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Seeing Beyond The Obvious · WholeHeart Conversations

• 0:00
  Constance Lavonice: Last week, I talked about how we can cultivate resilience through optimism and gratitude.
• 0:09
  Constance Lavonice: We can also cultivate resilience by looking for the spiritual application, the spiritual truths in our circumstances and the details of our day-to-day life, discerning the hand of God and the ways of God, because He's always speaking beyond the five senses, what we see, smell, taste, touch, hear.
• 0:40
  Constance Lavonice: But it requires opening our spiritual eyes, our spiritual vision, and seeing beyond what is obvious.
• 0:54
  Constance Lavonice: If you're new here, welcome to Whole Heart Conversations.
• 1:00
  Constance Lavonice: This is a podcast, especially for women, that provides biblical encouragement to foster whole heart, spirit, soul, and body resilience.
• 1:13
  Constance Lavonice: I'm your host, Constance Lavonice.
• 1:17
  Constance Lavonice: In the book of 2 Kings, chapter six, the king of Aram was seeking to capture the prophet Elisha.
• 1:28
  Constance Lavonice: He sent his army on horses and chariots at night, and they surrounded the city where Elisha was staying.
• 1:41
  Constance Lavonice: And when Elisha and his attendant got up the next morning to leave, they saw that the army had circled the city.
• 1:52
  Constance Lavonice: And Elisha's attendant cried out, Oh sir, what will we do now?
• 2:00
  Constance Lavonice: Elisha said, Don't be afraid.
• 2:05
  Constance Lavonice: Those who are with us are greater than those who are with them.
• 2:11
  Constance Lavonice: And then Elisha prayed, Lord, please open his eyes so that he may see.
• 2:21
  Constance Lavonice: And the Lord opened the attendant's eyes, and he saw that the mountains were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
• 2:37
  Constance Lavonice: God literally allowed him, Elisha's attendant, to see the supernatural.
• 2:48
  Constance Lavonice: And God does the same for us.
• 2:50
  Constance Lavonice: He allows us to look beyond the physical to what he's doing in the spiritual.
• 2:58
  Constance Lavonice: We have the ability because we are endowed with his spirit, which allows us to communicate with God because God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
• 3:20
  Constance Lavonice: God aligns our hearts through his spirit, and because of this alignment, we can expect a positive expectation to see and experience his glory, God's goodness demonstrated in our lives.
• 3:45
  Constance Lavonice: We have the ability to see God's attributes and his characteristics in and around us.
• 3:58
  Constance Lavonice: God's demonstration of his goodness.
• 4:03
  Constance Lavonice: We see it in God's provision, his favor with himself or with other people.
• 4:14
  Constance Lavonice: God's protection, his comfort, his love, and God is love.
• 4:23
  Constance Lavonice: He gives us the rainbows, the mountains, the flowers, the color and scents of the flowers, the hills, the plains, the trees, all of the beauty of creation, just for our own pleasure and enjoyment.
• 4:44
  Constance Lavonice: We see his faithfulness and consistency as seen through the sunrise and the sunsets and the seasons, spring, summer, fall, winter.
• 5:01
  Constance Lavonice: So look for God's hands.
• 5:04
  Constance Lavonice: Sometimes we're not able to see it in the moment, but in hindsight.
• 5:10
  Constance Lavonice: And I've been able to recognize God's hands recently and most of the time when I'm seeking his wisdom.
• 5:20
  Constance Lavonice: James, the book of James, tells us if we need wisdom, ask, and God will give it to us liberally.
• 5:29
  Constance Lavonice: So whenever I'm seeking God's wisdom about a situation, he will usually speak to me through my husband or another person of faith.
• 5:44
  Constance Lavonice: And it happens when I'm talking to them and they share an insight that I've been praying about.
• 5:54
  Constance Lavonice: I see that as confirmation of God intervening through someone else to answer my prayer or to at least confirm what I've been seeking wisdom about.
• 6:13
  Constance Lavonice: Another situation that happens often is in my counseling practice when I'm working with clients, and I may have a client who's either heard a sermon or they've read the Bible, and a particular scripture is resonating with them.
• 6:33
  Constance Lavonice: And unknowingly, I begin to discuss that same scripture.
• 6:42
  Constance Lavonice: And now she's heard it twice.
• 6:47
  Constance Lavonice: That's a confirmation.
• 6:50
  Constance Lavonice: So these confirmations and insights and discoveries allow us to experience the fullness of God and it strengthens our faith, being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
• 7:08
  Constance Lavonice: Positive expectancy, expecting to see God's ways and his presence.
• 7:18
  Constance Lavonice: Romans chapter 12, verse 3 tells us that God has given us all a measure of faith.
• 7:28
  Constance Lavonice: When we expect to see something, we look for it.
• 7:35
  Constance Lavonice: And when we look for it, we find it.
• 7:39
  Constance Lavonice: So when we look for God's hand and the spiritual application to our lives, we connect with God in a more intimate manner, and we can experience His fellowship and the abundant life that God intended.
• 8:02
  Constance Lavonice: So this week I encourage you to look for God's hand.
• 8:09
  Constance Lavonice: Look beyond the obvious to the spiritual application.
• 8:16
  Constance Lavonice: And I guarantee if you look for it, you will find it.
• 8:23
  Constance Lavonice: And if this message has been helpful to you, please subscribe and share it with a friend.
• 8:30
  Constance Lavonice: And text the show and let me know what's on your heart.