If you are struggling with discouragement in any area of your life today, I have a word of encouragement for you. It's Isaiah 11:3 (NIV), which says, "He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes or decide by what he hears with his ears." This verse refers to the coming Messiah, but it also applies to all Christ-followers.

The Lord has used this Scripture over the years to teach me to resist judging situations by their appearance, or by what someone else says about them. We are called to "walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) One reason why this is so important is that if we only discern circumstances through our five senses, we will miss out on the opportunities, rewards, and promotions that God has in store for us. Most of God's activity is silent and invisible, and if we fail to remember this fact at any time, we will become negative and discouraged when we don't SEE or HEAR anything happening in our situation, and we will be less likely to persevere in our faith and our prayers.

Jesus Himself said, "Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment." (John 7:24 NIV) If you and I are going to be the world-changers for Christ that we are called to be, we simply cannot afford to judge people and circumstances the way the rest of the world does. If you have prayed about a situation, believe that God is already working behind the scenes in the matter, and resist viewing it from a worldly perspective. Ask the Lord to help you to see things from His perspective from now on, and position yourself to receive the answers to your prayers in extraordinary ways!

Prayer: Lord, please remind me often that You have called me to walk by faith, and not by sight. Grant me revelation from heaven that will give me a heavenly perspective on every situation I face. Help me to resist relying on my five senses, and to depend on Your Holy Spirit to guide and instruct me. Thank You that as I stop judging by mere appearances and make right judgments, Your highest purposes will prevail in every area of my life!