In many ways we let feelings drive us on a day to day basis. We love to feel happy, peaceful, excited, and optimistic. We also love feeling valued, respected, and loved. I’m sure we all wish we could feel these all the time. Feelings are a beautiful thing . . . until we start feeling bad things like depression, rejection, and hopelessness. If we let our feelings drive us, our lives will easily feel like a roller coaster going from good to bad and then back again. A much more stable and healthy way to live is to let the facts drive us and use emotions as simple indicators to how we are doing. So, how then can we rely on facts over feelings to drive us?
Facts are Always True
Good and real facts are true 100% of the time for 100% of people. We can trust them. They are reliable. Facts are what make our society work. If it weren’t a fact that red stop lights turn green, no one would stop for red lights and accidents would happen all the time. If we couldn’t trust that gravity would continue working, we wouldn’t build the way we do or step outside with such confidence.
However, we often get our facts mixed up when we include our feelings. Many people fall in love with the wrong person and are led to believe that this person is the best thing that happened to them. This is how abusive and destructive relationships form. Others are convinced that they feel lucky and if they just gamble one last time they can escape bankruptcy.
Facts over Feelings
Over my several years of ministry and traveling, I’ve learned the lesson of trusting facts over feelings. I can’t count the number of times that God has called me to do something scary that I didn’t want to do. Unfortunately, I’ve let my feelings drive me a few too many times. However, when I did step out in faith despite my fear, I’ve never once regretted it. I’ve learned over the years that I can trust God. When he leads me to do something, I know things will turn out all right.
God wants us to cling to the facts we know about him over our feelings for him. What I mean by this is that you can feel loved by God and feel love for him and that might propel you onward for a little while. However, these happy feelings will fade. We need to make sure that we are rooted in the facts so we can continue onward after these feelings fade.
For example, God knew the Israelite’s high emotions after leaving Egypt would fade. So God made it very clear that they should teach their children about all God did. He gave them the holiday of Passover as a further reminder of what he did in Egypt. He wanted them to rely on these facts to keep their faith strong. God knew wandering in the desert for forty years would test their faith. This is why God pointed them back to the facts to help anchor and propel them onward.
Trust God
It’s so easy to doubt God. Sometimes I have a really hard time believing he still loves me because my emotions point in the opposite direction. I’m sure you’ve experienced many similar seasons. I’ve learned that if I write down all the big things that God’s done in my life, I’ll be more so able to trust the facts over my feelings.
It’s also good to continually be in God’s word. God says “I am with you” several times in Joshua 1 because he knew Joshua needed to rely on this fact over his feelings as he walks into battle. It’s the same for us. God promises to be with us (Matt 28:20) and that he loves us in (John 3:16). No matter how we feel, these facts are still true and we can trust them based off of all that God has done through all of human history.
So the next time you hear God’s calling and are then suddenly filled with fear, trust God. Let him lead you. Trust the facts that God is good over these feelings. And as we step out to follow God, he will entrust us with more opportunities. This is how we live wilder.
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If you liked this blog, you might be interested in my post Life Beyond Fear.
