Why can’t you trust your feelings? We live in a culture of I want what I want when I want it. And if it feels good do it – right? Well, that may be exactly what is wrong. Yes, feelings are important. But they change, moment by moment. And feelings may not be based on truth.
I have had a few new followers based on my posts on suicide and cutting. Yes, I have been delivered from these things. Thank you Jesus! But looking back, I realize how much I made my feelings my God. And if my thoughts were wrong – my feelings were wrong – and my actions were destructive.
According to Psychology Today:
For if our thoughts are erroneous, or based on false assumptions, the feelings tied to these thoughts are bound to be equally distorted—and hardly to be trusted.
The Fickleness of Feelings
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Change over time
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Are sometimes unreliable
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May be based on old hurts
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May betray you
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May be based on false information
Now I am not saying we should be robots. But perhaps we should TEST the voices that we hear in our head. They are not all good. They are not all from God. I Know that when I was plagued with destructive thoughts I would replay the bad messages again and again in my head.
“You are no good”
“You deserve to die”
“Your family would be better off without you”
Now today I know that none of these things are true. They were lies from the Enemy of my Soul – the Devil, the Deceiver, and the Father of Lies. Yet in the past when I dwelt on these thoughts I ended up hurting myself.
My thoughts were not based on Truth. I believed the lies. And I was the one who suffered for it.
Even Dr. Dobson says our feelings should not always be trusted. According to Dr. Dobson:
We are told in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that the devil comes to us as “an angel of light,” which means he counterfeits the work of the Holy Spirit. This is why he is described in profoundly evil terms in the Bible, leaving little room for doubt as to his motives or nature. His character is presented as wicked, malignant, subtle, deceitful, fierce and cruel. He is depicted as a wolf, roaring lion and a serpent. Among the titles ascribed to Satan are these: “Murderer,” “Dragon,” “Old Serpent,” “Wicked One,” “Liar,” “Prince of Devils,” and more than 20 other names which describe a malicious and incomparably evil nature.
These scriptural descriptions of Satan are written for a purpose: we should recognize that the “Father of Lies” has earned his reputation at the expense of those he has damned! And there is no doubt in my mind that he often uses destructive impressions to implement his evil purposes.
Let us test our thoughts today. Let us take every thought captive. God does not want any of us to perish. I am praying for all my friends here battling destructive thoughts. Get help today. I had to. Just because I had a feeling doesn’t mean that it was true. Once my thoughts changed, my feelings changed, and my actions changed.
More Posts on Healing from Destructive Thoughts:
- Depression and What to Do With It (dianarasmussen.com)
- I Cut Today – A Poem Inspired by TWLOHA (dianarasmussen.com)
- Testimony of Deliverance from Domestic Violence (dianarasmussen.com)