The difference between feelings and faith are worlds apart; literally, worlds apart. Jesus said that "we are in this world, but we are not of this world" in John 17:16 (Amplified). When we operate in feelings we are operating only by the standard of this world. Feelings stop faith from working to it's full capacity. If you're praying for your children, then you lift them up in faith that God is moving on their behalf. Then, when we see them doing things that are wrong, we feel like it isn't working and we lose faith and begin again to lapse into worry. Being moved by feelings will negate our faith and put us right back into the realm of merely unsaved people.
We pray for the salvation of our loved ones as though we need to talk God into moving on their behalf. We forget that saving them was His idea to begin with. John 3:16 (Amplified) says that, "For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He (even) gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to and relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal life." This is God's plan for all of mankind. It's not that we need to talk Him into it, but that we need to quit looking at them in the natural and look to Him in faith.
We find in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified) ,"But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God) it is hidden (only) to those who are perishing and obscured (only) to those who are spiritually dying and veiled (only) to those who are lost." Verse 4 goes on, "For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds (that they should not discern the truth) preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), who is the Image and likeness of God."
Instead of being moved by how we feel when we pray for them, maybe we need to (by faith) come against the spirit who is blinding them and by faith speak light against the darkness. We need to (by faith) always keep in mind Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified) that says, "for we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending with only physical opponents) but against the despotisms, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."
These spirits rely on us to walk in what we know and have always walked in. They depend on us to keep walking in what we see and feel. If they can keep us spiritually blind, then our faith doesn't work and they can keep the blinded ones blind to the truth. God has done all that is necessary to get us saved, but we have an enemy that tries to prevent this from happening. It doesn't matter to what degree they may be in sin, the Blood has taken care of it all.
Your faith won't work while your feelings are still dictating to you by what you see. The spirits that are blinding your loved ones aren't what you can see, but what faith in the Word says is our problem. You can't see these spirits, nor can you see the works that they're doing and their destruction. It takes the Christians being mature enough to step out of feelings and into the arena of faith.
If you're praying, then being discouraged by what you're seeing then you're allowing your faith to fall to the ground. Remember, you're the one standing. The ones you're praying for aren't praying to be saved. If they were, then you wouldn't need to stand in the gap for them. You're praying and using the Name of Jesus, not for saved ones, but for lost ones. These are people who've been deceived. They think they don't need Jesus and are enjoying the pleasures of sin. They've been deceived into thinking they are alright. We need to use our privileges in the power of His Name to stop the work of the enemy in their lives so that they can see light in the darkness to find their way out. Are we not called to be the Light of the world?
Married people who know God are still struggling with feelings for their spouse and sometimes fall short of faith and end up in divorce. Walking in the five sense wasn't even any good before we were saved. I don't know why we think it will be any better in the Spirit.
It was our feelings that got us into all the trouble when we were still in the world. "If it feels good, do it" remember? Feelings got us drunk when we felt bad and were worried and feelings got us into fights with our spouses, our bosses, the police and even with ourselves. We did some things that were so dumb and so far out that we could hardly believe that we did them. Back then, feelings ran our lives and made wrecks out of them. As a Christian, if we allow these same out of order feelings to run our lives, then we are still messed up.
If feelings run our spiritual lives the way they did our old man, then we're still under the condemnation of the very dark spirits that kept us away from God when we were in the world. These spirits now (even though they couldn't stop your being saved) will make your walk with the Lord unsuccessful as far as being free and fulfilled.
One day you feel like God is very much in your life and the next day you feel like He's gone. One day you feel like your prayers are effective and the next day you feel as though the heavens are a brass ceiling and never reach or are heard by God. Feelings will keep you off balance all the time. Learning how to trust these feelings (that are still God given) is the growing of the Christian while we're still living in this world.
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