EMOTIONAL FAITH
Some of our previous titles in this Divine Postures for Controlling Earthly Emotions might have sounded like an oxymoron, or at the very least something that doesn’t make any logical sense.
Standing while Seated, Hope Fatigue, and Anxiously Hopeful.
But today’s topic, Emotional Faith, is a reality for many believers, and not a contradiction. To some, it makes perfectly good sense.
So, then the question becomes is Faith an Emotion?
Have anger, anxiousness, sadness, silliness, fear, and faith all become common everyday human emotions?
Given that we hear a lot about “Church Hurt”, there would seem to be those who would say, yes, Faith is an Emotion.
The Bible neither condemns nor condones emotions, but it does condemn relying upon them as the key factor for your Faith.
Your Faith should never be reliant upon your Feelings.
Emotions are a natural part of how we were created in Gods image, but feelings are also unstable and must be stabilized by the Truth.
Feelings are fluid, one moment they can pull us in one direction and then the next moment they can pull us in a completely different direction.
Moments of indecision or okay if you are trying to decide where to eat, but Fickle Faith can do great damage.
Feelings might be real, but rarely are they true. They must be acknowledged and examined. Discerned and diagnosed. Feelings should never go unchecked. When was your last “Feeling Check-Up?
The challenge with treating Faith as an emotion is that emotions fluctuate. Which explains why people change churches so frequently.
Look at this truth that a man named Jermiah shared; “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out”
Our emotions can be led by trauma, anger, vengeance, hurt, desire, fatigue, fear, and other things that make us a prisoner of the moment.
Decisions made with heartfelt emotions can also come with great regret.
Emotions change fast. They rise and fall based on your day, your mood, your health, your current circumstances, or your surroundings.
Faith led by emotions, are susceptible to distortions of the Truth.
Emotional Faith will whisper in your ear; God feels distant. Either he is not listening, or he doesn’t care about me.
Gods’ nearness is not contingent on our feelings, but on His Promises.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in their spirit.” Psalm 34:18
God is constant, unchanging, and faithful, whether we feel His presence or not.
We cannot afford to have a Faith based upon Emotions!
Faith is not an emotion; it is a choice of conviction. I have been convicted of loving God, and I will gladly serve a life sentence for it.
Faith should be steady and consistent. It is a firm decision to hold on to a belief or promise regardless of your current mood.
We must allow God’s Promises to overrule our Personal Passions.
We should want to be led by Scripture not Sentimentality.
Get our Resolution from Reading and not from Reactive Reasoning.
“Hath God said?” If you’re not certain, take time to find out!
Feeling is a Reaction; Faith is a Response.
If we reduce Faith to an emotion, we will give up when times get hard, simply because we don’t “feel” like waiting on/trusting God.
There is a healthy balance that can be achieved between the two;
1. Acknowledge the emotion but never allow it to make a spiritual decision.
2. Feelings can help anchor your Faith, as long as you don’t allow them to pull you under.
3. God does not do something to get a visceral emotional reaction from us; he would rather that we selah (pause and respond calmly)
Flakey Christians are those whose Faith is based upon Faulty Feelings.
Our Faith should not be based on pleasure for self but rather our love for God.
God will always be more reliable than our emotions could ever be!
This is a Thompson Truth
