So much so, that he did not see or feel the pain of rejection and physical pain of the stones that would eventually kill him. His immediate reality was that he saw the Heavens open at that moment and He saw Jesus! A Lifestyle of Gazing When Stephen "gazed" (NAS) or "looked up steadfastly" (KJV) into Heaven, the Greek definition and meaning of this was not only that he fixed his "eyes" but also purposed his "mind" into Heaven. The eyes of his mind and the eyes of his heart went into auto-focus by the power of the Holy Spirit, as in the sense of stretching his eye sight towards the face of God that gave him the supernatural power to endure the kind of death he was about to experience. This reveals that Stephen had a "lifestyle of gazing" into the eyes and heart of God and is the reason why he was so filled with the glory of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave himself over to locking his eyesight on the Lord Jesus Christ, and it caused everything else to either become dim or disappear in his perception of reality. He was so overtaken by the Holy Spirit that the unseen realm at that moment was more real to him than the seen realm of the excruciating pain of being stoned to death. In these last days we are going to need this kind of supernatural strength and power to be able to endure the days ahead of us with a lifestyle of gazing. The Lord is saying, "Lock your eyes on Me and I will lead your faith and your focus to walk in the way you should go and to war in the way you should war. The times will become unbearable for those who don't have their vision locked upon Me," says the Lord, "but it shall not be unbearable for you if you stay steadfast and look steadfastly into Heaven where I am. This is the time to be filled. This is the time to be focused. This is the time I will preserve you from every danger and every harm. You will escape the traps of the enemy if you continue to fix your gaze upon Me and fix it now." God's Providential Care "God's eye" or "God's eyes" is many times symbolic of God's providential care. He is always guiding us with His eye and gives us counsel while constantly being watchful over us wherever we go.
A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE SHEPHERDS WITHOUT BORDERS LIGHTHOUSE BUGLE MAGAZINE !!! MAY 1, 2012
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