Faith and Feelings

[bbyrd009]

morris albert who knew

 

[Nancy]

Chocolate Jesus reminds me of this old song called "Plastic Jesus"

 

[John Caldwell]

Romans 15:13
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

All joy and peace in believing.

Faith comes first, then feelings follow.

That's normal for us. Feeling are formed from our thoughts and values and choices.

We can see the same dark shape approach in a dark room, if we think it's an attacker, we may feel one way. When we realize, Oh, it's my wife, I feel a different way.

In either case what I feel is based on what I think is real.

We want to feel God's love. We want to feel His peace. We want to feel Him present. We want to feel safe.

If we believe He loves us, that's when we feel loved. We believe He cares for us, we feel safe. We believe Him here with us, we feel Him here.

All joy and peace . . . in believing.

Sometimes I just need to stop the world, sit down with some good Godly music, and my Bible, and remember all these things are true. It's a good feeling!

Much love!

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.

 

[Nancy]

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.

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...

 

[bbyrd009]

Chocolate Jesus reminds me of this old song called "Plastic Jesus"

paul n did a decent version too

 

[marks]

emo bad, ok. driving.
woman desire is for man
who is wearing the pants?
right?
in most marriages, we ask the q for a little joke, yeh?

lol

Why do you bother?

 

[marks]

hhh ok wow you prolly are not going to...hmm, should i even do this, i guess
man...

I must be like an itching scab to you.

 

[bbyrd009]

?
not at all, you say many insightful things
none of this yack rly matters much anyway imo
we just like to cross swords lol
you speak from the literal dialectic, and invite it see
"this is that"

Why do you bother?

indeed

 

[marks]

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.

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!

 

[marks]

we just like to cross swords lol

I guess you do. Where is the fruitfulness for you in this?

 

[bbyrd009]

I guess you do. Where is the fruitfulness for you in this?

dont doubt that use of satan's dialectic is the drawing of swords ok

and bc the river has literally dried up now, and the kings are crossing as we speak. on your dime
wanna pitcher?

dont be looking for like crowns and robes and stuff tho
we bombed them out of their countries watcha expect lol
ISIS
your dime too

 

[bbyrd009]

what are your feeling sss about THAT i wonder

 

[Nancy]

paul n did a decent version too

Love it

 

[Waiting on him]

what are your feeling sss about THAT i wonder

Hurt my feelings, both off them. Lol

 

[GTW27]

Amen!

Why do you think it is that affliction produces a faith I didn't know before I was afflicted?

I sometimes have to force myself to remember God's deliverances of me in the past, as I'm tested again.

Much love!

To me Faith is a gift. I have that gift. The whole world can say that there is no God but I will say He is. I can see that you have this gift also. 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.To me all affliction comes by the hands of the enemy. This is allowed for a season of testing. These are the words I received after my suffering, "You have come through the fire, the fire of affliction, and you have not lost the Faith." That same Faith, in its season, will be used to rebuke the cause of the affliction so that it will no longer have any power over us. For He that is in us, is stronger than he that is in the world.

 

[Heart2Soul]

Ah, but for some of us, the lies of Satan can dim that joy, by placing doubts. I never ever had a close relationship with my earthly father so, I really have nothing to compare a "fathers love" to a child. It seems that, even though I know what His word say's about loving us, and I believe His word...the "feelings' do not come along with the truth. It is very hared for myself to understand why He loves me much less would even like me! So, I have learned to never measure anything by my "feelings". Now, if God were a woman, like the heavenly mother and not heavenly father, I do believe that would make a huge difference as I was as close as close can be to my wonderful God fearing sweet as the day is long, mom. I would surely have those same "feelings"? Hmmm, dunno, lol.

I know exactly what you are saying....I grew up with a very abusive stepfather so I never knew what a loving father felt like until that day He spoke to me for the first time and revealed Himself to me as my Father....oh the joy of having a Daddy God....Abba/Father.....and He has shown me what a loving Father is.....I call out to Him all the time crying Abba.....Father....how I love Him so much!

 

[JPPT1974]

So sorry Heart 2 Soul about growing up in with a father like that. And really glad you have a loving eternal Father of God through Jesus Christ! As really He loves you. He never abuses you nor leaves nor forsakes us!

 

[4Jesus]

Nancy, you are not alone. I grew up believing I had a father but later found out the man I was told all my life was my father, was not. He was mostly absent also but my biological father was a man my mother had an affair with and I was conceived. Every one knew the secret but me. Then there was my step-father (which makes three)who had a hand in my hating religion and old gospel songs he sang with his guitar whenever sloppy drunk. God is a Father to the fatherless. It wasn’t until a couple years ago this all come out...I was 47... oddly the secret was revealed whenever I asked God to show me who I am. By the time it came out He had already thoroughly convinced me...He is the only Father that will never leave or forsake you. You are loved. Let Him heal that message of abandonment and not worthy of love.

Hi VictoryinJesus,

I'm sorry to hear about your current situation. I'm also going through a similar experience with my life - in this case, all of my family. "Mom" isn't mom, "dad" isn't dad, "brother" isn't brother, "sister" isn't sister. And "mom" and "dad" were divorced early on.

So now I'm left split and divided even more than I thought I was throughout my life. In fact, I don't even know who I am lol.

And I'm just finding out within the last year or so. I can't say my adoptive family wasn't family, cause they are, but there's still something missing, a piece of me I don't know.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I know exactly how you're feeling and what you're going through. God-the-Father and God-the-Son know you; know us. Maybe we'll even get to meet our bio family member(s) in Heaven?

 

[charity]

Hello there,

On this subject of 'feelings', I have proved that they can be 'fickle'. God's facts concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, and His will in regard to us remain unaltered, they are trustworthy, His Word is True. I TRUST HIM.

Praise His Holy Name!

In Christ Jesus
our risen and glorified
Saviour, Lord and Head.
Chris

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Hi VictoryinJesus,

I'm sorry to hear about your current situation. I'm also going through a similar experience with my life - in this case, all of my family. "Mom" isn't mom, "dad" isn't dad, "brother" isn't brother, "sister" isn't sister. And "mom" and "dad" were divorced early on.

So now I'm left split and divided even more than I thought I was throughout my life. In fact, I don't even know who I am lol.

And I'm just finding out within the last year or so. I can't say my adoptive family wasn't family, cause they are, but there's still something missing, a piece of me I don't know.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know I know exactly how you're feeling and what you're going through. God-the-Father and God-the-Son know you; know us. Maybe we'll even get to meet our bio family member(s) in Heaven?

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.