Here we are in the year of 2025, and the world is changing so fast. I remember when growing up prophecies stating that my generation was going to see the end times. As a young child, these words concerned me. Fear would grip my heart. Would I be prepared?
I am 65 years old, and I view this season in my life differently than I did as a child. I had years and seasons that were not pleasant to experience. My dreams of a fulfilling life seem to escape me often. As a child, the milk I drank completed its destiny in my life, then came the meat spoken of in Hebrew 5:12-14, “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
If we are not progressing in our growth, there is something wrong. Aglow has this wonderful study call “Game Changer and Life Changer.” If you have never went through these studies, I encourage you to do so with someone who has. Every time I have looked back at the lessons in each chapter, my view is ever changing because my meat is constantly evolving.
One of the exercises and the point of these lessons is to help you find and see your spiritual persona. Webster define persona as that personality that a person projects in the public. In James 1:23-24 NIV, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. “
The view of the word of for yourself highlights how God sees you! What do I mean by that? God is not limited to time like we are. When God viewed me as a child, he saw me at the age of 65. Everything in between those years prepared for the age of 65, 70, 75 and so forth. James tells us that we can see God in us through the word/mirror. But as we walk away, that image is lost in this matrix world of the sin which reflects the father of this world. There are times the influence of the matrix world silver tongue our image resulting in need to consume milk of salvation all over again. If we retain the development of the soul to listen to the Spirit through our spirit, the mirror reflection does not fade from our memory of freedom from the scales that falls off our eyes at salvation. The scripture of John 6:1-15 ties into this awakening to God’s vision for us. Let’s take a look.
In John 6, there is large crowd of people following Jesus because of the signs and healings that they saw. It tells us that Jesus spoke to Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Note: it says Jesus asked this question to TEST him.
Philip, like the crowd, has seen Jesus perform signs and healings of God’s word. Jesus has been teaching his disciples that in John 5:19 that Jesus came into this life to do the will of his Father, and not his own will. In the NIV, it reads as the Son can do nothing by himself; He can do only what He SEES his Father doing because whatever the Father does the Son also does. This is Spiritual eyes.
Philip is being TESTED by Jesus on status of his Spiritual eyes. All that Philip saw, the reflection of the Word was retained. Philip’s answer reflects his eyes were focused on the earthly answers of buying bread.
Let me remind you right of the things that Philip did when he is growing up. In Acts 8:26-40, Philip was instructed by an angel of the Lord to go south on the desert road to meet the Ethiopian. Philip ran along side of the chariot and heard the Ethiopian reading the book of Isaiah. Philip began to teach (like Hebrews spoke of for meat) and help the Ethiopian to understand what he was reading follow by his baptism.
I see Jesus TEST as Him developing Philip’s persona. When Jesus looked at his chosen disciples, the Father revealed to Jesus how GOD THE FATHER SEES THEM. When you read the word, watch how Jesus talks to the disciples. He is developing their Spiritual Eyes and opening their Spiritual Ears. Let me ask you, do you know how God sees you? Do you know how God the Father sees others? If Jesus could do nothing without first seeing what God the Father shows him, what do you see God the Father showing you? God is wanting to develop the Spiritual eyes and ears of his church even today.
Jesus performs yet another miracle to feed the multitudes. When Spiritual eyes are open, the results are abundance and overflow. Jesus fed the crowd, and they picked up 12 baskets full of Bread (word/mirror/reflection). Here is a symbol of one basket per disciple leftovers that they never had before. Jesus and his disciples did not have food to eat either to start with.
When we open our eyes beyond the mirror of the word and carry it beyond our natural eyes, God the Father shows us how He sees us; how He can use us; how He can bless us when we obey. I am always blessed when I see the eye of someone light up with understanding when I am teaching them. God drops revelations in my heart in a spilt second. Many times, I am learning as I am teaching. My heart grows from being obedient. Read the word with insight and reap the abundance of the word. What is the Father seeing that you can see? This is the season of fulfillment. Read the prophetic words spoken over our state. See what the Lord has done. Aglow has been hungry and the resources felt scarce; however, you are right where he wants you!