Hello and welcome back beautiful family! As always, it is an absolute pleasure to have you here with me today. Last week we talked about the Everlasting God and how God, in His everlasting nature, just loves us and enjoys spending time with us. Today, let's switch gears.
The "feeling" deception...
Have you ever felt like you just don't want to pray anymore? That God is not really next to you? That no matter what you do or how you act, you're just never quite enough to present yourself before God? If you have, you're not alone. We humans are emotional beings and tend to rely on feelings (more often than we should) to make decisions. It doesn't help that the modern advertisement and media propaganda, to which we're connected almost 24/7 through TVs, computers, cellphones, banners, commercials, mail, email (etc.), heavily encourages and promotes emotion-driven decisions. We buy things we don't need (or things nobody ever needs) because it FEELS nice or because we just FEEL like it. Shopping nowadays is largely influenced by how we feel, not by what we rationalize we need. Not by surprise, we apply this feeling-based philosophy in our day to day with God.
Acting on feelings is a dangerous practice in almost every aspect of life that you can possibly think of. By acting on feelings many have suffered anywhere from a divorce, to a bad financial situation, to even commit murder. God, of course, knows this and is why we find in the Bible the following text:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9
We've all seen the modern couple-finding TV show and seen the consequences of someone choosing a partner because of what his/her heart felt. God asks us to trust in Him, to have faith in Him, to know that He's there and listens even when we cannot see Him... and for obvious reason this poses a severe problem for a person who bases his/her decisions on merely emotions. Let's take a look at the most important moment in earth's history and imagine what would've happened if a feeling-based decision was adopted.
Jesus...
In the book Matthew we find the following text:
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” - Matthew 26:36-46
Three times Jesus prayed to the Father asking Him the same question. Question for you, what's the only reason in the world you would find yourself asking the same question more than once? Only if you're not getting a response, right? Here we have Jesus moments before His journey to the cross began, the journey that redeemed humankind and brought about salvation to every one of us... Here Jesus is praying to the Father and not getting a response, here Jesus is being ignored by His own closest disciples, He knows He's being betrayed as He was praying, He was "exceedingly sorrowful"... Do you think Jesus felt completely committed to His promptly coming death? He was asking to the Father about the possibility of not going through with it. What if Jesus would've based His decision solely on His feelings at the moment? Have you ever thought about this? If Jesus would've quit, either (a) humanity would no longer exist, or (b) we would all be bound to eternal death and separation from God. Strong, no?
Thankfully, Jesus did not based a decision on His "spur of the moment" feelings but, instead, He pronounced the words: "...not as I will, but as you will". This is not only the greatest manifestation of love humanity has ever seen, but it teaches us a great lesson: God may not always respond, we may not always feel like God is there with us listening and comforting us... but none of the above is an actual representation of the actual situation. Jesus felt ignored, felt not heard, felt distant from His father, yet His faith and trust in God never wavered. As christians and followers of Jesus, we need to aim to follow Jesus' example.
Thank you Jesus for loving us that much and for trusting in your Father's promises!!!
Closing
I have been working on this ministry for more than 2 years now; releasing posts every other week, releasing media posts twice a week, preparing videos every other week... and I cannot tell you just how many times I have felt like not doing it. Often times I just wanted to bail and go about doing something else; it took great determination deep inside me to continue going on. I didn't felt like doing it, but I did it anyways... why? Because deep inside me, I just know that serving God, talking to others about me, fills me up and gives me purpose. The same has happened to me in my personal relationship with God, I not always feel like opening the Bible or praying, I not always feel close to God... but I try to overcome those feelings based on God's promises that regardless what we feel, He is there with us.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”Amen. - Mathew 28:18-20
As you read through the Bible you will encounter many MANY stories about people who were in circumstances in which no one would judge if they were to feel abandoned by God, still, they trusted God and His plans and, in the long run, it all turned out for the best as God had promised. Joseph was cast away from His family and spent years in a foreign prison, Paul was beaten and left for dead multiple times, Jesus suffered in anguish separated from His Father...and so on. In each of these stories, reason and faith took place of feelings and, in the end, it was all for the best.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28
Friend, trust God, not your feelings. He ALWAYS keep His promises. Feel distant from God? Unheard? Alone? Too sinful? Not enough? Come to Jesus, tell Him about it and trust and know that He is there with you, regardless of the feelings you may be experiencing. Do this, put your faith in God and I promise you, your life will never be the same.
Until next one,
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