We often come across people who are well-meaning, but when they’re asked or offer to do something, it’s never certain whether they’ll actually follow it through. As nice as they are, they’re unreliable. Our feelings can be like that too; we can’t rely only on them because they’re not always geared towards what’s best for us. Our feelings might lead us to buy the latest phone when we don’t need it, or we can’t really afford it. They can persuade us to choose an unhealthy snack over something healthier. They might lead us to choose to watch TV or scroll through social media when we know we have an exam to revise for. Our feelings are often chasing after instant gratification, and they can change very quickly, but despite this, we give them a lot of power in our decision-making. As believers, we have something wiser and more dependable to rely on than our feelings – the Word of God. When we feel strongly about something, it’s not always easy to determine whether or not we’re in agreement with God about it. Jeremiah tells us, ‘The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows…it? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives’ (vv. 9-10 NLT). And He does it through His Word, which ‘is sharper than any two-edged sword…exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart’ (Hebrews 4:12 AMP). Our feelings are important, and they can often give us warnings that something isn’t quite right or that something might be dangerous. However, we shouldn’t let our feelings determine all our decisions. Instead, we should involve God in our decisions and allow His guidance to be the deciding factor.

What Now?

What decisions, big or small, are you facing at the moment? Make an honest assessment of how much your feelings are influencing your decision. Ask God to help you rely on Him more when you’re trying to decide something.