Faith That Persists Above Feelings
By Rick Warren
“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT).
There is a strong belief in our culture that influences every one of us, whether we want it to or not: If it feels good, do it. But when you allow yourself to be manipulated by your moods, you are living your life according to your feelings. God wants you to live a different kind of life. He wants you to live a life of faith, not a life of feelings.
We don’t always feel like doing the right thing. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel like being nice to people. I don’t always feel like washing the dishes with my wife. I don’t always feel like stopping what I’m doing to help someone.
But God can give you the kind of faith that persists above feelings.
Anybody who’s successful at anything does things they don’t feel like doing. An Olympic athlete exercises when she doesn’t feel like it. A great musician practices his craft, even when he’s tired. If you’re going to be a great salesperson, you make calls that other people don’t feel like making.
If you want to deepen your relationship with God, you have to spend time with him even when you don’t feel like it. People who have a regular, consistent quiet time with God didn’t get there because every morning they woke up and wanted to spend time with God. They got there because they woke up and spent time reading the Bible and praying even if they were tired or didn’t feel like it.
Faith is being persistent. Faith is refusing to give up no matter how tired you are or how many other things you think you should or wish you could be doing.
The Bible talks about how you can begin to develop persistence in your life through the example of Moses. Hebrews 11:27 says, “It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (NLT).
That’s how you get there. That’s how you persist — you begin to see the invisible. Only those who see God for who he really is can persist in the most difficult times of life. Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible. Believe in faith what God can do in your life, and thank him in advance for how he is going to work.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
What is the danger in living your life according to your feelings?
What changes might help you persist in a regular quiet time with God?
What do you need to see about God that will help you persist in faith?
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Put Jesus at the center of your Christmas!
Many people step into the Christmas season run down and worn out. And by the time January rolls around, they’re so exhausted that they’ve completely missed the real reason for the season.
But there’s really no better time to recalibrate your heart toward Jesus than during the holidays. And Pastor Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose of Christmas, can help you fill your Christmas with more of God’s love and peace by making Christ the center of your life.
This resource shows you . . .
• What Christmas means for your salvation
• How to surrender to God’s will
• Practical steps to overcome discouragement
• Why we celebrate Christmas at all
• How Christmas can be a time to make peace with others
The Purpose of Christmas is our way to thank you for your gift below to help more people learn, love, and live the Word – so request your copy when you give!
From all of us at Daily Hope, may you experience God’s peace and joy this holiday season!
This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.