Perception Is Not Reality

The enemy of our soul is good at making us think that all is lost and nothing can fix or repair our situation. It can be something as serious as a relationship or as simple as a piece of a broken equipment. Either way, Satan will do his level best to convince you there is no hope. This is an absolute lie.

Jesus defeated Satan with His death and resurrection. Yes, at times, things may not work out as we wanted or be as easy as we had hoped. However, to think the Lord has abandoned or forsaken us is complete silliness. Time after time we have been given significant challenges. Everything from people problems to equipment malfunctions.

Just last week we hit a deer on our way to a job in Washington state. I cringed at the thought of the amount of damage as we pulled off the highway to check on the motorhome. I was very surprised when we got out and the only real issue was the loss of both head lights on the passenger side of the coach. A little cracked fiberglass and a dent or two was all we could find. It was dark, so we pressed on to our next fuel stop to sleep and make a final decision.

In the light of the next morning, we saw the only thing we needed to do was figure out how to put a headlight on the right side. I moved the high beam from the left side to the low beam position on the right. This fixed the immediate problem and would allow us to press on towards our goal. We had improvised, adapted and overcome the situation. So it is with life.

Remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14, 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Blessings

Perception Is Not Reality
by Os Hillman

“The lions may roar and growl, yet the teeth of the great lions are broken.” – Job 4:10

In the advertising business we often say that “perception is reality” for the person who views our advertising message. It does not matter whether the audience believes the message to be true, only that they perceive it to be true. Their actions will be the same whether they believe it or only perceive it.

The enemy of our souls is very good at this game. He may bring on us what we perceive to be true when it is a lie. It may appear that there is no way around a situation. He may bring great fear on us. When we buy into his lie, we believe only what we have chosen to perceive to be true. It usually has no basis of truth. Such was the case when Peter looked on the waters during a night boat journey with the other disciples. At first glance, he and the disciples screamed with fear, thinking that what they saw was a ghost. It was actually Jesus.

Satan’s name means “accuser.” He travels to and fro to accuse the brethren. He brings an impressive front to all he does, yet behind that front is a weak, toothless lion with a destination that has already been prepared in the great abyss. He knows his destination, but he wants to bring as many with him as possible; so he often has a big roar, but little bite.

The next time some event comes into your life that creates fear and trembling, first determine the source. Look past the emotions and evaluate the situation in light of God’s Word. Perception is not always reality