Lies We Believe About Our Feelings Series

Lies We Believe about our Feelings

FATHERS’ DAY HISTORY

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father’s day." She thought of the idea for Father’s Day

while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909.

Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was

widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and

his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a

single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a

courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s

Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father’s Day. Then in 1966 President

Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. President

Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

1. Introduction

a. We have been dealing with some of the lies we believe about our lives and how they affect the

way we live. If you believe a lie in one area of your life, it will affect every other area of your

life.

b. Last 2 weeks we looked at “lies we believe about marriage” and “about our children”

i. Hopefully we dispelled the lie that “marriage exists to make ME happy.”

ii. That one will ruin you and your marriage. It affects the way we see life, the way we see

others and the way we see anything that interferes with our selfish pursuit of our own

happiness (even at the expense of someone else’s happiness).

2. This week, we will be looking at the lies we believe about our feelings.

a. If you recall from some of our other teachings that man’s soul is composed of three

interconnected parts: Our mind (thinker), Our will (chooser) and our emotions (our feeler).

b. Our mind and our emotions are “INFORMERS” to our will.

i. Our will is be informed by what we feel and think and make conclusions and decisions.

ii. Our emotions can be very powerful.

iii. That is where we get our first lie:

3. Lie #1: If I feel something it must be true.

a. The world tells us to “follow our hearts” but doesn’t tell us where it will lead us.

b. But Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but who walks wisely, he shall be

delivered."

i. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked.

Who really knows how bad it is?

c. The world has told us that feelings aren’t either right or wrong, and when listening to someone,

we shouldn’t argue with their “feelings” because to them, they are real.

d. While this provides an empathetic atmosphere, I believe that it can also reinforce Satan’s work.

Consider how untrue these “feelings” must be.

i. If I feel unloved then I must be.

ii. If I’m feeling worthless, I must be worthless.

iii. If I feel God has deserted me, then what’s the use of praying.

iv. If I feel like life is hopeless then it must be.

e. The world teaches us that our feelings are the truth.

bob Higgins Page 1 6/17/2006

i. If you “feel” in love, then you should get married.

ii. If you “feel out of love” then you should divorce.

iii. What is missing in this equation is what the truth is.

1. Infatuation is a feeling, romance is a feeling, happiness is a feeling, sadness is a

feeling.

2. But love isn’t a feeling it is a choice.

3. Our decisions must be based on the truth and not on fleeting feelings that change

with the weather, our hormonal levels or our circumstances.

f. If we are to walk in freedom we must realize that our emotions are not always trustworthy.

i. We must be willing to REJECT any feelings that are not consistent with the truth.

ii. This, I believe is one of the applications of “taking every thought captive to the

obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)

iii. Consider the difference between truth and our feelings:

1. Truth is objective.

a. It never changes. It is consistent. It does not change with the weather or

with our circumstances.

b. If God says He forgave us, then whether or not we feel forgiven doesn’t

change the FACT that he has forgiven us!

c. Martin Luther is reputed to have been asked, “Do you feel forgiven?” he