Perception verses Reality
Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant. Than he who honors himself but lacks bread. (Proverbs 12:9 NKJV).
Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food. (Proverbs 12: 9 NIV).
Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food. (Proverbs 12:9 AMP).
Proverbs 12:9 is one of my favorite verses, because like so many other verses, it speaks the truth. Last Monday night, this verse came to mind and the LORD wanted me to focus on perception vs. reality. As human beings we tend to go off on what we can see instead of what is literal. If something does not match our perception, then that something is not worth our devotion, time, nor concern. However, what we perceive can ultimately lead us to deception, that’s why 1 John 4:1 tells us to test every spirit. James 1:5 tells us that if we lack wisdom we should ask the LORD who gives generously to us. Beloved, just because something looks good does not mean it is good, or is good for you!
Proverbs 12:9 tells us that, those who are boastful, those who try to be something they are not, are usually the ones who are struggling behind closed doors. However, those who are lowly, those who are humble, usually have their affairs in order. This verse reminds me of mega churches and small ministries. The small ministries are the nobodies and the mega churches are the pretenders. Based on human nature, people perceive small churches/ministries as non-successful. If the church or ministry does not have 200 plus members, is it really a church? If the church does not have a banging choir, is it really worth going to? Meanwhile, this mega church must be grand, because everybody and “they mama” (slang) goes here. Just last Sunday, the pastor was doing a two-step to Jesus Walks With Me, by Kanye West. ‘Oh, yeah’, one might think, ‘I can get with this church’.
Everything that you have just read is perception. The reality is the small church that gets ignored, is the nobody with a servant. They are moving in the Spirit, signs and wonders follow them, they are constantly being fed. But many miss out on sound teaching, deliverance, and growth because their perception has blinded them. Instead, they go to the mega church, which in reality is the person pretending to be somebody but lacks food. They pretend to be Spirit filled, but in reality the LORD is not with them. They pretend to be of God, but in reality they lack spiritual food, leaving their members to starve. Another example I can provide, comes from Mark 11:12-14.
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungary. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
From a distance, Jesus perceived the tree to be fruitful, but when he got a closer look, he condemned the tree for its promising appearance. In reality, the tree was fruitless, it had no good fruit. Many churches of today are like the fig tree that Jesus condemned. From a distance they look promising, but up close they lack spiritual fruit. The same could be said about “christians”. By name they seem to be of God, but their fruit is not of the Spirit. Scripture tells us that, 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers!” (Matthew 7: 21-23). Just because someone or an entity may appear to be of God, or may mention God, does not mean they are truly of God. Again, that is why 1 John 4:1 tells us to test the spirit, so that we may not be deceived.
Lastly, your perception can cause you to miss out on your salvation. For instance, when Jesus dwelled amongst us, the Jewish Pharisees did not recognize him as the Messiah. Instead of inviting Jesus in, they questioned who he truly was, they even tried to test him, see (Mark 8:11-12, Matthew 22:15-22, John 8:3-11). The Pharisees had an idea on how they should live, and who the Messiah should be. Their perception caused them to miss out on their salvation, because they could not and did not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Several churches are like the Pharisees, they focus on frivolous things such as titles, bible translations, how long their family has been attending a specific church, and many other pointless things. Churches ignore teaching the true word of God, and as a result, countless souls miss out on their salvation.
Friends, the Lord does not want us to go by what we see, instead He wants us to dig deep. We can do this by meditating on his word (Joshua 1:8, 2 Timothy 2:15), and by having a genuine relationship with the Lord.
Go in peace.