When Feelings and Faith Conflict

“The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:17c (NIV) 

“Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!”
John 13:17 (TEV) 

What do you do when your faith and your feelings conflict? As a Christ follower, the Bible says in Romans 1:17c (NIV), “The righteous will live by faith.” Author and counselor, Neil Anderson, wrote, “If you believe what you feel, instead of believing the truth, your walk will be as inconsistent as your feelings. If what you believe does not reflect the truth, then what you feel does not reflect reality. The order of Scripture is to live by faith according to what God says is true. Your emotions will follow…. We don’t feel our way into good behavior; we behave our way into good feeling.”

Jesus put it like this, “Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice.” John 13:17 (TEV). He is saying that if you wait until you feel like doing what is right, you may never do it. But if you do what is right, you will feel good about it. Your feelings will eventually catch up when you act on the truth you know to be right.

So, what do you do when your feelings do not reflect the truth? Your feelings are neither right nor wrong. You don’t have to feel guilty about your emotions. They are an important part of your being. Learning to acknowledge our emotions is a critical part of our freedom and maturity. You can’t be right with God and not be real. Don’t repress your feelings. Learn to express them to God. Revealing your feelings is the first step to healing. Tell Him exactly how you feel. The Psalms are a good example and model for expressing our feelings to God. Being spiritual doesn’t mean you cover up how you feel and deny your emotions. It means you are real and honest with God about how you feel. It means you obey the truth, not because you feel like it, but because you believe it is the truth. Your feelings, Jesus said, would catch up with your obedience, “… how happy you will be if you put it into practice.”

Consider this prayer when your feelings and your faith conflict:

God, help me to be honest with You about my feelings. Look into my heart today. I want to be real. Heal the hurts of my heart that I covered up because it was too painful to express. Teach me to walk by faith, believing that my feelings will catch up with my obedience to Your truth. I want to be led by Your Spirit and not by my emotions. 

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.