Truth or My Feelings?

“We are never told anywhere in Scripture that we are saved by our feelings; we are told that we are saved by believing.  ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ Never once are feelings put into the primary position.  Now this is something we can do.  I cannot make myself happy, but I can remind myself of my belief.  I can exhort myself to believe, I can address my soul as the Psalmist did in Psalm 42: ‘Why art thou cast down O my sou, and why art thou so disquieted within me?  Hope thou’ … believe thou, trust thou.  This is the way.  And then our feelings will look after themselves.  Do not worry about them. Talk to yourself, and though the devil will suggest that because you do not feel, you are not a Christian, say:  ‘No, I do not feel anything, but whether I feel or not, I believe the Scriptures. I believe God’s Word is true and I will stay my soul on it.  I will believe in it come what may’.  Put belief in the first place, hold on to it.  Yes, J.C. Philpot was right at that point, the child of the light is sometimes found walking in darkness, but he goes on walking.  He does not sit down and commiserate with himself - that is the thing - the child of light walking in darkness.  He does not see the face of the Lord at this point, but he knows that He is there; so he goes on.”

- D.Martyn Lloyd-Jones