When I Don't Feel It

What do you do when you know what the Bible says but you don’t feel it? The moment when you know you are supposed to be full of joy, but you feel sad. You are supposed to be full of faith, but you feel anxious. Do these feelings make you a bad person? Do these feelings mean the Bible isn’t true? I want to assure you that the Bible is true, and you are not a bad person when these feelings rise up. I do want to encourage you and equip you though for how to respond when these feelings come up.

Sometimes in our lives, there is a battle between what we know and what we feel. The apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 7:15. He says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate to do.” Paul goes on and talks about the battle that rages between his old nature and his new nature. This is the battle we sometimes find ourselves in. Before you knew Christ, your old nature was often led by emotions. Your old nature would easily give in to lies and discouragement. The good news is that as a Christian, you are no longer led by your old nature. Colossians tells us to take off the old and to put on the new! The Spirit of God leads your new nature in Christ. David faced the battle between his soul and his spirit often. In the book of Psalms, he would write long complaints to God; he would even call himself a worm of a man. David didn’t always feel joy; if fact, many of the psalms express his anxiousness. Even though David was honest with God about his feelings, he didn’t get stuck in them. Many times, after David would lament to the Lord, we hear him make a statement such as that of Psalm 43:5 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God!” David knew the secret of not getting stuck in his feelings was to let his spirit lead his emotions.

Let me be the first to tell you, as a Christian, that you are still human. You will face emotions and the battle against your old self--- but you can walk in victory! You can choose to have joy in the midst of less than joyful circumstances! Be reminded that joy is a fruit of the spirit (Gal 5), not a feeling. Joy is spiritual; peace is spiritual. The next time you feel a certain way, take it to the Lord. Speak to your soul by the spirit of God that lives in you. Sometimes you need to tell your soul to praise the Lord—you need to command your emotions to focus on gratitude rather than despair! When you don’t feel, it doesn’t make you fake or a failure; it’s what you do with those feelings that makes all the difference. The Bible is true; you can have joy unspeakable and peace that surpasses understanding in every circumstance! Press into the Lord, choose joy, peace, and faith, and the feelings will follow!