Feelings are not always a sure indication of truth?
No matter how deeply felt, our emotions can end up betraying us.
Falling “madly” in love with someone doesn’t necessarily mean that person is right for us. Certainly, in the moment it feels that way. But since falling in love can be more emotional than rational, we need to be extremely careful about making an immediate commitment. Our falling in love may turn out in the long run to be nothing more than infatuation.
You see how some people think they can trust their beliefs in just about anything, simply because they feel strongly about them.
Take for example – the Pharisees in the Bible. Jesus pointed out to them that they were believing in a lie (John 8:43-47).
And, while sincerely believing they were right – their false beliefs led those Pharisees to call for the death the Son of God.
Our convictions – no matter how strong – are insufficient for determining what is ultimately true!
Our thoughts, our feelings, and our desires, are very important. But we should not place sole reliance on subjective means to determine what is true.
Jesus teaches us that to determine truth we must ABIDE in HIS WORD.
This is, why Christians love the Bible and are eager to submit our feelings and beliefs to God’s Word … not the other way around.
And relating that to the Book of Mormon which Joseph Smith said was the “most correct of any book on earth” – we have come to discover it has had over 3,913 changes.
You have asked me to pray about the Book of Mormon to know that it is true. But rather than relying on a good feeling to tell me it’s true – I only need to read it to see the apparent contradictions, anachronisms, plagiarisms, and lack of physical evidence – to know that logically and scripturally it cannot be true.
You see, Elders, feelings are not a reliable guide to knowing truth about spiritual matters.
The Bible frequently tells us to study diligently and meditate on God’s word. People go into error, not because they lack an emotional experience, but because they lack knowledge of the Scriptures.
The Bible points out that we should pray for wisdom and knowledge (James 1:5-8).
Yes, it does say to pray for wisdom and knowledge but, that is different than praying for a feeling or a “burning in the bosom”. The prayer for wisdom and knowledge is answered when we study God’s word – The Bible. To ask God to tell us right from wrong by a feeling, would be an unscriptural prayer. By trusting in feelings, we show a lack of respect for what God has ALREADY told us in His Word.
Then the bottom line is – our MINDS should govern our emotions and feelings.
