Seeing As Jesus Sees [Part 4]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. This began, this spiritual battle, of course, is typified in the very beginning in how the serpent who slithered into the garden tempted Adam and Eve.

And if you remember, it was related to how you would see or not see. That's where the temptation came, you know. Oh, he knows if you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be open, you see, and you'll be more like God.

So it's all about distorting the truth. 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. The book releases in October, but if you pre-order the book now and let us know you've done so, go to your favorite retailer, pre-order now, then let us know you've done that at SeeingAsJesusSees.com. We've got a wonderful resource package, including an audio book and daily reading guides to go along with it.

Yours free when you let us know, SeeingAsJesusSees.com. Here with Pastor Alan in the studio, as we pick back up and talking about this story of joy and in the story there is, well, there's hope of, of someone being raised from the dead and they put a lot of hope in this prophetic word that did not come to pass. They were just full of faith. 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. Uh, 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 as 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, uh, it was not just like a dark dream, but it was something that left her feeling violated. And, and it, it, if it had just been an isolated nightmare, it might've been bearable, but this demonic heaviness and traumatizing dream and, 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, her 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 gastroenterologist, 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 when 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 I'm just 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. 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 the 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 the 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, 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?

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, 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 $100 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 Alan Wright's newest book and discover and start seeing yourself, others, and the world through Jesus' eyes.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. And I realize like when we begin to talk about how we would eventually minister with joy, that no amount of saying you need to try harder to, you know, pull yourself out of this deep depression and out of this anxiety, it doesn't do anything for him, you know, 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. So that's what happens. And Daniel, this began, this spiritual battle, of course, is typified in the very beginning in how the serpent who slithered into the garden tempted Adam and Eve.

And if you remember, it was related to how you would see or not see. That's where the temptation came, you know. Oh, he knows if you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be opened, you see, and you'll be more like God. So it's all about distorting the truth.

And all of this gets related to what I would say is in one way or another, the moralistic or performance oriented or legalistic or worked just however you want to put it is all related to that. So I tell the story in the book about many years ago, an oppression or came to visit me in my office, and he said he had a gift for me. And I really couldn't imagine what a great gift it would be. But his eyes were misted over. And he said, Pastor, he said something I'll never, ever forget. He said, I would give everything I have.

And he was a prosperous businessman. So I give everything I have in exchange for just 10 minutes with my kids when they were young again. He was sharing the voice of regret about how much he'd been traveling, how much he'd been working when they were young, and how much he'd missed. And he said, I've missed too much.

But God's opened my eyes through a book recently that I read. And he said, I brought you 10 copies for you to give to people that you think need it. And he hand me this, these books, co author by three Christian psychiatrists.

And the cover offered a promise, discover freedom from the need to do more and be more. And he just went on to say that he was so driven while his girls were growing up. And he said, I never realized until now, he said, what I was doing, I think I was trying to make my father proud of me. And he said, my dad didn't openly affirm me. And he said, I think I've been longing for his approval. And he said, though, my father died some years ago, I think I still been trying to make him proud. And he was very candid with me.

And I was listening deeply. And when he left my office, I decided who to give the book to first, myself. I was two years out of seminary. And I was pastoring at that time, a small congregation.

And I'm working all the time. I wasn't just aiming to be a good pastor, I was gonna be a perfect pastor and wonderful. And she was growing weary, worried about my drivenness. And, you know, why did I have to be Mr. Super pastor and, and work all the time.

So I took home the book, it was called we are driven, the compulsive behaviors of America applauds. And I just wonder what is driving me. It was almost like that man had that parishioner was like, Scrooge's ghost of Christmas yet to come. And if something doesn't change on my path, I'll probably be him.

And I didn't want to be him. So I would say that when you experience that kind of drivenness, I would say that when joy was told your prayers are gonna make all the difference, come in here and pray for this dead man to be raised. And she is a 13 year old, thought it was all up to her, you know, have more faith, do more. It's in that, it's in that temptation to think that I need to do more. That's I think where the spiritual blindness comes. And of course, we're born in sin, Psalm 51. And Paul says Ephesians 4 18, we enter earth darkened in our understanding. And Paul elsewhere says second Corinthians four, we're blinded by the God of this world.

But how did we get so blinded? Well, this garden, this beautiful garden that God made every tree pleasant to sight, good for food, every tree. I mean, you know, despite press to the contrary, God is not restrictive.

He's expansive. Every tree pleasant to sight and good for food, savory, artichoke hearts, fresh pineapple chunks, perfectly ripe bananas, and my choice, the cacao tree and Ghirardelli factory also please. So Adam and Eve, here they are, they had it all. And then the great deception comes. Did God say you aren't to eat of any of the trees? And Eve, she didn't fall for the whole thing.

She said, we're only forbidden from the tree in the middle. And so Satan then uses a ruse that is his, his mode of operation. Just twist the truth, just twist it and says, God knows when you eat of it, your eyes will be open and you'll be like God.

So there's the painful irony. You got to eat of that tree in order to have your eyes open and see like God does. Well, they already saw with crystal clear, spiritual vision.

That was a deception. My friend and mentor Dudley Hall calls the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the due to be tree. If I will do, then I will be, if I'll eat of this tree, if I'll just make a little more money, if I'll just perform a little better, once I do, then I can be like God.

And so that's the irony. It's like, it's up to you, up to you, Joy, you pray more and more until you nearly faint until you, you know, and then God will raise this man. It's what shifts us from relationship with God to transaction with God. And that's where we get blinded.

I like the way Dudley puts it. He just said, we're blinded by the need to do something. So call it moralism, legalism, conditional love, whatever you call this forbidden tree. It's what blurred Adam and Eve's vision of themselves, of one another and of the world. And we were all born into that Adam. So that's why we come in with this spiritual blurriness. And the more that we eat of the due to be tree, you see, the more that we too are blinded.

That's really the, that's the root of the problem. 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 yours 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. PastorAlan.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, 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 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, PastorAlan.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 Alan Wright's newest book and discover and start seeing yourself, others, and the world through Jesus's 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 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 the 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, Mary Ann, I hadn't seen you in a while, but last night I was awakened in the middle of the night.

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 that'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. This good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.