Feelings are not facts.

I adopted this mantra a while ago, determined to not let myself be led solely by my feelings, or to fall prey to believing the damaging and self deprecating thoughts that so often run through my mind, and to separate reality from the over exaggerated and anxiety laced fiction that feelings can so often cause you to believe. Feelings are messy. Feelings are hard. Feelings are unpredictable. Feelings keep you up at night. So then here comes Radius with a series called Felt, focusing on Jesus’ feelings, and I’m instantly a little uncomfortable.

And let’s face it, didn’t we all have enough discomfort during the conflict series?

In Matthew 21:12, we see a Jesus who’s angry enough to enter the temple and start flipping over the tables of the money changers. I feel you, Jesus. I’ve wanted to flip some tables in my day too, although probably not for the same reasons. My anger usually has more to do with feeling wronged or seeing someone I love wronged, whereas Jesus’ anger came as a result of seeing these tables act as roadblocks to people coming to temple to experience God. As soon as Jesus removed these obstacles, people once again were able to come and begin experiencing healing and praising God’s name.

I can’t help but wonder what obstacles we have set up in our lives that prevent us from fully understanding and accessing what God has for us and for those around us. In my own temple, unforgiveness and resentment have definitely set up some tables, and their currency is bitterness, jealousy, and disappointment. The fact is that sometimes life hands us a crummy hand and we often let the resulting feelings of those experiences set up camp for far too long. These negative feelings will rob us and stunt our growth for as long as we let them. Feelings are not facts, but the fact is that feelings can wreak havoc on our hearts, minds, and faith. So let’s all take an honest inventory of the thoughts, habits, feelings, or experiences that are preventing us from allowing God to have full access to our hearts. And then let’s get angry and start flipping some tables and driving those thieves out.

“Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:21-22‬ ‭