Do you ever feel like another person's experience of God outshines yours?

Somehow your confidence is shaken because there appears to be a disconnect between your belief in God and your experience of God. You may argue, “If God is really with me, I should feel more of Him in my life”. This way of thinking breeds doubt and erroneous reasoning and it will bend your Christian life around.

If your faith in God is based solely on your experience with Him, you are on shaky ground.

When you prioritise spiritual experiences over trusting God, you will turn away from God and tune in to yourself. Instead of worshipping God, you wonder, "Will God bless me because I serve Him?” “Am I enjoying myself right now as I am worshipping God?” “How do I impress God enough for Him to hear me?” This reduces your relationship with God to a contract that lacks faith, resulting in a performance mentality.

There is suspicion and uncertainty if you measure your Christian life by spiritual experiences. There is assurance and security when you rest your Christian life in Christ.

While it is wonderful to experience God in a real and tangible way, we must not overlook the finished work. The Cross of Christ is at the centre of your Christian faith. The Apostle Paul recognised its significance in the life of a believer and made it the standard of his boast (Galatians 6:14). Furthermore, Paul told the Corinthians that the reality of our human experiences, whether we are living or dying, can never outweigh the greater reality of Christ.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (NKJV)

Faith nourishes our spirit, while feelings feed our flesh. The first connects to the enduring and eternal and the latter one caters to the fading and fleeting. Our confidence in God flows from the truth that it is centred on Christ, and not controlled by certain feelings or encounters.