Faith is more than feelings. And that’s actually very good news. Let me explain.

Our feelings are important. They tell us things about what we are experiencing. The risk is when we falsely equate certain feelings with the presence of God, or with a “spiritual” idea that we think is God-given. 

For example, if I’m in a worship service and have a wonderfully warm feeling while singing, that’s great. But then if I’m doing something sinful a few days later and have that same warm feeling, I might falsely conclude that that too is from God, when it’s not.

In Jeremiah 17:9 God issues this warning: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” When you look at the logic in the wider passage, the answer is, only God!

In 2 Corinthians 11:14 Paul says: “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Visions or ideas that seem good at first aren’t necessarily from God. 

The same is true for feelings. Dr. Jeremiah Johnston says: “I don’t ‘feel’ my faith because my feelings betray me all the time.”* That’s someone who knows that a strong faith runs deeper than the ebbs and flows of our emotions and fleeing inclinations.

So, why is any of this good news?

First, if you don’t always “feel” the presence of God, that’s okay. Sometimes you can feel his presence, sometimes you can’t, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t there.

Second, your faith is rooted in something much more permanent and trustworthy than your feelings. It is rooted in God’s truth in Christ as revealed in the Bible.

Discernment is needed. Let’s pay attention to our feelings, but not be ruled by them. That job is reserved for the Lord.

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Notes:

-*In his interview with Shawn Ryan, published April 2, 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyuDXp8BlqU
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.