"Feelings, nothing more than feelings" Can't you just hear Barbara Streisand & Julio Iglesias singing this classic (well if you are old as dirt like me). We all have feelings---they are the result of our emotions. They can sometimes change with the wind and at others become so ingrained they color our heart. I woke up this morning feeling like I should start running again. A swift walk turned that feeling into a "What was I thinking" epiphany. Feelings are a great deal like seasons---subject to change. Here in Louisiana the season can change 3 times in one day--so can my feelings.
Here is the thing about feelings---when we are "Feeling good" MY HOW WE ENJOY THAT! OH YES, another great song about feelings---"I Feel Good" by the rhythm and blues legend James Brown. WOW am I dating myself with this post. Our small group is doing a study on a Beth Moore Book, Why Good People Do Bad Things. WARNING---don't think you are above this---seduction is lurking. One of the points she makes is how unreliable our feelings can be and how often they get us into trouble. We talked about our neediness and how flattery can seduce the purest heart. (BY THE WAY---I saw a neighbor the other day who reminded me we ALL are needy when I was laughing about my needy old man, Hero. WISE WORDS!)
Back to the subject---we cannot trust our feelings 100 % of the time. NOW, You Ladies, most of us have had a feeling of danger in some situation---my rule is ALWAYS pay attention to those feelings. DO NOT proceed when your gut is telling you there is danger in the parking lot--down the hall--around the corner. BUT, in general, our feelings are fickle and cannot always be trusted.
Well then what can we trust? The truth---the truth and only the truth. There is a line in a Jack Nicholson movie, "You can't handle the truth!" YES YOU CAN! There are many types of truth, but the one I rely on 100% of the time is God's truth. Steep yourself in His Word, study it, learn what He has to say and THEN use it to judge what your are feeling. My feelings of low self worth do not come from God---His book tells me what He thinks of me. Bottom line I am His Beloved. Those feelings come from the whispers in my ear by the enemy. He is a crafty devil--who is lurking around waiting for the opportunity to attack. One of his favorite ploys is playing with our feelings. DON'T YOU LISTEN TO HIM! He is a liar!
SO next time you are feeling low---feeling mad---feeling envious---feeling invisible---check that feeling with the truth. Make certain what your emotions are telling you lines up with what you know to be fact. Ask yourself -"If I shared what I am feeling with a trusted love one, what would they say?" Listen to The Truth and remember the folly of trusting your feelings. God's truth has no need for trickery, luring, enticement, or any of those tools used by the enemy. His truth stands on its own and is the foundation for living---NOT feelings.
"Then we will no longer be immature like children.
We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching.
We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies
so clever they sound like the truth.
Instead, we will speak the truth of love,
growing more and more like Christ"
Ephesians 4:14-14
Our feelings can be fickle fiends, indeed, Lulu. May we look to God's truth and His Word before we let our feelings do the talking and deciding.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Absolutely, Martha!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Yep, feelings are a good barometer but are definitely a lousy platform for decision making. I'm guessing we've all learned this the hard way, friend ...
ReplyDeleteAMEN, My Friend! I told someone this morning, " There are times I relish my feelings and others I detest them--bottom line you cannot always trust them."
DeleteBlessings!