The Transformative Power of Perspective: Seeing Through God’s Lens

One thing I’ve learned over time is that exposure, knowledge, and understanding can significantly deepen how we interpret and experience the Word of God.

Yes, the Holy Spirit is our ultimate Teacher, but the more we study, learn, and open ourselves to truth, the more our spiritual perception is enlightened.

Personally, my love for scientific research has enriched my journey with Scripture. Time and again, I discover that the principles and laws in science often echo biblical truths, giving me clearer insight and a greater appreciation for God’s Word.

The Lens That Needs Renewal

The reality is, we all interpret life through the lens of our upbringing, experiences, environments, traditions, and culture, it’s our default filter. But the Word of God is the ultimate antidote. It doesn’t just inform us it cleanses, renews, and recalibrates our perspective. It gently peels away the fog of assumptions shaped by belief systems, societal expectations, and unconscious ideologies. God’s Word purifies our lens so we can see as He sees.

This transformation begins with surrender, but it grows through intentional study, reflection, and a willingness to let truth reshape our thinking.

That’s why two people can hear the same message and walk away with completely different understandings — because they’re filtering truth through different internal lenses.

As Romans 12:2 intructs:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Transformation begins with truth, and truth begins with clarity.

Exposure and Empathy

As a teenager, I traveled a lot. By age 16, I had already journeyed across various states in Nigeria. Growing up in the West shaped my early mindset. I used to think of myself simply as a “Yoruba girl”  because that’s what I was told. But as I moved around, people would say, “You don’t act like a Yoruba girl; you’re different.”

I also thought I understood people until travel taught me otherwise. I quickly realized that cultures differ, and so do people’s perspectives.

Those experiences helped me develop empathy. I became less judgmental because I saw that people respond to life based on their backgrounds and level of exposure. That awareness sparked a deep curiosity about human behavior and stirred compassion in me.

Exposure expands your capacity to understand. It humbles your assumptions and helps you interpret both life and Scripture with more grace and accuracy.

I remember a younger friend/colleague from some years back — vibrant for God, purpose-driven, and highly skilled. But in deeper conversations, I noticed his thinking was shaped by geographic and tribal limitations. He was brilliant, but those limitations affected how he interpreted both Scripture and life.

One day, I asked him randomly if he’d ever flown before. He said no. I encouraged him to save and take a flight, just for the experience. That same year, God opened a door for him to travel internationally for his master’s program.

In just a few months, exposure to a new environment, therapy, and different people began to stretch his thinking. Long-held biases started breaking off. He’d often recall past conversations and say, “I see it now… I understand what you meant.”

The paradigm shift was beautiful to watch. Today, his maturity and openness are so inspiring.

Never underestimate what exposure can do. It’s not just travel, it’s about openness to new thought, people, and truth. And when paired with the Word of God, it transforms you from the inside out.

Identity: Anchored in the Creator, Not the Creation

This foundational understanding of perspective is inseparable from the issue of identity.

Take my own story, for example, a birth story that was both complicated and divinely orchestrated. At around age 25, I discovered that the man I had always believed was my father… wasn’t. That revelation shook me. It made me reflect deeply on how easily people tie their entire identity to a name, family, or tribe.

But what if the stories you’ve always believed about your background weren’t entirely accurate?
What if the identity you carry isn’t even truly yours?

Now that I know my real earthly source, it’s interesting, whenever I’m in my town and tell people I’m Ibani, the typical response is, “You don’t act like one.” People hardly believe it.

And that’s okay. Because I’ve made a conscious decision:
My identity is rooted in God.

I refuse to be confined by culture, tribe, or environment.
The Bible clearly says, “There is neither Greek nor Jew…” and that truth has set me free.

It’s why I boldly declare:
“I cannot be stranded.”
Because the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.

My Father owns the world, so I belong everywhere.

The Mandate: Love Over the Lure of Judgment

This anchored identity naturally leads to the call for compassion over criticism.

Many of us are quick to assume the role of judge. However, Romans 2 stands as a stark warning, reminding us that judgment belongs solely to God:

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself.” — Romans 2:1

We are not called to condemn; we are called to love. The Bible says, “It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance” (Romans 2:4). Love softens hearts — judgment hardens them.

When we see people struggling or living differently, our response should not be criticism but compassion. Everyone is at a different stage of growth, and God’s love is still working in them, just as it is in us.

Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Love, not judgment, is the true mark of maturity in Christ.

Purpose Over Idols: Holding Gifts Lightly

It is at this intersection of identity and love that many believers stumble We sometimes make idols out of the very blessings God gave us to use for His purpose.

For some, it’s their marriage. For others, it’s their job, ministry, career, or even their children. These are beautiful gifts from God, but when we start to draw our identity or self-worth from them, we unknowingly replace the Creator with His creation.

When any of these things are shaken, when a marriage faces a storm, when a job is lost, when a child strays, or when a dream delays, we feel like our world has ended. But beloved, those things are not your life; they are tools, platforms, and vehicles through which God fulfills your assignment.

Your marriage is not your purpose — it is a tool to reflect Christ’s love. Your job is not your identity — it is a channel for influence and provision. Your children are not your trophy — they are arrows in the hands of a warrior (Psalm 127:4).

Everything we have is meant to serve the Kingdom assignment. The moment we hold too tightly to them, they start to define us, and we begin to fear losing them.

That’s why Jesus said, “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Our focus must remain on the cross, on the assignment, on the purpose for which we are sent.

We walk wisely and steward our gifts with care, but we hold them loosely — knowing that our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). When we prioritize the Giver over the gift, nothing can shake our peace..

If anything happens to those tools, it shouldn’t make you feel worthless or abandoned. Because your worth is not in the tool, it’s in the assignment.

We must hold these things lightly, with wisdom and understanding, but not idolize them. Jesus said, “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

Carrying the cross means walking in obedience to the assignment, not clinging to comfort or possession. When we prioritize the Giver over the gift, nothing can shake our peace, because our worth is fixed in the assignment, not in the tool. Remember, God is a jealous God.

The Pursuit of Consecration, Not Condemnation

This deep commitment leads us beyond the superficiality of religious rules.

Many Christians are trapped in doctrinal cages. They don’t study the Word deeply; they live on hand-me-down revelations. Their focus is: “Is this sin or not?” instead of “Does this please the heart of God?”

So they spend their lives policing others — looking for faults, missing the grace that transforms.

Even worse, they commit sins unknowingly because they’re not walking in revelation but in religion. They’ve embraced sin-consciousness instead of righteousness-consciousness.

But righteousness isn’t about what you avoid — it’s about who you’ve become in Christ. As believers, we must move beyond doing things simply because “it’s not a sin.” Because if your motivation is fear of sin, not love for God — your relationship is still shallow.

True maturity in Christ is when your actions are shaped by consecration, not condemnation. You refrain from certain things, not because they are sinful, but because of your depth of intimacy with God.

Paul said, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial… I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12)

That’s consecration — the discipline of love. It comes from fellowship, not fear.

Know Him for Yourself: Discernment over Doctrine

Your highest goal as a believer should be to know God for yourself. To study, meditate, and let the Holy Spirit divide the Word of truth in you. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of truth.”

When you know Him personally, you stop living by doctrines — you live by discernment. You stop trying to look perfect — you start pursuing His presence. You stop measuring yourself by rules — you start being led by relationship.

Philippians 3:10 says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection…” That’s the heartbeat of true Christianity.

In my community, we’ve been studying the Book of Romans. That book stretches the mind and spirit. Before each study, we pray,

“Lord, sanctify our hearts. Help us not to read through the lens of tradition or what we’ve been taught, but through Your Spirit. Give us fresh revelation.”

When we approach the Word this way, the Holy Spirit expands our hearts, giving us deeper understanding that transforms our lives.

We are the Light to the Nations

God has not called us to our tribe alone — He has called us to the nations. Our true tribe is the body of Christ. When unbelievers encounter us, they should encounter the peace and presence of God.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world — a city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). We carry His presence wherever we go. That presence is what draws men to Him.

Conclusion

Exposure enlarges your heart. The Word renews your mind. And love — not judgment — reflects the true nature of God.

Everything in life — your career, family, success — is a tool, not your identity. When you see through the lens of purpose, nothing can define or limit you except God’s assignment for your life.

Let your heart remain fixed on the cross. Let your eyes stay on the purpose. And let your life continually reflect the love, wisdom, and excellence of Christ to the nations.