False Feeling

2 Corinthians 5: 7

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

As I apply this verse to my own life I say, “I walk by nothing which is not of faith.” In application “sight” certainly would refer to physical sight but we also speak of seeing things other than with our physical eyes. Someone explains a matter and we say, “I see that.” These kinds of sightings, it would seem to me, must stand up to the test of faith as well. I know for myself one of the most deceptive signs for me to follow is my feelings. They are often wrong. I do not deny the expression of emotion, not by any means. I just mean to say that I must still put feelings and emotions to the test of faith and the word.

One epiphany of this principle came to me shortly after I had some minor surgery on my shoulder. The surgeon put the stitches under the skin which was great because there is no scarring. A couple of weeks after the surgery, though, those sutures started dissolving and when they did, they would pop. When the first one popped my eyes probably got as big as saucers. I had no idea what it was other than a bit painful. I thought something might be wrong which was especially bad because I was out of town at the time. The sutures continued to pop one after one. I was beginning to get a little concerned about it because I didn’t know what was happening. Finally, though, I figured it out. Then I could relax as they continued to dissolve. I learned from that experience, though, that a feeling, whether an emotional feeling or even a physical one, can be misleading. I was beginning to think something was wrong in my shoulder when it was actually the healing continuing.

That is the way it is with life. Sometimes we get emotionally charged over something and can easily misinterpret the signs. I learned from the false feelings in my shoulder that I need to follow God by faith rather than simply following my feelings. God has made us many promises and the Bible has revealed many truths. We are given opportunities all of the time to choose what evidence we will follow. Are we going to trust the words Jesus gave us or are we going to believe the 6:00 news? Which one is going to inform our decisions and subsequent actions? I am telling you that you can have emotional or even physical feelings in your body that are just plain wrong. Just like I thought that popping in my shoulder evidenced a problem it is easy to be misled by these false guides.

There is only one safe trail leader, that is the Holy Spirit of God. He will never lead you astray. Whatever is going on in your life, whatever emotions you are experiencing, you can check them out with the Holy Spirit. He will guide you into all truth. That is good news in these confusing times. Trust the Word, trust the Lord. Let faith in God guard and protect you.

Solid as a Rock

Isaiah 58: 9

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”

When you call, he will answer. “Well,” people say, “I cannot feel him. I cannot hear his answer.” I know that is problematic so I want to address it. See God works in faith rather than in feelings. That is why we are not to go by feelings but rather by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Word is our anchor, not our feelings. Feelings can be fickle and they can be influenced by a host of exterior and interior stimuli. The Word, on the other hand, is solid. It is the rock. Once you find a passage of scripture which speaks to your situation and latch on to it, then it becomes the final say in the matter. You don’t sway or let your emotions move you off of what the Word says. So, since the Word says that when you call, He answers, then you must choose to believe that rather than choosing to believe the emotion which says, “I cannot feel him.” Tell your emotions that they do not rule you and that you are not motivated by feelings; rather you are motivated by the Word of God. It does take some practice but you will find in a short time that you will begin to stand firmly. As your emotions recede to their proper place you will begin to hear the Father more clearly and you will feel him too. Trust in the Word for it has the power to change situations. Trust the Word because it is the anchor you need. Trust the Lord for He will answer.