Many of us would probably say that the most positively influential people in our lives are those who have demonstrated an insurmountable belief in us. They were teachers, coaches, pastors, bosses, family members or perhaps friends, who saw us according to our greatest potential, not our failures; those who treated us according to our true identity. They saw us through a powerful lens that released the unconditional love of the Father into our lives, transforming us into His likeness and propelling us forward into our destinies.
Our Lens Drives Our Influence
The lens we see others through dictates the level of influence we have in their lives! When we discover the Father’s perspective for an individual, which is always full of hope and belief, we can be part of unlocking his or her true identity. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can access words of life and demonstrate love towards that individual so that they can become the full expression of who they were created to be.
For students to experience true transformation, they need leaders who will see them through eyes of faith and love! What did Jesus see when he came across each of His disciples? Did He see a voice for the Gospel in Matthew despite his past as a greedy tax collector? Did He see a rock to His church in Peter who would deny him? Did He see a faith that could move mountains in Thomas who doubted? YES! Jesus caught a hold of the Father’s lens for each one. He expressed belief in them and their God-given potential and never disqualified them from their destinies, even when they failed.
Discover Heaven’s Perspective
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV) As leaders of your school, you have the opportunity to see your students with the powerful lens of belief in their identity as children of God. Every day, you get to gain heaven’s perspective about your students and release God’s transforming love and power in such a way that it frees and empowers them to step into their greatest potential!
Our team has received countless testimonies of students lives being transformed in the context of a school community. We received this testimony from a supernatural school that is currently running in a U.S. prison. The miraculous change that has occurred in this prison truly began with its leaders who saw these men for their true value and destiny.
One of the men in our class was a prisoner in one of the violent cellblocks and watched his own brother stabbed to death as he was restrained. For that reason he became very violent himself and hated people of different nationalities… He became so violent he was locked in a cell 23 hours a day alone… He lived like this for 16 years with no human contact. Long story short, Jesus appeared to him in the dead of night. He was saved. The next day he was released into the general prison population… He joined our class. Today, he is a small group leader and is a burning one. He ministers to any and everyone with the testimony of his life and words, no matter what race or nationality or religion. He has been in this prison for over 40 years. He will tell you, ‘When I get out of prison, if I don’t find Jesus out there, I am coming back.
God can always bring beautiful and radical transformation to an individual’s life, even in the most hopeless situations; even amongst those who’ve been disqualified by everyone else or their past. We encourage you to see your students through the lens of faith and love. It will invite His presence and power to transform them and fulfill their calling upon the earth!
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