Emotions or Trust - 2

Emotions or Trust - 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."

--Tonight I want us to continue this series Emotions or Trust. We will look at our personal feelings verses what the Word of God says.

1. Trusting our Personal Feelings 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 telling 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 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 gives you a word, and you know it is wrong, confront them. A sign of a true prophet is that their prophecies come true. 

--You have my 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 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.

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 to us but it is okay for us to live contrary to His Word? 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.

--Satan wants to come as an angel of light and you have very little power to resist him because you are not giving glory to God, nor are you thankful, and then, your thoughts are messed up.

--Have you ever wondered how someone can seem to be so close to God, and then, it appears they totally turn away from Him. The downward spiral explains this. Bible example:

Revelation 2:1&6 (NKJV) ¹ "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 

⁶  But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

--In two churches in Revelations the Nicolaitans are dealt with. This was a group who believed you could live anyway you wanted and still be Christians. Who was Nicolas, the founder?

Acts 6:3-6 (NKJV)
³  Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
⁴  but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
⁵  And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
⁶  whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.

--Nicolas was once a man in the church known to be of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. My guess is that he started the downward spiral and became deceived. 

Romans 1:28-32 (NKJV)
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 just one particular sin…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 deadly.

--So you will know this is not just about one category of sin, 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!