The Feelings Will Trip You Up

Saints, Ignore the feelings in favor of doing what is right. Feelings deceive us, they say things are bad when they are good and things are good when they are bad.

Feelings often deceive us into thinking things are impossible when they are not. Feelings are there, we admit them but we should not base our responses on them.

Feelings foster "reactions" rather than rational responses.

Rational thinking does not deny feelings it just evaluates them according to the truth of God's Word.

Proverbs 29:11 "11 A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back."

Venting our feelings is very often the means through which relationships are destroyed. We ought to be more deeply concerned about the well being of our brother or sister than we are about how we felt about something.

It is easy to "feel" offended when we are corrected, rather than reacting in anger because we were corrected we ought to be invested in relationship building through truth.

Our culture is over the top in ultra-sensitiveness, relationships are imploding and for little to no reason.

Proverbs 27:17 "17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

Proverbs 27:6 "6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."

John 15:12 "12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

We are to love one another as Christ loved us. The problem is that our world doesn't understand how Christ loved. First He gave His life for us, then He instructs, corrects and redirects us, because we forget to consult with Him. We are prone to go our own way and think we know when we don't know.

The life of the believer is fraught with continual lessons, corrections and re-directions, it is the only way we can progress in wisdom and holiness. We have no need of praise, that only serves to cause us to think we have no need of training by God or His servants. The more we use flattery and praise the more we help to raise the level of pride.

Encouragement is not the same as praise. Encouragement says, "go this way not that way." Praise says, "no need to change anything you are doing just fine as you are."

Encouragement is what comes from a coach to make you stronger. Praise and flattery is what comes from those who do not care about your progress.

Proverbs 29:5-6 " 5 A man who flatters his neighbor Is spreading a net for his steps. 6 By transgression an evil man is ensnared, But the righteous sings and rejoices.…"