Don’t Let Your Feelings Rewrite the Truth
Knowing Faith vs. Feeling Faith
Have you ever felt like asking, “Where is God in this situation?” The good news is that God has not moved. He is still on the throne, He still lives inside of you, and He promises to never leave you nor forsake you!
Sometimes people let their feelings obscure the truth of God’s word. Overcoming this requires distinguishing between truth and lies. Let’s breakdown the three general lies the enemy wants us to dwell on:
God is not near you. (That feeling is a lie.)
Your sin is too great. (That feeling is a lie.)
God does not love you. (That feeling is a lie.)
In a natural sense, people combat these errors with human wisdom from a psychological standpoint and not always with God’s truth.
If you are in a covenant with Him, here is what the Bible says:
The Lie: "God is not near me."
Ephesians 2:5-6 Even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus."
If Jesus is the Head and we are the Body, He isn't decapitated and searching for His body like the Headless Horseman. He is connected to His Body. "As He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). The word "is" denotes the present tense.
Deuteronomy 31:6: "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."
John 14:17-18: "He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you."
If you know the truth of God’s word, and I don’t mean in your head, but deep in your heart, then you will KNOW He is always near, ready to answer your request.
The Lie: "My sin is too great."
Psalm 103:12: "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west."
Jeremiah 31:33-34: "But this is the new covenant I will make... I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."
Hebrews 8:12: "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
If God chooses to forget our sins, who are we to keep reminding Him of them? If we ever speak about our negative past, it should only be from a position of victory—sharing where we were and the "But God" moment that brought us to where we are now.
The bible tells us to build monuments to the victories we have experienced, and the things God has done for us. This is not only for us to remember but for our children as well. (Joshua 4: 1-7)
The only "but" that should come out of your mouth is "But God." Any other "but" is usually an excuse to stay bound. Look at John 5; when Jesus asked the man at the Pool of Bethesda, a simple question—"Do you want to be healed?"—the man immediately began offering "buts" (excuses).
In today’s world, the fact that Jesus did not “mirror” or show worldly empathy, would have caused an uproar. The fact is, the man did not need any sympathy, or empathy, he needed healing. Jesus ignored the excuses and told him what he needed to hear. “Get up, take you mat and walk!”
The Lie: "God does not love me."
John 3:16-17: "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son... God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."
1 John 4:8-10 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
God gave up what was most precious to Him just so you could be saved.
Romans 8:38-39: "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love... neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow... nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God."
If you make a mistake, you can rest assured that nothing will separate you from His Love.
Feelings vs. The Truth
We all have feelings, but not all of them are edifying. While some say “God gave us all our emotions”, that isn't entirely true. Only good things come from God. In Genesis 3, after eating the fruit, Adam and Eve immediately felt shame and fear (v. 7, 10). These feelings originated from sin, not from God.
Fear itself may not be a sin, but if it manifests into doubt or unbelief, it leads you down the wrong path. This is why it is vital to KNOW and act on the promises of God. They supersede feelings. When you take action based on faith in God’s promise rather than what your mind or body tells you, you gain the victory.
Honestly, I did not “feel” like writing this blog. I would rather speak, however I made a commitment and I believe God wants to stretch me. Therefore I am being obedient in spite of my feelings to what God has called me to do, knowing there is a benefit to obedience.
For example, let’s take a look at the Woman with the Issue of Blood in Mark 5. Everything was against her. In the natural, she should not have been there. According to Levitical Law, she should had stayed away for fear of being stoned. People in her condition were ostracized, but she ignored all of that, and followed a three-step process for victory:
She heard about Jesus. (Romans 10:17 – Faith comes by hearing.)
She spoke to herself: "If I touch His garments I WILL get well." (Proverbs 18:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue.)
She took action. She touched His cloak. (James 2:26 – Faith without works is dead.)
Choosing God’s Path
If you feel anxious, go to the Word; Philippians 4 contains the cure for anxiety. I’m not saying your feelings aren't real, but as humans, we have a superpower: Choice.
Choose to seek truth through the Word. Lean on the Holy Spirit. The Bible is full of patterns for victory!
2 Peter 1:3-10: “for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the one who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.”
Joshua also provides a pattern for certain success if we follow His plan.
Joshua 1:5-10: “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The Greek word here for “Meditate” means to actually speak it out loud….and this passage says if you follow this plan you will be successful in all that you do.
So, who is right? If we go by our circumstances, we essentially make God a liar. If we follow God’s plan, we prove our feelings to be the liar. Even if we stumble, Proverbs 24:16 reminds us that a righteous person falls seven times and rises again.
We are at a crossroads. Will you obey the truth of the Word or your current experience? People today say, "This is my truth," but don’t be fooled. There is only one Truth, and His name is Jesus (John 14:6).
Choose life. Choose God’s path. As Joshua was told in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, “life and death are set before you—choose life so that you and your descendants may live.”.