How To Live For God, Not Your Feelings

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


People live by their feelings more than anything else much of the time. If you listen, you’ll hear people talk about how they feel more than just about anything else. I wonder sometimes if we’re serving the god of our feelings more than the God of the Bible.


For example, someone says, “I don’t feel God loves me.” Well, He does. Or “I don’t feel I have a future.” Well, you can. The Bible clearly says God loves us and that He has good plans for us. But when we believe the lies the enemy puts in our mind over the Word of God, we will feel like the lies are true and then live like it.

The Danger of Emotional Living

Emotional people make big mistakes when they base decisions on how they feel rather than obeying God and what they know is the right thing to do. We have to learn how to live beyond our feelings and do what’s right even when we feel wrong.

I’m frequently asked how I feel about things. “Joyce, how do you feel about traveling?” I’ve learned not to live by my feelings, so I tell them, “I don’t really ask myself how I feel about it.” You see, if I let my feelings “vote,” I just might decide not to do what I know I need to do. I don’t always feel like traveling, especially on long trips that give me jet lag. And I don’t always feel like staying in a hotel.

But I’ve decided to follow God’s will for my life and not let my feelings dictate what I do. I’ve learned to let what the Bible says dictate my decisions. I’ve set my mind to be a blessing to others and make right choices that honor God.

What Determines How You Live?

“ We have to learn how to live beyond our feelings and do what's right even when we feel wrong. ”
How often do you say, “I feel like…” or “I don’t feel like…” and then do what you feel? Do your feelings dictate how you treat people? Or what you say? Do feelings run your life?

You may be thinking, Well, I can’t help how I feel! I agree. I can’t help how I feel at times and I’m not going to pretend I don’t feel anything. Emotions won’t go away – we must learn how to manage them and not let them manage us.

There are times when I have felt insecure about speaking at a conference. But I decided to trust God and have confidence that He would help me. When I stepped out to teach, the feelings of insecurity went away. There are times when I’ve been angry with Dave and felt like giving him the cold shoulder, but when I decided to pray and ask God for the grace to forgive him or ask for his forgiveness, I’ve had the ability to treat him the way God wants me to.

The key here is refusing to be passive and making a conscious decision to do what’s right. Being passive means you wait for an outside force to move you or to feel like doing something. Use your will to choose what’s right. And pray for God’s grace to give you the ability to do it.

- Joyce Meyers  What the Devil Doesn't Want You To Know

Psalm 31

Come, sit, and and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31


1.  In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
2.  Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense (fortress)to save me.
3.  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4.  Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.
5.  Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
6.  I have hated them that regard lying vanities (vain idols): but I trust in the Lord.
7.  I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
8.  And hast not shut (given me over) me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room (wide place).
9.  Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, you, my soul and my belly.
10.  For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed (waste away).
11.  I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me outside fled from me.
12.  I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
13.  For I have heard the slander of many; fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
14.  But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.
15.  My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16.  Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.
17.  Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18.  Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19.  Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
20.  Thou shalt hide them in the secret of my presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21.  Blessed be the Lord: for he hath shewed me his marvelous kindness in a strong city.
22.  For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
23.  O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
24.  Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

God Our Shield

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

            "Our soul waiteth for the Lord:  he is our help and our shield."  Psalm  33:20

     In himself man is weak and vulnerable; therefore, he often needs a shield to protect him.  Today we hear of the special equipment which is necessary to preserve human life in atomic plants and in space travel. We're also told of a radar shield, consisting of many military bases encircling American territory, which is needed to warn us of approaching danger from enemy attack.  Everywhere there is talk of the envelope of air that guards the earth and its inhabitants from deadly rays and meteors that bombard us from outer space. Spiritually, too, man is certain to fall before the onslaughts of the powers of evil unless he has a "hedge" built about him by the love and providence of God.  When we are saved we may claim the promise of Christ's abiding presence and protection, and we may confidently say,  "He is our help and our shield."  Nothing can touch us that is outside His perfect will."

     There is a sweet story that illustrates what it means to have Christ between us and everything else.  A lady in England tells of being awakened one morning by a very strange noise.  It sounded like the pecking of a bird.  When she got up she saw a butterfly flying back and forth inside the windowpane in great fright. Outside a sparrow was frantically pecking and trying to get in.  The butterfly did not see the glass, and expected every moment to be caught; the sparrow did not see the window either and expected every minute to catch the butterfly.  Yet all the while the butterfly was as safe as if it had been miles away, because of the glass which came between it and the sparrow.  So it is with Christians who are abiding in Christ.  His presence is between them and every danger.  How blessed to be able to look into the future confidently and say with assurance,  "Thou art my hiding place and my shield"  (Psalm  119:114).

"Bread For Each Day"