![]() ![]() We have the freedom to trust our own perceptions of reality over God’s declarations about reality, but we do not get to choose the consequences when they eventually collide. Reality: My effort patiently leading wanderers back to God results in life instead of death. Perception: Some people will never change and are not worth the effort. James 5:19-20 “…whoever brings the sinner back…” Reality: Prayer, my first resort, is powerful and effective in every situation when offered rightly. Perception: Prayer is the last resort in desperate situations. James 5:13-18 “…prayer offered in faith…” Reality: My simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ can always be trusted. Perception: I can be trusted if I “swear to God.” Reality: In suffering with endurance God proves His tenderness and mercy toward me. Perception: Suffering proves God has abandoned me. James 5:10-11 “…great honor to those who endure…” Reality: The Lord is nearer than I think so I should live like I see Him at the door. Perception: The long delay means the Lord will not return so I should live for myself. Reality: Wealth that corrupts leads to condemnation. Perception: Wealth stored up leads to security. James 5:1-6 “…treasures you have horded…” Reality: Knowing how to obey God but refusing is sin. Perception: Disobeying God is a small matter of immaturity. Reality: Only God knows and controls the future. Perception: I can control the future with good planning and wise investment. James 4:13-16 “How do you know what your life will be…” Reality: Criticism is usurping God’s right to be the sole Judge. Perception: Criticizing others is a judgment on their behavior. James 4:11-12 “If you criticize and judge…” Reality: Worldly pandering makes me unfaithful to God. Perception: Receiving acceptance and honor from the world make me significant. James 4:4-10 “…friendship with the world…” Reality: Fights actually originate from conflicts within my own heart. Perception: Arguments are caused by external problems. James 4:1-3 “What causes quarrels among you?” That is why pilots are given objective data, so that they can know the actual truth and make course corrections.Īs we come to the final encouragements from James to fellow believers, he points out several misperceptions that lead toward disaster, and the realities needed to correct course. Consider a pilot whose visual perception of the horizontal plane is impaired if he continues to make decision based on his faulty perception of where the horizon is, he will crash. We may feel entitled to our own truth, but eventually it will clash with actual truth. The actual truth is that reality could care less about our perceptions and does not adapt to accommodate varying viewpoints. But when we begin to develop the habit of handling and managing our emotions in a God-honoring way, we will experience much more peace in our lives and our relationships as well.“Perception is reality.” We hear that in every arena of life, giving the impression that reality changes from person to person. You will at times struggle with painful thoughts and feelings. It is not going to be easy to change entrenched perceptions. Then, your feelings are going to follow a more biblical pattern. You are going to be able to think and perceive more biblically. When you follow these 5 Steps for Managing Emotions, you are going to be able to deal with those faulty perceptions. Act in obedience, based on the standard, regardless of the feeling.īenefits of Dealing with Faulty Perceptions.Change the thoughts and beliefs to align with the standard of the Word.Evaluate the thoughts and beliefs in light of the Bible (an objective standard).Separate the thoughts, beliefs, convictions driving the feeling. ![]() In this podcast, we will discuss five strategies for managing emotions and dealing with faulty perceptions. But what would happen if my impressions were wrong? Faulty perceptions would influence my feelings. My perceptions heavily influence all of those feelings. And I continue to let those thoughts or those perceptions go through my mind. Let us say I was feeling or thinking that you don’t care about me, that you don’t love me, that you want to hurt me. ![]() “If what we perceive or choose to believe does not reflect the truth, then how we feel does not reflect reality.” Today, I want to talk to you today about the problem of faulty perceptions. ![]()
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