Spatial and Spiritual Disorientation: Eyes and Ears of the Flesh or of the Spirit?

Spatial and Spiritual Disorientation is an ear problem.

We have said Y.E.S. to God.  We have made our center of gravity the glory and presence of God.

Your eyes and ears are the most important senses impacted in spatial and spiritual disorientation:

Jesus steps into our lives to disorient our eyes and ears from those things we see and hear.

Isaiah 43:8
Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.

Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.

Luke 8:10
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

In John 3 Jesus totally disorients Nicodemus with the idea that he must be born again.

• Nicodemus lets Jesus know that he can’t really see or understand what is happening.
• Jesus says, “Unless one is born again he can not see the kingdom of God.”  3:3
• Nicodemus lets Jesus know that now he really doesn’t see it.  3:4
• Jesus disorients Nicodemus even further, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”

I feel bad for Nicodemus.

1. How can he see something that isn’t seeable?
2. How can he enter something that is invisible?
3. How can he experience something that is impossible?

Now Jesus begins to reorient Nicodemus.

1. That which is born of the flesh is flesh.  “Nicodemus, you have eyes and ears of flesh.”
2. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  “Nicodemus, you have spiritual eyes and ears to which your orientation has blinded you.”

Are you living according to your eyes and ears of the flesh or according to your eyes and ears of the spirit?

2 Corinthians 5:5-10

“5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, ³ if indeed by putting it on^[a] we may not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.⁶ So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ⁷ for we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

Paul is dealing with the fact that his eyes and ears can see and hear a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (5:2), but he is living in a groaning, rickety, aging tent of flesh.  5:2

Paul finds a way to always be of good courage.  5:6 and 5:8

Paul’s courage comes from the eyes and ears of the spirit.  5:7 – “for we walk by faith, and not by sight.”

2 Kings 6:15

^“15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.¹⁸ And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.”

This story is a common situation for me:

1. When I walk by natural sight, I lose sight of what God is doing against the enemy.
2. When I walk by natural sight, I lose sight of what God is doing FOR me!

In John 5:19 “So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.”

May Jesus disorient us to our eyes and ears of flesh and reorient us to our eyes and ears of the Spirit……..

1. To see what the Father is doing.
2. To join the Father’s work.