While on vacation in Nanaimo BC, Canada, I stopped by Neck Point and found a platform overlooking the ocean. It is about an eight foot square structure with a wrought iron fence that encloses the space. I thought that it would be a great place to be alone with God, pray, and to write. It was.

There were two small cement blocks with backs on which people could sit and look at the scenery. I sat down with pad and pen to work on my book, but as I looked through the fence, I thought of Paul. I could only imagine what Paul must have felt sitting in prison as he looked through his own bars. Prison has to be a confining, hopeless, and lonely place, especially without the possibility of being free. At least I could leave anytime I wanted at Neck Point.

As I sat there in prison thinking about poor Apostle Paul, a song continued to loop through my mind, “Open the eyes of my heart lord. . .open the eyes of my heart. . .I want to see you. . .I want to see you.” The Lord reminded me that He had freed me from the prison of my mind on the Cross [1]. Actually, the Lord is no respecter of persons [2] and He has freed us all from the captivity of our minds [3]. My prayer for you is:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people. . .[Ephesians 1:18 NIV]

I thought about how, in my own life that the enemy had held me captive to sin and how I used my guilt and shame as a filter for my disobedience in how I perceived God to feel about me. I’d temporarily lost sight of my perceived significance to God.

The Bible says that,

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior [4], but. . .if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed [5]. The enemy has held us captive long enough.

v3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh
v4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds),
v5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;
v6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full [2 Corinthians 10:3-6 KJV].

If we open the eyes of our heart, we will see Him and will be enlightened to the hope in which Christ has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance for His holy people. We can put on the armor of God daily and cast down all imaginations that exalt itself against the knowledge of God.

Next week we will study the full armor of God and prepare ourselves for the battle to come. It may take a couple of blogs to cover, especially when many authors have written books about the subject.

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[1] Romans 7:22-25
[2] Acts 10:34
[3] Ephesians 4:8; James 1:15
[4] Colossians 1:21 NIV
[5] John 8:36 NIV