I discovered a few years ago that in the evenings when I went out for my walk to the beach, that if your mom and I had a difference of opinion on a subject, I would tend to dwell on that difference during the walk. By the time I got back from the walk, I often found that it would no longer be a difference of opinion, but a large gap, frustration, or possibly even anger stemming from all the other unresolved issues of the past. The reality was that I let my emotions, feelings and reactions to a specific event run away with my brain. I allowed thoughts placed by the enemy to grow. I set myself up for my prayers being hindered (1 Peter 3:7) by allowing feelings to alter the state of a relationship made in Heaven and approved by God. I think we are all guilty of this at one time or another, if we are honest.
Unfortunately, we do not do this with people only, but we also allow our emotions to impact our relationship with Deity. There are times that our feelings and emotions will actually cause us to question our connection or relationship ties to God, the same way we question our relationship with people we love. Even though scripture tells us very plainly that Christ’s disciples will be known by their love, the Bible also tells us that some things are unchangeable, regardless of your emotions. To me one of the most important aspects is our relationship and standing with each person of the Trinity. The Father’s design and plan for you will never change. Christ’s death and intercession for you will never falter. And, the Holy Spirit’s commitment to be close to you, provide you with the protection as well as power and guidance through live, never ends. It is our emotions that cause us to be flaky at times.
As you grew up, you were given direction through Bible stories and verses because they are unchangeable truth – very different than emotions. There is a difference between the facts contained in God’s word and our responses to people and circumstances. They are addressed by your faith and how strong that becomes over time. In the same way a pilot guides (by faith) the plane through a deep fog with his instrument panel (facts), he must ignore his anxiety (feelings) because they could cause him to make a tragic error. As we mature spiritually, we must rely on the promises (facts) of God. J. Oswald Sanders said this: “We naively think that the more we grow as Christians, the easier it will be to discern the will of God. But the opposite is often the case. God treats the mature leader as a mature adult, leaving more and more to his or her spiritual discernment and giving fewer bits of tangible guidance than in earlier years. The resulting perplexity adds inevitably to a leader’s pressure.” That is the point in your life that faith must take over. You must rely on the facts and not your feelings. You will do that through your faith.
I want you to ask yourself this question first. “If you base your faith on your emotions, what will your faith look, feel, taste and smell like after one of those days of discouragement, disappointment or even betrayal?” The second question is this: “If you base your faith on the facts contained in God’s Kingdom promises, what will your faith look, feel, taste and smell like after one of those days of discouragement, disappointment or even betrayal?”
Love Dad