Filtration Overload

Posted on July 16, 2019 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

“The serpent told the Woman, ‘You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.’” — Genesis 3:4-5 (The Message)

I think the only two people who ever got to see the world as a normal, God-honoring place was Adam and Eve. Think about it, nothing crazy was going on until the adversary told Eve a lie about being like God. Once she and Adam bit down on the fruit of the forbidden tree a flood of panic musta swept over them as they eventually see that they are naked and the first emotion they feel is shame. Ever since then it’s been a tough time trying to put that genie back into the bottle.

I was recently having a conversation with a fellow I work with about just how everything we are hearing about in the news lately is designed to make us feel appalled by certain groups of people. I commented how the clever use of words and a slight twisting of them can make our minds go into a “filtration overload.” Instead of letting things go through the process of whether what we hear has any validity or not, we get reactive and then BAM!! We go right into panic mode and are appalled that this could even happen. Somebody should be ashamed of themselves, right?

But what I think the world around us misses out on are what has been spoken from the mouth of Jesus Christ. For example,

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:33-37).

Now when Jesus said this He was basically condemning the Pharisees, who accused Him of being an agent of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, after He had cast out a demon (read Matthew 12:22-37 for the full account) and left a multitude of people wondering, “This man cannot be the Son of David can he?” Now this is just me saying this but I think because Jesus refused to follow the legalistic traditions of those wacky Pharisees and flipped the script on teaching the Scriptures according to the theologies of the Scribes, NOTHING He did could convince the religious leaders, at that time, that He was truly the Son of David. It was just easier to talk badly of Him. Anyway…

Their hatred for Him was so blinding that they over looked every sign and ignored every effort of the Holy Spirit demonstrating that Jesus was the foretold Messiah. So, they went into filtration overload and began saying all kinds of craziness against Him and this will lead Him to point out their flawed character and call them a “brood of vipers.” Later on, Jesus will also point this out to them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Matthew 23:15)

We aren’t in a good place today when it comes to what is being said by one group of people to another. I call it “having the touché moment” and we all could be like those wacky Pharisees. So blinded, so appalled, that we want everyone against us to feel naked and ashamed. That is no way to be, but we seem to filter things through something like, “Did God really say?” and in the overload we get reactive and say things that aren’t for anyone’s edification…we say things for their condemnation. What a wretched people we are, who can save us from this body of death? Praise Him that it’s Jesus!!

So, what I hope I am conveying today is be careful with words, either saying them or listening to them. Secularland is having quite the time with them because they are filtering everything through everything in order to get the desired effect. Gods Word, on the other hand, needs no filtering. It’s already pure enough and doesn’t need an overload of filtration. Ever since the adversary asked, “Did God really say?” we’ve been questioning the obvious and that is that God loves us and we were created from that love. People need to understand that more as we get closer to a time where it is literally gonna be…Times Up!! Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) has been married for 25+ years (Kathy), has a married son (Kevin) and a daughter in college (Karen). He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

Think About This: “For myself, I long ago decided that I would rather know the truth than be happy in ignorance.” — A. W. Tozer

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalms 13-15, Acts 11| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. – Isaiah 1:18

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.

Want to get away & have dedicated time to read & learn God’s Word?

Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.

LEARN MORE

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories