Blindfolded by Bias: How Our Affections Obstruct Divine Discernment

“Our affections can bribe our discernment." This profound insight from Jonathan Edwards in his work A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections cuts to the heart of our spiritual blindness. Edwards explored how our emotions and preferences influence our judgment, often leading us away from truth and into confusion. How easily our biases blind us to the divine appointments orchestrated for our benefit. The greatest blessings in our lives often come packaged in ways we don't expect—through people we might initially dismiss, overlook, or even reject.

The Unrecognized Gifts

Consider how the apostles in Jerusalem nearly missed one of God's most profound gifts to the early church. When Saul of Tarsus—freshly transformed by an encounter with Christ—sought fellowship with the believers, they "were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple" (Acts 9:26).

Can we blame them? This was the man who had terrorized their community, breathing "threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1). Their caution seemed justified, their suspicion reasonable.

Yet in their caution, they nearly rejected the very man who would go on to write almost half the New Testament. The apostle specially appointed to bring the gospel to the Gentiles almost found himself without a spiritual family.

The Value of Spiritual Discernment

Thank God for Barnabas, whose name fittingly means "son of encouragement." Scripture tells us he "took him and brought him to the apostles" (Acts 9:27). Barnabas saw beyond the troubled history to recognize the authentic work of grace in Saul's life.

This pattern repeats throughout Scripture. Joseph was rejected by his brothers before becoming their deliverer. Moses was questioned by his own people. David was overlooked by his father, yet the prophet Samuel possessed deep discernment. When evaluating Jesse's sons, God reminded Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus himself was dismissed by those in his hometown: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46).

The Barriers to Divine Recognition

The people God sends to bless us, guide us, or prepare us for the future often don't match our expectations. They may come from backgrounds we question, possess personalities that challenge us, or arrive through circumstances that seem coincidental rather than providential.

Our resistance typically manifests in multiple ways:

We may stumble over their lack of formal credentials or traditional education, dismissing wisdom that doesn't bear institutional stamps of approval.

We might be put off by their unfamiliar language or vocabulary—the way they express spiritual truths in terms foreign to our theological dialect.

Cultural differences can create invisible barriers; we struggle to receive from those whose customs, expressions, or mannerisms differ from our own.

Sometimes our timing doesn't align with God's. We may not be ready for a particular message, causing us to reject the messenger until a later season when we're more receptive.

Pride in our own spiritual maturity or theological understanding can create a blindness to what God might teach us through someone we perceive as less developed in faith.

Perhaps most insidiously, past wounds from similar personalities or situations may trigger defensive responses, causing us to close our hearts to present opportunities because of previous disappointments.

Israel's Greatest Missed Opportunity

The most profound example of this pattern is found in Israel's failure to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Despite centuries of prophecies and preparation, when God himself walked among them, they failed to recognize "the time of [their] visitation" (Luke 19:44).

Jesus lamented over Jerusalem: "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42). Their expectations of a political deliverer blinded them to the suffering servant who came to offer spiritual freedom.

How devastating to miss the very one they had been waiting for because he didn't conform to their preconceived notions.

Saul and Barnabas

Safeguarding Our Spiritual Perception

It's crucial that we lean in to hear the voice of God speaking through various individuals. We must discern the anointing and echo of heaven proceeding from their lives, rather than being captivated merely by their smarts, giftedness, or charisma. Jesus himself admonished, "Do not judge according to appearance" (John 7:24). The Greek word used here, "opsis," refers to the face or outward appearance—a powerful reminder that what we see with our natural eyes often fails to reveal the spiritual reality.

If we're honest, we're all vulnerable to this same blindness. Our preferences, prejudices, and past experiences create filters through which we evaluate everyone we meet. These filters, while sometimes protective, can also prevent us from recognizing the divine appointments God arranges.

Finding God's Handiwork in the Obscure

God delights in working through the overlooked and underestimated. Moses was a stuttering shepherd. David was the forgotten son. Jesus was a carpenter's boy from questionable Nazareth. Paul was a former persecutor.

The question isn't whether God is sending people to help shape our future—it's whether we have eyes to recognize them. Some of the most influential people in our lives may be those we initially resist or dismiss.

If you truly want to fully embrace God's handiwork, you must be willing to make time to allow individuals He sends to fully speak into your life and impart what heaven has given them for you. Divine appointments often require more than a passing acknowledgment—they need space, attention, and openness to receive the full measure of what God intends to transfer through them. Impartation rarely happens in hurried encounters; it requires the soil of unhurried relationship where trust can develop and hearts can truly open.

Embracing the Unfinished Vessel

We must remember that those whom God sends into our lives are often works in progress themselves. Saul, when Barnabas advocated for him, was not yet the polished apostle who would write epistles that would guide the church for millennia. He was unrefined, still learning, still growing.

Some of God's most powerful messengers do not fit neatly into our denominational templates and ecclesiastical systems. They may use different vocabulary, embrace different worship styles, or emphasize truths that our tradition has neglected. The most transformative voices often come from the margins, not the center of our comfortable religious circles.

Beyond Our Ecclesiastical Fraternities

As pastors, we must move beyond our comfortable fraternities and ecclesiastical networks. We need the courage to invite those who are not part of our current circles to speak and minister in our churches. This requires humility—an admission that our congregation needs more than what our immediate network can provide.

The Holy Spirit's anointing doesn't follow our denominational boundaries or organizational charts. Some of the most profound words of revelation and transformation may come through vessels we haven't previously endorsed or individuals without the "right" ministerial credentials.

When we limit our pulpits to only those within our established circles, we potentially block divine appointments God has orchestrated for our congregations. Our pastoral responsibility includes creating space for God to speak through unexpected messengers, even when doing so challenges our comfort or institutional preferences.

A Challenge to Our Hearts

As we conclude, let us ask ourselves some uncomfortable questions:

Who has God placed in your path that you've been hesitant to receive? What if that difficult person, that challenging relationship, that unpolished vessel is actually carrying a word from heaven specifically for you?

When was the last time you embraced a perspective that made you uncomfortable? Could your theological comfort zone be limiting your spiritual growth?

What if the next great move of God in your life comes packaged in a form you've been trained to dismiss?

Are you evaluating people based on their credentials, eloquence, and conformity to your expectations, or are you discerning the testimony of heaven in their lives?

Jesus confronted the religious leaders of his day with this sobering indictment: "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40). Despite their biblical knowledge, they failed to recognize the very One to whom those Scriptures pointed.

As Jesus warned these same leaders, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Matthew 21:42). Throughout history, God's greatest gifts to his people have often come through unlikely channels.

Could it be that right now, the answer to your deepest prayers stands before you in unexpected form? Perhaps the divine appointment you've been seeking has already arrived, but remains unrecognized because it doesn't match the image in your mind. Like Barnabas who recognized God's work in the transformed life of Saul, will you have the spiritual discernment to see beyond appearances? Will you cultivate a heart ready to receive what heaven has sent—even when it arrives in packaging you never anticipated? Remember, the most precious gifts from God often come wrapped differently than what most people expect.

The question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we have ears to hear and eyes to see His messengers when they don't fit our preconceived notions.