When I first started writing this article I got hung up because I wanted every line to be meaningful, and well, down right perfect! (Please excuse my delusion. As if any of us could ever reach that plateau on our own) I was trying to manufacture a story and spectacularly illustrate it when it was right before my eyes all the time. (Doesn’t it usually work like that?) In a book of quotes by Zig Zigler, one of my favorite motivators, I found this gem; Zig says, “The chief cause of failure is trading what you want most for what you want now.� I was so struck by this one liner because that’s exactly what I had done for years and reading it now somehow helped me understand what effect what I term “The Filter and The Trap� has on the development of our character. I hope this article speaks similarly to you.

There are obviously many types of filters used for all sorts of things. There are fuel filters to keep our gas clean. There are air filters that purify the air we breathe in our homes and cars. There are even filters available for our computers to prevent viruses and other unwanted contaminants from infecting our worlds. I could go on ad nauseam but I think you get the point so I’ll spare you further examples. Filters serve many functions and can be both good and bad as well. If we use the wrong size or type of filter we can often cause as much damage as good. As it is with mechanical things so it is with the conditioning of our minds and spirits.

As a young man growing up I was told by my oldest brother (my dad didn’t live in our home and neither did my older brothers at that time) that if I wanted to be successful I had to work hard. Sounded okay. The example, or filter, he provided for me regarding the proceeds of that hard work was a focus on the accumulation of the finer things, (clothes, cars, homes, etc., etc., etc.) and of course the world would tell me nothing different. After all, back in the 1950’s and ‘60’s we were changing from a manufacturing society to a consumer oriented society and we would be as good at consuming as we were in manufacturing.

What I really wanted most was the attention and love of my absent father and mother and the sense of belonging and nurturing that came from a loving home. What I traded for my deepest need and desire was a philosophy “The Trap� that I could obtain love, attention, and recognition if I substituted the accumulation of material wealth now.

At first it was good. I worked hard at the pursuit of the alleged American dream and gained attention and respect as a man with good intentions, high energy, business acumen, and skill. I began to accumulate stuff (and Debt) at an acceptable rate. It was however, a flawed filter and a trap that nearly destroyed me and everything and everyone else around me. I can only pray for forgiveness of those whom I have unintentionally hurt in the process.

These were just the first two of many filters that I allowed my ego to use for years to determine and measure my success. Unfortunately, because she worked to put a roof over my head and food on my table, my mother was unable to filter out (pun intended) the half-truths my brothers and my ego used to condition me in my early years. By the time I was an adult I had already been negatively conditioned to seek “The Trap� through a defective filter (immediate gratification). Fortunately, I have come to see the light and I confess that I am now aware of some of those filters and not only have I reconditioned my own definition of success and failure, I have dedicated the balance of my life to coaching others to discover or recondition their own.

If we do not learn to choose wisely from among the options we are given by God, we can develop a personal character that leads us into incorrect thinking and actions that take us down some very dark paths. These misguided thoughts can lead us into traps that once looked sweet and inviting but are now chains around us and not only prevent us from obtaining that which we initially sought, but also now separate us from that which we were ultimately meant to be.

But take heart my friends and brothers, there is freedom and the freedom is in you. You have the power of the choice. You can decide, with and through the help of Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name) to seek and see the light. You can choose to surrender all of your previous filters (conditioning) and be freed from the bondage of the traps of past errors to live a life of joy and freedom. You can overcome the handicap of living life with scales over your spiritual eyes by focusing on and through the greatest filter of them all â€" the scriptures, the very word of God, and our Savior, Yeshua HaMeshiach (Jesus the Messiah). He sheds light where there was once only darkness. The word of God provides a light unto our paths through which we can clearly see our destination and our destiny.

The story of Saul’s conversion in Acts 9:1-21 is a fabulous and miraculous illustration of the power of choice in a man’s life. It exemplifies the use of filters and traps and where they can lead in your life. And lastly, it is also a phenomenal demonstration of the power of the Spirit of God when you do choose to align yourself with His will to seek the purpose for which you were designed!

I pray that this article will lead you to examine yourself and cause you to ask yourself some tough, critical questions, as I have. If you find a flawed filter that has entrapped you as I did, I pray that you will surrender them and choose to adopt a new filter to integrate into your daily living. Once you do, then please, share your experience with another, especially with our younger generations in the hope that they might develop a personal character to avoid “The Trap� by using “The Filter� of God!

Blessings to you on your journey, and Shalom.

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