Feelings

Is your life predominantly run by feelings or truth? Modern culture says to be true to yourself, you must be true to your feelings. If you are not true to your feelings, you are a hypocrite. People run their lives today primarily by their feelings and are largely not subject to reason and logic. They determine truth mainly based on their feelings.

In our evangelistic street ministry, I explained the gospel to a lady and helped her to understand that no one goes to heaven based on how good they are compared to others. They only go to heaven through a transforming relationship with God in Jesus Christ. The explanation was a lot longer than this one sentence. It was about 2-3 minutes. I then asked her if she was sure she was going to heaven when she died. She said she was. I asked her what this confidence was based on. She said it was because this was how she felt. She didn’t want to dialogue any longer and moved on.

Many people base their whole life primarily on feelings. That is why logic, reason and truth are so undervalued. Universities are supposed to assist people in logical and reasonable thinking; instead, they tell people what to think. To think logically is called critical thinking. Today, woke thinking has predominance and is entirely based on feelings. People’s feelings are thus easily offended, and they will not listen to reason. There is so much that cannot be discussed, hopefully in a dialogue.

Yes, feelings are good, but good feelings should be the result of right thinking and good desires rather than primarily on the appetites of the flesh, convenience and the thinking that you are your own God. Certainly, feelings have their place. However, they are not the primary guide; it is your thoughts that rightly direct your feelings. The Bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Think wrong and you will live wrong; it will be unhealthy, and your eternal destiny will be in the wrong place, and you will miss out on so much in this life.

Even Christians have adopted this approach. Much of the popular views on the teaching of the Bible is based on feelings, and people are offended if you bring reason into it. They believe this is how they feel God should be, and how he should act, so they make God in their own image. Maybe someone they respected taught them something, and they are committed to it because it fits with their lifestyle, or to change would disrespect this teacher or be humbling. Some Christians are limited in discussing truth. After all, they are committed to some understanding because they feel good about it, not because of what the Bible says or reason. The humorous story is told of a man who believed he was dead. A friend said to him, “Do you believe it is correct to say that dead men don’t bleed. The man said he agreed. His friend poked the man’s finger, and some blood came out. “Well,” said the man, “dead men do bleed.” Some people are so emotionally committed to their position that reason has no effect.

People are easily offended today because they don’t want to think things through; they just want to feel it. Certainly, the Holy Spirit gives us discernment, and we can sense when things are off course, but this discernment is guided by Biblical truth as well as the Holy Spirit. We can sometimes sense the Holy Spirit speaking to us, but be careful for Satan tries to guide our thoughts as well. Discernment is needed. Satan comes close to the truth or pretends it is God speaking to you, through your thoughts as you interact with him. Don’t interact with the devil.

When we think truthfully and rightly, our feelings will be enlarged for truth and God. Our hearts will be purified, and we will have a purified love for God and others. How do you feel about that?

If you want your heart to be healed. Interact with God in love and truth, and center your life on God’s grace, which is to walk humbly with him. Know for sure who God is and surrender your life to God, because you love and trust him. Grow in grace and knowledge. Let God guide you, rather than primarily your feelings. Jesus said we are to deny our sinful and selfish selves and pick up the cross and follow him. Find your true self in honouring, servicing and adoring God. He does not force us into a relationship, but he invites us. As Christians, he doesn’t force us into fullness, but we must cooperate with grace and knowledge to grow.

Did Jesus feel like going to the cross? In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus spent some time in prayer with his disciples as he anticipated going to the cross. He was so distressed in anticipation of the cross that he sweated drops of blood. He prayed this prayer: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). However, Jesus didn’t resent going to the cross, but it was not in itself something he looked forward to. He looked forward to the end result. As the bible says, Jesus “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Do you only do things for God if there a payback for you? Do you only serve God if you receive recognition, although recognition is good to share with others? Do you only serve when it makes you feel good, or do you do all things for the glory of God? Are you willing even to suffer? Certainly, Jesus suffered for you.

Right feelings free us and wrong feelings enslave us. As Dallas Willard has said, “The addict is the person who has surrendered his will to his feelings.”

The Bible guides us in all of this,

“ Where do a]wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:1-10).

Amen