Have you ever considered what an important role feelings play in our lives?
For most people life is about the pursuit of feelings and emotions. Everything about this world system is geared toward artificially exciting feelings and emotions. All entertainment is designed to do that. The movies that people watch over and over are those that make them to cry, laugh, or move them to a state of dreamy, romantic bliss. Music is all about producing feelings, and in fact, music is the language of emotion. That is why music has moral quality and is not just a matter of taste and opinion. The music is good or evil not only because of what the words say, but what the music itself is saying. The music itself produces feelings in the heart and mind of those who hear it without any words being sang or spoken. People listen to music for the feelings it produces, not just for the words that are sung, and every song is designed to artificially produce some kind of emotion.
What is wrong with feelings?
Did not God make us to have feelings? Of course He did, and there is nothing wrong with feelings in and of themselves, they are the vital signs of a living soul. The problem is that when we allow the world to influence us we begin to live on artificially created feelings and emotions. It becomes almost like a drug and we become addicted to it. We develop such an appetite for emotion that our life becomes entirely about the pursuit of feelings, even though they are not based upon real things. People simply cannot get enough television, movies, electronic games, sports, or music. That is why these things have become money machines for those who make them - they are the drug dealers of emotions. When sin entered into this world it turned everything upside down and backwards. Feelings and emotions are something that sets us apart from all the other creatures. We are made in the image and likeness of God and our hearts feel, like his does. Feelings were meant by God to be a blessing to us and to Him because our feelings were designed to be fulfilled and enjoyed first of all in God and in the things that are connected to God, but also in the real things of life. Our emotions were meant to be exercised fully by loving our wives, our children, our Christian brethren and experiencing life together with them. By God's design ALL feelings were good and wonderful in the beginning. Before sin entered the world there was no pain, no sorrow, no fear, and no crying. No one knew what heartache and bitterness of soul were. Sin has brought feelings into our souls that hurt and grieve. Because they can hurt us so bad we seek to avoid the bad feelings and seek for good ones, even if it means we have to leave reality and live in a dream world to experience them. Although men are not aware of what they are doing, the fact is, they are seeking for that state of bliss that was God's original design. They want to be happy and not hurt. So life is about seeking those feelings and trying to establish a state of existence where those happy feelings can be maintained. But you cannot do that in the imaginary world of entertainment.
Sin has turned feelings into our guide instead of our blessing.
Feelings lead to actions. It is common to hear people say, "Just follow your heart," but the Bible says in Proverbs 28:26: "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." So according to the Word of God, a person who follows their heart is a fool, and is going to end up in a mess. All sin is preceded by feelings. Think about that! All these shipwrecked lives happened because someone was following their feelings. All our major decisions in life are affected by feelings, if not based completely on them. Almost all people who get married do so simply based on feelings. They are "in love" and nothing else matters - "we will live on love," they often say. The facts are that far more than half of those who do get married do not stay married more than 2 or 3 years. What happened to that wonderful feeling? People also formulate their idea of God and what He is like based on feelings. They want a God that pleases them and always makes them feel good. They want a religion that excites them and stirs their feelings, especially in a church setting. This is why there are so many false prophets who will present God this way and ignore those things the Bible says about Him that might not make sinners feel so good. Most religion is based upon, and maintained by feelings. It is about feeling excited and emotional and not about truth. The right kind of feelings and emotion will follow when God's truths are preached and understood in a soul, but they will be the result of understanding the truth and based on truth and reality instead of fantasy. It will not work to try to artificially excite emotions about God in an attempt to lead someone to the truth. Most child rearing is carried out according to the selfish feelings of the parents, and not with an eye to the future welfare and life of the child. "Let not thy soul spare for his crying," Proverbs 19:18 says, but since discipline and saying "no" to a child is not pleasant and does not produce a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart most will avoid it and instead do those things that make THEM feel good, to the detriment of the child.
People just like to have their feelings stirred.
It is an almost twisted thing, but people obviously like to be made sad and cry, also. If that were not so worldly music would not be so popular, because most of it is full of woe and sorrow. What are the themes of most country music songs? What is this music about that they call "the blues?" Rock music has evolved from sad stories of failed romance to hatred, violence, rebellion, and suicide. Why do people love songs, movies, books, and stories that make them cry? It is because they love to have their feelings stirred, even if it is in a negative manner. It is amazing when you study and begin to consider what this electronic age has done to the past few generations. When radio started broadcasting programs they were all about drama, comedy, and mystery. The people of the world were flooded with an avalanche of new ways to have their feelings stirred. Their minds were captured and they began to feed daily on a diet of emotional entertainment that left God completely out of the picture. Movies became popular and then television came along and all of it was about stirring emotions and feelings. It progressed rapidly as new ways to stir feelings had to be sought out all the time. Of course, the best way to stir the strongest feelings in people is to start appealing to their carnal nature, and so just about all the entertainment of our day has degenerated into immorality and perversion. Many, many churches have fallen into the same trap and use the same method of stirring emotions with artificial means in the hope of leading people to the truth. But the truth gets lost in the excitement and it becomes all about new ways to stir emotions every week.
What is the danger of being overly emotional?
When you use your hands to labor they get callused and when your feelings are continually artificially stirred your heart will become callused, also. We have a different generation now and it includes a lot of people who apparently cannot feel anything anymore. Cold-blooded killers and cruel-hearted people who can do anything to someone else without showing any emotion at all. People sit in movie theaters or at home in front of their TV and watch people do immoral, dirty, cruel things to others without being moved at all in their feelings. What used to be forbidden on TV news is now commonly displayed without even any warning about its content. Nakedness and profanity are not even considered inappropriate, but also blood and gore and the most horrific sights of death and evil that men can do to one another are there for all to see every day. They can broadcast things like that because so many people are now beyond feelings.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, … having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (unable to feel anything) 1 Tim. 4:1-2
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Eph. 4:19
So we should all guard our hearts and be careful about what we allow to affect our feelings and our emotions.
Because most people live in this fantasy world of induced emotions and feelings they become phony and shallow themselves in all their relationships. Life becomes one drama after another, or one comedy after another, and everything is temporary. In light of all this it is no wonder that true love and commitment is such a rare thing in our modern world when it comes to marriage, family, church, and God. When one show is over, just change the channel and start another one.
We should live in reality and avoid the fantasy life in which almost the entire world is living. We should not allow our emotions and our feelings to be captured and manipulated by the entertainment industry of this world, but exercise them in the real things of life for which God intended them, such as God, family, friends, and fellow Christians. Artificially induced feelings can become like a drug that takes control of our life so that we are always seeking another emotional fix. It can render our hearts hard and callused, so that we are unable to feel the things we should. We should not allow our feelings to be our guide. Let our joy be in the Lord and the things that are connected with Him and his kingdom. Let us worship God and not our feelings. Let us live in reality and truth and experience feelings and emotions the way God meant for us to. After all, that is what we were made for and it is the only way we can really be happy.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phil. 4:8
Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD. Psalm 144:15
Mike Miller
Thursday, October 27, 2011
