Faith vs. Feelings

‘You can feel 1,000 ways in 30 days about the same thing.’
-Joyce Meyer

So true.

Are you giving your feelings more power than they should have? Are you basing the choices you make on feelings? Do you feel overwhelmed or trapped by your feelings?

If you are, I have some news for you. You’re not alone. Been there, done that.

Problem is, living our lives according to our feelings is a risky and often potentially harmful course to set. Feelings are so fickle. The quote above illustrates that. They are, as the language reads in many event schedules, ‘subject to change’ and chances are they will prove to be misleading in the process.

Yet, we give so much credit to our feelings. It’s so easy to let feelings lead the way. But, let me suggest something else. Base the decisions you make for your life on the truths contained in this book, and…

…let faith guide you through the maze that is life here on Earth.

You will still experience difficulties. Things will still go wrong. Stuff will still happen that won’t make sense. You may still get hurt. You won’t get everything you want. Life won’t magically become perfect.

But, what will happen is you’ll find a sense of peace you’ve never known before toward the circumstances of your life. Those hard times may still come, but you’ll have the strength to face them and do so in a way you never thought possible.

You’ll still have your feelings and emotions, but you won’t be basing your life on what they tell you to do. You’ll be living by faith, not feelings.

If you never have before, I encourage you to open up this wonderful book sometime. If it’s been a while, let me encourage you to get back into it. There is so much truth in there.

Have a great day.

1 Peter 1
⁵You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. ⁶On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. ⁷Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. ⁸You have never seen Jesus, and you don’t see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy ⁹you are to be saved. That’s why you have faith.

So Much to Say

I have been blessed with the ability to speak and communicate effectively. I make my living as a communicator.

But that same mouth that delivers carefully crafted messages also has a tendency to say some really dumb things in other settings. I can communicate with the best of them professionally but on a personal level, I’m not always at the top of my game.

I have a way of saying just the wrong thing sometimes. I get defensive with certain things. I don’t always know when to let things go or simply listen for a while. Basically, I become a babbling mess at times…just ask my girlfriend. Right, dear? 🙂

As a guy, I get into Mr. Fix-It mode a lot as well. It’s been pretty well documented through the years that as men, we have a tendency to try to come up with solutions to stuff when just listening or offering some supportive words is often what is really desired from us.

From Chapter 2 (Disclaimer: I don’t necessarily agree with all that’s written in this book but this chapter contains some pretty insightful observations) of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus:

‘A man tries to change a woman’s feelings when she is upset by becoming Mr. Fix-It and offering solutions to her problems that invalidate her feelings.’

D’oh! That hurts…you know, because it’s true. Sorry, dear 🙂

I’m reminding myself today to 1) put a cork in it every now and then, and also to 2) ask for God’s help daily so that when it’s time to open my mouth at any point of my day, the things I say are glorifying to Him and edifying to others.

Have a great day everyone.

Psalm 141
³ Take control of what I say, O Lord,
    and guard my lips.

Strength

Isaiah 40
³¹ But those who trust the Lord
    will find new strength.
They will be strong like eagles
    soaring upward on wings;
they will walk and run
    without getting tired.

It’s so easy to get caught up in our everyday struggles and forget that this strength is available to us. I know I do sometimes.

Things will be going along just fine and then, boom. Out of the blue, troubles arise. I don’t know about anyone else out there but sometimes I realize right at those moments that when it had been smooth sailing for a while, perhaps I wasn’t as close to God as I should have been.

More specifically, when tough times come my way, I’m reminded that I need to trust God more.

So, why trust God? Well, I don’t think I need to tell you that if you place your trust solely in other people or things here on Earth, there is a lot of disappointment waiting down that path.

We’re all human beings and no one is perfect. People will disappoint you. (We’ll disappoint others, too.) Plans won’t go the way you intended. Seemingly good things can go bad. Heartache is right around the corner.

But, strength is always there for us and it comes by trusting that God is in control and that He has a good plan for our lives.

Easier said than done? Absolutely! But today I’m reminding myself of that strength, and reminding myself where I need to place my trust.

Perhaps someone else out there needs this reminder, too. May you find new strength today.

Have a good day.

Rest

Matthew 11
²⁸If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. ³⁰This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.

Maybe you’re feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders right now, or perhaps you’re in the middle of something that is proving to be very difficult. You may be worn out either mentally or physically, or both, from carrying those heavy burdens that are mentioned above.

As a friend of mine and I discussed the other day: Being a grown-up is hard.

We all have a lot on our plates and life can get pretty stressful sometimes. Life has a lot of expectations and responsibilities and even things that are enjoyable can become part of the stress that we experience in our everyday lives.

These verses remind me that whenever things (big or small) start to build up, it’s time to look up. God will give us the rest we need. All we have to do is ask!

Have a great day.

A Simple Message

1 Peter 5
⁷God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him. 

I love this. It requires no interpretation, no in-depth analysis, no wondering about the meaning.

It’s simple: God loves you and you don’t need to worry about anything because of that.

It’s a great reminder when stress starts to build up, when things don’t add up, when stuff isn’t making the sense you’d like it to make.

It’s so simple, but it’s so powerful.

It’s also a command, not a request. So let’s do it! Let’s give our worries to God. Let’s trust Him more.

He cares about us and He knows what He’s doing. Gotta believe that. Believe that wherever you are right now, it’s exactly where you’re supposed to be. That doesn’t mean it’s where you’re meant to stay but this step in your life, whatever it might be, is supposed to be happening and it’s part of the big plan He has for you.

Have a great day.