The struggle of the centuries has been to free the soul from narrow interpretations and distorted perception.
For example: “The world is still waiting to see Jesus as He is: Jesus the magnificent, Jesus the giant, Jesus the compassionate, and Jesus the dynamic, the wonder of the ages. Take the shackles off; let Him have a chance to bless mankind through you without limitations!” John G Lake
Perception: observation and interpretation based chiefly on memory. Perception is the result of perceiving or seeing. It is how things look to us. Sometimes perception even brings with it a mental image. Our perception determines the reality we live in; just like the Pharisee’s perception did for them in the verse below.
- Matt. 12:22-24: Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.
Their perception was that Jesus was casting out demons in the name of the devil. Do you think their perception of the event and the person was correct? I think not. Not only was their perception off, it was completely the opposite of the “truth”.
They had created their own personal reality based on their perception. Have you ever done this? You know, create your own reality based on your perception? You might say, “Well Ron, you just don’t understand my circumstances in life.” I know I don’t, but I do understand how we get “stuck” in life. I understand that the reason for our feeling “stuck” is because our perceptions are holding us where we are.
The Pharisees were “stuck”, and they were “stuck” because they refused to be teachable. They refused to allow their perceptions to be challenged and changed. Are you and I like the Pharisees, or do we want to be challenged and changed? Let’s take a closer look at how our perceptions are created and guarded.
Perceptions are the eyes of the soul. The body has physical eyes which see physical things. Our soul has eyes also, and these eyes are our perceptions. This is how we view the world and all of those in it. How we see things will determine how we react and respond to situations and circumstances. Let’s look again at the definition of the word perception.
Perception: observation and interpretation based chiefly on memory. Memory is to perception what sunglasses are to the eyes. Memory, like sunglasses, filters what is allowed to come in to be seen. Perceptions are created by our observations passing through our memory filters. These memory filters are created by our past experiences. Therefore, our seeing or our perceptions of life today must pass through our filters or past experiences to create the reality we are living in today
The perceptions of the Pharisees created not only their realities, but the reality of the fate of Christ. The Pharisees were “stuck”. They were “stuck” in their religious perceptions, which in turn equaled death and not life. Is anyone feeling “stuck” in a dead life, and not a life that is always coming into more abundance? Well, perhaps we need to allow our perceptions to be “born again”. You may be wondering how this can happen. Let’s look at another passage of scripture that is based on a healthy perception: a perception based on a deliberate influence of hope of the future and not the past.
Matt. 9:20-22: Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
This woman was not willing to let her past history dictate her future. Her perception of Jesus was different from that of the Pharisees. Her perception of Him created a reality of faith; which in turn created an influence of hope. Her perception was being influenced by the hope of a brighter future; because her perception of Jesus was that He loved her and cared for her. She received from Him exactly what she sought after. Her perception created a new reality for her life.
Your life will not change until you change your perceptions about you and about your life. If your perceptions stay the same, then your life will keep repeating itself over and over. Your past history will dictate your future life. So what have you got to lose? Let’s change our perceptions so that the future we are about to walk in will create a positive history for us to look back on. A healthy perception is a perception of life based on a filter of “faith” for the future and not a filter of “memory”.
- Heb. 11:1-2: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
- Mark 9:23: Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Can you see the perception of faith? This is a perception based on hope and not on history repeating itself. My prayer for you and I will be that we will let our “perceptions” be born again. How do we know if it happens? We will know because our lives will be full of faith: faith that all things are possible to those that believe. Ron Ross
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