Do Not Depend on Feelings

This devotional was adapted from John Maisel‘s booklet “Is Jesus God?” Click here to receive a free PDF copy.

The promise of God’s Word, the Bible—not our feelings—is our authority.

The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. This train diagram illustrates the relationship between fact (God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feelings (the result of our faith and obedience) (John 14:21).

The train will run with or without the caboose. It would be useless to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the same way, we, as Christians, are not to depend on feelings or emotions, but instead we are to place our faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God and the promises of His Word.

If you have received Christ, He has come into your life whether you feel it or not. Your faith must rest upon the assurance of God’s Word no matter what your feelings might say. The moment you received Christ by faith was an act of your will; and the moment you did, many things happened:

1. Christ came into your life.

“‘Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.’” -Revelation 3:20

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” -Colossians 1:27

2. Your sins were forgiven.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” -Colossians 1:13-14

3. You became a child of God.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God ... .” -John 1:12

4. You received eternal life.

“‘Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.’” -John 5:24

5. You began the great adventure for which God created you.

“‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’” -John 10:10  

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” -2 Corinthians 5:17

Be assured today that despite your feelings, you are claimed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

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