Romans 1:17c “The righteous will live by faith.”
John 13:17 “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Which drives your life, faith or feelings? The Bible states that we are to live by faith as followers of Christ. What makes a difference? Neil Anderson, a writer and counsellor, once said:
“If you believe what you feel, instead of believing the truth, your walk will be as inconsistent as your feelings. If what you believe does not reflect the truth, then what you feel does not reflect reality. The order of Scripture is to live by faith according to what God says is true. Your emotions will follow … We don’t feel our way into good behaviour; we behave our way into good feeling.”
He is arguing that you might never do what is right if you wait to act on your moral convictions. But you’ll feel good about yourself if you follow the proper path. When you live up to the truth you know to be true, your feelings will follow suit.
What then should you do if your feelings are not in line with reality? Feelings have a significant role in who you are. Being able to recognise our feelings is essential to being independent and mature. God cannot be pleased with you if you are not genuine. Don’t deny your emotions – but don’t always believe them either. We are fallen, broken people our emotions can often lie to us and they should never be the basis for making decisions.
First and foremost, you need to talk to God about your feelings. Tell Him your true feelings. The Psalms provide us a wonderful guide and paradigm for communicating our emotions to God. Being spiritual does not entail suppressing or denying your feelings. It indicates that you are sincere and open with God about how you feel. It indicates that you obey the truth because you think it to be true, not because you feel like it.
Ask God to help you discern the truth through or in spite of your feelings. Allow Him to look inside your heart and heal any wounds which may still be there from past experiences. Let His Spirit teach you how to walk in confidence, trusting that Him over your feelings. My prayer in this regard is very simple,
“Lord, if these feelings are from You, please confirm them and lead me through this time. If they are not, then please remove them and lead me into Your truth. Amen.”