And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17-19, ESV)
David Cook, a respected sport psychologist, author, and speaker, wrote his performance novel, Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, in 2006. Soon after golfers of all levels started to embrace Dr. Cook’s concept, “See it, feel it, trust it.”
See it. Before ever hitting a shot, we must first see what we want the ball to do. To hit a shot under low tree branches, your eyes need to tell your brain you see hitting the ball low.
Feel it. After we visualize our intentions, we need to feel it in our body. If you’ve never practiced a low shot, this step will be a challenge. Technique needs to be learned on the practice range, so the body has something to remember as to feel. Thinking at this point will override our body sensations.
Trust it. Our ability to trust what we see and feel allows our muscles to relax and swing the club more freely.
See it, feel it, and trust it takes time and a lot of practice. Repetition builds resilience. Resilience helps us stay steadfast through challenges. Learning to see it, feel it, and trust it is not solely a performance issue; it is also a heart issue. Sometimes following Jesus requires us to believe before we ever see or feel, and at other times we will need to believe before we see. But he always asks for our trust.
Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi to see and feel the depravity in worshipping false gods and stone idols. I imagine Jesus’ heart wept with sadness watching the pagan worship.
We have the tendency to see who we are in light of our failures, inadequacies, insecurities, anxious thoughts, and fears. God’s heart for us is different.“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Jesus asked. Simon Peter blurted, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Simon Bar-Jonah had a moment of seeing, feeling, and trusting. He received his prophecy name that day, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
We have the tendency to see who we are in light of our failures, inadequacies, insecurities, anxious thoughts, and fears. God’s heart for us is different. He wants us to believe and then see, feel, and trust who we are to become with the help of his Holy Spirit.
Jonathan Cahn expresses this well in The Book of Mysteries:
“But God sees us not as we are, but as He called us to be. He gives you an identity not based on your past…but on your future, what you are to become. The secret is to receive that identity and believe it before you see it. Live it as if it is. So your name is no longer Rejected…but Beloved…no longer Weak…but Mighty…no longer Defeated…but Victorious. He has given you a name of that which is not. Receive that which is not…and it will be. Live by your prophecy name.”
Jesus sees who you are to become…will you practice seeing, feeling, trusting it, too?
—
Tracy Hanson
March 26, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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