A Faith That Persists Above Feelings
By Rick Warren
“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27 (NLT)
There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it.
But this kind of thinking allows you to be manipulated by your moods—making you live according to your feelings. God wants you to live a different kind of life. He wants you to live a life guided by faith, not a life driven by feelings. He wants you to grow in maturity.
We don’t always feel like doing the right thing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel like being nice to people. I don’t always feel like stopping what I’m doing to help someone. I don’t always feel like believing God’s promises for my life.
But our goal as believers is to develop the kind of faith that persists above feelings. You deepen your relationship with God when you spend time with him, even on days when you don’t feel like it.
“I’ve found that if the only time I pray is when I feel like it, the devil makes sure I never feel like it. If the only time I read my Bible is when I feel like it, the devil makes sure I never feel like it.”
It’s like an Olympic athlete putting in the work, even when she doesn’t feel like it or a great musician practicing his craft, even when he’s tired. It’s the same with your relationship with God.
People who have a regular, consistent quiet time with God didn’t get there because they felt like it every single day. They got there because they woke up and decided to read the Bible and pray, even when they didn’t feel like it.
Faith is being persistent. Faith is refusing to give up no matter how tired you are or how many other things you could or think you should be doing
Through the example of Moses, the Bible shows us how to develop persistence. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (NLT).
That’s how you get there. That’s how you persist. That’s how you grow in maturity. You make a decision to do the right thing even when you don’t feel like it. You decide to live a life guided by your faith.
Maturity is living your life based on your commitments, not on your feelings. And that’s the place where faith really grows.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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