Can You See It! | Courteney Bence

Monday, June 1



In this powerful message from Isaiah 43, we learn how to realign our spiritual vision, let go of the past, and recognize the new things God is springing forth in our lives. 

Key Verses 

Isaiah 43:18-19; Matthew 6:22-23; Matthew 7:3-5; II Kings 6:16-17; Hebrews 12:2-3; Psalm 27:13; Mark 10:51-52 

Puntos clave  

  • Forget the pain of the past. God is not asking you to forget what has happened. He’s asking you not to let your past affect what you believe He can do now. You don’t have to pretend it didn’t happen, but you must stop staring at it. Don’t let former pain determine future expectations. 
  •  Forget the power of the past. If you stay focused on the split sea behind you, you can miss the new thing he wants to do in front of you. What once built your faith can quietly become the box you put God in. Instead of looking for God to repeat the same process and method, let God show you something new. God is faithful but rarely predictable. Let God do a new thing in a new way.  
  • The greatest threat to spiritual vision isn’t blindness but distortion. What affects your vision will eventually change your perspective. Sometimes the problem isn’t what’s in front of you but what’s inside of you. A distorted vision gives you the impression that you can still see even though you can’t.  
  • God doesn’t always work overnight. Immediate growth does not always mean immediate change. What you want God to do may not happen overnight, but when God begins to do something new in your life, you must protect it. You may be looking for the finished product, but God is showing you a new beginning. 
  • There is more for you than against you. You may only be able to see your enemies, but there is an army of angels around you. Even if you don’t see any circumstances changing, God is doing something greater than your sight. Don’t look harder; look at Him, and you will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. 

 Introducción  

Today we’ll explore the message, "Can You See It?" by Courteney Bence. The message encouraged us to open our spiritual eyes to the new thing God is doing right now instead of allowing past pain, disappointment, delays, or even past victories to distort our vision. God is always at work, but sometimes our perspective can prevent us from recognizing His hand moving in our lives. 

Drawing from Isaiah 43:18-19, Courteney reminded us that God is a God of new beginnings. He calls us not to remain focused on the former things, but to recognize that He is actively working on our behalf—even when we cannot yet see the full picture. Pain, grief, betrayal, and discouragement can cloud our spiritual vision, causing us to interpret today's opportunities through yesterday's wounds. Yet God's promise remains: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it?" Isaiah 43:19 

The message also challenged us not to become so attached to how God worked in the past that we miss how He wants to work today. The same God who parted the Red Sea is still making a way, but He may choose a different method in this season. Our responsibility is not to predict His process but to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and trust Him as He reveals Himself in fresh ways. 

As followers of Christ, we are called to live with expectancy. Even when the new thing seems small, hidden, or just beginning to sprout, God invites us to protect it, nurture it, and believe again. He is not finished with us. He is still writing our story, still restoring vision, and still calling us to see beyond our circumstances to His promises. 

  • What stood out to you from Sunday’s message? 

Stop Staring at the Past – Healing Distorted Vision 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) reminds us to "Forget the former things” so we can perceive the new. Just as Courtney’s eye infection blurred her natural vision, our spiritual sight becomes distorted when we focus too much on both past pain and past miracles. 

It was not a painful past that God told the Israelites to forget in Isaiah 43, but the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea! Focusing on past miracles is a sure way to limit God. Let’s not limit new miracles by looking at past methods. The “same savior” will often use “different methods” to perform a new miracle. In John 9, Jesus healed a man born blind by spitting in the dirt, rubbing mud in his eyes and telling him to wash in a pool. Another time he healed Bartimaeus by simply speaking a word. Let’s not limit new miracles by looking at past methods. We must forget the former things to perceive THE NEW.  

When we stop focusing on the “former things”, Jesus can heal our spiritual vision to see the “new thing” He is doing. In Matthew 6:22 (NIV), Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light,” and in Matthew 7 (NIV) He tells us to “take the plank out of your own eye” to avoid hypocrisy. Jesus clearly wants us to have healthy spiritual eyesight. As we take our eyes off the old, we will be able to see the new thing God is doing today. 

Preguntas para el debate: 

  • Are you often overfocused on painful events from your past? If so, are they preventing you from seeing new things that God is doing? 
  • Are you still so focused on past “miracles” that God has done that you are not anticipating what he is about to do? 
  • Can you honestly evaluate your spiritual vision right now. Is your whole body full of light, and do you have any planks in your eye that are causing hypocritical attitudes? 

 

Protect the New Thing – Recognizing Small Beginnings 

From this powerful message, we are reminded that when God prepares to do a "new thing" in our lives, it rarely arrives with a loud explosion or an overnight transformation. More often than not, God’s new work begins as something small, quiet, fragile, and easily overlooked—like the very first days of a commitment to sobriety, a gentle prompting to mend a broken relationship, or a long-dormant dream that is just beginning to stir in your heart again. 

Because these beginnings are small, they are vulnerable. The enemy wants nothing more than to convince us that because the progress is small, it isn’t real or doesn’t matter. But our call as believers is to protect what is new—guarding it with our faith, our environment, and our daily choices—while trusting that gradual growth in God’s hands always leads to a harvest. We must resist the urge to demand instant results and instead celebrate the beauty of the seed. 

2 Kings 6:15–17 When Elisha’s servant looked out, all he saw was a terrifying physical army surrounding them. He cried out in fear. But Elisha prayed, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Suddenly, the servant saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire.  

This passage reminds us that when we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances, there is a hidden supernatural reality protecting and fighting for us. We just need spiritual eyes to see it. 

Hebrews 12:1–2 We are urged to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Endurance is the exact opposite of demanding instant results. It means pacing ourselves, laying aside the weights of comparison and doubt, and keeping our gaze fixed squarely on Jesus, who is faithfully completing what He started. 

The practical application for this week is to intentionally “fence in” the small areas of growth in your life. If you have committed to a new positive habit, a healthy boundary, or a spiritual discipline, do not minimize it just because it feels small today. Protect it by speaking life over it, surrounding yourself with a community that encourages it, and refusing to let perfectionism convince you that slow progress is no progress. Give your “seed” time to take root. 

Preguntas para el debate: 

  • What is a “small beginning” or a “new thing” God is currently stirring in your life (e.g., a dream, a boundary, or a step of healing)? How can you actively protect it this week from doubt or discouragement? 
  • In 2 Kings, the servant’s perspective completely changed when his spiritual eyes were opened. When you look at your current struggles, do you tend to see the “enemy’s army” or “God’s chariots of fire”? How can we help each other fix our gaze on the unseen? 
  • Isaiah 43:19 tells us God is making rivers in the desert. Share a time in your past when God started a massive breakthrough in your life through a very small, seemingly insignificant moment. 

 Conclusión  

As we close today's study, we're reminded that Christianity is a daily walk of renewed vision. The challenge is not simply to look harder at our circumstances, but to fix our eyes on Jesus—the Author and Finisher of our faith. When our eyes are focused on Him, we begin to see life differently. We see possibilities where others see obstacles, hope where others see disappointment, and God's faithfulness even in seasons of uncertainty. 

Courteney reminded us that God is doing a new thing right now. It may not always appear dramatic or immediate. Sometimes it begins as a small seed, a fresh dream, a restored relationship, a renewed sense of hope, or the first step toward freedom. Whatever form it takes, God calls us to recognize it, protect it, and trust Him with the process. 

This week, make it your prayer to ask God to open your eyes. Invite Him to remove the distortions caused by pain, fear, disappointment, bitterness, or unbelief. Ask Him to help you see what He sees. Believe again. Dream again. Hope again. Refuse to let yesterday define what God can do tomorrow. 

Before you leave today, take a moment to personally respond to the Lord. Surrender any area where you've lost heart or stopped believing. Ask Him to renew your vision, restore your faith, and help you embrace the new thing He is springing forth in your life. The God who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. He is not finished yet. 

Prayer Response: "Lord, open my eyes to see what You are doing in my life. Remove every distortion caused by pain, disappointment, fear, or unbelief. Help me fix my eyes on Jesus and trust You with every season. Renew my hope, restore my vision, and give me faith to embrace the new thing You are springing forth. I surrender my plans, my fears, and my future to You. In Jesus' name, Amen." 

 Recursos 

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