Eyes Open to a New Outlook

2 Kings 6:11-23
Many things in life depend on your perspective. It isn’t just the events, but it is how you look at it. For instance, there was a nearsighted pastor who was handed a note from Mrs. Jones. The note read: "Bill Jones, having gone to sea, his wife desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety."
However, when he read the note, it caused a great deal of consternation because he announced: "Bill Jones, having gone to see his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety." Perspective really matters. It is all in how you choose to see things.
Tonight, we come to a passage in 2 Kings, we learn some important lessons about perspective.

I. LOOKING FOR WHAT ISN’T THERE- (11-12)
Ben Hadad I was king of Syria. Syria often clashed with Israel and Judah.
Jehoram was the King of Israel in the Northern territory.
Every time that Ben Hadad planned an offensive against Israel, his strategy was defeated.
It was beginning to feel like Israel had a copy of the playbook.
The Bible tells us that it was more than once or twice that this happened, so several times.
King Ben Hadad began to suspect a mole or spy was in his ranks feeding Israel intelligence.
But actually, his servants told him that it wasn’t a spy but a prophet named Elisha.
God was supplying Elisha with information that would maintain peace for Israel.
We can certainly understand why he would arrive at such a conclusion. It seemed founded.
It is just a reminder to us that we don’t have full knowledge and can’t know other’s minds.
Ecclesiastes 9:1 "no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them."
In other words, we can only guess at someone’s motivations and thoughts.
Sometimes what seems like hatred may actually be misunderstood.
1 Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?"
We can get caught up in looking for things that aren’t actually there.
Suspicion can lead to jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle and running down others.

II. LOOKING ONLY AT THE SEEN AND NOT THE UNSEEN-
Ben-hadad learns that Elisha is in Dothan, so he sends a battalion of soldiers to capture him.
They do what is still practiced today by planning an early morning infiltration.
They want to catch Elisha off-guard and unprepared.
They don’t want him to have the opportunity to escape.
Elisha’s servant happened to wake up early that morning and discovered their plight.
He began to panic because the situation seemed desperate.
He saw the great host of Syrian forces and their chariots and horses.
Elisha is not stressing over the situation because he knows God is protecting him.
He prays for the servant’s eyes to be opened to see the unseen.
It was then that he realized that there were more with Elisha than with Syria.
He was able to see the angelic hosts, God’s warrior angels gathered to protect them.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 tells us, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
You and I need to realize that we are engaged in spiritual warfare.
"What is commanded is accepted as what is most certain, and the responsibility