Believing

Feelings are horrible leaders. You can’t rely on your feelings to help you do the right thing. When I’m in the ER and a nurse tells me that the patient in Room 1 is looking sicker, I don’t listen to my feelings: I act. It doesn’t matter if I’m tired and hungry and don’t feel like getting out of my chair and walking over to the patient’s bed to evaluate him. I do it because it’s what I know I must do. Then when I get up and realize I’ve just saved the kid’s life, my feelings soar. You see, feelings are horrible leaders but they’re great followers.

One of the biggest problems that Christians face is the habit of living by feelings. When you’re mad, you argue and yell. When you’re frustrated, you complain. When you feel a sexual urge, you do what feels good. When you’re hungry, you eat another pint of ice cream. And when you’re tired, you quit.

The life of faith is a life of obedience regardless of how you feel. In order to live by faith, you’ve got to yield to God’s Spirit and live by the Truth of Galatians 5:24: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

We are no longer victims of our feelings. We are followers of Jesus Christ. We are dead to sin and self. Christ has overcome our flesh. We are free. So, the next time you find yourself hungry and long to see immediate results in your life, the temptation you will face is to give in to your feelings and refuse to obey. Don’t do it. There’s too much at stake.

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Adapted from Still Standing: Following Jesus Even When It Hurts by Lina AbuJamra. Copyright © 2024 by Lina AbuJamra. Reprinted with permission of Moody Publishers. All rights reserved.