BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES Lesson 16 - The Principle of Feelings Text: Luke 11:1-2; 22:42-44

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1 BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES Lesson 16 - The Principle of Feelings Text: Luke 11:1-2; 22: A Review of Definitions a. Principle A Bible truth I must live by. b. Conviction A personal belief based on a principle. c. Standard A guideline to help me keep my convictions. d. Preference A personal taste in an area which does not violate a Biblical principle. e. Hang-up Something I believe very strongly even though it s not in the Bible. Opening: How often have we said such things as, I just don t feel like doing...? Even in our world there are such popular sayings as If it feels good then do it or Follow your heart! However, in the passages of Scripture that we read, Christ did not encourage His disciples to pray according to their feelings and He certainly did not pray according to His feelings when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Instead, He prayed, Not my will, but Thine, be done. I m afraid that far too many Christians go through life living by their feelings. I believe that some Christians do it by default because they simply don t know how else to live! It seems that more and more people Christians included are battling their feelings and their feelings are winning! Researchers are attempting to identify Agent Blue, the unknown factor(s) that causes such a high rate of depression in our society. Despite our impressive advancements in education, affluence, and technology, depression is being diagnosed at higher rates and at younger ages. Adjusting for population growth ten times as many people in the Western nations today suffer from unipolar depression, or unremitting bad feelings, without a specific cause, than did half a century ago. Americans and Europeans have more of everything except happiness. Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives Richard Swenson, M.D. 2. The Truth a. I must live by the Bible, not by feelings

2 Why art thou cast down [depressed], O my soul? and why art thou disquieted [troubled] in me? Hope [trust] thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down [depressed] within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Why art thou cast down [depressed], O my soul? and why art thou disquieted [troubled] within me? hope [trust] thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 42:5-6, 11 Why art thou cast down [depressed], O my soul? and why art thou disquieted [troubled] within me? hope [trust] in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 43:5 b. The issue is never my feelings; the issue is always Scripture. i. I often speak with people who question God s love. They will say things like, I just feel like God loves me, and they typically base that upon some type of outward circumstance or situation. ii. Sometimes individuals will say things like, Well, I know God is love but I just don t think He loves me. iii. However, is that true? Does God no longer love you? Is it possible that He loves others but doesn t love you? If you know your Bible, then you realize that is untrue. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:7-10 c. Jesus did not live by feelings. He came to do the will of His Father.

3 Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 22:42 3. The Test a. Am I making my decisions based upon principle or feelings? b. Am I making my decisions based upon principle or passion? c. Am I making my decisions based upon emotion or God s exhortation? d. Am I making my decisions based upon the fact that I m feeling a little blue, or upon the facts from the Bible? 4. The Teaching a. The danger i. Satan usually, if not always, tempts through feelings. ii. Feelings are not reliable. The adage trust your feelings has by now become almost axiomatic. But ultimately, how logical or, how safe is it to conclude that if we feel something strongly, we should both believe it and permit it to control our behavior...how we think determines how we feel. But as this theory itself might ask, if our thoughts are exaggerated, distorted or, for that matter, downright delusional how can we possibly place our faith in any feelings that stem from such irrational thoughts? For if our thoughts are erroneous, or based on false assumptions, the feelings tied to these thoughts are bound to be equally distorted and hardly to be trusted. iii. The Devil loves to keep us living by feelings. That s why He does such a masterful job at either keeping us away from God s Word. Quote: Never stop reading the Bible for yourself! b. The direction i. Feelings are not important. The Bible seldom tells us what to feel, it tells us what to do. ii. Feelings are to be produced by actions - not vice versa.

4 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. Proverbs 21:15 Commentary: It is with pleasure he does it; he delights in the law of God, after the inward man, and finds much peace of mind and joy in the Holy Ghost in keeping it iii. We are to control our feelings - not let our feelings control us. 1. Wait on the Lord (Turn to and read Psalm 37:3-9.) 2. Do what God s Word says. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 a. This is another reason why Satan so desires to keep us away from God s Word. b. And while some my complain, I just don t know what it s instructing me to do, I will say that there is more than enough in God s that we know we should be doing without having to sweat about that which we don t know. (Example: Giving the Gospel!) 3. Get committed not complicated! Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3 a. One of the ways in which we can think about this verse is simply the thought that everything in our lives needs to be all about God. (Turn to and read James 1:1-8)

5 b. Our lives get complicated when we make it all about ourselves! Closing: So, tomorrow morning, when you are tempted to say, I don t feel like reading my Bible and spending time with God, just remind yourself that it s not about feelings it s about God s Word!