APRIL THEME – “SEEING THE RESURRECTION FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE”

BEATS FROM YOUR PASTOR’S HEART

When Your Feelings Lead Instead of Truth

Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

Feelings are real, but they are not reliable leaders, and many people today are not being led by truth but by whatever they feel in the moment, allowing emotions to determine direction instead of allowing God’s Word to anchor their life. God never intended for your emotions to lead you, because while they reveal what is happening inside of you, they were never designed to determine what you do next, and when feelings take the lead, truth gets pushed to the side.

EMOTIONS ARE INDICATORS, NOT AUTHORITIES

Your emotions can reveal what is happening within you, but they were never meant to control your decisions, because when you allow feelings to take authority, you begin to move based on what is temporary instead of what is true. There will be moments when what you feel directly contradicts what God has said, because you may not feel forgiven even though God says you are, you may not feel strong even though His strength is available, and you may not feel hopeful even though His promises are sure, and if you follow your feelings in those moments, you will drift away from truth instead of standing in it. Spiritual maturity is not the absence of emotion but the discipline of submitting emotion to truth, choosing to believe God even when your feelings disagree.

EMOTIONAL LEADERSHIP CREATES INSTABILITY

When feelings lead your life, your direction becomes unstable, because your decisions begin to fluctuate based on your mood and your circumstances instead of being anchored in God’s Word. Over time, you begin to trust your internal responses more than God’s truth, and this creates a cycle where your life is constantly shifting instead of being steady and grounded. The enemy often targets your emotions because they are immediate and powerful, and if he can stir fear, offense, insecurity, or discouragement, he can influence your decisions without ever changing the truth, but truth does not change just because your feelings do.

TRUTH MUST LEAD, EVEN WHEN FEELINGS ARE LOUD

You must learn to pause and ask, “What does God say about this?” before you respond, because that question will anchor you when everything inside of you feels unstable. Living by truth means you respond based on what is written, not what is felt, and you choose obedience over emotion even when it is difficult. When truth leads your life, you begin to walk in stability, clarity, and confidence, because your foundation is no longer shifting with every feeling but standing firm on God’s unchanging Word.

Feelings are like the weather because they are constantly changing, unpredictable, and influenced by what is happening around you, but truth is like the foundation of a house because it is steady, unmoving, and able to support everything built upon it, and you do not build your life on the weather—you build it on something that holds. If you allow your feelings to lead, your life will remain unstable and inconsistent, but when you allow truth to lead, your life becomes steady and grounded, because truth does not change even when your emotions do, and the key to spiritual stability is not eliminating feelings but bringing them into alignment with what God has already said.

WARFARE PRAYER

Lord, in Jesus’ name, I take authority over every emotion that has been leading me away from Your truth, and I refuse to be controlled by fear, insecurity, discouragement, or confusion, and I declare that Your Word will be the authority in my life. Help me to trust You even when my feelings are loud and conflicting, and give me the strength to submit every emotion to Your truth so that I walk in stability, clarity, and obedience. Anchor my heart in what You have said, guard my mind from deception, and teach me to respond in alignment with Your Word, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

DAILY CHALLENGE

Before making any decision today, pause and ask, “What does God say about this?” and choose to follow His truth instead of your feelings, because every time you do, you strengthen your ability to live a life that is anchored, stable, and led by Him.

FRIDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS

Susan Bankston

David Franklin

Ann Stanley  

Britany Smith ~ Breast Cancer

Christopher & Yting Kelley

Danny Jarrard  

Ellen Boyd 

Jillian Gray 

Kim McClain’s Daughter, Amanda

Mary Williams

Mateen – Kim McClain’s Sister

Mike And Paula Ferris And Family  

Nancy Riley

Phillip Roach

Theresa Bain

Wes Knight

Amy Garner’s Dad

Andrea Nix– Friend of the Shelnutt’s

Angela Bryan’s Sisters

Annette Ford

Brando Echarte

Carol Lawhead – Riverside in Conyers

Darlene Kelley – Cancer Treatment

Darlene Wiggins

Debbie Foskey 

Deon Lotter

Don And Carol Franklin – Mae’s Cousins

Don Franklin’s Son, David

Doris Loyd

Dr. and Mrs. Davis

Ed Adkins – Friend of Brian Edwards

Ed Franklin’s Son In Law – Heart Surgery

Eric Magnusson’s Mother

Eric Ward

Friend of Linda Hodge

Gayle Sparks

Gloria Young

Jake Jenkins

James Burnette

Jean Partee

Jean Partee’s Sister

Jessica Headrick  

John McClain’s Mother

Joni Oberhage

June Cronan

June Cronan’s Sister

June Davis

Kailey Bateman

Kim McClain’s Mother 

Kim’s Sisters – Ann & Brenda & Mateen

Lillianna Magnusson’s Mom

Linda Mays

Lonzo Christian 

Lori Blount’s Mother

Mary Williamson – Dana Jackson’s Mom

Mrs. Franklin 

Nancy Brown

Nora Allison

Paul Bateman

Ron And Johnnie Barry – Friends Of Ashton & Glenda Bateman

Rose Fuller – Pruitt-Monroe Nursing Home, Forsyth GA

Roy Roach

Sandra Mitchell

Scott Lanier 

Scotty Nix

Stephanie Seivers – Friend of the Shelnutt’s

Steve Michaels

Tammy Shelnutt

Tom Witcher