ENLIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING VERSUS DARKENED UNDERSTANDING

Dear Believer,

Let us examine a prayer Paul the apostle prayed for Believers.

Ephesians 1:18 KJV
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints

This prayer of Paul for Believers is remarkable, but the idea is not unique to the New Testament.

David had prayed centuries earlier, “Open thou mine eyes O Lord that I may behold wondrous things out of the law.” (Psalm 119:18).

We know David was never blind, so what eyes was he asking God to open?

So here we see David praying for God to open his inner eyes, or as Paul puts it, “Eyes of your understanding.”

One of the reasons David and Paul lived above the level of most Believers of their days was that they ‘saw’ better, and I mean this spiritually.

Now, let us see another passage that shows the condition of eyes of understanding that aren’t enlightened.

Ephesians 4:17-18 KJV
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

You see here that unbelievers are described as walking ‘in the vanity of their mind’ and ‘having their understanding darkened’ and do things ‘because of the blindness of their heart.’

These ones also have eyes of understanding, but theirs are blinded and darkened. Their eyes of understanding do them no good because they cannot see with them. This is exactly why unbelievers say and do some things that make you wonder at their ignorance. Their problem is ‘darkened understanding.’

Now, here’s what I want to emphasize. If Paul the apostle had to pray for believers for their eyes of understanding to be enlightened, it simply means that many Believers had their eyes of understanding darkened too. Or why would he pray for their enlightenment if they were already lightened?

That’s a serious point to consider. Many Believers have their eyes of understanding darkened. For some reason, they haven’t been healed of the blindness that the unbelievers are plagued with. So they see things and act just like the unbelievers. Their perspectives about spiritual things are so mundane.

These are believers whose opinions are usually the same as those of unbelievers when it comes to spiritual things and who speak against the Kingdom and it’s principle.

They use natural principles to judge spiritual things. They aren’t led of the Holy Spirit in decision making because they walk by physical sight and mental understanding only.

A Believer without enlightened understanding is standing in a very dangerous place. His spiritual life, business, home, relationship and so on will be negatively affected.

This is one reason very many Believers cannot understand the Bible. They read it as a newspaper or a novel. No spiritual understanding is gained from it.

See what such condition causes:

Proverbs 21:16 KJV
The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.

Dear Believer, can you see why the apostle prayed that the Believer’s eyes of understanding be enlightened?

You cannot afford to be silent on this. This singular prayer is so relevant to every aspect of your life, so pray.

Now talk to your Father:

O Heavenly Father, I thank you today for Your Word to me. I ask, Lord, that You let the eyes of my understanding be flooded with divine light that I may see as You see and know as You know; that I may walk in Your will and spiritual understanding always. I pray that every veil covering my sight be removed and I experience the liberation of the Holy Spirit to the fullest, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a great day.

Your friend,
Deon.