Daniel 10:1-10 

There is more to life than meets the natural eye. If life is lived entirely by sight and human understanding then life is lived in vain. There is an unseen spiritual realm that affects all life and all events. The Lord sent Daniel a message but the messenger was detained by a demon. While this wrestling was going on in the atmosphere Daniel became weak because he was under spiritual pressure. Servants of God today need to realize that when they threaten Satan many times they are going to get pressure because of the things that are going on in the spiritual realm. Daniel finally received the message from God after about three weeks. The spiritual pressure ceased and Daniel regained his physical strength. Like Daniel the people of God need to be able to see the unseen. Daniel was a man of great spiritual perception and we should dare to be Daniels today. There is a whole new world just waiting for the people of God who are willing to give up their carnal comfortable lives in order that they may go beyond physical knowledge and experience.

FIRST, ONE MUST LOOK AWAY FROM SELF IN ORDER TO BROADEN HIS HORIZON Psalms 121:1-2 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” If you want limitations draw up into your own little world and isolate yourself from society. Too many today are living in a world of fantasy. The self reliant will never get out of the box.

   Then there are those who are limited by society. They cannot get out of their own little circle because they have to please certain people. Get out of the box, get out of the little circle, get out of your protected little world and live. Shake the limitations that society has put on you. Shake the limitations that your buddies have put on you. Lift up your eyes to the mountain tops. Look to God. Look to the creator of the earth. Dare to be a Daniel and quit being affected by the society that you live in. Look to God and trust Him with your life, with your family, with your church, with your property, and with your living. Quit being a puppet on a string for other people. As the old song says, “Look and live, look and live my brother, look and live.” Look to the omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient creator of the universe and live life to the hilt.

SECOND, ONE MUST HAVE HIS EYES OPENED IN ORDER TO BROADED HIS HORIZON II Kings 6:17 “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

   This is the story of Elisha and a young prophet who had fled from the king of Syria. They went to a little town called Dothan and the king and his army surrounded the town. The young prophet panicked because of the seemingly impossible situation they were in. So Elisha prayed for spiritual illumination. The Lord opened his eyes. Many young people’s eyes need opened today and so do many older people’s eyes. Willingly closed eyes have created the meager lives that we find in churches today. The biggest problem with the people of God today is that they haven’t even seen the horizon. They have not even gotten a peek into the spiritual realm. Again, Look and Live! Wake up! Open your eyes and realize that there are more for you than there are against you! Quit drawing up in a shell and start living a full life.

THIRD, ONE MUST LOOK UP IN ORDER TO BROADEN HIS HORIZON Luke 21:28-31 “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

   Too much time is spend looking down. Bad circumstances are causing too many chins to drag. Jesus tells His disciples that in the end time bad circumstances are only signs of His soon return. When things start getting bad in the world and there seems to be no hope that’s when the blessed hope, will appear. The worse things get the sooner our redemption will be complete. If you are looking down because you are discouraged then look up, lift your head for that is when your redemption draweth nigh. When Jesus is coming it is senseless to waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. Take courage and look to the skies for your chariot.

FOURTH, ONE MUST LOOK DIRECTLY TO JESUS IN ORDER TO BROADEN HIS HORIZEN Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

    Above all we are told to look to Jesus! Jesus not only had a goal in His life. Jesus reached His goal and that goal was the redemption of all of creation. Jesus set the example for us. If anyone else is your mentor or if anything else is your goal then you are shooting too low. Aim high! Make Jesus your example, your only example!

    Jesus never found Himself in the best circumstances. He was born of lowly parents. He even had a lowly birth by being born in a barn. He wasn’t raised in the best town. The question was asked, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? He never had it easy in life. But this didn’t keep Him from broadening His horizons.

   Jesus did not waste His time and His life dealing with unimportant things of this world. His goal was entirely spiritual. He had the opportunity to rule the world offered to Him by Satan but that was small in comparison to redeeming the entire universe. Jesus set His sight on the horizon and saw our real needs. And He died to fill that need. There was no stopping Jesus from paying the sin debt of the world. The government could not stop Him, society could not stop Him, the religious world could not stop Him, His friends could not stop Him, His church could not stop Him, His mother could not stop Him, and the devil could not stop Him. Here was a man with tunnel vision. All He could see was the old rugged cross as it loomed on the horizon! John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”

   Jesus was willing to go through any and every thing in order to redeem the sinful world. His suffering and shame was not exciting. God’s real work is not always glorious nor enjoyable but it is certainly worth while. Jesus wasn’t looking for an easy way. Jesus wasn’t looking for excitement. Jesus was not looking for things that were neat or nice or cute. His horizon was much broader than that. He set His sight on a lost and dying world and He redeemed it with His life and His blood. Today He enjoys His impossible accomplishment.

   Look unto Jesus! Broaden you horizon! Get out of the box! Get out of yourself and make life worth the living! Get involved in life! LIVE!!!