The matter of feelings and the Holy Spirit is confusing to me. Is it confusing to you?
I am a feeler, through and through. Despite that, I often find life more manageable when I rely on tried and true history—this worked before, so it should work now. Sometimes I’m afraid to trust what I’m feeling, even if I think it will make me grow, because what if things get out of control?
The other side of the issue is where the Holy Spirit begins and feelings end. I’ve written about feelings, good and bad, before. If you know me you know I believe they’re necessary to our roles as people who worship and experience God. But what part of our experience do we credit to the Spirit and trust entirely, and what part do we push off on our feelings and look at with suspicion? Suspicion is a strong word, but the heart can be deceitful.[1]
In John 16:13, Jesus says that when the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide us into all truth. I see this as another beautiful picture of faith. Jesus asks us to come to Him like little children, in trust. When He departed, He sent the Comforter, the Spirit of truth to be with us. Who better to comfort our worried minds than the Spirit who knows all truth?
By sending the Spirit, Jesus calls us all to follow that Spirit. I reiterate that call to myself and to you. Don’t let your fear of following feelings block you from following the Spirit. Don’t let the safety of tried and true structured life keep you from stepping out into a richer, fuller life with Jesus. I can warn about deceitful feelings as much as I want, but in the end it comes down to trust that the Spirit of truth will show us the truth when we earnestly seek it.
Do seek it earnestly, dear readers. Your life will never be so full of peace as when you hold the truth of God and follow it.
[1] Jeremiah 17:9