“I don’t feel God loves me…”

This morning I had one of those "arresting" questions. An "arresting" question is one that makes you stop and think! This arresting question comes from Amos 3:2-4:

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"

This question arrested me because I was reviewing some past comments I've received from people in bondage to negative emotions:

• "I don't feel God loves me."
• "I don't have any self-control."
• "I feel bad about myself."
• "I feel all alone."
• "I feel as if there is no hope."
• "I feel unworthy of God's help."
• "I feel trapped in my habits."

Here an important truth you need to meditate on: Just because you feel an emotion does not mean the thought behind it is true! Many negative emotions are based on lying thoughts. Lying thoughts are those that do not agree with God's word. Every lying thought that is in your mind must be "arrested" with the truth from God's word. Otherwise, you are not in agreement and cannot walk with Him in that area! That is why so many Christians are just as oppressed in their emotions and habits as non-believers. This is not what God wants for His people. He wants us to be different. But how can we share the freedom that we have in Jesus with lost people when we haven't fully experienced it ourselves? However, we can start to experience it - starting today. It's time for a Holy Spirit turnaround! Your turnaround doesn't start with your mind, but with a decision in your heart. In speaking about the children of Israel who refused to go into the Promised Land (see Numbers 13), God said:

For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And they do not know My ways (Psalm 95:10).’"

The first place you can get into agreement with God is in your heart. Have you made a decision that you will follow God all the days of your life and come to know His ways? Unfortunately, some professed Christians have left the "Exit" door open. In that way, they can go back into the world if life gets too hard or they experience persecution because of their faith. Jesus talks about such people in the parable of the Sower in Luke 8:13:

But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."

My prayer for myself and for everyone who connects with TBYT is the latter part of 1 Chronicles 29:18:

O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people, and fix their heart toward You."

My prayer is that we fix our heart on the Lord and if there is an Exit door that is cracked open, to close it and nail it shut! Then, with a heart fixed on the Lord, you can make up your mind that you want to learn His ways and agree with His word. In that way, you can walk in step with Him as the Holy Spirit guides you through each day. Will you face opposition as you are working on renewing your mind? Of course! After all, those lying thoughts originate from the enemy. Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies. The devil doesn't want to give up any "squatter's" territory he's taken over in your mind. Here's a sobering thought: Every time you choose to believe those lying thoughts then you agree with the father of lies. In that area, you are walking in agreement with him. So you see, this issue is not a small one. Confronting it is not optional for those who want freedom in Christ Jesus. Let's take those dark, lying thoughts I mentioned earlier and shine the light of God's truth on them. Watch them scatter like cockroaches! "I don't feel God loves me."

• John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Since you were in the world when you got saved, God's love includes you!

"I don't have any self-control."

• Galatians 5:22-23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." As a Believer, you have the Holy Spirit inside of you, so you have the seed of self-control. You just need to grow it.

"I feel bad about myself."

• Psalm 139:14 - "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." Remind yourself that God created you in His image. That is something to feel good about!

"I feel all alone."

• You might feel that way, but you are not alone because God promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you (See Hebrews 13:5)

"I feel as if there is no hope."

• You have Jesus! One of the names He is called in the Bible is "the Hope of Israel" (see Acts 28:20). If you have lost your hope, then that means you had it in the wrong place.

"I feel unworthy of God's help."

• Jesus is worthy. Because of Him, you have the right to this promise: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16)." Yes, that includes you because the scripture does not say "...except for ______________ [fill in your name]."

"I feel trapped in my habits."

• You are not trapped because of Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." God will meet you where you are and if you are willing, He will set you free!

What thoughts do you need to arrest and come into agreement with the Lord? The more you come into agreement with Him, the more you will walk in freedom with Him! Will you choose freedom today? Be blessed with health, healing, and wholeness, Kimberly Taylor Author of the Take Back Your Temple program P.S. When it comes to weight loss, do you often know what you should do but have a hard time doing it? I struggled with this issue on my own weight loss journey, but I discovered that “Nothing is different until you think differently.” The value of the Take Back Your Temple program is that you will learn how to think differently through using Biblical keys to overcome obstacles. You’ll discover how to win the Spiritual and mental battle that often causes us to become inconsistent and get off-track on our weight loss journey. Join a community of like-minded Christians losing weight and keep it off. Click here to learn more about the Take Back Your Temple program