Faith vs. Emotion.
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
We have all read this Scripture time and time again, but do we fully understand the very faith by which we live? How do we know that we are saved? The answer is--by faith alone. We know that the Bible is true by faith alone. And we know that we have been forgiven by faith alone. Yet, we often bring this very faith that we rest our eternal life upon into question when life's circumstances seem more troubling than our minds and emotions can process. But be assured--our faith has nothing to do with our emotions!
The other day, I was remembering back to the beginning of this year, when my family stood together in front of our burning home watching three fire companies try to contain the fire that would take our home from us. My husband, Jeff, was an emotional rock for all of us. When he is in a crisis situation, he becomes absolutely calm and reassuring until the crisis has passed and the pieces are put back together. Our oldest son is the same way. The two of them went from family member to family member bringing comfort and help. They remained calm and steady for many days following. I, on the other hand, felt like I was having an "out-of-body" experience for the next few days. Nothing seemed real and my emotions were raw. I felt like I'd been thrust into a nightmare. The first three days were absolutely terrible for me.
Now, let me ask you: whose faith was greater, my husband's or mine? Neither! Just because I'm wired emotionally different than him didn't mean that I didn't have the same assurance and knowing that God was in control and He would come through for us. My faith is what kept me from entering into hopelessness and despair. I just process differently than Jeff does. I had three days of processing my emotions immediately after the fire, and my husband had a few of days of it a month after the fire, because he processed "after" the crisis had passed and his family was taken care of. Grieving or processing the emotions of a traumatic situation does not mean that you don't have faith; it merely means that you are human.
The enemy loves to come to us when we are in grief or sorrow to throw accusations about our "lack of faith." He will try to rob us of our intimacy and comfort when we need it the most. He comes with words of condemnation accusing us of being "double-minded" and weak. Can our emotions and thoughts enter into doubting God's promises in stressful times? Of course, but this is part of discerning between your soul and spirit. At the point of doubt, we must rely on what our spirit knows, not what our feelings feel or thoughts think. If I remember correctly, the Bible tells us that God manifests His strength in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 states: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
Is Paul talking about physical infirmities? Probably not! He is most likely talking about struggles and sufferings that all of us battle. God loves our emotions, and He loves our dependency upon Him for strength in those weak times. When my kids are hurting, I am honored when they come to me and find strength and comfort in my arms. It is very intimate, and it is a privilege to comfort them. The last thing I want is to find out that they have cried alone. God is a much better parent than I am, so I know that He is the same regarding our times of sorrow and weakness. He loves it when we allow Him, our Comforter, to comfort us in times of pain.
"If you love Me, obey Me; and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter, and He will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive Him, for it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you do, for He lives with you now and some day shall be in you. No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm--I will come to you." John 14:15-18 (paraphrased)
This is a promise that we can put our faith in. He will not leave us as orphans in a storm! If you are facing a storm, know that you can stand in the realization that you have not been left orphaned or abandoned. You may not feel strong, but let your faith arise knowing that your Comforter is there with you.
Excerpted from "Faith's Assurance -- Stand on The Promises and Extend Your Staff Into The Waters of Adversity" by Kathi Pelton. As seen in ELIJAH LIST NEWSLETTER © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).
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