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Our
relationship with God, our knowledge of Him, and our closeness to
Him does not depend on our emotions. He still loves us. He loved us
before we became Christians and He still loves us as Christians even
when we sin. Our emotions are a bad indicator of the health of our
relationship with God. There is an old statement that goes like this:
"Fact," "faith," and then "feeling."
I find this to be very helpful. God has given us His Word which is
Truth or "fact." When we believe it, our "faith"
will increase. Faith/dependence/trust is not a blind jump into nothing.
Instead, it is a rational and heart felt decision to hand ourselves
over to God. Why did I include "heart felt"? I included
it because once we know the "fact" or "truth,"
and have "faith" or start "trusting or depending"
on Him, the "feelings" follow. That is why many people who
come to Jesus come with great emotion. They realized the truth, responded
by believing and then the emotions flowed. Facts come first, followed
by faith, and then come the feelings.
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BUT
MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK,
MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. (NASB) Heb. 10:38. |
The Holy Spirit. It is not possible
to always sense the Holy Spirit by our feelings. On one occasion,
Paul the apostle was not sure if he was under the control of the Holy
Spirit while he was writing scripture (1 Cor. 7:40). Here is an apostle
who was not positive that the Holy Spirit was influencing him. Yet
scripture tells us that when we are filled with His Spirit, there
are psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing, and thanksgiving in our
hearts.
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And
do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be
filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your
heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; (NASB)
Ephesians 5:18-20 |
These are emotions generated by the Holy Spirit. These emotions are
God focused. This happens in only one way. We must be filled with
the Spirit of God. These emotions are the results of the Holy Spirit's
filling or control of our lives. Remember that we cannot always "feel"
that we are Spirit filled.
Conclusion:Do
not depend on your feelings. They will deceive you. Remember the statement
"fact-faith-feeling" and remember the command, "be
filled with the Spirit." You might also be interested in
the a link entitled, "How
can I know the Spirit of God has come on me? |
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