Seeing Life Clearly Through the Lens of Faith

Today, I shared a picture the Lord gave me: a school with many doors, each needing a different key, but the master key opens them all. In our lives, we each face different “doors”—challenges like sickness, addiction, broken relationships, or financial struggles. The good news is that Jesus is the master key. No matter what door stands before us, Jesus can unlock it, bringing freedom, healing, restoration, and peace. Everything bows at His name.

But how we see our circumstances matters. Just as glasses or lenses change what we see, the lens we use to view our lives shapes our perception. Many of us look at our situations through the lens of doubt, worry, past experiences, or even “realism.” But we are called to put on the lens of faith—complete trust in God and His promises. Faith is not about ignoring reality, but about seeing beyond it, trusting that God is working even when we can’t see it yet.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith means believing before we see, not just after. Like Thomas, we often want to see before we believe, but Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” There is a unique joy and blessing that comes when we choose to trust God’s word over what our eyes or circumstances tell us.

Life will sometimes knock the lens of faith off our faces—through disappointment, pain, or unexpected storms. But we have a choice: to stay in that place of doubt, or to put the lens of faith back on, asking God to help us see as He sees. Even when we haven’t yet received what we’re praying for, or when past prayers seem unanswered, we can choose to believe again. Like Joseph, who endured betrayal, false accusation, and years of waiting, we can keep our hearts right and our eyes fixed on God’s promises, knowing that in due season, God’s vision will come to pass.

So today, the challenge is simple but profound: What lens are you using to look at your life? Trash the lenses of doubt, fear, and unbelief. Put on the lens of faith, and ask God to help you see what He sees. As we do, we’ll walk in the fullness of what God has for us, no matter what doors stand before us.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus is the master key to every door No matter what challenge or “door” you face—be it sickness, addiction, brokenness, or fear—Jesus alone has the authority and power to unlock it. He is not just one answer among many; He is the answer to everything. When we declare His name over our situations, we invite His freedom, healing, and peace to break through. [32:31]
• 2. The lens you wear shapes your reality Our perception of life’s circumstances is deeply influenced by the “lens” we choose—faith, doubt, worry, or past experience. Faith is not denial of reality, but a choice to see beyond it, trusting God’s promises even when they are not yet visible. The lens of faith allows us to see what God sees and to call things that are not as though they are. [54:24]
• 3. Faith is believing before seeing True faith is not “seeing is believing,” but “believing before seeing.” Jesus calls us blessed when we trust Him without physical evidence. This kind of faith brings a unique joy and releases God’s blessing in our lives, even in the midst of uncertainty or delay. [1:14:21]
• 4. Life’s storms may knock off your faith, but you can choose to put it back on Disappointments and hardships can shake our faith, but we are not powerless. Like putting on corrective lenses, we can choose to return to faith, asking God to help us see as He sees. This is not a one-time act, but a continual choice to trust God’s perspective over our own. [1:03:36]
• 5. Pray for others to see through the lens of faith When those around us are stuck in fear, doubt, or unbelief, our role is not to argue or condemn, but to pray that God would open their eyes. Just as Elisha prayed for his servant, we can ask God to help others see His reality, so that together we can walk in victory. [1:20:27]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:31] - Jesus: The Master Key
• [41:04] - Declaring Authority in Jesus’ Name
• [45:01] - Jesus is the Answer
• [46:24] - Joy and Community in Church
• [47:28] - Daily Dependence on God
• [48:37] - The Same Holy Spirit for All
• [49:55] - Seeing Through the Right Lens
• [51:06] - The Lens Illustration
• [54:24] - What Lens Are You Wearing?
• [55:49] - The Lens of Faith Defined
• [57:09] - Faith: Seeing the Unseen
• [59:44] - Choosing Faith Over Realism
• [1:03:36] - When Life Knocks Off Your Faith
• [1:14:21] - Blessed Are Those Who Believe
• [1:16:18] - Elisha and the Eyes of Faith
• [1:21:32] - Joseph: Faith Through Trials
• [1:28:29] - The Daily Choice to See by Faith
• [1:47:16] - Closing Blessing and Prayer

Small Group Bible Study Guide: “The Lens of Faith & Jesus the Master Key”

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Bible Reading

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
> Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

John 20:24-29 (NKJV)
> 24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
> 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
> 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
> 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
> 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
> 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

2 Kings 6:15-17 (NKJV)
> 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
> 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
> 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then 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.

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Observation Questions

1. According to Hebrews 11:1, how does the Bible define faith? What are the two things faith is described as?
2. In John 20:24-29, what was Thomas’ response to the other disciples’ claim that they had seen Jesus? What did Jesus say to Thomas when He appeared?
3. In the story of Elisha and his servant (2 Kings 6:15-17), what did Elisha pray for his servant, and what happened as a result?
4. The sermon used the illustration of different lenses changing what we see. What are some of the “lenses” mentioned that people use to look at their circumstances? ([54:56])

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”? What does this say about the kind of faith God values? ([01:14:21])
2. The sermon says that “faith is not denial of reality, but a choice to see beyond it.” How is this different from simply being optimistic or ignoring problems? ([54:24])
3. When Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, what does this teach us about spiritual vision and the role of prayer in helping others see God’s reality? ([01:20:27])
4. The pastor shared that life’s storms can “knock off” our lens of faith. What does it look like to “put the lens of faith back on” after disappointment or hardship? ([01:03:36])

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Application Questions

1. The sermon challenged us to ask, “What lens are you using to look at your life?” Take a moment to reflect: What lens do you most often use—faith, doubt, worry, past experience, or something else? How does this affect your daily outlook? ([54:24])
2. Think of a specific “door” or challenge you are facing right now (sickness, relationship, finances, etc.). What would it look like to declare Jesus as the “master key” over that situation? Have you tried this before? What happened? ([32:31])
3. The pastor said, “Faith is believing before seeing.” Is there an area in your life where you are waiting to see before you believe? What would it mean to flip that and choose to believe first? ([01:14:21])
4. When was a time that disappointment or pain “knocked off” your lens of faith? How did you respond? What helped you (or could help you) to put the lens of faith back on? ([01:03:36])
5. The story of Joseph was shared as an example of someone who kept his heart right and his eyes on God’s promises, even when things looked hopeless. Is there a promise from God you are holding onto, even though you haven’t seen it fulfilled yet? How do you keep believing? ([01:21:32])
6. The sermon encouraged us to pray for others to see through the lens of faith, not to argue or condemn. Is there someone in your life who is stuck in fear or doubt? How can you pray for them this week, and what might that prayer look like? ([01:20:27])
7. The pastor said, “Trash the lenses of doubt, fear, and unbelief.” What is one practical step you can take this week to “trash” an old lens and intentionally put on the lens of faith? ([01:31:12])

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