"Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything."
1 John 3:18
1 John 3:18
God is greater than our feelings. God is greater than our feelings. No, that is not a typo. I meant to type the phrase twice because it needs to be read more than once so it can be remembered forever.
We give too much weight and power to feelings, especially the feeling of guilt. Guilt is one of the enemy's most successful weapons. We guilt ourselves into commitments we should never make. We carry guilt because we should have done this or should have said that. The guilt renders us powerless to carry out our day to day responsibilities as well as makes us ineffective for the kingdom of God. We can be set free from the power of guilt and its effects on our lives because GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR FEELINGS. I have got to etch that in my brain.
How do we get rid of guilt? We must measure its origin and its source. Spend time in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to reveal whether or not the feeling could be conviction. There is a difference between guilt and conviction.
Conviction is from the Holy Spirit and is a result of disobedience or sin in our lives. It is released when we confess said sin and/or make right any disobedience. 1 John 1:9 reminds us of God's faithfulness to forgive us when we confess. When we confess, believe in our forgiveness, then live like we are forgiven, the monster of guilt will be slain. That should be the end of it but it isn't.
We listen to the wrong voice, that of condemnation thus leaving us feeling guilty instead of free. But God is greater than our feelings. We must learn to live in the freedom that is ours through the forgiveness that Christ extends. I know personally, I have felt I must "pay a penance" for my sin, take a time of separation from Christ because I was not worthy to be close to Him because of sin. Today I see what Iie I have been living because God is greater than my feelings. Did I say that already?
What a powerful powerful word of freedom the Lord has given us today!
9 Comments:
Good evening, ladies
I thought I'd get started early before the hectic-ness of tomorrow. DH is coming home! I hope the flight is not delayed. Otherwise I'll be sitting at the airport come Christmas Day.
Wendy, I totally agree with you! God is greater than our feelings (1 John 3:20). That is freeing since most of the time, our feelings tend to control us.
I highlighted a lot of passages in today's reading but the one I choose to focus on is 1 John 3:6 "Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who He is."
This takes me back to 1987 (yes, 22 yeara ago!) when my cousin, Tony, first shared my need for a Savior. I grew up Catholic so I thought I was set. He said that it's not enough and I should accept Jesus as my personal savior. When he said that all our sins have been forgiven past, present and future, I laughed at him. I said, "so basically you can sin all you want and it's all forgiven?!? That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" No, thank you, I shall continue to earn my way to heaven by my good works. Excuse me while I do a novena.
What I did not understand then was that once you TRULY experience God's grace and realize the cost of the payment for my sins, I would NOT want to sin. How can I after what He has gone through? Of course, I still sin but I am more aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, the conviction, the need for repentance. And grace, grace, abundance, amazing indescribable grace. I do not have religion anymore, I have a relationship with my Jesus, my Savior.
So thankful that God was so patient with me all these years,
~T
Wendy, Grace and Peace~
What wonderful posts this morning to wake up to! God is greater than our feelings, I need to remember this. Etch in my brain like you said Wendy. Grace and Peace I love what you wrote today about relationship and not religion. That is what it is all about, I learned that as an adult as well. When you have the Holy Spirit living in you, you don't want to walk in sin, you don't want to do the things that are not God's way. You can't help it, it is Him living in you and that desire is not there. I still struggle with some issues and I know I always will struggle because that keeps me leaning on Christ and grace to help me through.
I marked many things as well but my main one was 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love the world not the things it offers you, ...For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases the God will love forever." I had my prayer time before I read our reading this morning and this scripture was a word from God to exactly what I had been praying this morning. I love it when we pray and He speaks exactly to what we need.
Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
Brandee, TN
PS Joy, loved the poem yesterday!
Wow, what posts to ponder over today. Thank you dear Wendy, T. & Brandee! Thoughts can be so powerful, and ya know what? ---They're usually the enemy's way of allowing us to "lose our secure footing." The enemy wants us in the dark, not in the light where we are walking with God and listening and anticipating His whispers. That sweet relationship that T. talked about, and daily growing closer to Him. The enemy does not like that. He knows his time is limited. He does whatever he can do to keep us on the dark path, rather than the straight and narrow one. But, as we daily read and study His Word, we want to be on the lighted path.
How can we tell if we're slipping?
*those "feelings" are controlling our thoughts!
*we're concerned more about ourself, rather than those around us
*desiring to be noticed
*we're drawing attention to ourselves and seeking to control conversations-being the center of attention
*impatience (aahhh!)
*we're easily offended
* our disposition to resent and retaliate when we're contradicted
*impulsively we criticize
*jealous
*envy
* tendency to speak the faults and failings of others
*a spirit of discouragement
*self-pity-and determined to talk about this to people who will listen.
I could go on and on...Lord, help me! May I walk along with You today, keeping my thoughts obedient to Christ. Seeing those around me through your eyes. Fill me with your Spirit so I'm capable to love like you do. Thank you Lord for your Word that guides me. Thank you for your Spirit that councils me and pours wisdom into me. Oh LORD, today, I want to know you more than I did yesterday. Thank you for this day. Allow my love for others' to further your Kingdom today. May those around me see your bright and shining light coming out.
"God's word lives in [our] hearts, and [we] have won [our] battle with the evil one," 1 John 2:14.
Have a wonderful day in celebration---His birth!
May you enjoy His peace today,
Lori - AZ
Well said by all this morning. Thank you all, and thank you Father, for your spirit in my sisters which guides them to your word and into community each and every day. They are so special!
I thank you, too, Father, that "the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining." 1John 2:8
Merry, merry Christmas to each of you,
Liz
AK
... blessings and joy and peace to you all this Christmas Season! I have been following along and carried by all your thoughts and comments and faithful guidance, Wendy. Thank you.
I don't post often, and since Thanksgiving life has been a whirl as I was in a transition phase, seeking God's will for my life and work. God is good! The new year brings a new direction, a steep learning curve and new stressors, but by His Grace I will put one foot in front of the other... leaning on Him.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers,
Marianne
PS: It is so good to see our community grow - welcome to each one of you!
A very Merry Christmas to all of you! I jumped in November and will continue to read thru next year. I am so looking forward to reading the entire bible with this wonderful group. You have been a blessing to me the past few weeks. I look forward to my reading each morning and then coming here to read the blog and comments. I have learned so much from all you ladies. I just wanted to say thank you!
Oh how I need this truth etched in my brain as well...and not just written there...but lived there!
All of you have blessed my heart abundantly this morning. Thank you each one for sharing. My Bible is so marked up and underlined with all the passages you wrote about here, but there is one more verse I want to highlight today as well.
“Our actions show that we belong to the truth…” 1 John 3:19
In the last 24 hours, I’ve consciously held my tongue four times. Four times I’ve had opportunity to respond in a way that, although true, would truly serve no purpose, except to justify self. Four times I’ve had to pray for the Holy Spirit to guard my lips.
Almost seven years ago now, my Pastor shared a sermon entitled, “Are You the Real Deal?” In his message he shared four proofs that serve as tests of authenticity. We find those proofs in our reading today.
1. Right Choices: The Moral Test (1 John 2:3-6)
Too often our tendency is to be selective in our obedience. We do what is easy and convenient or what seems “important”. We obey “Thou shall not murder” and “Thou shall not steal”, but what about tithing or stealing someone else’s reputation? Each act of obedience moves us one step closer to Jesus.
2. Right Love: The Social Test (1 John 2:7-17)
A selfless love saves you from stumbling (2:10). A seductive love leads you to sin (2:15-17). A couple of tests for true love are found in answering the following two questions: How easily am I offended? And “How quickly do I diminish other’s accomplishments? (All of Lori's list of tests would fit here perfectly too!)
3. Right Belief: The Doctrinal Test (1 John 2:18-28) We are to remain in community (2:19); remain in original teaching (2:24); and remain in Christ (2:24,27).
4. Right Living: The Parentage Test (1 John 2:29-3:10)
We should show evidence of some family resemblance. The DNA of God is placed in us at salvation and it cannot be removed. Does my life reflect my Father?
Jesus obeyed the Father, loved people, believed doctrine and lived right. Our life is the best proof of Christianity. Asking myself, am I the "real deal"?
Hope you all have a wonderful day today. My family has already enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve Day breakfast out. Everyone was there. Both my sisters and their families. Mom and Dad. My nephew's ex-wife and their children. Missing my nephew this year. Please pray for his mom and dad, my sister and her husband. Tears flowed at breakfast this morning. This will be our first Christmas since he turned his back on family and God. Praying for a miracle.
Love to you all,
Joy
I wanted to pop in and wish everyone a merry Christmas. This journey in Christ has been made much richer through this study and you ladies.
May the blessings of the Lord pour out on you and your families through out the coming year.
Blessings and hugs,
Diane
I just want to say "thank you" to first Wendy for her faithfulness to the Lord, then to all of you who regularly post. I have grown so much this year...grown closer to the Lord Jesus. Because of situations in the past, Christmas is usually a hard time for me. I am usually so depressed. But this year....oh wow, I feel like a new person, I have been given a wonderful gift, a closer relationship with my best Friend. No depression, just gratefulness! How I wish everyone who is sucked up into the stress and worldliness of Christmas could know Him as I do. He means so much to me. He would change your life. Wendy your verse for today, has stayed with me all day. "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world." The more I think about it the more profound it becomes!
I hope that you all can find time tonight or tomorrow to express to the Lover of your soul, just what He means to you.
Merry CHRISTmas everyone.
Jan TN
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