I have good news and bad news. The good news is your right-standing with God (your righteousness in Christ) is never based on your feelings. The bad news is, by nature, we are carnal people. And it takes training to discern the difference and choose wisely.

To be carnal means to be motivated by the things of the flesh– it’s basically the opposite of being spiritual. One definition says to be carnal is to be merely human. This is understandable but there’s a problem. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

This scripture is talking about our lives before Christ, and how (for the most part) we were raised to live by how we feel. But after salvation, we can’t continue to operate that way because feelings aren’t always accurate. Instead of leaning more on our natural understanding and how we feel about a situation, we need the Holy Spirit, guided by the Word of God, to help us discern and respond correctly (or spiritually).

This requires training.

“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:13-14).

When we talk about our senses, we’re referring to touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing. The Bible says that those who are of full age are those who have learned to navigate their senses wisely. But remember, “full age” isn’t necessarily a reference to chronological years– it’s referring to maturity. And this is why “babes” are those who are unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness– God’s way of doing and being made right.

But notice what this verse reveals: those who BY REASON OF USE (those who have fallen and gotten back up, who have trained themselves in God’s Word with the help of the Holy Spirit) are the ones with maturity and understanding.

If we look at this in the natural, we see children learn by reason of use everyday. They experiment and grow, no matter how many times they fall along the way.

This principle is the same for spiritual things.

Hebrews 5:12 in the New Living Translation says, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you the basic things about God’s Word.” This is sad but true.

In other words, if we don’t learn and begin to apply God’s Word to our lives, we not only remain in the beginner (infant) stage permanently, but we also become prey for the enemy because it’s dangerous to always live by your how you feel (the flesh).

The Bible says to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). One mentality separates us from God (makes us feel distant in our mind and emotions), while the other makes looks for and allows God’s Word to guide their thoughts and feelings in every situation.

What we need is discernment.

Even as born-again, children of God (viewed as the righteousness of God in Christ), the truth is, if you always live by your feelings, trouble will always be waiting for you. The devil loves to play on your feelings– he knows he can slow you down or stop you altogether if he can get you to react emotionally.

Remember, FAITH and FEELINGS are not the same thing.

God’s Word never changes. However, your feelings change constantly, depending on your circumstances (or lack of sleep or food or many other scenarios). So if your faith is in your feelings (which can and do change), then your faith will imitate your feelings by constantly changing as well. And that’s not good.

But if your faith is in God’s Word (which never changes), then your faith won’t waver either— regardless of your circumstances or your feelings.

It takes training but I encourage you to start using your faith today. Practice choosing God’s Word over your emotions and watch your faith grow stronger and stronger.