FEELINGS VERSUS FAITH

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! {Feelings Versus Faith}

1.To Joshua before he was to go into an unknown conflict, God promises him “I will be with you WHEREVER you go.“- {Joshua 1:9}

2.To the disciples been sent out to preach the Gospel, in His Service, He assures them, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”.”-{Matt 28:20}

3.To the immature and Suffering He assures them,

“for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU,NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”-{Hebrews 13:5}

Whatever the circumstance, service or state you find yourself in, take heart and courage from His assurance, that you will never find yourself in a place where God is absent, pre-occupied, but is always present and all of Him presently so. It is not a matter of favorable circumstance to give you a false assurance that He is pleased with you, therefore you are been “blessed” with favorable circumstances as a “sign” of God’s approval, and therefore “difficulties” are a sign of His displeasure. These thoughts are so wrong on so many Scriptural levels, “But God…” does assure us we never face a second, a future where He will not be with us. It is not a matter of “feeling” His presence but resting by faith that He is always present-  based on who He is and what He says in His Word!

You either live by Faith in what you “feel,” and will end up living an emotional roller coaster life or faith in Him and what He says.

 

You may “Feel” alone, but that is a thinking problem, wrong thinking! This is why we have to continually renew our minds {Rom 12:2}, and the way we think and align ourselves up with what God’s Word teaches! {“Whatever is true… let your mind dwell{think. ponder} on these things.-{ Read Phil 4:8} When we are led and live by “feelings” as the barometer for our Christian walk we are opening ourselves up for all kinds of ungodly THINKING and INFLUENCES in how we live our lives. We are building our lives on “sand.” No stability and in reality we are trusting in…ourselves! If you choose to ignore, reject His Word, which is what you are doing, by choosing to live by “feelings” as the source of your guidance and conduct, as the ultimate authority in your life, you will constantly be turning inward and finding yourself in inner turmoil and conflict, fears assaulting, as you lack assurance because your “assurance” is based on what and how you “feel,” as the ultimate authority in your living. “Feelings” can be pleasant, good, or not, but they cannot be the ultimate governor of your life. Why? because our feelings often change, You can stay up too late one night and not get enough sleep, and the following day not “feel,” too well or energetic. If you go by how you “feel,” for your spiritual barometer you would have to conclude, you are not doing well. Insane, isn’t it! But that is how some of us live. We live by feelings as our ultimate authority and not the LORD Jesus Christ and His Word!

“Feelings” in and of themselves may not be bad but if they are not in alignment with His Word, can lead us astray and into despair! If you don’t “feel” forgiven does that nullify the cross and working of the Lord Jesus? If you don’t” feel” loved by God,” does that mean He lies in His Word when he says He so loved you He gave His Son for you?{Read John 3;16;1 John 3:16; Gal 2:20}. If you don’t “feel” accepted by God, does that mean you are not when He says you are “accepted in the Beloved.”-{Eph 1:6; Rom 1:7}. And yet you are assured of Eternal life? How can that be? Is it “selective feelings” you live by? You may say, “I know I am saved, but not sure I am loved, accepted, forgiven,” is that what you are “feeling?” Hmm… see how easy it is for us to be led astray and to go willingly with those feelings, rather than raising up the Shield of faith and using “the sword of the Spirit- which is the Word Of God,” to examine our thinking, feelings and recognize lies and replace with the TRUTH OF HIS WORD! Paul wrote, “…hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”-{Eph 6:16-17 NLT}. The evil one uses “thoughts,…lies…” to your mind, seeking to infiltrate and tempt you to live by your emotions, to doubt God, deny His goodness, care and displace His Word and to live by faith in your feelings and not His Word. Ultimately it is to live by faith in self and not the Savior!

SPIRITUAL INFECTION; Just as an infection in the human body can weaken the immune system so too error can infect and affect in the spiritual realm, in the life of the believer. Unfortunately, the way we live can have an influence on others and for the unsuspecting, immature, if they follow your pattern to live by your “feelings,” then instead of being spiritually stable, grounded in the love and truth of God, maturing in their faith, they will be weak, unstable and living a spiritual yo-yo like, up and down constantly, all depending on how they “read, view” life through the lens of their “feelings”and not His Word!

Paul said “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know WHOM I have believed and I am convinced that HE is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”-{2 Tim 1:12}…“Without faith it is impossible to please Him”-{Heb 11:6}. Paul in times of great stress, suffering, says he places his faith in a PERSON. And how do we know what He is like? His Word reveals Him, Jesus after His resurrection said, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”-{Luke 24:27}.

Faith, reliance, entrusting yourself to Him and what He says, is the safe, secure spiritual stabilizer.

For the believer, can and must say -My “assurance” is not in what I “Feel,” or do not “feel,” but in Him and what He declares!

We all live by faith; Some live by faith in their feelings, others live by faith in The Son of God and His Word!

Are you living by feelings or faith in Him and what He says?

THINK RIGHT on Truth, {Read Phil 4:8}; DO RIGHT- the Truth {Read Phil 4:9} and the feelings will follow in their correct order.

Take Him at His Word, Thank Him, Trust Him and what He says... HE…IS…WITH…YOU…NOW- good news!

Thank You LORD, I never walk alone, because You say so..and You do not lie!

I AM NEVER ALONE- YOU ARE ALWAYS WITH ME-

BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU SAY!