In this podcast I want to talk about Breaking Perception’s Power or changing your perception of you. I was reading about a few interesting psychological studies that revealed the powerful hold that negative perceptions can have on people. It can be so strong that it even negatively impacts how well you can do things.
The Coronavirus has become so politicized it is sometimes difficult to see the truth. If you want a clear read on how much the COVID-19 pandemic has been exaggerated by the mainstream media and some politicians, you only have to look at a recent poll conducted by an international polling firm, KEKST CNC, for proof.
In days gone by people were divided by things like economic class, color, or culture. There were times that hatred rose up and violence and riots tore apart any semblance of peace. Even now in Minneapolis, this is happening. There is an undercurrent to it all and it is causing so much division in society as a whole right now. The division is symbolized by the masks many people wear today. Before I continue let me say that I am not picking on either the mask wearers or the mask non-wearers. I am writing about the division caused by perspective. Perspective is based on what and who you believe. It is not reality but it defines your interpretation of reality so deeply that perspective actually becomes your reality. When this happens, you change your behavior and your thoughts to match your perspective. There is no room for dissent and any evidence that challenges your perspective is dismissed as either fluke or fake. The people who wear masks have the perspective that the authorities are telling …
[by Dean Smith] Both my parents served in the Canadian military during World War II, and because of this I have always had a keen interest in that war. As I was watching a program on the war a while back, I learned an important lesson on deception. In John 8:44, Jesus describes Satan as the father of lies and in the devil’s first attack on humanity deception was the key to his success. Eve admitted to God she had been deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:13). Deception in its simplest form is having a person believe one thing, when something else, sometimes the complete opposite, is the truth.
[by Wayne Johnston] While standing on top of Castle Butte in the Badlands of southern Saskatchewan with a few friends, we noticed a small group of boulders in the middle of the next valley. We set off to explore them, and after a long walk, we were surprised to find a large group of massive odd-shaped boulders. Our small group all seemed to feel the same – “these rocks sure didn’t look that big from the top of that 200-foot butte”. The closer you get, the bigger it is! Sometimes it’s like that with God – the closer I get to Him, the bigger He is. Theologically I know God is spirit and that He is all powerful and all present. The problem is not with God, however, it’s our perception of Him.
A 1994 study reported in the Journal of Scientific Study of Religion revealed children perceive God in much the same way they perceive their parents. The researchers studied 49 children from a middle to upper-middle class Christian Reformed church and 94 children attending a nursery school, a Head Start day care program and two elementary schools. Each of these 143 children were presented with a set of characteristics such as patience, kindness and warmth and asked to rank how much these attributes applied to both their parents and to God.
OpentheWord.org 