We See Through What We Believe
We See Through What We Believe
By Steve Backlund
We don't simply see things as they are. We see things through what we believe.
This helps explain why two people can look at the same person, problem, family, church, or future and come to completely different conclusions. Their eyes may be seeing the same facts, but their beliefs influence how they interpret those facts.
Our beliefs become lenses through which we interpret life. They influence what we notice, what we focus on, and ultimately the conclusions we draw from what we see. God transforms our lives by first transforming what we believe about what we see.
Same Facts, Different Conclusions
The twelve spies in Numbers 13 are a fascinating example of this. Two groups of people saw the exact same set of circumstances. They saw the same land, the same fruit, the same fortified cities, and the same giants.
Ten concluded, “We are not able.” Joshua and Caleb concluded, “We are well able.” The circumstances were the same. The conclusions were radically different.
Where did those conclusions come from? They came from what each group believed. Ten interpreted what they saw primarily through the size of the giants and their own perceived weakness. Joshua and Caleb interpreted those same circumstances through the size of their God and what He had promised.
This reveals an important truth: the circumstance is almost never as important as the conclusion we place on the circumstance. Circumstances certainly matter, but the conclusion we place on them will greatly influence what we believe is possible, what we say, and what we do next.
A setback can produce the conclusion, “This isn't working,” or “We are learning something that will help us succeed.” A struggling person can cause us to conclude, “They will never change,” or “God is doing something in them that I may not fully see yet.” The circumstance may be the same, but our beliefs influence the conclusion we put on what we see.
Lift Up Your Eyes
Jesus told His disciples in John 4:35, “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” Something was happening that they weren't recognizing.
God is always at work, but what we believe determines how much of His activity we recognize.
Hope looks for evidence that God is at work. Pessimism looks for evidence that the obstacles are too great. Disappointment looks for evidence that we will be disappointed again. Each becomes a lens influencing what we notice and the conclusions we make.
This doesn't mean we deny problems or pretend circumstances are different than they are. Joshua and Caleb saw the giants. Hope doesn't require us to ignore the giants. It changes the conclusion we place on the giants.
Romans 12:2 tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. As we intentionally renew our minds with God's truth, our beliefs change, and so does the way we see. We begin recognizing possibilities, potential, new beginnings, and evidence of God's activity that we previously overlooked.
This is the power of mind renewal. It changes more than our thoughts. It changes our conclusions, our expectations, our words, and ultimately the way we live.
We see through what we believe.
Our hopelessness about a circumstance is almost always a bigger problem than the circumstance itself. Why? Because hopelessness is an indicator that we are believing something that is not aligned with God's truth. Until we address that belief, we will struggle to see the possibilities and solutions that will lead to change.
Transformation doesn't come from trying harder. It comes from believing higher.
Declarations
I see my circumstances through the greatness of God and the power of His promises.
I consistently recognize evidence that God is working in people and circumstances.
Like Joshua and Caleb, I see the challenges clearly and still conclude, “We are well able.”
My renewed mind causes me to see people and circumstances from God's perspective.
My belief in God's promises is greater than my belief in the obstacles before me.
