As a young believer, I was influenced by a verse from the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are those who hunger and thrist for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6, NASB). I hungered and thirsted after righteousness with all my heart. I spent long days of fasting and prayer, and crying out to God for His power to be released in and through my life. Then God graciously answered me by helping me to understand that the emotional experience that I was seeking was not His priority for me. Through my study of the Bible I realized He was calling me to live a life of faith as an act of my will in obedience to His commands.
This is a hard concept to grasp in our culture. We have been taught that experience is the priority in life. We search for a career that makes us happy. We marry because we feel romantic love. We develop relationships with people who make us feel good.
God does not devalue emotions. In fact, sometimes feelings are the way that God gets our attention, moves us, and makes us aware of His presence. But experiences and emotions are unreliable. they change and cannot be sustained. They also can lead us in the wrong direction. God wants us to enjoy our emotions, but He expects us to build our faith on our will.
God's Word changed me and helped me to see that He wanted me to surrender my will to Him. When I did that, I drew on the supernatural resources that are available to me through Christ. My hunger and thirst were fulfilled, and I have enjoyed many wonderful years of adventurous walking with Christ.
(Bill Bright - Discover the Book God wrote - pag. 154)
*NASB - New American Standard Bible
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