What you think has an impact on how you feel.

Have you ever asked yourself, "If Christ has completely changed me, why don't I feel or act differently?" This way of thinking will cause you to become a "victim" of your feelings rather than believing in the validity of God's grace working in you. Though your feelings cannot change the reality of who you are in Christ, they can hinder your relationship with Him.

Your faith cannot be based on how you feel about yourself. Never let your emotions dictate how much and how far you believe in God. Get out of the trap of feelings and into the truth of faith. Regardless of how you feel, keep believing that God is always at work in you. Learn to believe what God has revealed about you in His gospel, and you will be transformed by its power.

For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)

To believe the gospel is to align your life with what God has purposed for you in Christ. It does not come by your efforts but through the working of God. EnergeĊ is the Greek word for “effectively works or energised”. Consider a heavy-duty machine that was designed to do tough work, but if no one turned on the ignition to start the engine, the machine would be unable to perform the function for which it was intended. God has put every good thing into you through Christ (Philemon 1:6) so that you may live and function according to His will.

Your Christian life should be fuelled by the full force of the gospel rather than the shifting sands of your feelings.

There is an infinite supply of grace in Christ to meet your every need. He can bring you joy when you are in despair, peace when you are in distress, and relief when you are in pain. He can make you fruitful when you are barren, strong when you are weak, and healthy when you are sick. He has the ability to heal a broken family or a bad marriage. He has the ability to resurrect a shattered dream and the power to deliver a defeated soul.