I know that in some ways it's a story of something that's in the extreme, but I think so often if you want to see the importance of something, you need to look at it from its deepest point. And it's almost like I often say, if you drop a drop of water at the continental divide, whichever side it falls on, you know, it's going to run to one ocean or the other.

And at the top of the mountain, it doesn't look much different, but the oceans on opposite sides of a continent look really different. And so where does it go? And so I just call her by her middle name, Joy, not the name she goes by. But when I met her in 2009, oh, Daniel, she was a joyful, joyful 13 year old. She was in a wonderful family.

I first had met her dad at a conference and he was spiritually hungry. And me and Joy's mom, who I'll call Jenna, she's just like sunshine, vibrant. And they and their four girls all joined our fellowship and we just loved them all. But Joy was the firstborn. She was so special.

And I really don't remember meeting a middle schooler, more pure or selfless or delightful. She loved music, loved horses, loved sports, loved art, loved people. And most of all, she just loved God and she wanted to love him all the more. And I remember one night when Joy's dad was here, they were new, we'll call him Richard. And we prayed for him because they had moved to North Carolina for a fresh start after he had had a lot lost in a business downturn in the 2008 recession. And I remember praying for Richard and the Holy Spirit just came upon him in a wonderful way. And Joy, her three younger sisters, they were just getting more excited about the Lord. And then something terrible happened. They had a friend, a young Bible teacher in our area, who they'd become very close with as they were growing spiritually and he died suddenly after he had this sudden death. And their new kind of spirit-empowered living, they were invited to come by a cousin of the man who died to go and pray that God would raise this man from the dead, which I know of stories where that's happened in modern day times. And they were just full of faith.

And so they went. Well, it was, you know, looking back, ill-advised, but the cousin had told Joy, who was 13, we need you to come. You've got a lot of faith and God uses a young person's prayers, that kind of thing. And so Joy wanted to go, but while she was there and they were praying hard and she became weary and nothing was happening. And, you know, that's a hard thing for her as a young person. She just said something became dark and she felt weak and she thought maybe I'm just hungry or exhausted, but then she realized something worse had happened. And she was young and she didn't understand the nature of spiritual attack. Nobody was thinking like that, but it was, it was darkness. It was spiritual. Later when she came back to their home in the middle of the night, Joy encountered a dark presence that was like what she experienced at that morgue, except this time it was more palpable. And it was not just like a dark dream, but it was something that left her feeling violated. And, and it, if it had just been an isolated nightmare, it might've been bearable, but this demonic heaviness and traumatizing dream and this really demonic oppression just continued until finally Joy was just ravaged and fractured in her soul. And everybody felt the darkness. And I was out of town when Joy sank into this depression or condition became so dire and she quit eating and drinking.

She quit speaking at all. Her eyes became fixed and dilated and finally they hospitalized her lest she die. And the pediatricians and neurologists and the gastroenterologists, they couldn't find anything physiologically wrong. And psychiatrists examined over a period of time and determined that Joy had not been physically assaulted or abused. It was not a physical thing. It was emotional. It was psychological. And everyone in the family knew because they felt it. It was, it was spiritual. And here's what happened and that happened.

And I think this is what the father of lies would like to have happen in some measure for all of us. Thankfully, most of us never experienced this ferocity of spiritual battle, but Daniel, I share this story about how it led this beautiful young woman into a place of being really catatonic in the hospital is that it's the same phenomenon when we no longer can see the truth, when things seem so dark. And she felt taken. She, she believed that she was no longer clean. She believed that she was in that sense a danger to others. And that's why she began to withdraw from people in life.

That was really what led to this catatonia. And this is the first time I've ever shared this story because it is stark and it's odd, but there's so much at stake. I want people to see this, the ultimate power of perspective that when we're deceived, it leads towards death. But when we see the truth, we're set free. And I look forward to sharing a lot more about Joy's story, but this is how much is at stake. That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Wondering what you need to do to find more freedom, wonder and joy.

What if you don't need to do more as much as see more? What if victorious breakthrough and enduring transformation comes not by striving, but by seeing for years Pastor Alan Wright has been practicing a new spiritual discipline, a simple prayer. Jesus, how do you see this?

It's brief enough for a single breath, but deep enough for lasting life change. It's a prayer Christ loves to honor because the Savior came to open blind and blurred eyes. Jesus is after all the light of the world. In his new groundbreaking book, Seeing as Jesus Sees, Alan Wright leads readers into a fresh kind of Bible study where they're invited in close side by side with the Savior to see themselves, others in the world through Jesus's eyes. There's good news on every page because divine revelation and spirit filled living is a reserve for the spiritually elite.

Every Christian can live with wide eyed wonder and spirit revealed vision. The beautiful hardcover book releases October 10th. But for a limited time, when you preorder the book from Amazon or your favorite retailer, you'll receive over $100 of bonus resources. Simply preorder the book, visit SeeingAsJesusSeas.org or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Give us confirmation that you've preordered the book. And when the book releases, you'll be given a free audio book from the publisher. And you'll also receive a free six week Seeing as Jesus Sees companion video series from Pastor Alan, along with a study guide and a daily reading plan. All these valuable bonus gifts are only for those who preorder the book.

So place your order today with your favorite online book retailer and visit our website for instructions on receiving all the extra resources. Christ's call to discipleship isn't an invitation to strive to do what Jesus would do, but to come and see what Jesus sees. So preorder your copy of Alan Wright's newest book and discover and start seeing yourself, others and the world through Jesus's eyes. His teaching now continues.

Here once again is Alan Wright. This really is a spiritual battle. And Jesus came and said, I'm the light of life and whoever follows after me will no longer stumble in the darkness. He came to help us see again.

He came to open the eyes of the blind. And I think that means physically. And I think that means I think that means metaphorically.

I think that means spiritually. And so I think that there's a lot at stake here. And Joy's journey is a beautiful one, as we'll see over time. But it is so stark and so severe that it points us to here's how much and I want all our listeners and everyone who reads this book to get this.

There's so much at stake. What about all the little ways that we're seeing things that aren't true and we believe it about ourselves or you believe it about your spouse or a family member or a friend or a coworker or a stranger. And if you see it wrongly, you see the path that could lead down or what about this big broken world of ours that I know I'm not alone.

And some days I just feel so frustrated. Well, how did Jesus see the world? Well, all of this is really, really important. It's about seeing as Jesus sees. And that's the title of the book, Seeing as Jesus Sees. And what I find interesting, and I know you've done it here on purpose too with these stories, right on the first pages of chapter one, really, we're not immediately talking about vision and seeing, we're talking about some feelings and the feeling of a person that wasn't there or a feeling when that's both in the good and in the dark.

And so having that ability to see as Jesus sees no matter what you're feeling is important. And that's the theme of this book. By the way, it releases October 10th. And of course we would tell you, go get the book, pre-order the book, but I'm going to tell you why it's important to do it right now today.

It's because of this special offer that's going on. Pastor Alan's book, Seeing as Jesus Sees. When you pre-order right now without delay, and when you let us know that you've pre-ordered it, you're going to receive wonderful gifts along with it, including a free copy of the audio book, a daily reading guide, and a companion video course. All as our thank you for supporting the launch of this important message in Pastor Alan's new book.

All of this valued over $100, but it's yours, again, simply when you pre-order the book and then let us know. Pre-order from your favorite book retailer online or in a store, and then let us know you've done so when you come to our website, pastorallen.org, or the special site, seeingasjesussees.org. As we continue discussing even just these opening chapters, and we're in chapter one today with Pastor Alan in the studio here, and the story of joy, as we're calling her, you mentioned is going to be carried on throughout a kind of a theme that kind of comes and goes throughout the entire book. That's why we're spending some time here with this particular story, but this has implications for the culture that we're living in today.

The book is very culturally relevant for this day and age, and something's been burning on your heart for quite a while. Well, I just began some years ago praying this simple prayer, Jesus, how do you see this? And I realized like when we began to talk about how we would eventually minister with joy, that no amount of saying, you need to try harder to pull yourself out of this deep depression and out of this anxiety, it doesn't do anything for anybody. Because as long as her eyes spiritually were clouded and she saw herself as unclean, she saw others as a threat, and she is a threat to them, and she saw the world as hopeless, then through those eyes, you're going to be withdrawn.

That's what happens. And Daniel, this began in the very beginning in how the serpent who slithered into the garden tempted Adam and Eve. Pastor Alan Wright and our good news message coming from the pages of his soon to be released book, Seeing as Jesus sees how a new perspective can defeat the darkness and awaken joy. It releases October 10th, but when you pre-order the book today, right now, and let us know that you've done so, you're going to receive a wonderful package of, well, freebies, free audio book, a daily reading guide, and a companion video course is our thank you for supporting the launch of this new book and the important message here, Seeing as Jesus Sees by Pastor Alan Wright.

All of this valued at over $100, and it's your simply when you pre-order the book from your favorite book retailer, then let us know you've done so. We'll be happy to send this out to you. Pastorallen.org is how you contact us, or you can come to this unique website, seeingasjesussees.org.

It'll take you right there. Stick with us. Pastor Alan is joining us back in the studio, sharing his parting thought for the day from the book in just a moment. Wondering what you need to do to find more freedom, wonder, and joy?

What if you don't need to do more as much as see more? What if victorious breakthrough and enduring transformation comes not by striving, but by seeing? For years, Pastor Alan Wright has been practicing a new spiritual discipline, a simple prayer. Jesus, how do you see this?

It's brief enough for a single breath, but deep enough for lasting life change. It's a prayer Christ loves to honor because the Savior came to open blind and blurred eyes. Jesus is, after all, the light of the world. In his new groundbreaking book, Seeing as Jesus Sees, Allen Wright leads readers into a fresh kind of Bible study where they're invited in close, side by side with the Savior to see themselves, others, and the world through Jesus' eyes. There's good news on every page because divine revelation and Spirit-filled living isn't reserved for the spiritually elite.

Every Christian can live with wide-eyed wonder and Spirit-revealed vision. The beautiful hardcover book releases October 10th, but for a limited time, when you pre-order the book from Amazon or your favorite retailer, you'll receive over a hundred dollars of bonus resources. Simply pre-order the book, visit seeingasjesussees.org, or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Give us confirmation that you've pre-ordered the book, and when the book releases, you'll be given a free audio book from the publisher. And you'll also receive a free six-week Seeing as Jesus Sees companion video series from Pastor Alan, along with a study guide and a daily reading plan.

All these valuable bonus gifts are only for those who pre-order the book, so place your order today with your favorite online book retailer and visit our website for instructions on receiving all the extra resources. Christ's Call to Discipleship isn't an invitation to strive to do what Jesus would do, but to come and see what Jesus sees. So pre-order your copy of Allen Wright's newest book and discover and start seeing yourself, others, and the world through Jesus' eyes. Back here now with Pastor Alan and our closing inspiration directly from this new book, Seeing as Jesus Sees.

Here's Pastor Alan Wright. While I was writing the book, it was also a really, really hard time because my sweet, sweet mother had begun suffering worse in a four-year fight against pancreatic cancer. And she lived down the street from me and, oh, we were so close, saw her every day. And as she approached her 88th birthday, she had bad pain.

Ambulance took her to the hospital on an icy January weekend. And she'd over, she'd rallied so many times, I thought she'd rally again, but this time she didn't. And as she lay dying, I held her hand, the same hand that once held me and fed me and diapered me. And as her breathing slowed, I asked the nurse just, could we have the room, just mom and me and my wonderful Anne holding my mother's other hand, called my brothers and, you know, needed space to sob, to sing, to mourn. And my grief was running especially deep because Daniel, my mom not only brought me into the world, but she was the one that by God's grace brought me into the kingdom of God. I didn't know much about mom and dad's meeting or romance.

You know, kids don't know much about their parents' marriage, but I knew that things weren't good. Dad drank a lot. Mom cried a lot and that didn't get better. Dad had left.

Mom cried more when I was young. And one night she said, when she was there trying to raise three boys on her own, she couldn't sleep. And she got on her knees at the foot of a lonely bed and cried out, God, if you're real, I need you to open my eyes because I'm sinking down.

And if you don't show me the way, I'll probably take these three boys with me. And as best it could be traced out that very night, the Lord woke up, uh, uh, an acquaintance who was a wonderful intercessor who lived in a nearby neighborhood. And the next day she came and knocked on the door and said, Marianne, I hadn't seen you in a while, but last night I was awakened in the middle of the night and I couldn't get you off my heart.

And I felt like maybe there's something troubling you and I prayed for you. And my mother invited her in, told her what was going on in her life. And that lady, she introduced my mom to the reality of Jesus and the healing wonder of the gospel. And my mom accepted Christ. And she invited my mother to her wonderful Christ centered spirit-soaked church. And soon my mother assembled the three boys and she told us about God's love.

We believed her. And that's where this journey began for me of having my eyes opened. So we've been talking about how misperceptions are really rooted in lies that are believed in the darkness, but the gospel is the hope of a savior and a truth. It's much greater than the liar and the assurance that light can dispel the darkness.

That's what happens when you begin to see as Jesus sees. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.