Bored

Are You Tired? Do you have things in your life that were once exciting that now feel like a chore?

Maybe it’s your job, or your studies, or (God forbid) your marriage.

We should never be led by our feelings.

I’ve wrestled with weariness myself but I soon realized it was simply my flesh being tested. Why else would God say things like: “Press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14), unless we’re really supposed to do what it says and press.

I’m preaching to myself right now too. There are days when you and I have to put forth real effort to reach our goals but one thing is for sure… our goals will never be reached just by wishing.

A good friend in the ministry, Dr. Larry Hutton, said something that will help us: “Faith comes by hearing and faith leaves by not hearing.” In other words, if we’re only following our feelings, we will be led astray. Or if we continually listen to the voice of doubt (from friends, relatives, or even in our own thought life), we’ll slow our pace, or worse, quit altogether.

It’s important to remember: if Heaven seems quiet, it may be because your next instruction will follow your next obedient action.

The Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). It doesn’t say faith follows how you feel. It says faith follows our continual hearing of what God says (despite how we feel).

The good news is, the moment you push past negative feelings and follow what God has asked, He will honor your act of faith with positive feelings. In other words, feelings aren’t all bad– but they should always be a reward, not necessarily a direction. The reality is, when we base our faith on our feelings first, we’re like a hitchhiker who doesn’t own a car and is dependent on others to take us places. And if that’s how we want to operate our lives, the devil will gladly give us a ride.

In other words, when we hitchhike our faith on the wheels of how we’re feeling instead of basing it upon God’s Word, the devil will gladly accommodate us. But sadly, we may not know it until the doors are shut and locked that he’s taking us somewhere we didn’t want to go.

Always remember: feelings can be wonderful to experience but horrible to live by.

One of my favorite go-to scriptures when I’m “feeling” pressured, tired, or weary, is 2 Thessalonians 3:13, “But as for you brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.” I read this as a command, not a suggestion. The emphasis is on the word DON’T. In other words, don’t do it. Don’t give in. Resist the temptation! Life can pull at us from every angle possible but we DON’T have to let weariness drag us under the bus.

In fact, it’s good to view weariness as the enemy himself. I never intentionally want to give the devil a place in my life so when I feel fatigued, tired, or weary, I fight back in faith (through praise, prayer, and confession). Is it easy? Not always. But when I make a decision to do something by faith, I’ve learned I can do anything –including conquering the enemy of weariness.

And so can you! Don’t let your feelings lead you. Instead, let FAITH lead you!

This article was written by Daphne Delay who is an author, speaker, and podcaster with a passion to help this generation discover who they are in Christ. She is the author of Facing the Mirror, Facing the Enemy, and Facing God. Daphne also blogs nuggets of spiritual growth and encouragement regularly at daphnedelay.com