Once we understand how crucial perception is to our lives, we are right to ask ourselves how we should see or perceive in order to succeed or to improve our lives. Before trying to determine the right perception, we can already ask if there is an absolute right and wrong perception. Does a right and wrong perception exist?

To the question of whether there is a right perception or if everything is relative, I would undoubtedly say that there is a right and a wrong perception. Whoever does not perceive well perceives poorly. I do not think this is relative at all. I refer to Jesus’ statements in Luke 11:34:

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light; but when it is unhealthy, your body is full of darkness.” Luke 11:34

Jesus reveals through this verse that each individual can see well or poorly depending on the condition of their eye. This means that our eye can absolutely be in a good or bad state. Through this image, Jesus confirms that a good perception exists and that all human beings would benefit from adopting it. This means that all those who do not have the right perception are at a certain disadvantage, regardless of what they think. In the same verse, Jesus reveals how to recognize if we have the right or wrong perception. He says that a body full of light means seeing well, while a body lacking light indicates poor perception.

Jesus reveals through this image that the nature of the emotion we feel indicates whether we have the right or wrong perception. A good perception should engender a positive emotion, while a bad perception is responsible for negative emotions such as bitterness, anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, worry, and many other similar emotions. A person who feels bad after being reproached certainly perceives their interlocutor as an enemy wishing them harm. It is not the reproach itself, but the negative perception of the person making the reproach that causes this negative feeling.

When we receive a reproach from someone we perceive as upright and trustworthy, we are rather satisfied because this reproach would be an opportunity to improve. What determines the right perception? To know what determines the right perception, we must refer once again to the author of life, Almighty God. Let us discover three Bible verses that show us what should influence us or what should influence our perception.

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

The Lord teaches us through these verses that only His laws, also called the Word of God or the Truth, allow humans to function normally. This means that only the Word of God can enable the eye to be in a good state and to see properly. In other words, there is no good perception outside of the Word of God. This does not mean that all people who read the Holy Scriptures have the right perception and that all who do not read have the wrong perception…

Some people know the Holy Scriptures but do not practice them because they do not believe them with all their heart. Other people, on the other hand, do not meditate on the Holy Scriptures but are inspired by someone who lives according to the Holy Scriptures. These people find themselves seeing and living in conformity with the Word of God, allowing them to know the success associated with practicing God’s laws. I know several people who achieve great things in their endeavors simply because they perceive themselves as capable of anything.

This self-perception does not come from reading the Bible verse where Jesus says that everything is possible for one who believes (Mark 9:23). Their perceptions come from the words of other successful people. However, the source of this knowledge is the Creator Himself, and that is what matters. As long as we know the truth and accept it, it influences our perception and guarantees our success. If perception based on truth guarantees success, perception based on the opposite of truth guarantees failure. This is why the Lord could say in the book of the prophet Hosea that His people perish for lack of knowledge of the truth.

“My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6

In the second part of this book, we will see how successful people perceive themselves, how they perceive things, and how they perceive other human beings…

This text is an excerpt from the book “DIVINE PERCEPTION: Seeing Well to Succeed Better” written by Dominique MBOG.

We invite you to read the following article “THE PERCEPTION OF THINGS“.