Faith and Feelings

[bbyrd009]

Good reply,
In my own experience, I have found that I cannot go by my "feelings", I can only live in the facts of the bible that say He loves me...I may not "feel" it at times yet, I choose to believe what He say's about me. Feelings are fickle...although...He has produced many wonderful "feelings" when answered prayer, to a tee, is realized. I know many who just have the carnal "feelings" associated with, well, "mob mentality". I can "feel" very low at times and wonder where He is yet, I choose to believe what He tells me in His Word. Feelings are great if they come naturally from Him, but in the past, I LIVED by my feelings and found that it was all a lie of Satan. Such as, you are not saved, you are not redeemable, look, you are a hypocrite! The evil one never sleeps either... :)

nice imo, ty

Hi John,

God made us with emotions. I know emotions can be strong forces in our lives. We can place much importance on our emotional states, and I think we should pay attention to them, as the tell us what's going on inside us.

In the past few years I've been softened up considerably. As I talk to some of the men in my church, well, I remember one fellow who had just been in the hospital with a serious illness. We swapped our stories, and I remember the look on his face, and his response when I told him I still felt so fragile from my recent illness. He related, and went on to say how seldom he thinks that he can really freely share these sorts of things, it's like we have that image to live up to.

Yep! Men talking about their feelings of weakness, of course, that's where God's strength fits in.

Much love!

i wouldnt deny that feelings have a place, marks, hope i was not misunderstood there. nice post imo

 

[lforrest]

I love this, Marks.

We live in a Christian environment that has grown to embrace a “tough love” (or, “hate-lite”) kind of attitude. There has been a strong movement away from emotion/ feelings and toward hard quantifiable truth. I do not mean that objective truth is unimportant (it is vital). But what we feel and experience are just as important – sometimes more important (sometimes less). I think that people forget we are human and that God chose in Christ to identify with us in our humanity.


Anyway – great post.

Perhaps it is an overreaction to the culture. There is a big emphasis on emotion/feelings these days. Even so far that truth becomes subjective.

 

[marks]

Some times a gift has to be unwrapped and what better way than affliction Affliction draws us closer to The Lord to a point of total dependence.

There it is! Yes. Discovering the gift.

And brother I'm being tested today! We've gotten so swamped at my work, there's no way to keep my customers happy, and they are already pushing. And then my depression wants to be strong today, I'm already on a rollercoaster, just working on keeping my focus on God.

This forum sure helps!

Much love!

 

[John Caldwell]

Perhaps it is an overreaction to the culture. There is a big emphasis on emotion/feelings these days. Even so far that truth becomes subjective.

I believe it is an overreaction. IMHO many doctrines are.

Historically we have seen some who deny the importance of emotion/ feelings (the "heart") and others who deny the importance of objective truth/ knowledge (the "head").

I believe both are equally wrong, just at opposite ends of the same error.

 

[4Jesus]

I’m also sorry to hear about your current situation. That would be tough. The most regret I have of not being told sooner before my biological passed: Was not being able to tell him I’m okay and I don’t hate him. the one thing I’ve been told is he was born out of wed-lock and never knew who his parents were. My mother said he spoke about being a “bastard” child which was very condemning to him (or I’ve been told it was). My mother said it was a one time thing between them as he had a family also and how he had tricked her by telling her he could no longer have children. When finding out about me and seeing me once...he decided to not stick around. She questions now all these years later why he would lie. It doesn’t seem too odd to me that maybe he subconsciously somehow thought he could fix something broken in his own life but then ultimately couldn’t face it. I have three brothers(two are twins) which I’ve never met. And a sister. I’ve met the sister. She told me her entire life she longed for a sister so desperately (almost obsessively)that her father brought a little girl to live with them for years and later the girl was moved out and gone. When I told her who I was she screamed and cried in shock; genuinely not knowing. She said something was always missing in their family. Only told you this to let you know... even if you are not aware and the family you have never known are not aware...you’re not being there surely has had some impact. probably more than you know in the minds of those who know. thank you for sharing something so personal with us. surely there are others who can relate since not many families are perfect. Blessings and yes ...We do have a Father.

Thanks also for your sympathy, and kind words and your sharing of this also. I'm so sorry to hear of your bio's passing as well; this is heartbreaking, just hearing about this. I hope your newfound relationship with your sister continues to build, and possibly can meet your brothers as well. I also hope all in or around your life are In Christ.

I'm with you on not being told sooner, and before any passing on occurs. It's not our fault though, which isn't to assign any blame, but moreso to lessen the guilt and/or sadness we have, I guess.

In my case, my "brother" died a couple of years ago, and my "mom" told me in the months before she passed of cancer last year. It was really bad timing. Not that it would've changed anything, but the timing of it was horrible considering the caretaking for the already horrible decaying of "mom". I don't consider it a lie, just not the whole truth - whatever their reasons were, they're still family. But like I said, I can't deny there is more out there, to me. Just not sure what that entails - I'm still working through all of this; still fresh.

Yeah it's all a mess, even before I found all this out. My "mom" and "dad" divorced because my "sister" "is"/was/? my half-sibling; "mom" had cheated. Heh, I don't even know how to write these relationships anymore - "sister" who was a "half-sibling" is now not even a little bit "sister" yet still sister...lol

 

[bbyrd009]

Perhaps it is an overreaction to the culture. There is a big emphasis on emotion/feelings these days. Even so far that truth becomes subjective.

even though you cannot state one single objective truth! ha!
how are both true lol

 

[bbyrd009]

There it is! Yes. Discovering the gift.

And brother I'm being tested today! We've gotten so swamped at my work, there's no way to keep my customers happy, and they are already pushing. And then my depression wants to be strong today, I'm already on a rollercoaster, just working on keeping my focus on God.

This forum sure helps!

Much love!

switching from coffee to mint tea helps too :)
prolly growing fresh in the nearest lot right now ha

 

[lforrest]

even though you cannot state one single objective truth! ha!
how are both true lol

I could state many, but you wouldn't believe one.

 

[marks]

switching from coffee to mint tea helps too :)
prolly growing fresh in the nearest lot right now ha

Is that a fact?

 

[John Caldwell]

morris albert who knew

I have had that song stuck in my head for two days now.....wo-o-o....

 

[Nancy]

I have had that song stuck in my head for two days now.....wo-o-o....

Lol...I've had the theme song to Green Acres in my head the last couple days!!!!!!!! Arrgghh is right

 

[Waiting on him]

 

[Waiting on him]

View attachment 7448

There’s always always always going to be someone that has it worst than you.

 

[marks]

There’s always always always going to be someone that has it worst than you.

And even if we are the one who feels worse than anyone else (who could ever know?), we have the same precious faith as the apostles had, the same faith of Jesus in us that carried all the apostles through all their lives, lives lived by the faith of the Son of God.

No matter how bad off we think we are, Jesus Christ is the same forever, and He will keep us.

Much love!

 

[marks]

@Waiting on him

What a terrible picture. Turned my stomach when I saw it. Now there's a feeling. Not to be remembered.

 

[farouk]

And even if we are the one who feels worse than anyone else (who could ever know?), we have the same precious faith as the apostles had, the same faith of Jesus in us that carried all the apostles through all their lives, lives lived by the faith of the Son of God.

No matter how bad off we think we are, Jesus Christ is the same forever, and He will keep us.

Much love!

Indeed; Hebrews 13 is very exhortative about the unchanging faith of the believer. :)

 

[farouk]

There’s always always always going to be someone that has it worst than you.

Very true...