Faith Over Feelings

"I just don't feel God's presence anymore." "I know the Bible says I'm forgiven, but I don't feel forgiven." "I feel like God has abandoned me." If you've ever spoken these words, you're in good company. Even spiritual giants battled the tyranny of feelings that contradicted faith.

The Emotional Roller Coaster

Our emotions are God-given gifts, but terrible gods. They're meant to be indicators, not dictators. Yet many of us live on an emotional roller coaster where our faith rises and falls with our feelings:

Monday: "God loves me!" (felt His presence in worship)
Tuesday: "Does God even care?" (bad day at work)
Wednesday: "I'm so blessed!" (received good news)
Thursday: "God has forgotten me" (prayer seems unanswered)
Friday: "His grace is sufficient" (read encouraging devotion)

This exhausting cycle leaves us spiritually dizzy and doctrinally confused.

Facts Versus Feelings

Here's a liberating truth: God's character doesn't change with your emotions. His promises don't expire when you're depressed. His presence doesn't evaporate when you can't feel it. Consider these unchanging facts:

• Fact: God loves you (Romans 8:38-39) Feeling: "I feel unloved"
• Fact: You are forgiven (1 John 1:9) Feeling: "I still feel guilty"
• Fact: God is with you (Hebrews 13:5) Feeling: "I feel alone"
• Fact: You have purpose (Ephesians 2:10) Feeling: "I feel worthless"
• Fact: God is working (Romans 8:28) Feeling: "Everything's falling apart"

Biblical Examples of Faith Over Feelings

Scripture is filled with people who chose faith when feelings screamed otherwise:

Job felt abandoned by God yet declared, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15).

David felt forgotten in caves but wrote, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Hope thou in God" (Psalm 42:11).

Paul and Silas felt pain in prison but sang hymns at midnight (Acts 16:25).

Jesus felt forsaken on the cross but trusted His Father's plan.

They didn't deny their feelings—they subordinated them to faith.

The Train Illustration

Picture a train with three cars: Fact (the engine), Faith (the middle car), and Feeling (the caboose). The train runs properly when Fact pulls Faith, and Feeling follows. But many try to run their spiritual lives with Feeling as the engine, wondering why they keep derailing.

God's Word is the engine. Our faith couples to His truth. Our feelings will eventually follow, but they must never lead.

Practical Steps to Choose Faith

When feelings wage war against faith, fight back with these weapons:

1. Speak Truth Aloud: Counter feelings with Scripture. "I feel alone, BUT God says He'll never leave me."
2. Remember Past Faithfulness: Keep a journal of answered prayers and God's provisions.
3. Act on Truth: Do what you'd do if you felt God's presence. Faith is often spelled R-I-S-K.
4. Use Technology Wisely: Set SpiriseBible to send truth reminders when feelings typically dip.
5. Community Support: Share struggles with believers who can speak truth when you can't.

When Feelings Align

Here's encouraging news: as you consistently choose faith over feelings, something beautiful happens. Your emotions begin to align with truth. Not perfectly or permanently, but increasingly. You'll still have emotional valleys, but they won't devastate like before because your anchor holds in deeper waters than feelings.

This isn't emotional suppression—it's emotional submission to something greater.

The Ultimate Example

In Gethsemane, Jesus showed us how to handle overwhelming emotions. He felt deep anguish, even asking if the cup could pass. But He concluded with faith over feelings: "Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). He acknowledged His emotions without being ruled by them.

Reflection Questions

1. What feelings most often contradict your faith?
2. How can you better prepare for emotional valleys before they come?
3. What biblical truth do you need to stand on today regardless of feelings?

Prayer

Today's Challenge