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Faith over Feelings – How do I have faith when I am in the feels?
If you know me, you know I have the tendency to live in the feels. Dude, I have never felt more seen by a movie than Inside Out 2. But really, I have been trying to learn how to be all the things God has called me to be, while dealing with all the challenges that come along with it. Because if you have been a Christian long enough, following the Lord wherever He is leading, you know some Ephesians 6 spiritual warfare finna TAKE PLACE! So we have to be armed – ready to go, like your fav takeout;)
Through some pretty embarrassing and devastating moments of wrong responses, I have discovered that I can’t wing it and successfully be ready for Satan to trip me up. NOPE GIRLIE, it takes intentionality and preparation. And that is definitely a work in progress. BUT, progress over perfection always.
There are four spiritual threads I am striving to sew into the fabric of MY FEELINGS, so I can lead my feelings purposefully instead of having a tragic enemy sent situation throwing me off my day lead my entire day into the depths. If you know, you know.
Okay here’s my check list of Faith OVER Feelings game changers:
#1 – God is with me. And he knows the ins and outs of what is happening. In Psalm 139:7-8, God’s word tells us, “Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to Heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, YOU ARE THERE.” Our God is not just powerful, he’s relational, and loyal beyond our ability to understand. This verse tells us, in the highest places He’s with us and in the lowest depths, He’s there too. And we know wisdom is knowledge applied. We know He’s with us, because the Word just said. So when LIFE HITS HARD we must remind ourselves that we aren’t alone–hit our knees in prayer–gather in community– AND GRAB HOLD of the Word.
For some reason this is the hardest step for me. My tendency is to hit my knees in tears, instead of hitting my knees IN POWER that my God is behind the scenes advocating for me, using this to grow me, catching my tears, and holding me ALL AT THE SAME TIME. (like He always is)
#2 – We’re living in Heaven-time. Earth is not our Home. Gaining anything here is not our mission. No one can explain this idea better than God through Paul in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
When hard things happen, my flesh and heart can be so selfish. GOD WHY? This is not comfortable. Please let me avoid this. Rescue me right now! But in this verse, Paul tells us that the suffering we endure in this world, can never compare to the glory in Heaven. He’s trying to encourage us to be Heaven focused– and when hardship strikes, remember that God has a purpose, to sharpen us, reveal his love to others, and receive glory that He is so worthy and deserving of. AND THAT’S WHAT MATTERS.
Jesus asked God before He went to the cross, “please if you would allow this cup to pass from me.” He knew it would bring his body, mind, and heart so much pain, but because He was living for Heaven, He died on Earth and submitted to the Lord. This is what the Lord asks of us: to die to the desires of our flesh and follow Him into the discomfort. And COUNTING IT ALL JOY along the way because it’s not about this world, but investing what is done here into the next. Your will, not ours Lord. BRING IT ON.
#3 – Remember the victories. Remember his character. When I am having a really hard day, or facing a really hard situation that I feel super empty handed in facing, I HAVE SPIRITUAL AMNESIA. My mind races, my heart wilts and my body hurts with anxiety like I have NEVER SEEN GOD move in or from a MESS BEFORE. This step reminds me to hold my thoughts captive. After I think of a lie, I know I need to grab it before it continues to ravage my mind, and hold it up to scripture.
“You are not enough to manage this situation with obedience and grace.” That one has a little bit of truth with the lie. I am not enough, but my God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that his strength is made perfect in my weakness.
“This season of my life is beyond use, God can’t use this for any good.” WRONG AGAIN, Romans 8:28 says, “and we know that all things work together for the good of God and those called according to His purpose.”
“God must have left me.” Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” We have the power to demolish the lies of fear with scripture and Satan’s mission is to spiritually paralyze us where we are too weak to grab our weapon. Because He understands its power, so why don’t we?
#4 – And lastly; to guard our hearts and minds in seasons of struggle and weakness. I remember when I was young, my parents would pray for me to guard my heart and my mind every single night. It took me way too long to figure out why they took this so seriously.
There is only danger when we allow those who are not seeking Jesus to get close to us, when our season of struggle has us already close to the edge. These seasons are fragile and our heart is fragile. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart for from it FLOWS EVERYTHING.” That’s serious. In scripture, we see Job was in a season that tried and tested his loyalty to the lord. We also see that he had friends and even his wife speaking things that weren’t true, to which he had to rebuke them and guard his heart in those relationships. Because preserving his heart before the Lord was far more important to him than preserving the comfort in those relationships.
Let’s be intentional with the people we choose to speak into our lives, especially in sensitive seasons. We desire a Biblical community with people that are going to encourage us, strengthen us and pray for us. Those who point us to the truth of God in his word and through the Holy Spirit–not those that seek to bring further discouragement and confusion.
Friend, I hope this is an encouragement to you. Life is hard and I am still on the extreme beginner level. However, I am starting to see that good strategies can help us navigate those hardships with more success than stress and the right relationships can ease the burdens because they help carry the load. Your LifeSongs team is here to love you, relate with you and pray for you whenever you need. We’re all in this together.
Much love,
Gabs