Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

"If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don't ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success."¹

Old habits and old beliefs die hard. For centuries people believed Aristotle's opinion that the heavier an object was, the faster it would fall to earth.

According to a report I read, in 1589 Galileo challenged Aristotle's teaching. He invited learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Galileo went to the top of the tower and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant, but the professors still wouldn't believe what they saw. They insisted Aristotle was right.

Once again, here is another case of people believing what they want to believe. It's like the old saying, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's made up."

Some of us avoid facing facts because they're too threatening. Others of us don't face reality because it's not in sync with our feelings. I'm a great believer in acknowledging feelings but I can't always trust my interpretation of them. There are times I just need to face the facts, grit my teeth, and do what the Bible says I should or shouldn't do regardless of my feelings. It is much wiser to trust God's Word rather than my feelings.

How foolish it would be to be driving on a highway and disregard a major warning "danger ahead" sign because we don't feel the sign is correct. Maturity recognizes one's feelings, checks them out for reality, and doesn't allow them to control him or her. When it comes to life, if our feelings don't harmonize with God's Word, we'd better follow God's Word rather than make our feelings the voice of authority, which can be a very dangerous path to follow, especially when it comes to eternal life and eternal values.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to always be aware of my feelings, acknowledge and accept them, express them appropriately whenever necessary, but never allow them to control me blindly. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (TLB)(NLT).

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