Key Scriptures: Genesis 31 NLT
11 Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, I’m listening!’
12 The angel said, ‘Look, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen all that Laban has done to you.
In the 1980’s and 1990’s the computer slowly began to replace the typewriter in many homes and offices. One problem with the early releases of word processing software was that it often did not look the same on the screen as it would appear once printed on paper.
As time went on software creators realized that in order for the common person to buy into the market they had to have an expectancy of just what the end result was going to be. In other words, what they saw on the screen needed to match what they wanted to see on the paper with the same borders, margins, headers, fonts and colors.
The embedded commands and computer programming it took to make this happen were too strange and distracting to be understood by most people. All those things taking place in the background needed to stay in the background and hidden from view. All the consumer wanted was to simply type a letter, create a spreadsheet or edit a photo, not become a computer programmer.
To expand the market and attract consumers to buy into the idea that computers were faster, more efficient and easy for anyone to use, the software makers created programs which were called WYSIWYG.
WYSIWYG, phonically pronounced ‘Wizzy-Wig’ is an old computer software acronym which stands for: “What You See Is What You Get”.
You can accurately predict what the finished product is going to be even though you have no clue to what is happening behind the screen to accomplish your desire. However, you see it in another form before it is ever finished.
This reminds me of a story in the bible. Turn with me to Genesis 30.
Setting and Background:
This is the story of Jacob and his God inspired approach to accumulating wealth. For those of you not familiar with the story allow me to catch us up for a moment.
Tell the story of Jacob beginning with Genesis 27 and continuing up to Genesis 30:37.
Genesis 30 NLT
37 ¶ Now Jacob took fresh shoots from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of the bark to make white streaks on them.
38 Then he set up these peeled branches beside the watering troughs so Laban’s flocks would see them as they came to drink, for that was when they mated.
39 So when the flocks mated in front of the white-streaked branches, all of their offspring were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob added them to his own flock, thus separating the lambs from Laban’s flock. Then at mating time, he turned the flocks toward the streaked and dark-colored rams in Laban’s flock. This is how he built his flock from Laban’s.
41 Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob set up the peeled branches in front of them.
42 But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s.
43 As a result, Jacob’s flocks increased rapidly, and he became very wealthy, with many servants, camels, and donkeys.
God inspired Jacob in a dream to take the pure white-wooled sheep and white-haired goats and give them a different vision. Jacob made the sheep and goats stare at and focus on a spotted, speckled and brown streaked fence and later at other mixed colored sheep.
By this means Jacob succeeded in causing the animals to visualize themselves as something they were not. No doubt all the sheep and goats could think about was brown and white mixed colors.
Why did Jacob do this? Because he saw it in a dream and believed it!
Without regard to all the commands of God taking place behind the scenes suffice it to say that what they focused on they began to believe in and without understanding the mechanics of the dynamics, the dynamics worked anyway and they brought forth a mixed colored offspring. You see:
What you see is what you get!
… even when you are seeing by the eye of your faith … especially when you are seeing by the eye of your faith.
Faith is simply seeing it like God sees it
We must believe and when we see it like God sees it we will believe it like God believes it.
Faith is an image created in us when we hear and meditate on God’s Word and Will for our life … and the truth is:
WYSIWYG! Without even being aware of what is going on behind the scenes with the embedded commands of God moving in ways we cannot understand, in ways we cannot comprehend, in ways beyond our imagination, we can rest assured that what we see is what we get.
This is the same New Testament principle Jesus revealed in scriptures like:
Matthew 9 NKJV
28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."
29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."
Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.
Numbers 13 NKJV
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."
One saw they could and one saw they couldn’t … One saw themselves able and the others saw themselves unable … One saw God bigger than their problems and the others saw their problems bigger than their God … and you know the rest of the story … what you see is what you get!
What man cannot do, God can do and if we work with Him we can do things we would never be able to do without Him.
Mark 10:27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."
Jesus was approached by a man asking that his son be delivered and healed from a horrible condition of life. Jesus told the man that he was going to need to participate in his son’s miracle by having faith.
Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Upon hearing this the man made a reasonable request of Jesus …
Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
What was this man saying? “Lord, I am struggling with what to believe. I have been in this situation for so long now that it’s about all I can see anymore. I want to believe, in fact that is why I came to you. Lord, I’m doing my best, help me to see it like you see it … help me to believe.”
Jesus will do the same thing for you … He will help you see it … He will help you believe … He will help you create an image of His future for you in your mind and in your heart.
In fact, God has already made a way for you to participate in that miracle.
Philippians 4 NKJV
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
It’s the same thing God told Joshua (Joshua 1:5-9) … be strong, be courageous, don’t live in fear, rather think about what I tell you that you are able to do, not what others say about you, and then you will prosper and be successful.
Basically, fill your mind with God’s best for your life and apply His Word to life. Don’t worry … He will be with you all the way!
And remember, what you see is what you get, so start building an image of what you want instead of what you have and pray the promise, not the problem! Instead of telling God how big your problem is, tell you problem how big your God is and you will see a change.
