To See Things Differently

Jesus taught about the importance of seeing and hearing spiritually, and His Word is an important e
lement of actually doing that. He says in Matthew 13:
13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'
16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear...

God has provided us a way to walk free from spiritual blindness and to experience the wonder of His truth, to come to know Him better, and to view life from a different perspective; His perspective. When worldly wisdom would tell us one thing, God offers us a new viewpoint - He shares His wisdom with us.  We can make it a goal to be able to see spiritually, to be led of the Spirit, to know His ways, and to walk in them faithfully.

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Ephesians 6 outlines the components of our spiritual armor, through which we can stand against the strategy of the enemy to damage our relationship with God.  The final 2 pieces are found beginning in verse 17:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

There seem to always be some great innovations emerge from the annual Consumer Electronics Show, and this year's event featured a number of high-profile developers and manufacturers that have come up with all sorts of ways to make your life more connected, if not easier.

The ZDNet.com website offers a look at some of the highlights.  One of the most intriguing comes from the Toyota Research Institute, which has assembled a team to integrate artificial intelligence and create a vehicle incapable of causing a crash regardless of the skill or condition of the driver, as well as to provide access to autos to people that otherwise couldn't drive, and more.

Under Armour and HTC have partnered together for the HealthBox, which includes a fitness band, scale and heart rate tracker tied together by UA Record.   Samsung has developed the Family Hub, which is a refrigerator that connects to other devices throughout the home. There's even a camera inside the refrigerator that will allow you to see what's missing while grocery shopping.

And, Daqri has a Smart Helmet, which is a wearable machine interface designed to be the next-gen safety gear in various work environments - it's an augmented reality device. As the article points out, it's getting to market ahead of Microsoft's HoloLens and has time to find real use cases.

I was curious about HoloLens, so I referenced more material, such as an Information Week story that said that the HoloLens "headset recognizes the wearer's vocal communication, eye movement, and hand gestures to help facilitate interaction between the virtual world and the real world."  It sounds a little like the failed Google Glass product, but the article points out that:

While HoloLens is designed to project images in midair and on surrounding objects, Glass was designed to perform the functions of a smartphone. Like a phone, Glass could support apps, provide directions, take photos and videos, and perform Internet searches. It didn't offer much functionality that a smartphone doesn't, and as a result consumers perceived Glass as a redundant, more expensive version of their handheld devices.

There are some spiritual ideas that can arise from the study of these types of innovations.  I'm intrigued that there is an emphasis being placed on enhancing what you see - augmented reality is the proper name.  The Daqri Smart Helmet and the Microsoft HoloLens are designed to change your perspective and bring assistance.  

The Bible refers to a helmet in Ephesians chapter 6, the helmet of salvation.  The Smart Helmet is a safety device, so there is an element of protection there.  The Biblical helmet of salvation is designed to protect our minds from the schemes and suggestions of the enemy.   When an assault is launched on our thinking - and we recognize that Satan will work in that arena - we can reject those thoughts because of the power of God and the knowledge of who we are in Christ.

Power...and knowledge - and I think about that phrase that, as I recall, was on my old high school ring - "knowledge is power."  That's true for the believer.  God is our shield and our refuge.   And, we can reject the deception that the enemy would bring more effectively as we integrate spiritual information.   That information is contained within the Scriptures.  The absorption of God's Word into our consciousness through careful study, memorization, and visualization can provide a powerful barrier that can benefit us spiritually.

So, we can and should celebrate innovation and creativity.  Technology provides a host of wonderful tools for enhancing our lives.  And, we also recognize in the spiritual realm that we can see things differently as we unleash the supernatural power and wisdom of God to enhance our walk with Christ.