Trust God or Trust Our Emotions - 2
Subject: Battling Our Emotions When a Test Comes
By Rick Welborne
Mark 8:34-38 (NKJV)
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
--Today I want us to continue this series on Trusting God or Trust Our Emotions. Today we will look at our personal feelings or impressions verses what the Word of God says.
1. Trusting our personal feelings or impressions or trusting the Word of God.
--Years ago a lady came to me and told me her plans to divorce her husband and to go back to a previous husband. I told her that biblically she could not do that.
--I even read to her the scriptures that said what she would be doing would be an abomination unto the Lord. She said to me…I agree that is what the Bible says but I also know what the Lord spoke to me.
--I asked her if she truly believed that God would tell her to do something that was contrary to His Word and her answered blew me away…Evidently, because I know God’s voice and this was God!
--To me this is an example of how people let their personal feelings (actually desires) have precedence over the Word of God. We want what we want so much, we convince ourselves we are hearing from God.
--If you did not know this, there are sixteen fundamental truths in the A/G. The first of these truths is “1. The Scriptures Inspired”. This is number one and not up for debate.
1. The Scriptures Inspired - The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 (NKJV) 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV) 13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
2 Peter 1:20-21 (NKJV) 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
--Poor God gets blamed for so many things…some I have heard…God told me to marry this person, God told me to go to California and start a ministry, God told me to buy this house I can’t afford.
--I can remember as a single youth pastor having moms in the church coming to me and they would tell me God told them I was going to marry their daughters…show me a pic! Nope!
--So much abuse has happened in the body of Christ because of these feelings, impressions, or desires. A word is given to someone because someone thinks they have heard from God on their behalf.
--From someone who loves you…before you make a major decision based on a word given to you by someone in church or at a conference…let God confirm it to your heart and in His Word. Proceed with caution.
--When someone who perceives themselves to be spiritual and they give you a word you know is wrong to confront them. A sign of a true prophet is that their prophecies come true.
--You have my personal permission and blessings to tell them “no thanks!” I do not want someone speaking into my life who is just speaking their feelings and do not have the heart or mind of the Lord. Tell your pastor!
--Pastor, are you saying that God does not speak directly to the heart and that all impressions or feelings are false and unreliable? Of course not, Holy Spirit wants to communicate with us daily.
--So many believers are so immature and cannot distinguish between God’s voice and other voices. Our selfishness makes us desire things contrary to God’s Word. Easy to hear what you already want!
--An easy rule to follow…No matter how much you think God has spoken to you, if God’s Word has already said “No!” the answer is still no! It wasn’t Him speaking.
2. Be careful of the downward spiral that leads to false impressions and feelings.
--article from One News Now…a very strong Christian based news organization that keeps believers informed about current events…article “The Revoice Conference and the danger of a big theological tent.”
--The first indication that this conference was going to be biased was the fact that certain strong conservative Christians were turned away. It was promoted as being open to everyone’s views but that was not true.
--Dr. Michael Brown also said that it was promoted as supportive to Christian biblical marriage and that they agree that the bible is clear about its stand when it comes to homosexuality. Sounds good doesn’t it:
Brown: Collins has even stated that "Sexual desire for someone of the same sex is sinful and something that I should repent from." So, Collins and others involved in Revoice have stated explicitly that they believe that marriage as established by God is exclusively heterosexual, and they agree that homosexual practice is sinful. This is highly significant and should be loudly and openly commended.
--Collins then lets his true agenda come out…we are here to figure out how to (as the church) be acceptable to people who have same sex attraction and gender confusion. One of the workshops at this conference,
Redeeming Queer Culture - "Christians have often discarded the virtues of queer culture along with the vices, which leaves culturally connected Christian sexual minorities torn between two cultures, two histories, and two communities."
--Torn between two cultures , two histories, and two communities…The Word of God has never presented to us this idea of being torn between the two…He wants us to come out from among them and be separate.
Mark 8:34 (NKJV)
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
--How do we get to the point where we feel that God has spoken and is okay with our lifestyle that is contrary to His Word? I am speaking of heterosexual sin as well as homosexual sin. The downward spiral.
Romans 1:21-25 (NKJV)
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
--Listen to your pastor…when you get to this point in your journey with God (they knew God) you are opening yourself up to hear voices other than God’s. You will hear voices and truly believe that it is God.
Romans 1:26-32 (NKJV)
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
--Again I want to reiterate that I am not just speaking about those in the homosexual lifestyle…I am speaking about those who are disobedient to God’s Word and go with their desires, passions, and feelings.
--God gave them up to vile passions and because they did not retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things that are not right. The downward spiral is deceiving and deadly.
--So you will know this is not just about the sin of homosexuality, look at this list of sins caused by this downward spiral:
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
3. We must trust God!
Romans 1:21 (NKJV)
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
--How do we reverse this downward spiral and learn to trust God? Because I know God, I glorify Him! Because I know Him, I am filled with thanksgiving.
--Because I know God, my thoughts, my feelings, my impressions are biblical because I have the mind of Christ. Because I know God, my heart is enlightened and filled with wisdom!
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