Feeling Joy or Knowing Joy

[Lee-Ann]

Just a quick one .... my head knows what I'm supposed to feel/think/believe and I'm 100% behind my head thoughts I am 100% in agreement with God's word. What worries me I don't always FEEL the way I think. For example, the peace of Christ, the Joy, the Spirit, etc. Another example is that I love God with head but I don't feel love for God with my emotion. It's as if my head is 1000 km's ahead of my feelings. I love my neighbour but man oh man I don't feel love for my neighbour. What does this mean? Am I the kind of person who relies too much on emotion or does it mean I'm not truely a believer? I really really want to feel what my head believes, why don't I?

 

[Klub]

Just a quick one .... my head knows what I'm supposed to feel/think/believe and I'm 100% behind my head thoughts I am 100% in agreement with God's word. What worries me I don't always FEEL the way I think. For example, the peace of Christ, the Joy, the Spirit, etc. Another example is that I love God with head but I don't feel love for God with my emotion. It's as if my head is 1000 km's ahead of my feelings. I love my neighbour but man oh man I don't feel love for my neighbour. What does this mean? Am I the kind of person who relies too much on emotion or does it mean I'm not truely a believer? I really really want to feel what my head believes, why don't I?

My response will be pretty short because I'm strapped for time but I hope it is beneficial!

Remember what we are told in jeremiah 17 that the heart is deceitful above all things. we still have the flesh, and the battle between God's will and our sin, causing rifts between knowing what is right yet doing what is wrong. You are not alone in this battle between knowing how you should feel and how your heart really feels, we all will fight this continually. In psalm 42 we see a beautiful example of the inner battle between what we know is joy yet for whatever reason we do not feel joy.

I encourage you, and remind myself that it is in these times we must press forward and do the work of God, as He alone will restore our joy as we grow in maturity!

 

[Complete]

Just a quick one .... my head knows what I'm supposed to feel/think/believe and I'm 100% behind my head thoughts I am 100% in agreement with God's word. What worries me I don't always FEEL the way I think. For example, the peace of Christ, the Joy, the Spirit, etc. Another example is that I love God with head but I don't feel love for God with my emotion. It's as if my head is 1000 km's ahead of my feelings. I love my neighbour but man oh man I don't feel love for my neighbour. What does this mean? Am I the kind of person who relies too much on emotion or does it mean I'm not truely a believer? I really really want to feel what my head believes, why don't I?

Hello @Lee-Ann,

My heart goes out to you, for I know exactly what you are experiencing.

God wants your faith to rest on His promises, in Christ Jesus, and not on your feelings. He wants your eyes to be stayed on Christ, and not on internal examination. You will not feel. You will not find evidence within yourself. For your confidence must rest on what He has done, and not upon what you will do.

This is the trial of your faith, day by day: the refusal to trust in anything other than what God has said, and the things concerning the finished work of Christ that you have become assured of.

Just praise God that He is preparing you for the days ahead, so that you will be ready to stand by faith in the face of whatever comes your way.

You know that in the person of His Son you are as near to God the Father as He. You are accepted in the Beloved and nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So rejoice that He loves you with an everlasting love, draw near through the reading of His Word and prayer, and refuse to look inward.

With love in Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Complete]

Faith, Hope and Experience were walking along a wall.
Hope was fine as long as he kept his eyes on Faith,
but when he turned around to look at Experience,
he fell off the wall along with Experience,
but Faith went marching on.

 

[Complete]

You know that in the person of His Son you are as near to God the Father as He. You are accepted in the Beloved and nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So rejoice that He loves you with an everlasting love, draw near through the reading of His Word and prayer, and refuse to look inward.

Hello again, Lee-Anne,

You know the above mentioned facts not because you 'feel' them, but because you have heard them and believed them to be true from the Word of God, don't you? They are written. They are not nebulous or insubstantial like feelings and experiences. They are faith's realities, based on God's written word and words.

Praise God!

The finished work of Christ, is the rock upon which we stand.
We shall trust and not be afraid.

In Christ Jesus
Chris

 

[Complete]

'As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
when shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my meat day and night,
while they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?"
When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me:
for I had gone with the multitude,
I went with them to the house of God,
with the voice of joy and praise,
with a multitude that kept holyday.

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise him for the help of His countenance."
O my God, my soul is cast down within me:
therefore will I remember thee ​

from the land of Jordan,
and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
and in the night His song shall be with me,
and my prayer unto the God of my life.​

I will say unto God my rock,
Why hast thou forgotten me?
why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me;
while they say daily unto me, "Where is thy God?"

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise Him,
Who is the health of my countenance,
and my God."'
(Psa 42:1-11)​

Gracious Lord!
Precious Saviour!
May your Name be praised.

In Christ Jesus
Our risen and glorified
Saviour, Lord and Head.

Chris

 

[Ravindran]

Just a quick one .... my head knows what I'm supposed to feel/think/believe and I'm 100% behind my head thoughts I am 100% in agreement with God's word. What worries me I don't always FEEL the way I think. For example, the peace of Christ, the Joy, the Spirit, etc. Another example is that I love God with head but I don't feel love for God with my emotion. It's as if my head is 1000 km's ahead of my feelings. I love my neighbour but man oh man I don't feel love for my neighbour. What does this mean? Am I the kind of person who relies too much on emotion or does it mean I'm not truely a believer? I really really want to feel what my head believes, why don't I?

You are not alone! I think it is quite common for all believers to go through this. At least I do. What helps for me is to reinforce the message. As others said, heart is very deceiving. The important question is, do we follow our hearts to control our soul or we let Spirit of God control our soul. Imagine a little child. We teach them what is right and wrong. It is in their mind now and they know what is the right thing to do. But what they do? They just do opposite of the right thing! And how we deal with such instances? We reinforce the message. we keep telling them the truth. Eventually it will come out in action.
As believers we need the same. We need the truth to be reinforced into our hearts again and again. When we see our emotions not inline with what we know as truth, it is time the truth is reinforced to come out. Spend more time in prayers and Bible reading. These are 2 simple things which go a long way. It is simple, but not easy!

 

[2404]

Just a quick one .... my head knows what I'm supposed to feel/think/believe and I'm 100% behind my head thoughts I am 100% in agreement with God's word. What worries me I don't always FEEL the way I think. For example, the peace of Christ, the Joy, the Spirit, etc. Another example is that I love God with head but I don't feel love for God with my emotion. It's as if my head is 1000 km's ahead of my feelings. I love my neighbour but man oh man I don't feel love for my neighbour. What does this mean? Am I the kind of person who relies too much on emotion or does it mean I'm not truely a believer? I really really want to feel what my head believes, why don't I?

Hello Lee-Ann
Our feeling 'senses' were not given to us to lead us they were given to contact this earthly realm. As you said... we are to be led by the Word.
Can you put a handle on faith?
Of course not - and by faith in God's Word - pleases God...