February 11th, 2011

Deceptive Emotions

By Dave Fischer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

 Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

THERE ARE THESE times when we're trying to feel the nearness of God—but we don't. In these moments we feel nothing. We stare out the window. We're frozen, and the mind anxiously wanders. And at these junctures, there is seemingly very little connection between us and God—very little connecting us to the life of the world or the people surrounding us. It's an island of emotional isolation.

In the midst of all of this, rarely do we question the validity of our emotions. Rarely do we call to question the authority of our feelings. When our experience with God feels lifeless, we decide there is no life there. We believe that the connection has been cut and that therefore it must be our fault.

What if our emotions are misleading us? So things like cynicism, loneliness, apathy or discouragement creep into the forefront of our experience and overshadow the reality; the reality of an eternal hope. The reality that we are justified and, even in our imperfections, called perfect by a God who says we belong to Him.

We have peace between ourselves and God, but we must choose it and truly know it, above our emotions.

What value do you place on your emotions compared to God's word? Have they ever led you astray?

This devotion is adapted from an article on relevantmagazine.com.