This is a Spiritual Health Warning: Faith-Myopia is on the Rise

There is a deadly epidemic that is currently sweeping the Church. The condition primarily affects the heart, mind, and soul of its victim, and can lead to serious, even fatal, spiritual health problems if left untreated. Today, millions of Christians in America are at risk of developing faith-myopia. The implications of this have the potential to be catastrophic. Faith-myopia will continue to spread if not contained. Please read and distribute the following spiritual health warning below.

Definition

Faith-Myopia is the spiritual manifestation of nearsightedness. Unlike spiritual blindness, which only affects unbelievers, faith-myopia has been detected in a significant and growing number of Christians. The term, myopia (from the Ancient Greek, μυωπία or muōpia), refers to a condition of the eye in which light does not directly focus on the retina, but in front of it, causing distant objects to be out of focus while close objects are in focus. When faith becomes myopic, it causes spiritual nearsightedness meaning victims focus almost exclusively on their immediate surroundings without seeing the bigger picture. As a result, victims tend to view God's truth through the lens of their own circumstances as opposed to viewing their circumstances through the lens of God's truth. Those suffering from the condition might fail to develop a biblical worldview, might lack spiritual discernment, and might be more easily misled by false teaching or worldly temptations. They can often become self-centered as opposed to Christ-centered.

Cases of faith-myopia range from mild to severe, limiting a believer's spiritual sight to varying degrees. Any Christian—even a pastor, layperson, theologian, missionary, or long-term believer—is vulnerable to developing the condition. And most Christians will show symptoms of faith-myopia during at least one period in their lives—indeed, many may be struggling with one or more of its symptoms right now.

Symptoms

(1) Limited perspective; victims focus largely on what's happening to them in the here-and-now, being unable to clearly see the bigger picture of God's sovereign will, His unchanging goodness, and His unfailing love for them. In other words, victims struggle to see the woods for the trees, so-to-speak. They also fail to see the larger context of God's redemptive plan for humanity, tending instead to focus more narrowly on the pettier issues of day-to-day life, which are thus blown out of proportion causing undue stress and anxiety. This weakens their faith because their trust in God becomes contingent on what is happening to them personally at any given moment, causing them to lose sight of God's faithfulness and His unfailing promises. Victims are less likely to pay mind to the suffering of persecuted brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, because their field of vision isn't wide enough to encompass such issues. Therefore, their limited perspective often leads to the subsequent symptom of self-centeredness.

(2) Self-centeredness; victims might become self-centered rather than Christ-centered and are often blinded by myopic pride. In their churches, they might behave more like consumers of faith-based goods and services than disciples of Christ and investors in God's Kingdom. Therefore, they can treat church more as a social club than a spiritual family. They can lack a vision for self-sacrificial service and for discipling others, remaining preoccupied with their own needs and concerns. And so, they aren't often outreach-minded or missional, and are prone to forming church cliques.

(3) Wordliness; victims might become worldly because they lack the spiritual foresight to see beyond their earthly circumstances to view their lives in light of Eternity. This leads to selfishness and often to hedonism because they have difficulty distinguishing that which is of spiritual and everlasting value from that which is temporal and earthly. In severe cases, therefore, victims hoard material riches and indulge increasingly in fleeting worldly pleasures, having lost sight of the heavenly riches that await them. As a result, those showing this symptom become less like foreigners and exiles in an alien world (1 Peter 2:11). In fact, they begin to look and behave more like the world and less like Christ whom the world has rejected.

(4) Lack of discernment; victims might cherry-pick Bible verses to suit their immediate needs rather than reading the Bible in order to sincerely grow in their knowledge of God. Because their view of God's truth is blurry and out of focus, they have a hard time discerning the difference between biblical and false teaching. They are, therefore, vulnerable to being led astray by false teachers, like those preaching the "prosperity gospel," for example.

(5) Spiritual superficiality; victims might gravitate towards quick-fix spirituality rather than substantive biblical teaching. This is because they have lost an appreciation for that which is spiritually profound and theologically sound. They often shy away from thinking about or discussing matters of spiritual substance, preferring to stick to safer, more lightweight topics that leave their hearts and minds unchallenged and unchanged. They tend to feel uncomfortable when they are around people who act "too Christian" and they prefer to avoid addressing polarizing issues of right and wrong in our culture.

(6) Fruitless faith; victims night suffer from feelings of emptiness, guilt, worry, and insecurity because their faith doesn't bear the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-26). Because they are not walking in the light (1 John 1:7), they do not possess the peace that passes understanding (Phil 4:7), which requires their spiritual eyes to be enlightened to see the hope to which Christ has called them, and the riches of His glorious inheritance (Eph 1:18). They often lose sight of how much God loves them individually, which causes them to desperately seek the approval of others and measure their own value by the world's standards. This can lead them to have an identity crisis. In severe cases, it can lead to a fruitless faith.

Causes

The following are common risk factors for faith-myopia:

1) Failing to stay in the Word. Reading and reflecting on Scripture daily enables the believer to view life through a biblical lens and to see things in light of Eternity. Without a biblical perspective, a believer is more susceptible to developing faith-myopia.

2) Failing to stay in prayer. Prayer is a powerful change-agent in the life of a believer. Surrendering everything to God in prayer, rather than trying to stay in control, protects a believer from the delusion of self-dependency, which leads to pride, self-absorption and, ultimately, to faith-myopia.

3) Failing to stay in fellowship. As members of the Body of Christ, it is important to live in close relationship with wise, mature believers who will point us back to Christ when we lose perspective. Trying to live out one's faith in a vacuum can too easily lead to faith-myopia. Similarly, if believers surround themselves with spiritually superficial friends, they are at risk of exposing themselves to, and contracting, faith-myopia.

4) Failing to die to self. Continuing to walk in darkness, rather than in God's light, causes spiritual stagnation, a precursor to faith-myopia. John said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24). Dying to self allows a believer to see with spiritual, not just fleshly, eyes.

Treatment
There is only one known cure for faith-myopia: it is to live in the Spirit. In order to do so, believers should put on the full armor of God daily (Eph 6:13-18) to protect themselves against faith-myopia. This involves:

1) Wearing the belt of truth buckled around the waist (v 14a). Being armed with the knowledge of God's truth protects believers from being deceived by wolves in sheep's clothing.

2) Wearing the breastplate of righteousness (v 14b). Turning from sin, and embracing righteousness in Christ fortifies the heart and will protect the believer from being susceptible to worldliness.

3) Having feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (v 15). The believer will be protected from stumbling around blindly when his or her feet are guided by the gospel of peace. The believer will be equipped with the peace that passes understanding amid life's trials—a peace that comes from a clear view of the gospel.

4) Taking up the shield of faith (v 16). Walking by faith, not by physical sight, protects the believer from faith-myopia by maintaining his or her spiritual eyesight and ability to view life in light of Eternity.

5) Putting on the helmet of salvation (v 17a). Remembering that salvation is in Christ alone, that it is a gracious gift from God, and is not from ourselves, protects the believer from being blinded by myopic pride.

6) Taking up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v 17b). Staying grounded in God's Word, which is living and active, enlightens the believer's spiritual eyes to discern truth from falsehood.

7) Praying at all times in the Spirit (v 18). The importance of prayer in the life of the believer cannot be over-emphasized. Praying in the Spirit without ceasing allows the believer's stream of consciousness to reflect a continual dialogue with God. By maintaining an interactive relationship with God in this way, the believer's faith grows and is protected from becoming myopic.

Prognosis
Chances of a full recovery are guaranteed for every believer afflicted with faith-myopia as long as the above treatments are administered according to the Great Physician's instructions.

A Prayer for the Persecuted

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani wife and mother of five, used these words to defend her faith against mocking co-workers who tried to make her convert to Islam: "Our Christ sacrificed His life on the cross for our sins....Our Christ is alive.” She was later convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to death, which she currently awaits in prison (as of May 27, 2014, her appeal has been postponed for the fifth time). Asia has given up everything for her faith: her family, her freedom, and her potentially her life. She has been in prison since 2009.

Once-in-a-while, when I lay in bed at night—home and safe with my family—I think of her. I confess that, often, too much time passes by when I forget to think of her. Life gets busy, I get preoccupied. And then, all of a sudden, I remember her. And I'm struck by how much has happened in my life since the last time I thought of her. But she's still there, waiting on death row. So, then, with a heavy-heart, I pray for her. Sometimes, the prayers seem pointless. It has been so long since she was imprisoned and our prayers seem to be going unanswered. But this is to look at Asia's plight through earthly eyes.

Asia once shared this story with a Christian ministry worker who was able to visit her in prison:

"There is a beautiful thing that happens every day in my cell. Two days after they announced my death penalty, I was brought into [death row]. Every morning around 3:30 or 4, a brown bird with a long beak appears and sits on the boundary wall. This bird also comes every evening around 5. He sits there for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Later on he became my friend. I talk to him and he also talks to me."

I pray that the bird still visits her. I pray that Asia is not in despair. I pray that seeing the bird reminds her of Jesus' words, "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matt 6:26). Asia Bibi is so very precious to our great God. She has not been forgotten by the One who loves her, who created her, and gave His life for her. I pray that in the midst of her long-term suffering that she remains encouraged and that she's continually filled with peace that passes understanding and hope that's rooted in Christ.

The Muslim governor of Asia Bibi's home province who fought for her and her family, was brutally murdered by Islamists. Her family lives in fear for their lives and are in hiding. 

Sadly Asia's story is not uncommon. There currently are many Christians being ruthlessly persecuted all over the world. 

In Sudan, a Christian mother and practicing medical doctor, Meriam Yahia Ibrahim (age 27), was recently arbitrarily detained, charged with adultery and apostasy by a Sudanese Public Order Court. She has subsequently been sentenced to death. Because she was born in Sudan, she is considered a Muslim by default, making her marriage to her non-Muslim husband illegal in the eyes of Sudan's Public Order Criminal Code. Adultery and apostasy are each punishable by 100 lashes and death. UPDATE BELOW.

Meriam was heavily pregnant with her second child at the time of her arrest. She gave birth (in a prison clinic with her legs chained) to a baby girl named Maya on May 27, 2014. Her execution has been upheld by the court in Khartoum after she refused to recant her Christian faith, but it will not be carried out until Maya is two-years-old.

The trials of our faithful sisters Asia and Meriam should not be forgotten. Paul urges us to remember those who are in prison as if we ourselves are in prison (Heb 13:3). 

I pray for the release of Asia and Meriam. I pray that they and their families will not lose heart but will be encouraged and have hope. I pray that in their hearts and minds they would echo the words of the Apostle Paul: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." (2 Cor 4:8-10). I pray that they will hold on to the truth that "this light momentary affliction is preparing for [them] an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as [they] look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Cor 4:16-18).

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:10). And He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20).

Sign the petition for Meriam's release here. UPDATE 5/31/14: Due to diplomatic pressure to halt her execution, Sudanese officials announced that they expect to release Meriam soon. Praise God and keep praying!
UPDATE 6/2/14: Now, Sudan is retracting that statement, saying instead that it will wait for a court to rule on her appeal. There is no doubt Sudan is trying to stop the growing wave of international pressure. As her attorneys in Sudan said, "It's a statement to silence the international media. This is what the government does."

International Christian Concern is a great resource to find out how to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters.

His Unmistakable Presence in the Darkness

Have you ever experienced God's unquestionable presence in the darkest moments of your life? One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is Laura Story's "Blessings." Her words resonate deeply with me:

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are [God's] mercies in disguise

And this line is from the chorus: "What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know [God's] near?"

Her words are so relatable because we've all been there at some point in our lives: wrestling with anxious thoughts in the middle of the night...enduring pain or fear in the darkness. But it is in the midst of our solitary moments of suffering that the presence of God can become all the more real to us. 

It was during one memorable sleepless night that I went through a few years ago that I experienced God's manifest presence in such a powerful way that I will never forget it. It was in a darkened hospital ward in a foreign country where I lay alone in the small hours of the night. I had been wheeled in from an over-crowded emergency room. Unable to speak the language, I couldn't communicate with anyone and had no idea what was happening to me or the baby I was carrying. But I knew it was touch and go.

And when the nurses left, I lay there in the darkness with nothing but the noises of heavy breathing and occasional moans from the other beds. I was petrified. I remember laying there stiff as a board, not wanting to move even the slightest inch, trying to suppress my tears and my trembling. Next to me was a set of large double doors through which came a sickly fluorescent glow. I remember staring at the ceiling tiles above me, tracing around them with my eyes. I found a cross shape in lines between them and started praying. My prayers were frantic and desperate. I wasn't singing God's praises like the Apostle Paul in the prison cell. I was silently screaming to Him. I was terrified of losing the baby so far into the pregnancy there, alone, in a dark hospital ward with my husband thousands of miles away.

But it is in our loneliest, most desperate moments that God touches us with a peace that can only come from Him. As the dark hours ticked on, I lay and I prayed. And at some point, I became aware that I was actually smiling as I lay there—in fact, I was beaming—and I realized that I had been doing so for quite some time. The tears were gone and the fear had slipped away without me noticing it. I didn't know what was going to happen to me or the baby, but I had the strongest, most comforting sense that someone was sitting next to me in the empty chair at my side. And I literally felt submerged in the presence of God...His lightness had chased away the darkness. The peace and strength I felt did not come from anything I had done myself; I hadn't been meditating, doing breathing exercises, or chanting. I had been panicking. The peace was all from Him. Somehow, He had turned my cries of anguish into prayers of praise, calming my soul with His unmistakable presence. 

It is in the midst of emotional turmoil and overwhelming fear that we can truly experience the peace that passes understanding, for such peace makes no logical sense and transcends our circumstances. It interrupts our frenzied thoughts. In our moments of weakness and desperation, God's strength can be powerfully realized. These experiences show us that we can truly do all things through Him who strengthens us (Phil 4:12-14). These experiences humble us.

The Apostle Paul was no stranger to suffering and desperate situations. He was imprisoned, persecuted, castigated and abandoned by fellow believers, temporarily blinded, and he suffered an ongoing affliction (some commentators have speculated that it was an eye condition resulting from his former blindness). He described his affliction as a "thorn in the flesh," which was given to him to keep him from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations he had received from God. Paul had pleaded with the Lord to take away the affliction, but God said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul resolved then, for the sake of Christ, to be "content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities." (2 Cor 12:7-10).

In life, we may well face a tragedy or time of suffering that we can't handle. This is often misunderstood; have you ever heard people say that God will never allow our circumstances to be more than we can handle? It's a misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 10:13, which states that God "will not let you be tempted beyond your ability." But it's important to note that the verse explicitly refers to temptations, not to trials. Sometimes, God allows us to suffer beyond what we can bear because it is when we can't cope on our own that we're reminded of our dependence on Him. When we turn to Him, He equips us to endure trials in His strength. 

Scripture tells us that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, just as He rescued Lot from Sodom (2 Pet 2:7-9). We should certainly pray for deliverance from our trials. But if the answer is "no" or "not yet," we need trust God all the same, knowing that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28) and His ways are higher than our ways (Isa 55:8).

Paul encourages us not to despair even when we face terrible, perplexing times of suffering, "for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." (1 Cor 4:17). The trials of this life remind us that this world is not our home. We are encouraged, therefore, even to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Rom 5:3-5).  And our trials point us to Christ as the source of our hope. We are encouraged to look forward to the day when the Lord "will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:4).

And for now, while we wait on Him, we can rest in the knowledge that God always listens to, and answers, our prayers. He hears our cries. His loving presence is always there. He hems us in behind and before and every day ordained for us was written in His book before it comes to be (Psa 139). We can be strong and courageous, and not live in fear, because the Lord our God is with us wherever we go (Jos 1:9). As we seek our refuge in Him, He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. And we have assurance that our loving God is way bigger than any problem we will ever have to face.