Appearances can be Deceptive

This common saying is used because most people have concluded from experience that things are often not really what they initially appear to be. Decisions made based on the superficial appearance of things often come back to haunt us.

In Joshua 9, Joshua and the Israelites were tricked into thinking the Gibeonites came from very far off. They found out they were their neighbors only after a binding treaty had been made not to destroy them. Verse 14 reads-‘…they did not consult the Lord'(NLT). Several years later God still respected that treaty  at a great cost to Israel when Saul killed the Gibeonites (2Sam 21).

In Acts 16:16-18-Paul discerned that a young girl who appeared to be truthfully and faithfully advertising their ministry was actually operating out of a demonic spirit of divination and cast it out.

Many people who were waiting for the Messiah, missed Jesus when he came because he wasn’t packaged according to their expectations.

According to Isaiah 11:3 (NLT), the Holy Spirit helped Jesus not to ‘ judge by appearance ‘. I encourage you to constantly seek the Holy Spirit for  discerning insight beyond the superficial appearance of situations and people so your decisions will cause you no regrets in the future.

He will guide you!