Are Feelings Valid?
I know people say that one cannot judge their walk with God by feelings, but I believe that, if I am where I need to be with God, I will feel His presence. When I do not feel Him, I begin to search my heart in an effort to determine if there is something in my life that is hindering my walk with Him. I do not want to be one who assumes everything is OK and not realize that I am drifting away. This is not to say that life is always good. But the greatest blessing is to go through a difficult trial and still know that God is walking with me, carrying me through it.
I also know that emotions can lie. We can fool ourselves into thinking we are doing well because we “feel good.” Most sin feels good. So, again, we need to be constantly examining our hearts to know whether we are in the will of God or not. The best way to do this is to stay in the Word. If what you are doing goes against Scripture, no matter how good it makes you feel, it is not indicative of God’s approval.
I think the key is balance. You must not be led by feelings but, if you never feel God’s presence, you may want to ask yourself why. He says that His sheep hear His voice so, if your prayers consist of you telling God what you want but never hearing what He wants, you need to evaluate this.
I don’t want to be one who just goes through the motions of reading my Bible, singing songs, attending church and yet never have any indication that He hears me or is speaking to me. Christ came that we might have life, and that more abundantly. If I don’t know that Jesus is walking with me, how will others know?
Perfect Heart sang a song that said, “Lord, I want to walk so close to You that I can feel You holding my hand.” That is my prayer. Every morning when I rise, I want to know that He is with me and hear Him say, “Good morning, my child. Here are the tasks I have for you to do today.” That is what walking with God should be like.
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