Windows of the Soul

Guest Post by Becky Loe

Eyes are often called “the windows of the soul,” because of how they communicate emotions or sincerity. Matthew 6:22-23, however, introduces an even more vital function of the eyes; they actually shape our souls!

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.”

Our souls/characters are constantly being influenced by the input we give them. If we consistently view things of truth, beauty, and encouragement, our eyes grow us into men and women of character and courage. If we consistently look at things that are crass, cynical, or violent, our souls will be darkened by them. One reason porn is so dangerous is that it blinds and hardens the heart to the beauty of what real love is (gentleness, kindness, concern for the other person) while darkening one’s soul with lust and a selfishness that cares only for its own pleasure and satisfaction.

Change

We know the Truth, and the Light of the world is ours for the having. But the warning here is, “If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (vs. 23) We can’t change our character overnight, but we can influence the kind of people we are becoming by what we choose to read or watch on TV and the computer. It’s foolish to consistently channel darkness into our souls and expect that the light in us will automatically keep our character strong and bright. Knowing the truth, but still welcoming in the darkness brings a hardness that is more unyielding than the darkness of one who has never known the truth. The encouraging flip side of that is that making the hard choices to focus our eyes on God’s Word, goodness, and beauty will bring light into our hearts, strengthening our souls.

Please meet my friend Becky Loe. Becky is kind-hearted and has a fierce commitment to encouraging others and sharing the gospel wherever she finds herself. She enjoys their family of six, and her hobbies include reading and watching whodunits.

After almost 44 years of ministry with Cru in Asia and Eastern Europe, she and her husband Danny recently transitioned to Ratio Christi (the Reason of Christ). This ministry brings together faith and reason, establishing the intellectual voice of Christ in universities through student and faculty-led apologetics clubs around the world.

Comments and questions for Becky are welcome in the section below.

6 Gems for Earthshaking Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Do you ever look back on this tender childhood prayer and wonder how to regain the simplicity embodied in these lines?

If such a desire resonates within you, permit me to share a personal discovery. Through the teaching of Dr. Charles Stanley, the Lord led me years ago to Colossians 1:9-14. Since then, this supernatural gem is my (almost) daily prayer passage for those I hold most dear.

Morning after morning, I turn to Colossians 1:9-14 to pray for my beloved family. This all-encompassing passage from the Apostle Paul allows me to enter the Throne Room with encouragement and confidence. This heartfelt, power-packed prayer embodies a thoroughness that, according to Dr. Stanley, “covers every area of our lives that needs the Lord’s touch.”

Consider the text as a whole:

For this reason also, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Consider each verse separately:

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God

11 being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom the Son he loves

14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Consider memorization:

Committing this passage to memory deepens the meaning even further. And, by inserting the pronoun I (in place of we) reverent personalization occurs.

The Holy Spirit continues to open the door of my own heart and soul to stand in awe of the power-packed potential of these six verses. So, with joy, I invite you to join me as we pray for our loved ones—verse by verse and phrase by phrase—a supernatural prayer saturated in simplicity and significance.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

In your mind, what makes this prayer so powerful? How do you see these verses making an impact on your prayer life?

A Tripod of Faith

Her relevant and varied questions warranted careful attention. In this brief window of time, what should I say? How could I answer this Follower of Christ in such a way as to point her to the goodness of God, and simultaneously give her practical steps forward? Her assorted questions ranged From~To. From: What do you do when God doesn't seem to answer? To: How do you believe God when it is hard?

Aware that my responses for her needed to be customized, clear and concise—but most of all genuinely helpful—I silently prayed, “God, please help me. I do not want to bruise this true, tender disciple of yours, but, oh how I long for her to know You can be trusted!” I yearned for a connectivity that would bring her back for spiritual conversations again and again and again. 

In such a sacred situation, we must remember that the vulnerable heart does not need everything, but just the right thing. For this moment, I felt my answers needed to be easy: 

Easy to remember
Easy to apply                                                                                                                                  Easy to transfer to another life situation

Somewhere from within my depth of the reservoir of life’s experiences, God’s Spirit highlighted three principles, and formulated a Tripod of Faith.

With a brief explanation, here is what I carefully offered: 

A Tripod of Faith

Thank You.

In any and every situation, be quick to say to God, “Thank you. Thank you for this challenge, this problem, this pain, this gift.” A thank you offered in faith opens the door to usher in God’s supernatural resources at a time when you need them the most. (And, a grateful heart is a happy heart.)

I Trust You.

Be willing to tell God, "At this moment, I stop, and with all my heart, I choose to trust You. I trust You to be in control and to work this out. Here and now, I trust You."

Thy will be done.

Talk to God and say, "More than getting my way (the way I want this to work out), I desire for this to work our Your way. Just like Jesus, I pray, 'Thy will be done.'"

She listened, she smiled, and then she moved on...back into life, back into the battles of her world, back into a society that offers zero mercy for a Follower of Christ. Oh God, please protect her, and please use what I said to be remembered and to make a difference. 

Now here is the surprise. Since that conversation, guess who has benefited the most? Right; yours truly. What I shared with another came forward as God’s message for me. I found this crucial when Larry and I disagreed on an important decision. Tripod of Faith: Thank You, I trust You, Thy will be done. Then, I felt disheartened when a project seemed stalled. Tripod of Faith: Thank You, I trust You, Thy will be done. Later, a phone call heightened my level of concern for the one on the other end of the line. Tripod of Faith: Thank You, I trust You, Thy will be done. 

Thank You, Sweet Jesus. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name, a tried, tested, and true Tripod of Faith.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

How would you have answered the questions posed by this earnest Christ Follower?

Is there a situation you are facing where the Tripod of Faith can help you move forward?