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Purged
Through the Eyes
By
Pastor Jack Hayford
I
turned
to see the voice that spake with me...
and his eyes were as a flame of fire (Revelation 1:12,
14, KIV)
In such words,
John the exile reported his encounter with the glorified Christ.
As the conversation
continued, the Lord of the Church dictated seven letters for the
apostle to transcribe and deliver. The resurrected Son of God looked
into the soul of His collective people and with purifying eyes aflame,
set Himself to purge them.
The basic meaning
of the word “purge” expresses something desirable: “to clear of
guilt; to free from moral or ceremonial defilement; to make free
of an unwanted substance; to relieve or to rid of pressure or sediment.”
I experienced
a purging this week, realized in direct relationship to a church-wide
fast we joined together One of the objectives of that season of
fasting was “the purging and purifying of the Body.” Just as the
physical body is cleansed by a fast, so we sought a spiritual cleansing
as we waited together upon the Lord in fasting and prayer
My experience
began the second day of the fast. I don’t know that I can fit it
into words, except to say the Lord purged me right through the
eyes. My perspective changed, and I saw my role as husband and
father in a startling new light. After the occurrence of that unexpected,
not-even-asked-for moment of truth, I became aware that a veil had
been lifted from my eyes. An unrecognized but very real blind spot
had suddenly been removed.
It could be
that many of you have yet to experience the fruit of prayer-with-fasting.
I have a recommendation. As you pray and seek His cleansing, expect
the possibility that your own purging will come with respect to
the way you see… a person, a relationship, a task, a call
of God, a responsibility, a specific situation.
Follow your
fast with a special sense of “looking unto Jesus.” When His moment
comes, He’ll show Himself to you as He did to John. And when His
eyes strike yours, He’ll burn off the blinders and release insight
and vision you’ve never known before.
Like me, you’ll
find yourself blinking in the newfound brightness. |
Jack
Hayford Ministries
14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405-2233