Faith vs. Feelings

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"Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus." -Luke 22:3&4

Each of us struggle with emotions - emotions are a part of life. But, what do we do with emotions when we have them? Positive or negative, emotions are powerful forces that can get us into trouble. Are we going to be run by our emotions - or are we going to run them?

The enemy of our souls can so easily distract us by putting a negative though in our mind, which results in a feeling. Often these thoughts are tied to sore spots where we've been wounded in the past. Isn't that just like him? We've got to look past our emotions and into faith. What does the word of God say? What would Jesus say to us if He knew we were thinking that way?

There are many examples in the Bible where people decided to live by their feelings instead of by faith. The Israelites could not enter the promised land the first time because they were afraid. (Numbers 14:23) David lusted after Bathsheba, and acted on his desires. (2 Samuel 11:2) Judas betrayed Jesus. These are all examples of Satan's activity, deceiving God's people through their emotions, resulting in inappropriate action. We have to realize that even though our feelings may seem valid, they often lie.

When our circumstances speak of rejection, we must go to faith: God loves and accepts us completely and has a plan for our lives. When our surroundings speak of fear, we must go to faith: God's word says not to worry, because He loves us more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:31) When the temptation seems greater than we can bear, we must look to Him, applying our will to the measure of faith we've been given. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Are you living by your feelings or by faith? I pray that each of us would go to faith, so that we will not be run by our feelings. God honors those who live by faith. (Romans 1:17)

Related resource: Living Beyond Your Feelings: Controlling Emotions So They Don't Control You by Joyce Meyer

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