Blessings from above from the Father of mercies be yours, beloved in the Lord, this day and every day of your life. I and my loved ones are doing well, G-d granting the increase both in numbers as well as in joy.

Today’s article is not “news” about Israel, but once again what the Lord has me see happening in the Body living in the West. His special concern right now are the “prophets” who claim to speak in His Name, yet do not bring the Lord’s flocks into the place HE, the GOOD SHEPHERD, would have them be.

I receive lots of e-mails, which include prophetic messages by the “acclaimed” prophets, and calls to prayer by the “acclaimed” intercessors. And I have observed a strange phenomenon occurring through the years: these prophets and intercessors seem to have developed “tunnel vision”. In medical terms this particular gradual degeneration of vision is known as “retinitis pigmentosa”, and sometimes is also called “rod-cone dystrophy”. 

Retinitis pigmentosa  causes the degeneration of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Photoreceptor cells capture and process light helping us to see. As these cells degenerate and die, patients experience progressive vision loss.

There are types of photoreceptor cells: rod cells and cone cells. Rod cells are concentrated along the outer perimeter of the retina. Rod cells help us to see images that come into our peripheral or side vision. They also help us to see in dark and dimly lit environments. Cone cells are concentrated in the macula, the center of the retina, and allow us to see fine visual detail in the center of our vision. Cone cells also allow us to perceive color. Together, rods and cones are the cells responsible for converting light into electrical impulses that are transmitted to the brain where “seeing” actually occurs.

The most common feature of all forms of Retinitis Pigmentosa is a gradual degeneration of the rods and cones. As the disease progresses and more rod cells degenerate, patients lose their peripheral vision. Many report the sensation of tunnel vision, as though they see the world through a straw.
 

Normal vision

As seen by a person with retinitis pigmentosa

As you can read, photoreceptor cells capture and process LIGHT helping us to SEE. It is these cells – rods and cones – which are responsible for CONVERTING LIGHT in such a way that “seeing”, or “perception” occurs in the brain, i.e., with UNDERSTANDING.

Yeshua is the LIGHT that has come into this world to lighten every man who comes to Him. It is by Him alone that we SEE, that we gain SIGHT, and it is the Holy Spirit Who CONVERTS this Light into opening our spiritual eyes to gain insight and understanding, for it is He Who leads us into all the Truth.

As we allow something or someone to gradually gain an ever increasing importance in our EYES until it subtly, almost unnoticeably, usurps Yeshua’s place in our hearts and lives, degeneration of “spiritual vision” will begin. If not checked and corrected, this process of spiritual “retinitis pigmentosa” will lead to increasing loss of spiritual vision until finally one sees only that which usurped the Lord’s place in our heart - unnoticed.

I frequently receive letters by a certain, prominent servant of the Lord and I noticed the alarming rate by which his vision decreased until at present it appears to have changed into spiritual tunnel vision – for all he sees is the United States of America, with the exclusion of everything else. He has lost his “peripheral vision”. 

And he is not the only one!

“Prophet” after “prophet”, and “intercessor” after “intercessor” seem to have completely divorced Yeshua from His people, land, city, inheritance. Their sole concern, prophecies and calls to prayer focus on the churches of former Gentiles, on America and on the President. Because of their loss of “peripheral vision” in the Spirit they do not recognize many of the root causes of America’s troubles. Tunnel vision can only recognize what is going on within that limited sphere of vision. Consequently, these prophets and intercessors repeatedly miss the mark by a large margin.

For example: when building a wall - if the first brick is not placed in perfect alignment with the given measurements, by the time the last brick is laid the wall is way off the ordained line. G-d’s servants must continually check who is first in their lives, who is enthroned in their hearts. No one is exempt, inasmuch as something or someone taking our Lord’s place in our heart and life can come about ever so undiscernibly, so imperceptibly, that we ourselves can be fooled into believing that all is well and Yeshua is still the Lord of our lives.

When we are entrusted with a ministry by the Lord, we give our all to fulfill this call, this vision, which at the first is pure and only done in obedience to the Lord. But as He gives the increase and our efforts are being blessed and show great results, our hearts begin to get attached ever so unnoticeably to the ministry, the call, the work. Unless we cede it then back unto the Lord such as Abraham did with his supernatural child, Isaac, we are in danger of letting the ministry take the place of the Lord.

In this servant's case it is America that has taken the Lord’s place in his heart. While patriotism is certainly a good thing, misapplied it can be a profoundly blinding power. This otherwise precious and sincere man of God has become “blinded” by a misconception of patriotism and loyalty. While undoubtedly he means well, what he believes to be from the Lord is actually from his own heart and mind by now.

Now, now, don’t get all upset with me and don’t take offense because I said that this beloved servant of the Lord has become blinded. My foremost concern is not my ministry, or what you think of me, or President Bush, or America – my absolute foremost concern are the interests of the Lord! What is on HIS heart matters the most to me, and I watch carefully that nothing will ever matter more to me than my Lord and His perfect will and interests.

Another beloved “internationally known” prophet, and good friend of the above, has suffered loss of “peripheral vision” as well. And so have a good number of prophets who all are from or in the same “school”.