Feelings Lie

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” – I John 3:18

It’s true that actions speak much louder than words. It’s easy for us as men to say something but it’s an entirely different thing to back up what we say through our actions. Often, we may not feel like doing something we know we should do such as working out, praying, studying, etc. Keep in mind that action invokes feelings, meaning if you take action even though you don’t feel like it, the feelings can grow.

Take for instance the marriage that’s on the rocks because the man doesn’t feel love for his wife anymore. Well, if he would get his eyes off other women or pornography and start acting in a loving way toward her such as buying flowers for her, taking her for a walk, holding her hand in public, doing something romantic for her, listening to her, etc. those feelings for her are bound to start coming back inside. If he will starve himself from fantasizing about other woman as well, she will become more desirable to him, even if she’s not as pretty or skinny as when they first met.

A fact of life is you cannot trust how you feel! Many people will tell you to follow your heart but that many times results in disaster because your heart’s feelings will lie to you. This is why you need to be wise and think through every situation and weigh it with fact, truth, and what’s right before God. I know, not as fun but much better for you moving forward as a wise man. Take action to do what’s right before God and look to him to bring the joy that comes from living an obedient life. Many men today don’t live their life in this fashion but this will set you apart as a man from the crowd of followers. Going through life with just good intentions isn't enough. You must do the right thing following after character, integrity, and what's right before God. This is a huge challenge and very difficult but God promises to bless your obedience. It's one of my greatest struggles but I know God is ready to forgive when I fall and get me back on the right track and let my actions match-up with my good intentions and words.

Action invokes feeling.