Feelings or faith?

For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. – 1 John 3.20-21

Some days I feel like I must be the most rotten Christians on earth. Maybe I get angry or discontent or fearful or doubting. Maybe I say the wrong thing or have the wrong thoughts or respond the wrong way. Maybe I feed my lusts and desires. Maybe I am mean or hateful or ugly to others. 

When that happens I feel pretty miserable. I condemn my own self. I don’t even feel saved. Satan can get into my head and my heart can condemn me to the point where I become weak and powerless.

But when my heart condemns me God is greater than my heart because there is no condemnation to those who have put their faith in Christ. Following our feelings instead of our faith will destroy us.  God wants us to have our confidence in Him, not our feelings. The evidence that we have to confidence is if we don’t let our heart condemn us. 

No, we are not going to be perfect. Yes, we need to deal with our sin by confession and forsaking it. But there is no room for condemnation. My merit today is in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and that ought to produce confidence.