Tag Archives: faith in God

Feelings vs. Faith

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“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV)

Are you afraid of your feelings? Afraid that you may drown in your overwhelming emotions? Do you bottle up your feelings because the thought of the pain that comes with feeling is too much to handle? I can relate!

I used to fall on either extreme of bottling up my feelings or drowning in them.  I’m happy to say that even though  I can be sensitive, I express my feelings in a much healthier way now.  I’m no longer afraid of feeling because it may hurt.  It’s actually quite relieving to experience the pain because in doing so I can be free to experience healing and move forward.

Maybe you’re wondering what changed for me… Well truthfully I began to feel safe when I entered into a relationship with God through His Son Jesus.  I knew that I was no longer alone and that I didn’t have to be afraid anymore.  My emotions may have felt bigger than me, but they definitely weren’t bigger than my God.  He could handle them.  I had to surrender everything over to Him especially my broken heart.  The more I poured my heart and soul out to Him the more healing I experienced.

I guess you could say that if it wasn’t for my FAITH in God I’d most likely still be bottling up my feelings or exploding and drowning in a sea of emotions.  I highlight the word faith because sometimes it literally feels like your feelings and emotions are at odds with your faith.  It’s a battle that requires looking up, and despite what we’re feeling, holding onto our faith.  The truth of God’s promises are so vital for when we are going through a battle of our feelings vs. our faith.

Sometimes in my efforts to be pious, I shy away from fully expressing to God what I’m really feeling as though it would be displeasing to Him.  An example of this would be when I’m feeling lonely in my singlehood and my heart is longing to be with my future husband.  At first I think that if I admit that I’m feeling sad and lonely that God would see that as me being dissatisfied in my relationship with Him, or as lack of faith on my part in that God wouldn’t provide for my desire. Fortunately, I realize the truth that He cares about every detail and that nothing is a surprise to Him. He knows my heart and He’s aware of my pain.  The Bible says that He is close to the broken hearted. That is so comforting!

Though I’m an imperfect, sinful human being, He perfectly heals the brokenness of my heart and helps me to feel and express in a safe and healthy way. I’ve entrusted my heart to the one who created it. I encourage you to do the same.

If you’re reading this and you want to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour then with a sincere heart please pray the following prayer out loud since Romans 10:9 says that, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”:

Dear Jesus,

I confess that I am a sinner in need of a Saviour.  I believe that you are Lord and that God raised You from the dead.  Please forgive me of all of my sins and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I receive Your gift of eternal life and I thank You for saving me.  It is my desire to follow You all the days of my life and to do Your will. Please deliver me, heal and restore me.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen ❤

 

 

Loss & Grief… & the Love & Faith That Brings Hope to Dream Again!

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“And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” (1Samuel1:10)

The above passage of Scripture refers to a woman named Hannah who grieved over her inability to have a child.  Today I related to Hannah in her bitterness of soul as I prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.  While my circumstances may differ from Hannah’s, in that my sadness has nothing to do with not being able to bear a child, I can certainly relate to her heart.  When I turned my pain over to the Lord today, my question was “How long is this going to hurt?” In trying to understand my pain, and why I was hurting so much, I realized that I was grieving a loss.  Nobody physically died, but I did lose someone that I had invested a great deal of myself in, and suddenly this person is gone from my life.  It hurt a lot! But thank God for His precious love for me.  God is so faithful! As I was in prayer, the Lord led me to a scripture in my bible: “And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (1Samuel1:18) The life lessons note in my bible regarding this specific Scripture says the following: “Hannah left behind her grief, not when her circumstances changed – they hadn’t – but after she poured out her soul to the Lord.  Because of her grief, she connected with the Lord on a level she had never known.” ~Charles Stanley. This was a huge act of faith on the part of Hannah! She had stopped eating because of her grief and sadness but here in this Scripture she went away after her prayer and ate and was no longer sad.  She had placed her faith in God and trusted that He would grant her the desire of her heart.  In Hannah’s prayer for a son, she also vowed to dedicate her son to the service of the Lord which was a selfless act on her part.  That was her sacrifice onto the Lord.  Later Hannah conceived and bore a son!

I was so encouraged by this today and I hope that you will be too.  Nothing is too big for God and He can certainly make your dreams come to pass when you put your trust in Him.  Let your fear become your fuel for faith.  Turn to God in prayer and pour your soul out to Him.  This isn’t the first time I’ve turned to God and in the past He has always been faithful even when the answer wasn’t what I expected.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; Lean not on your own understandings.  Acknowledge the Lord in all that you do and He will direct your paths.”