Short and sweet thought for the week…
Years ago, there was a popular song titled Feelings. It went something like this…”Feelings, whoa-o-o-o feelings!” I hated that song. Not so much because of the message, but the whiney way it came across. The poor guy was in agony and I felt for him, but not enough to listen to him sing this song.
With that being said, I realize that God created feelings to be an outlet for what happens in our lives. However, God never intended them to be a guide for what is right or wrong. It’s unwise to base decisions totally on how we feel. If we let feelings rule our lives, we are headed for trouble.
For example, the Bible says we can get angry, but we don’t have to sin (Ephesians 4:26). Cain didn’t get that memo. He was angry with God and his brother Abel. As a result, he killed Abel because he didn’t know how to process his feelings of jealousy, resentment, and inadequacy. You see, if we don’t control our feelings, they control us.
Feelings are not facts. Just because we feel something, does not make it true. People want to debate scriptures based on how they feel, but truth is truth regardless of how we feel. God’s Word is truth. We need to choose to follow God instead of our feelings because our emotions are unpredictable, unreliable, fickle, and ever-changing. Jesus does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That’s why we can rely on Him.
Meaningful and uplifting experiences are part of the Christian journey, but so are trials and problems. So we must learn to trust God more than our feelings. We can’t afford to let feelings be a substitute for faith. Walking by faith means we praise, follow, and obey God regardless of how we feel at a particular time. Remember that it’s much better to be at the mercy of God, than at the mercy of our feelings.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” ~2 Corinthians 5:7
