Of Moods and Motivation

by Jason Moore There are days I don’t feel like working. There are days when I’m around people that I don’t want to be. I’d rather not smile. I’d rather be alone and not be bothered. Moods are peculiar things. Like the weather, they’re hard to predict. They are affected by so many variables –…

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Do You Feel Saved?

by Wayne Greeson Are you saved? How do you know you are saved? “I know I am saved because I feel it in my heart,” many often say. But are the feelings of your heart the proper standard to determine your salvation? We do not use this standard in other matters. No one says of…

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Tradition, Feeling, and Scripture

by Doy Moyer Tradition is basically what has been handed down for the next generation to believe and practice. There is nothing wrong with that. Teachings and practices are meant to be passed down. Indeed, tradition is necessary and unavoidable, and no one is without traditions of some kind (including any who claim to dislike…

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I don’t feel like a true Christian

Question: I am 27 years old, I’ve gone to church all my life but never felt like a Christian. I made the decision to become one and live right. (I was baptized as well.) Does it take a while to become a true Christian? I don’t feel like one — like a true one –…

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When are emotions wrong?

Question: When are emotions wrong? If you feel something, does that make it automatically wrong, or is there more to it than that? One thing I really struggle with is when I feel certain things, I automatically get upset with myself for having felt them at all. Answer: “He who trusts in his own heart…

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How to Stay Positive in a Negative World

by Hugh Fulford Christianity is both positive and negative. There are two gates: the wide and the narrow. To be saved, we must enter the narrow and avoid the wide (Matthew 7:13-14) There are two ways: the broad and the narrow. To be saved, we must walk in the narrow and stay out of the…

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Just Telling What I Feel

by Doy Moyer That our culture has been trained to act more on feelings than objective truth and reality is evident in so many ways that it hardly needs proving. The outbursts of anger, the murders, the sexual abuses, the lack of civility, the completely irrational denials of reality, and more are ever before us…

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Hormones

by Joe Fitch “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (II Timothy 2:22) Paul reminds and warns young Timothy of the danger in youthful lusts. Not all youthful lusts are sexual, but surely sexual lusts are included — maybe top…

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I don’t feel connected to God or other people

Question: Hello, I apologise in advance for what may be a lengthy email, but I would love to hear your thoughts on my situation. I am concerned about whether I am loving God properly. I believe in God and the Bible, I am Christian and I try to obey the commandments, (no fornication, no alcohol…

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Tell Me What To Do, Lord

(But Do Not Expect Me To Do It) by Carey Scott “Who say, Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come to pass, that we may know it!” (Isaiah 5:19). There are several observations that…

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I feel separated from God

Question: Hello, I was doing some research on some topics concerning me and came upon Can you explain what “if we sin willfully” in Hebrews 10:26 means? First of all, thank you for your contributions and answers. I have been a bit worried and confused recently after experiencing quite a bad heartbreak and betrayal. I…

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It’s Not How You Feel

by Aubrey Belue Does it “feel good?” Does it feel “right?” If so, today’s culture says, “go for it!” Thus, we make “right” what our feelings say it is, rather than what it really is. Somehow, we have reached the point in contemporary reasoning that most say that one can pursue his individual dream without…

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Godly things don’t interest me

Question: Good morning, sir, Sir, now the things of God do not interest me. I have not really told anyone about Christ because when I tell them about Christ most of them agree to hand over their lives to Christ, but at the end, I realize that I am not happy. It seems like their…

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Distinguishing Faith and Feelings

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/DistinguishingFaithAndFeelings.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 11:1-6   I.          Many in the denominational world are told that faith is this feeling you have inside that you are doing what is right.              A.         Mormons in selling Mormonism will ask you to pray and that the Holy Spirit will give you a feeling inside regarding whether what they…

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The Holy Spirit and My Feelings

by Doy Moyer It’s not good theology to attribute to the Holy Spirit that which the Holy Spirit never attributes to Himself. Doing so results in both faulty and contradictory claims, and this is exactly what we often see. Feelings get attributed to the Spirit, which are then contradictory to the feelings of others who…

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If It Feels Right then Go with It

by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. If “it feels right then go with it” is the prevailing philosophy of too many in our time. Along with this, we are told by “experts” that it is unhealthy to suppress one’s feelings. Folks are encouraged to let it all out. The idea of exercising self-control and discretion to…

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What do I do to feel peace?

Question: I am a drunken adulteress. God has come to me to be reborn again, and I’m failing. Please help me. What do I do to feel peace? I hate the daytime and awake through the night with nightmares of my sins. Help me. Answer: “The things which you learned and received and heard and…

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How do I pray when I don’t feel like it?

Question: I have been good at praying. Recently though, I just feel like my prayer life is going downhill. It started with my nightly devotion and now with my morning devotion. I am just not in the mood to pray. I know how important prayer is, so it worries me. My house has become too…

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What do you consider to be worry?

Question: What do you consider to be worry? I mean, I worry about losing interest in God and not having that same feeling I get when I desire to read a story in the Bible or I just get scared I’m doing something wrong because sometimes I don’t feel close to Him and my feelings…

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I find myself not caring like I used to

Question: Hello, I’m a 16-year-old girl. I received Christ as my personal Saviour for about 2 or 3 years now. But recently something has been bugging me. I feel as if my conscience has left or something. It sounds crazy or stupid, but I find that I have to force myself to feel guilty or…

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Subjective Spirit Leading

by Terry Benton Subjective “Spirit Leading” is when one is moved by imagined nudging and impulses, then attributes that imagination to the “leading of the Spirit”. It often never is in complete harmony with Spirit “revelation” in the Bible. It is sometimes outright contrary to Spirit guidance through “revelation” (Ephesians 3:3-5). It is completely subjective…

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I didn’t answer the altar call when I should have. Have I offended God?

Question: I think I messed up big time this past Sunday. During a song, my pastor stepped to the pulpit and gave an invitation to the lost. The Spirit moved so powerfully during the song that the preacher didn’t get to preach that morning. I’m saved, but during this invitation, God was convicting me to…

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Is it possible to feel the presence of God when one worships Him?

Question: Is it possible to feel the presence of God when one worships Him? Answer: You ask the question in the wrong way because in the realm of possibility when dealing with God, almost anything is possible. But if you ask how God made His presence known in the past, then we find: Seen “And they…

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I agree, we can’t rely on our feelings

Question: Thank you for this article on the church of Oprah. I’m a devout Christian. I agree 100 percent. God wants us not to rely on our own feelings but on His understanding! What happens when a new-ager feels like killing his child? How can you justify your whole self by feelings? Humans are so emotional,…

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I deceived myself into thinking I was saved when I was lost

Question: Dear Minister, I have been in a state of utter despair for the past 1.5 years. I feel like I am in a horrific state of having rejected the gift of Jesus and now finding myself with no place for repentance. I had deceived myself into thinking that I was saved when I was…

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Why do I feel like I’m failing?

Question: Hi, Before I go any further, a little about myself. Almost two years ago I broke up from my first relationship that lasted about a year and a half. I admit I committed fornication, but when I realized it was a sin, I thought it was too late and God would not forgive me.…

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Why do I feel detached from those I forgive?

Question: Dear Jeff, I have a personal predicament on my hands: I don’t think I’m forgiving enough to the point of mending relationships or maintaining friendships. I mean, I can look at plenty of Bible verses about forgiveness, and I do, but at best it just makes me detach myself away from the person as…

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Why don’t I feel God?

Question: Hello, I’m 15 and I have accepted Christ. You see I always say I’m sorry for my sins. But my friend told me that when he repented he could feel God in him like all of him was being hugged like a warm feeling. I don’t understand. Why haven’t I felt that? I always…

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Why can’t I feel repentance?

Question: Hello, I am in a similar situation as the man who asked you “How do I repent of adultery when I don’t feel sorry for doing it?” After reading your response, I am still confused about what to do. According to you, I feel sorrow but not repentance. I believe God exists, so honestly,…

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Why do some people not feel guilty for their sins?

Question: Hello, I just wanted to ask about a question that’s been bothering me for a while now. I understand that when a person does something wrong, they will feel guilty about it (usually). From a Christian’s point of view, it’s often the Holy Spirit’s discipline that makes one feel guilty. What about psychopaths though?…

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How does the Holy Spirit testify to people today?

Question: Hello, I was reading your page and I was wondering if you thought that the Holy Spirit testifies with people today. I can see what you mean by churches making a following off these emotional responses but are you saying that God doesn’t have a way of testifying with us to let us know…

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What is the difference between feeling guilty and feeling convicted?

Question: Is it true that if you don’t know if something is a sin that you should not do it if it makes you feel convicted? So what is the difference between feeling guilty or feeling convicted? Sometimes I put a lot of thought into something that I bought. I bought the entire collection of…

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