Feelings & Truth

“We shall never get anywhere if we depend upon our feelings. There is something a thousand times better than feelings, & it is the naked Word of God.” –Smith Wigglesworth

Feelings (or emotions) - they’re crazy little things. Powerful. Swaying. Consuming. Search God’s word & you will not find one who did not have feelings. God himself has feelings – deeper feelings than any of us can comprehend. Feelings are not wrong. They become wrong when they lead us to believe lies. Feelings are to be indicators- not dictators. There’s countless lies our feelings want us to follow. Here are 3 that were heavy on my heart as I was preparing this blog.

1.   God won’t forgive me/doesn’t love me.

I think most of us at some point have felt this & believed it. I know I have. We think- I’ve made too many wrong decisions. I’ve already messed up my life. It’s too late. God can’t forgive me. He doesn’t love me. Can I just cut to the chase? That is a lie from hell. Yes, you may have made some wrong decisions. Your life may be a mess. It’s okay to look at your life & experience a feeling of “what have I done!?” In fact, your heart couldn’t be in a better place at that point. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Your feelings are indicating that there is indeed a problem, a disconnect, a void that needs to be filled. God uses such emotions to draw you to himself, to let you know that you need him, & that He WANTS you. But feelings that lead you to believe that God will not or cannot forgive you & does not love you… those feelings are leading you to believe a lie.

Will we get anywhere depending on these feelings? No. We will stay in bondage to lies. Oh if we could only recognize the depth of God’s love for us! The love that God holds in His heart for you truly goes beyond word’s description & the mind’s comprehension. There is not a single soul on this earth that will ever desire your heart like the heavenly Father does. Every single day He longs to be close to His creation, close to you.  

Oh if we could only take hold of the power of the cross - the power of the precious blood of Jesus! Christ never came for the righteous, He shed his blood for the sinner (Luke 5:32). My friend, God is READY & more than able to forgive you. Oh he is so eager for you to come before Him & leave your burdens & bondage at His feet. He wants to give you life.

“But God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:8-10

“For by grace are ye saved through faith & that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

2.            God isn’t near to me.

Oh yes. I myself have felt this WAY too many times. Life gets crazy. Hearts get broken. Things happen. Obstacles arise. Our time in prayer & God’s word is dry & dead. He doesn’t seem to be doing anything. He doesn’t seem to be listening to any of our prayers. He doesn’t seem to be helping us with anything. Etc, etc, etc. We can even become angry at God in our lack of understanding, hurt, impatience, etc. It is a very dangerous thing to base God’s faithfulness & presence on what we see or do not see around us. Something happens or does not happen & all of the sudden God is not near to us or does not care. We don’t feel that wave of “good emotions” in our time with God & all of the sudden He is not near to us. Beloved, GOD IS NEAR TO YOU. Not because I said so. Not because you feel like it. Because God says so. His word tells you repeatedly of His faithfulness. He has never lied & He is not going to start.

We may feel He is not near because we are not DILIGENTLY seeking Him. Maybe we are walking in disobedience to His will. Maybe we are facing tragedy. Maybe we are being tested. Maybe God is trying to help us grow in faith but we just want it easy. When God feels distant we must first examine our own hearts before placing blame on God. There are times we feel Him near & there are times we do not. I have made up my mind to seek God whether I feel Him near or not. I will seek until I find. I will knock until He answers. No matter where I am at in this life or how I am feeling, He is near. This is the truth we must depend on. Beloved, He can’t stay away from you. He is near in every season.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” John 14:15-16

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18

“The LORD is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Lamentations 3:25

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that HE is, & that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him diligently.” Hebrews 11:6

3.            I can’t do what God has called me to do.

As someone who has a specific call on her life, I understand what it is like to feel completely unworthy & inadequate, & to be seen by others as such. The pressure is real. The road is lonely.

This lie annoys me to no end. When we rely more on the approval of man & our own abilities than the simple words & truth of God, we will never find the boldness that lasts to rise to His call. Is not the God who called you the same God who will equip you? God takes shepherd boys & makes them great kings. God takes fishermen & makes them disciples. God takes relentless persecutors & makes them zealous apostles. The list goes on. Please do not limit God. And please forgive those in the body of Christ who try to.

Beloved, it’s not your degree. It’s not your personality. It’s not your talents. It’s not your experiences. It’s not your accomplishments. It’s not what other people think. It’s not your feelings. Though God can & will use all- it is only by His spirit. His grace, power, strength, etc that you will fulfill this call. I always like to remind myself of this- God will never call you to do anything or go anywhere that leaves you anything less than desperate for Him. So are you desperate for Him? Do you find your own strength & abilities are not enough? Are you not looking the part? You’re so blessed. Welcome to what it REALLY looks like to be walking in a call from God. He will guide you in His wisdom & give you renewed perspective as you walk with Him. Choosing you as His vessel was no mistake. When you don’t look the part God gets all the more glory & you are all the more reliant on Him. It’s such a beautiful thing. Embrace it with passion & thankfulness. Keep pressing on. He goes before you.

The spirit of the Lord is upon me because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, & recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” John 4:18

“But by the grace of God I am what I am: & His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly that they all, yet not I but the grace of God which was with me.”  1 Corinthians 15:10

“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

What are your feelings leading you to believe today? Who is holding the power in your life? God’s truth or changing emotions? What are you depending on today? If you don’t feel God, if you don’t feel His love- cast that care before Him. He will answer. He wants you to feel his love & closeness, but He also wants you to depend & trust in Him. There is an ABUNDANCE of truth found in fellowship with God & His word. Truth you can depend on even when you don’t feel like it. I strongly encourage you to seek this truth out beyond the few scriptures I have shared & allow God to plant truth into your heart that will stay rooted throughout the ups & downs of life. It's not always easy, but it's always worth the pursuit. Don’t let lies rob & deceive you.