At least 5 times in the Gospel of John there is a correlation between “believing” and “having.” For example in John 3:36, the Bible says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” I can’t find a single place in the Bible that says, “He who FEELS has.” It is always “He who BELIEVES has.” I think that’s interesting especially in light of the world we live in today.
I’ve discovered that in most matters of life, it is foolish to depend on my feelings. If you get some news — whether good or bad — you never start out with “Do I FEEL this is true?” If we express any question about the validity of the news, we most often say, “Is this REALLY true?”
Let’s use a somewhat silly illustration to prove my point. Suppose you are going to fly to California from Knoxville, TN. Would you go to the airport, board the first airplane you saw, sit in your seat and try to FEEL whether or not you are on the right plane? That’s silly isn’t it? If you are on the wrong plane, it doesn’t matter one little bit how you FEEL about it.
Here’s my point…FEELINGS NEVER ALTER FACTS.
In the same way, you cannot depend on feelings when dealing with your relationship with God. We must know the facts. God’s order of dealing with us is ALWAYS (1) Fact; (2) Faith; (3) Feeling. Remember what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8? It says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
So today, let’s take things in God’s order:
FACT — “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
FAITH — “Now faith is the substances of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
FEELING — “Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8).
Remember, the feelings of joy and peace only come AFTER you put your faith in the facts! Your feelings are often untrustworthy, but the FACTS never lie.
Have a great day.
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