I'm not going to try and hide from my feelings, but I'm also not going to live based on how I feel. Too many churchgoers hide behind a mask rather than being honest with themselves, others, and more importantly with God. This reminds me of the story in Genesis with the first "mask wearers", Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3, these first humans felt the shame of being naked and exposed. They knew what they had done and they tried to hide it.
Now, Adam and Eve were both deceived by the devil, but they chose to believe a lie rather than the truth. They knew that God said to not eat from a specific tree, but chose to eat from it anyway.
Often, I decide to do the exact same thing. God tells me one thing, but I choose to believe something completely different, based on what my circumstances and feelings are telling me. Like right now, I have a choice, I can choose to believe the million lies that the devil is feeding me or I can grab a hold of faith in a God who loves me and has my best interest in mind.
You may be thinking, "duh, trust and obey God." But, in the moment, I just want to give into the temptation of feeling like there's no hope. That's the easy route. However, faith doesn't see hopeless circumstances. It sees beyond the circumstances and sees a future and a hope that God's Word promises (see Jeremiah 29:11-13).
Many of you don't know about my battle with depression and suicidal thoughts. For those of you that also have these same battles, hold on. Don't give in. Believe God and His promises over your feelings. Both feelings and circumstances change, but God's Word will not and cannot fail you. Be encouraged. Tell God everything you're feeling--no matter how "petty" you think it is.
My challenge to you is to not be like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Choose the truth of God's Word over how you feel at any given time. If what you're feeling contradicts with what God says, ask God to help you to replace the lies with the truth.
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