“We love and obey. We don’t need feelings to have faith.”
-Sharie King
The idea of having obedience over feelings in my faith has come up a lot this past week. I have been trying to simply push the idea aside and move on with what I know, however, when I heard it again this morning, I decided to dig deeper.
In my faith walk, I have been acting a lot upon what I feel. For example, I have been prone to walk myself away from God and then when I feel far from Him, I ask Him where He has been.
Additionally, when choosing my plans for this next fall, I always told myself to go with the option I felt most at peace with. I would say, “If I feel more peace in this a few weeks down the road, this will be my decision.” However, I have learned that feelings change way too quickly. Even with my decision to go on the World Race, I have had times of fear and doubt that could have easily taken me off the path. However, the thing that keeps me here in this decision is that God has called me to it.
With my fears about college and choosing a major, I kept getting doubtful and I kept changing my mind. I didn’t know what to choose and God wasn’t making it any clearer for me. With the World Race, I have had serious doubts about the length of the trip, my ability to come back home after and figure out God’s next plan for my life, and my health while I am on the trip. However, the difference between my college choices, the doubts I felt with that, and my World Race decision is that God has placed obedience in my heart and a realization that this IS my next step.
If I had listened to my feelings and doubts about the World Race, I would have already dropped out. However, the LORD GOD IS FAITHFUL. He is unchanging; unlike my feelings. He has allowed me to really see that his teaching for me is wrapped up in this next step.
Joyce Meyers wrote an article titled, “How to Live for God and Not Your Feelings.” In her article, she talks about passivity and consciousness. With passivity, we tend to allow the people and things around us make decisions for us or motivate us toward a decision. However, if we simply stay near to our Heavenly Father, pray diligently, and use our consciousness, we will be able to live for God and NOT our feelings.
I have allowed my feelings to move me too often and now that God is bringing this up to me, I am making it my responsibility to fix the misunderstanding.
“We have to learn how to live beyond our feelings and do what’s right even when we feel wrong.”
-Joyce Meyers
“My feelings are not God. God is God. My feelings do not define truth. God’s word defines truth. My feelings are echoes and responses to what my mind perceives. And sometimes – many times – my feelings are out of sync with the truth. When that happens – and it happens every day in some measure – I try not to bend the truth to justify my imperfect feelings, but rather, I plead with God: Purify my perceptions of your truth and transform my feelings so that they are in sync with the truth.”
-John Piper
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”
-1 Peter 1:13
In our world today, it is not a time for peace but for war. We need to be ready to use our emotions not to lead us but to help us stop the devil’s schemes. If we rely too much on our feelings, we will allow the devil to tell us too much about ourselves that is not true. When we focus on preparing our minds and being fully in the grace of the Heavenly Father, we will have the weapons ready for the battle that we endure on a daily basis.
Our rest is coming. But until then, get ready for battle. Stop being passive and start being active. And when the battle is all over, and believers go to heaven to be with God Almighty, we will all realize the importance of staying close to God and being obedient. He knows the outcome, you just have to chose to walk in the victory and fight the battle.
Isn’t it easier fighting a battle you already know you have the victory in? God is merely asking us to draw near to Him and He will fight it for us.
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
-James 4:1-10
Resist the devil… come near to God and he will come near to you. Is that hard to follow? Once we understand that this world wants nothing for us but to use us and then destroy us, we will realize that God’s promise is SO MUCH BETTER.
Sure, I agree that money and cars and fame sounds great. But, if you really look into it and realize that it will only last a little bit, the lasting promise that God is offering sounds WAY better.
Too often, I spend money on stuff I end up throwing away in a week or so. Imagine, the price that Jesus paid for you on the cross is never going to get old. You didn’t have to pay anything, you just have to walk alongside the one who already paid your debt.
Let your obedience for the Father over-ride any worldly feelings or desires. The world does not know how to lead you; your Father does. So, stop being passive and start REALLY leaning into your Heavenly Father who only wants your obedience and love.
Pray this over yourself. Pray and tell God how thankful you are for His presence in your life. God is always there; He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6). Pray and ask God to give you wisdom to be obedient and not driven by feelings. And then, DO and GO and ACT. Choose not to walk away when He is speaking to you. Choose not to find an easier route (or seemingly easier route) to happiness. Choose to walk always one step behind God. Never lose sight of the feet on the trail in front of you. God knows the path, just be obedient and keep your eyes on His feet.
