Spam Alert!
When I was in elementary school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), the Weekly Reader informed me that one day there would be “picture phones.” These futuristic instruments would allow me to see the caller.
In the 1950s, I don’t think anyone outside of sci-fi fantasy writers was predicting “smart phones” one could carry outside the house. In my wildest dreams I could not have envisioned video-chatting while riding on the expressway, with Waze providing navigation to the nearest gas station found on the internet search app – all from a cellular phone.
It took decades for this promised technology to become reality. But the blessing of convenience soon became a bane when telemarketers got hold of my phone number.
My service provider tries to help me out, posting “Spam Alert” on some incoming calls. Even so, it’s to the point that I don’t answer calls from unknown numbers, regardless. Friends can always leave a voicemail if needed.
How I wish there was a “Spam Alert” to filter thoughts! In our mentoring roles at Life in Messiah, Lori and I often talk with believers struggling with self-doubt or a sense of inadequacy. Often such thoughts serve to discourage and disable.
Typically, the source can be traced to a “fiery dart” planted in the brain. See if this “whispered thought train” sounds familiar:
So-and-so doesn’t like me/thinks poorly of me.
Hmm…I wonder if that’s true.
It certainly could be true. Yes, it probably is true.
I need to avoid that person. I don’t like him/her either!
At this point, whether the thought is objectively true no longer matters. I’ve convinced myself of its validity and will respond as though it is factual – even when the truth may be exactly opposite.
Sadly, once our minds are made up, even evidence to the contrary is too easily dismissed.
The brain’s amazing capacity to believe – and act on – a wrong perception could have cost me my life. Some years back (the dinosaurs were gone by now) I taught a Perspectives lesson in northwest Indiana. It was late evening by the time class ended. I packed up the display and wearily climbed into the car for the drive back to my host’s home an hour away.
I was thankful for GPS navigation in this unfamiliar territory. The skies were black with thunderclouds. Soon the wipers beat like a hypnotic metronome as they fought to clear the windshield of rain. I turned up the radio to drown out the downpour.
The rural roads were unlit and I strained to see the highway ahead. “Turn left” commanded my Garmin at a stop sign. No traffic in sight, I negotiated the turn westward onto the two-lane road.
The road before me was deserted, no cars in sight. Before long I faced traffic heading my way. At first, it was an individual eastbound car or truck, then vehicles in bunches.
Not far ahead I saw an oncoming car pull over into my lane to pass a semi. Gauging the distance, I thought he’d pull back behind the trailer until I passed. But no, he sped up, diving in front of the truck as I sped toward him.
Nice move, buddy, I thought. You must really be in a hurry to get home!
I continued my own hustle down the highway, feeling the call of sleep. But in the next twenty minutes or so I encountered a series of bizarre oncoming drivers who, like the first, seemed in a hurry to get past slower traffic even though they saw me coming. Some pulled back into their lane until I passed. Others flashed their headlights at me, as though expecting I should slow down to let them squeeze in before I closed the gap.
Good grief, where did these Hoosiers learn to drive so aggressively?
“Turn right.” I slowed, made the right turn…and to my shock, immediately discovered I was crossing a parallel two-lane road. What is THIS?
The light dawned – and my heart rate tripled. I’ve been driving half an hour the WRONG WAY on a divided four-lane highway! All those drivers I thought were being reckless must have been thinking, Good grief, buddy! You’re an idiot! What substance are YOU on?”
Then, Thank you, Lord, for preserving this idiot – again!
I rehearsed in my tired mind how this had happened:
In the dark and rain I took a desired left turn but failed to see I needed to proceed further into the intersection before turning.
The radio, wipers, and pouring rain covered over any horns that likely were blaring warnings.
My tired brain never alerted that I wasn’t seeing a single red taillight, only oncoming traffic.
I failed to notice that any road sign I passed on my right was facing the other direction.
I somehow processed all the data incorrectly, presuming I was in the right and all these other drivers were being careless.
“There is no deception like self-deception.” How easy it is for me to misperceive and misinterpret – and still be convinced I’m right!
That Vladimir Putin’s propaganda regarding the Ukraine invasion is believed by so many Russians serves to illustrate how readily even big lies can be believed by many. The capacity to draw faulty conclusions increases with unfamiliarity, especially across languages and cultures.
How many problems encountered in relationships – in family, friendships, and work/ministry – grow out of our propensity to allow the seeds of mistaken ideas to morph into “artificial reality” which guides our attitudes and actions? How often is our spiritual growth stymied or useful service stunted because we stumble over Satan’s whispered untruths?
“Don’t believe everything you think” is sage counsel. My prideful flesh, the influences of culture, and the whispered lies of the Adversary all work against me. I need to pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s “Spam Alert!” and “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Messiah” (2 Corinthians 10:5). How about you?
As we share the gospel, we do well to pray that God would remove the spiritual veil over the eyes of those yet to believe the truth (1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:12-17). What one does with Jesus – God’s ultimate truth – determines eternal destinies.
Written by Wes Taber, Life in Messiah Global Ambassador
What story would you tell to illustrate acting on a misperception? What resulted?
As followers of the Lord Jesus, we do well to actively seek the Holy Spirit’s wisdom as we process the thoughts in our heads. When the Enemy calls, what does your spiritual “Spam Alert!” sound like?
For more on “the battle for the brain,” check out the three-part TŌV Podcast:
https://lifeinmessiah.org/thetovpodcast/navigating-this-life, https://lifeinmessiah.org/thetovpodcast/devils-deceptions,
https://lifeinmessiah.org/thetovpodcast/battle-for-the-mind.