“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look, he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55-56
Stephen was nearing the end of his life when he was about to be stoned to death making him the first martyr of the early church. It was at this moment where he shifted his focus from the world around him and he saw the heavens open where the Lord Jesus Christ gave him a standing ovation at the right hand of the Father. As Stephen beheld the face of Jesus and His glory, He became like Him and even prayed for the very ones who were stoning him!
There is something supernatural and powerful that happens when we pray and fix our eyes on Jesus no matter what is happening in the world around us. The cares and the weights of life fade into the background and the very light of His face, the kindness of His eyes, and the love of His heart for you begin to transform you from the inside out.
Today, despite whatever you’re facing or the challenges that are surrounding you, choose to look away from the cares of this world and fix your eyes on the One who loves you, sees you, and has your entire world in His hands. Beholding Jesus is what transforms us, not striving. When you connect with His heart and pray, God will begin to shift your perspective from what you see, to what He sees, and you will rise above the circumstances and storms that surround you.