Seeing Through God's Eyes
- Baptist Daily Devotional
- Jun 19
- 3 min read
Rev. Charles Oppong-Poku | June 19 2025 | Acts 11:5-7
KEY VERSE:
“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds." Acts 11:5-6 (NIV)
MESSAGE:
As Peter unwrapped the story of Cornelius' conversion, we realise why the involvement of visions, angels, and the Holy Spirit was so important. Peter recounts a vision that changed his worldview. As a devout Jew, he had strict categories for what was “clean” and “unclean”—not just for food, but also for people. But in this encounter, God invites Peter - and us - to see the world not through human filters of tradition or prejudice, but through His eyes of grace.
While Peter was praying in Joppa, God used a vision to interrupt his sincere spiritual moment and reveal a deeper truth. The vision of the sheet being let down from heaven symbolised God's initiative and the global scope of the gospel message. The unclean animals represented people Peter had been taught to avoid, but God was showing him that those once seen as unacceptable were now included in His plan. Through this divine interruption, Peter’s perspective was being transformed to align with God’s inclusive heart. Peter’s vision reminds us that the gospel isn’t limited by race, background, or ritual. God sees worth in people we may overlook. The Church must resist the temptation to define holiness by exclusion instead of inclusion through grace. God’s mission is bigger than our traditions. And God’s heart is wider than our comfort zones. Real obedience begins when we stop arguing with God’s vision and start aligning with His heart.
FEET AND HANDS FOR THE MESSAGE:
What are you still calling unclean? Is there a group of people, a type of person, or a community you have subconsciously excluded? Let God reshape how you see the world and the people in it. Allow the Spirit to challenge your deeply held cultural or religious biases so that you can SEE through God’s eyes.
PRAYER:
Father, open my eyes to see people the way You see them. Remove the blinders of tradition, fear, and prejudice. Use me as an instrument of inclusion and love, that I may reflect Your heart in a divided world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF BLESSING.
SHOWERS! BLESSINGS!!
The 365 DAILY BIBLE READING Day 170: 2 Samuel 4 - Ish-Bosheth Murdered
DAILY word study: TRANCE
The Greek word used for trance is ekstasis (ἔκστασις), which literally means “a standing outside oneself.” It refers to a state of divine arrest, where the person is lifted out of normal awareness to receive a spiritual message or vision.
Peter was praying when he entered this state. It wasn’t an ordinary distraction or daydreaming. God took him beyond routine into revelation. This ekstasis wasn’t just for a moment of awe—it was a reset of how Peter understood what was clean, who was included, and how wide the gospel must reach.
Reflection:
Sometimes God must interrupt our normal way of thinking to realign us with His heart. Are you open to the kind of spiritual clarity that begins when you step outside your own assumptions?
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