Your eyes will see strange things. Your heart will utter perverse things. Proverbs 23:33, TLV

Strange Things?     Okay, my friends. Please bear with me. This excerpt is taken from the “substance abuser” passage. Which might typically be “blink” verses* to you. Most likely you don’t have this problem, but you may know someone who does. However, what struck me this morning is that there is relevance to us.

Here’s what I see: when we are under any influence not of our Heavenly Father and His Holy Spirit, we will see strange things and what comes from our lips will demonstrate that.

“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things make the man unholy. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander.” Matthew 15:18-19, TLV

Influencers

There are many influences out there, and as followers of Jesus and children of the Most High God, we are not exempt. Examples of those influencers that could corrupt our eyes and heart:

• sin: any unrepented sin taints how we think and ultimately affects our behavior.
• unforgiveness: as insidious as sin because it spawns more sins like bitterness, hatred, anger, etc.
• pain: pain can cause doubts, anger, defeat, depression, hopelessness. This will color our attitudes. We may not be able to remove the pain, but we can live in gratitude and hope.
• deceivers: our inner circle of trust periodically needs to be evaluated. Sometimes we allow people there who are not wholesome and may influence us negatively.
• insecurities: things from our past can chain us to lies that we aren’t good enough, that God doesn’t love us. This will affect our emotions and behaviors. How we view life.
• envy: envy, jealousy, coveting may seem trivial, but the first murder in the history of humanity was rooted in envy (Genesis 4).
• substance abuse: whether alcohol, drugs, medication, food, or work, abuse of anything that numbs us from what we need to process — with our Father — to be set free.

As we can see, there are many influences that can isolate us from our relationship with our Father and our family. These can taint how we view the world and relationships around us. We see through the lenses of whatever influencers in or around us, causing us to “see” things that aren’t true.

But knowledge and revelation are the first steps to freedom. If one or more of these influences are causing us to “see strange things,” then let’s seek our Dad to get rid of them. Because this is an amazing time in history, and we need to be able to see clearly.

Think More About It

Have you ever caught yourself “seeing” things that aren’t true? How will you/do you free yourself from the influences that may color our world with darkness?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I love your insights and comments. And truly appreciate the shares.

Until tomorrow, may we see what is real, my friends. Seeing “things” that aren’t true is one of the causes of anti-Semitism. Let’s continue to pray for truth to shed light on what is real. God bless you and Shabbat Shalom!

*A blink verse is a Bible passage we don’t think applies to us, so we just “blink” right past it. Coined by Dr. Raleigh Washington.