Feelings are an untrustworthy gauge of your relationship with God. Dr. Charles Stanley offers encouragement to a viewer struggling in this area. In Touch Ministries, 2012.

after devoting himself to wisdom

pleasure and personal achievement King

Solomon came to the conclusion that

everything is meaningless have you ever

felt like that that everything you’ve

invested in doesn’t amount to anything

when we come to the end of ourselves

like that God is there waiting for us he

promises that we can return to Him

because he is a gracious and

compassionate God slow to anger and

abounding in love maybe you’re ready to

return to God or to submit your life to

Him for the first time in your life but

how can you draw close to him when you

feel far away well let’s take a look at

the day’s email it reads I’ve made a lot

of mistakes in my past I returned to God

in hopes of reconciliation but I feel no

connection with him when I read my Bible

it always speaks of God’s wrath I don’t

know how to connect with a God who seems

to want to take me out I love that

phrase how can he promise me help and

want to destroy me at the same time I am

delighted to answer your question listen

carefully feelings are untrustworthy an

untrustworthy gauge of your connection

to God we all feel closer at times to

him than at other times

and the reasons can be spiritual or it

can be something physical going on

within us or something emotional

whatever the question might be what

determines our connection nowhere in the

scripture do we find the word feelings

and I remember the first time I would

discover that for myself because I was

struggling with the same thing our

connection is based on a personal

relationship to Jesus Christ and you

mentioned for example the issue of

mistakes are you really saying sins in

your life send results in a spiritual

disconnect always it doesn’t mean that

you’ve lost your salvation you lose your

fellowship your intimacy your sense of

oneness with him sin always brings that

feeling of distance of a disconnect and

Satan takes advantage of that when sin

is present

inevitably there are consequences of sin

and the feeling of a disconnect is

always going to be there now how do we

correct that well first of all let me

say this

God is not trying to take you out

believe me that’s not who he is and when

you mention the fact that every time you

read the Bible it speaks of God’s wrath

I don’t know where you’re reading when I

think about how awesome the Word of God

is and how many times he’s encouraging

us and telling us how He loves us you

know what’s happening you’re finding

those passages because you feel guilty

and somehow your finger goes to the

passage of Scripture that relates to sin

but what I want you to see is this

you’re not disconnected from him that

feeling is disconnecting so what do we

do we acknowledge our sinful acts

whatever they may be that’s causing

these feelings we ask him to forgive us

of our sin we repent of that sin and by

faith we accept his forgiveness not on

the basis that we’ll never sin again we

accept his forgiveness and listen you

have no reason to doubt him you have his

promise

now refuse Satan’s lies he’s the one

who’s telling you that you had

disconnected from God if you get in the

Word of God and begin to read for

example just begin to read in the Psalms

reading the Proverbs for example reading

the Gospels reading the epistles and

what you’re going to find this there’s

this awesome emphasis of our

relationship to him of obeying him and

of his love and His forgiveness over and

over and over again

what you’re feeling is unreal what

you’re feeling is real to you because

you’re going by feelings remember we

said in the beginning you take your New

Testament you go through the entire New

Testament and the word feelings you’ll

not find you’re not disconnected your

relationship your fellowships your

intimacy with him something’s wrong and

that’s something is your attitude toward

something going on in your life or your

unwillingness or maybe you don’t know

how to forgive yourself ask him to

forgive you

claim your position as a child of God

and that means you are forgiven when he

went to the cross he paid your sin debt

in full completely that meant all of

your sin for all times but we don’t

enjoy that unless this confession

repentance and surrender I want to

encourage you God is not trying to take

you out he’s trying to bring you to

himself and love you in such a way that

you can accept his love and his

forgiveness well thank you for being

with us today for in touch God will give

you peace when you surrender your life

to his will obey God leave all the

consequences to him it’s the only way to

enjoy life at its very best