Society is full of bad advice. Just do what is in your heart. Say what you feel. Trust your gut. Do what ever makes you FEEL better.
Let me tell you what, doing what I feel doesn’t always turn out for the best.
Often, I don’t feel like working out. I don’t feel like choosing grilled chicken over pizza or broccoli over french fries. Sometimes I don’t feel like praying. I don’t feel like I belong. I don’t feel like I am forgiven. I definitely don’t feel like I am going to succeed at this weight loss stuff. Shoot, some mornings, I don’t feel like getting out of bed.
If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite Bible verses is “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) I love this verse because basically it is saying that it doesn’t really matter how you feel about some things. Your heart (aka your emotion) isn’t a good indicator of the truth, so don’t even try to figure it out on your own.
I don’t feel like I can lose weight. Guess what? “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me.” Don’t feel like I can break my addictions? The Bible tells me that “we use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down strongholds.” I feel like a failure. God says that if I humble myself, He will exalt me in due time. In all of these things, I can pine and lament over how I feel, but if I believe the scriptures are true, then simply put, my feelings are wrong. My heart has been deceived by my own experiences and failures, and I need to take action based on truth, not on emotion.
Nike doesn’t hold the patent on the slogan “Just Do It”. Did you know that ad campaign was first launched in about 450 BC? Imagine the prophet Ezra with THIS on a t-shirt:
“Arise! For this matter is your responsibility…Be of good courage, and DO IT.” Ezra 10:4
Today, try to take action based on facts and truth, not just based on how you feel. That heart is a tricky thing!
Let me tell you what, doing what I feel doesn’t always turn out for the best.
Often, I don’t feel like working out. I don’t feel like choosing grilled chicken over pizza or broccoli over french fries. Sometimes I don’t feel like praying. I don’t feel like I belong. I don’t feel like I am forgiven. I definitely don’t feel like I am going to succeed at this weight loss stuff. Shoot, some mornings, I don’t feel like getting out of bed.
If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite Bible verses is “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) I love this verse because basically it is saying that it doesn’t really matter how you feel about some things. Your heart (aka your emotion) isn’t a good indicator of the truth, so don’t even try to figure it out on your own.
I don’t feel like I can lose weight. Guess what? “I can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens me.” Don’t feel like I can break my addictions? The Bible tells me that “we use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down strongholds.” I feel like a failure. God says that if I humble myself, He will exalt me in due time. In all of these things, I can pine and lament over how I feel, but if I believe the scriptures are true, then simply put, my feelings are wrong. My heart has been deceived by my own experiences and failures, and I need to take action based on truth, not on emotion.
Nike doesn’t hold the patent on the slogan “Just Do It”. Did you know that ad campaign was first launched in about 450 BC? Imagine the prophet Ezra with THIS on a t-shirt:
“Arise! For this matter is your responsibility…Be of good courage, and DO IT.” Ezra 10:4
Today, try to take action based on facts and truth, not just based on how you feel. That heart is a tricky thing!
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