A Seat for One

"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9.

I remember when Bruce and I began dating it was always fun to hear the stories from his childhood. His family was certainly full of life, and Bruce certainly knows how to tell a story just like his mother used to. When the story would end I would say to myself, ‘did that really happen like that?’ When he introduced me to his sister I began to hear some of the same stories, but they never matched his version. Most times than not, Bruce’s mom would corroborate Bruce’s version. I remember telling him one time that it was like they didn’t even grow up together in the same house. We have laughed with his sister over the years about ‘Linda’s world’. I came to understand the power of perception. I am able to recognize my own twist on things and how erroneous my thinking was during certain periods of my life. I remember being so sure about things that were so wrong. Most of the times when my perception led me astray was when I was distant from God.

Our distance from God will determine how closely we allow the enemy to disguise and distort our thinking. When we fall away from the daily meditation and fellowship between God and ourselves, we begin to see things through our feelings, making poor decisions from an emotional standpoint. Satan banks on this every time, because he knows that this life offers a bevy of frustration, disappointment and disillusionment. He knows we all have sick hearts and the success for him is in our perception of our circumstances. The thing about perception is that usually it is a one-man kayak, detouring with the rushing waters of our emotions. God’s truth is the stable bank on which we should firmly plant our feet as the rushing waters pass by. ‘Our feelings, past experiences, and personal perceptions cannot be wholly trusted. If you depend on them, you’ll likely be deceived by the enemy. He is the master illusionist. To keep from being fooled, you must possess an objective standard outside of yourself…God’s word is that objective standard.’ Discerning the Voice of God, Priscilla Shirer, p. 116.

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12.