What Do You See | Pastor Tina Notz | 8/2/2026

Aug 02, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Glass Between Us and Circling Sharks

The enemy’s threats often feel as close as predators in murky water, but God’s presence stands as an unbreakable barrier. Just as thick aquarium glass shields observers from danger, the Holy Spirit surrounds believers with divine protection even when chaos seems inches away. Fear distorts reality, making shadows loom large, but faith recognizes the impenetrable safety of God’s nearness. His peace isn’t the absence of battles but the assurance of His guarding presence. Trust grows when we stop fixating on the “sharks” and start resting in the One who holds them at bay. [01:20]

“Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16, ESV)

Reflection: What “sharks” are circling your life right now? How might your perspective shift if you focused first on Christ’s protection rather than the threat?

Day 2: Mountains Full of Horses You Can’t Yet See

Elisha’s servant panicked at the visible army until his eyes opened to the invisible forces fighting for him. Spiritual sight transforms panic into peace by revealing God’s hidden reinforcements. Angels, divine strategies, and heaven’s authority surround believers even when circumstances scream inadequacy. The battle isn’t against what we see but against our failure to perceive God’s greater reality. Faith doesn’t deny the storm—it sees the Commander standing in it. [06:14]

“Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the hills around Elisha were full of horses and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel outnumbered? Ask God to reveal one way He’s already fighting for you that you’ve overlooked.

Day 3: Cataracts of Self-Focus Clouding Your Vision

Spiritual blindness creeps in when we stare too long at our wounds, culture, or desires. Like cataracts thickening over time, self-absorption dims our capacity to see God’s kingdom at work. Clarity returns when we repent of pride, comparison, and numbing distractions. Just as Paul’s scales fell away, Jesus still heals distorted sight. A healthy vision starts with this confession: “I need You to adjust my eyes daily.” [14:39]

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matthew 6:22, ESV)

Reflection: What habit or mindset has subtly shifted your gaze from Christ to self this month? What small step could recenter your focus?

Day 4: Pillar of Salt or Hands Releasing the Past

Lot’s wife solidified her legacy with one backward glance. Her story warns against anchoring our identity to yesterday’s pain, shame, or even victories. Freedom comes through open-handed surrender—releasing what God says to leave so we can grasp what He’s giving. Forward motion requires trusting that His “new thing” outweighs the comfort of familiar bondage. Don’t let what’s behind steal what’s ahead. [36:10]

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26, ESV)

Reflection: What memory or regret do you keep glancing back at? How might praying “God, I exchange this for Your future” shift your posture?

Day 5: Fixing Eyes on the Unseen Eternal

Natural vision obsesses over temporary crises, but faith gazes at eternal realities. Paul’s command to “fix our eyes” implies deliberate refocusing—choosing worship over worry, Scripture over scrolling, stillness over striving. What we stare at shapes our inner world: beholding Christ’s glory transforms fear into fortitude. Eternal perspective turns overwhelming battles into opportunities to witness His power. [26:20]

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, ESV)

Reflection: What seen circumstance dominates your thoughts? Write one unseen truth about God’s character to meditate on today.

Sermon Summary

The Holy Spirit is never to be taken for granted, because Jesus is faithful and his presence is the real safety around God’s people. The Toronto Aquarium picture puts that truth in plain sight: sharks may be circling, but glass changes the whole experience. The Holy Spirit is that glass, guarding hearts and minds, giving peace in the middle of chaos, and keeping the enemy from having the final word.

God does not promise a battle free life, but God does promise his presence. The report of the twelve spies shows the difference between fear and faith. Ten spies saw giants and called themselves grasshoppers, but Joshua and Caleb saw with faith and said, “The people are well able to overcome.” The difference was not the land, the giants, or the danger. The difference was vision.

Elisha’s prayer in 2 Kings 6 becomes the cry of the hour: “Lord, open his eyes.” The servant saw the army, the danger, and the impossible, but Elisha saw God’s presence, God’s protection, and God’s power. The servant was not wrong. The servant was just not seeing everything. The real problem was not what surrounded him, but what he could not see.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 press the issue deeper. The eye is the lamp of the body, and what fills the eyes eventually fills the heart. Healthy eyes discern rightly and see from God’s perspective, but unhealthy eyes produce darkness, confusion, and distorted judgment. Spiritual cataracts form when the gaze shifts from Christ to self, from the kingdom to culture, from the eternal to the temporary.

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 keeps saying the same thing in another way: the eyes of the heart need to be enlightened. God’s people need to know Christ more deeply, know the hope of his calling, know the riches of their inheritance, and know the greatness of his power within those who believe. Christianity is not just meeting Jesus. Christianity is walking with him, talking with him, being with him, and letting his presence wash the world and the junk off.

The warning of Lot’s wife gives a strong word: do not look back. Looking back in disobedience can chain a believer to yesterday, but remembering what God has done stirs faith. God is calling his people forward, calling for release of fear, anger, shame, hurt, and defeat. Spiritual eyes stay open through God’s word, daily prayer, and the filling of the Holy Spirit, so God’s people can look higher, speak faith, and see Jesus at work.

Key Takeaways

1. Presence measures victory, not calm. God’s presence changes the meaning of battle. The absence of pressure is not the proof that God is near, because the enemy can still circle like sharks around glass. Victory is found when the Holy Spirit guards the heart, steadies the mind, and makes chaos unable to rule the soul. [02:40]
2. Faith sees what fear misses. Elisha’s servant saw real danger, but not the whole reality. Fear often tells the truth halfway, because it can name the army but cannot perceive the chariots of fire. Faith does not deny the problem, but faith refuses to let the problem become the highest thing in view. [06:57]
3. Clouded eyes distort the heart. Jesus ties vision to inner light, because what fills the eyes eventually fills the person. Hurt, fear, pride, materialism, and self focus can become spiritual cataracts that make God’s truth look blurry. Clear sight comes when the gaze shifts back to Christ and the heart lets his light reorder what matters. [14:10]
4. God’s word weighs every voice. The enemy blinds by twisting truth just enough to make compromise sound reasonable. Culture, opinion, and social media can sound loud, but none of them get to become the foundation. The word of God must test every claim, because closeness to Jesus sharpens discernment and exposes deception. [35:17]
5. Forward requires releasing yesterday. Lot’s wife shows how one backward look can reveal a heart still tied to what God is judging. The past can become a chain when pain, shame, or anger keeps shaping identity. God’s call forward requires release, not denial, so peace can fill the place where turmoil used to rule.

## [43:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:20] - The Holy Spirit As Protective Glass
[02:40] - Victory Is God’s Presence
[03:35] - Faith Sees Differently Than Fear
[05:28] - Elisha Prays For Open Eyes
[11:11] - The Eye Is The Lamp
[14:10] - Spiritual Cataracts And Clouded Vision
[18:50] - Paul Prays For Enlightened Hearts
[23:50] - Knowing Inheritance And Power
[26:20] - Fixing Eyes On The Unseen
[32:39] - The Enemy Blinds Minds
[36:10] - Remember Lot’s Wife
[42:45] - Release The Past And Reach Forward
[45:19] - Keeping Spiritual Eyes Open
[46:13] - Prayer For Godly Perspective

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

2 Kings 6:15-17
“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?' He said, 'Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' 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.” [05:28]

Matthew 6:22-23
“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. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” [11:11]

Ephesians 1:17-19
“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” [18:50]

Genesis 19:26
“But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” [36:10]

Observation questions

In 2 Kings 6, what did the servant notice first, and what did Elisha ask the Lord to do for him? [06:57]
In Matthew 6:22-23, what two kinds of eyesight does Jesus describe, and what does each one produce in a person?
In Ephesians 1:17-19, what are the specific things Paul prays believers would know once the eyes of their hearts are enlightened? [23:50]
What were some of the “spiritual cataracts” named that can cloud a person’s vision and make it harder to see clearly? [14:10]

Interpretation questions

Elisha’s servant was not seeing falsely; he was just not seeing fully. How does that help explain the difference between fear and faith when facing a real problem? [06:57]
Jesus says the eye is the lamp of the body. How does what a person keeps looking at begin to shape the inner life, attitudes, and choices? [12:10]
Paul prays for believers to know Christ more deeply, to know their hope, inheritance, and God’s power. Why do believers still need that kind of prayer even after they already have faith in Christ? [19:47]
Lot’s wife looked back when she was told not to. What does that moment suggest about how the past can still hold a person’s heart even while God is leading them out? [38:21]

Application questions

Where has fear been telling only half the story in this season of life? What would it look like to ask, “Lord, open my eyes,” in that specific situation? [07:55]
What has been filling the eyes lately—news, social media, old wounds, pressure, comparison, temptation? How has that been affecting the heart and mind? [18:11]
Is there a hurt, shame, anger, or disappointment from yesterday that still pulls the heart backward? What might releasing that to God actually look like this week? [43:06]
God’s presence is the real safety in the middle of battle, not the absence of battle. In what area is there a need to stop waiting for calm and start looking for God’s nearness? [02:40]
Clear sight grows through God’s Word, daily prayer, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Which of those has been weakest lately, and what simple change would help strengthen it this week? [45:13]
The enemy twists truth just enough to make compromise sound reasonable. What voices or messages need to be weighed more carefully by Scripture right now? [35:17]
God is doing a new thing, but people can miss it while staring at the wrong thing too long. Where might God be asking for fresh faith, fresh obedience, or a fresh step forward? [27:38]

Sermon Clips

66s

#ReleaseThePast

“Today, God's calling you and I forward. He's calling us forward if you're going to walk into tomorrow, you have to release yesterday. You have to release every hurt, every wound, anything the enemy has built up your mind or in your heart, you have to release it to him so his peace can fill you, his joy can fill you. You have to release fear and release the anger and release the defeat and the shame and your past. Release and reach forward. That is I believe that is a huge word of the Lord today. Release the past and reach forward to what God has in front of you. There's so much ahead. There's so much good ahead. Why are you living in turmoil? Why are you allowing your life I mean, there have been times when the turmoil is just going on and things are kinda blowing my brain that it's in those times I just need to be with Jesus.”

97s

#BreatheInFaith

“We need to love each other, show grace to one another, and we need to draw closer to him. That's what church is all about. I'm not sure why people think church is where all the perfect people are. No. It's not. It's the place where all the broken people come to get their life right. It's the place where we are dependent, holy, completely dependent on our savior knowing that in ourselves we are just a mess. But that's why we need the Lord. That's why we need each other. We need his presence. I just wanna tell you, if you feel lost, sometimes you feel you've lost hope, maybe you've been looking at the wrong thing too long. That's good. Too long. Yep. I feel the Holy Spirit this morning is saying it's time to stop looking at the past. It's time to stop looking at the problem, and it's time for you to lift your eyes and look to him. It's time for you to give it fully to him. Amen. Quit trying to fix it. Quit trying to reason it away and just say, God, I give it to you. God, I trust you. Let the Holy Spirit take your situation and breathe faith where there's fear. Because that's what the enemy does. He's just breathing fear. Don't take it in. Don't breathe it in. Don't breathe it in. Breathe in faith.”

48s

#WorshipInHisPresence

“Christianity isn't just meeting Jesus. It's walking with Him. It's talking with Him. It's being with Him. I tell you what, when you're in worship, that isn't just like, Oh, we're going to observe everyone. That's a time like, Jesus, I'm just gonna be with you. I've gotta be in your presence. I need to be close to your heart and kinda allowing him to wash some of the world and the junk some more off your life because life weighs you down. That's why we gotta be in worship. We gotta be in his presence. We gotta be in his word to cleanse us, to renew our minds continually, continually.”

56s

#InheritanceInChrist

“You gotta see through his eyes. Paul prays that the eyes of our heart would be enlightened so we would know the hope of our calling, the riches of our inheritance. Did you know you have an inheritance? don't think most Christians understand that. We have an inheritance in Christ Jesus So we would know the greatness of his power in us. I think so often we understand his power, but do you understand you have the power of God on the inside of you? So if you have the power of the Holy Spirit in operation in your life, then why are you in fear? Why am I in fear? Why do I shrink back? Why do you shrink back?”

47s

#BreakFreeFromYesterday

“but looking back is referenced multiple times in the Bible and it was never a good thing. Except the only time you see looking back as a good thing, it's remembering what God has done. That's the only time looking back is a good thing, remembering what the Lord has done. But many believers are chained to their yesterday, and the enemy wants your identity tied to your past. He does not want you to move forward. He does not want you free. He certainly don't want you full of joy and of the Holy Ghost, He certainly doesn't want your life to show Christ to the world. He wants you stuck.”

58s

#GodlyPerspective

“If we only see what we wanna see, then we're gonna not make the difference that we want to make because God is wanting you to have God's vision. We still often just wanna see it our way. Well, it's our way. It's my way or the highway. He's trying to chisel that off of us today. See, because how we discern makes the difference between godliness and ungodliness, between light and darkness. This is a big deal. This is a big deal. Unhealthy lead to distorted perception and faulty discernment. That's a big deal. But when our eyes are healthy and when our perspective is shaped by God, oh, come on now. Our whole being is filled with his light bringing clarity and wisdom and truth.”

32s

#SeeWithEyesOfFaith

“You know, the the servant saw the army but Elijah saw what God was doing. May God open our eyes to see what he is doing. One lived in fear, but the other lived in courage and peace. May we live in courage peace. So my question today is, church, what do you see? Do you see the chaos, the problems, the confusion, or do you see Jesus”

59s

#CalledDeeperInChrist

“Man, that is a great scripture right there. See, as we focused on Elijah a little bit ago, we saw him praying for his servant, Lord, open his eyes that he may see. And here we're seeing hundreds of hundreds of years later, Paul praying the very same thing. Paul is saying, Lord, you gotta help these people see. You gotta help these people see. Apparently, God's people have always needed some spiritual insight. Come We need some spiritual eyesight. See, Paul thanked God for their faith and we thank God for the faith that's here, but then praying that they would know Christ more deeply. Oh, come on. That same call is going out today to God's people. He's calling us deeper. Will you go?”

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