day no. 15,213: refusing to pay the feeling tax

Q: How can I stop doing whatever I feel like and start doing what God commands?

Feelings are despots. They rule fanatically, flippantly and without foresight. They live in the moment and in those moments they demand every atom pay them attention. They exact taxes from their citizens without restriction. But what if you're tired of their tyranny and plotting a hostile takeover? What is the best way to storm the castle, kill the king and restore the rightful heir to the throne? Begin by refusing to pay the feeling tax. Start there and with the savings begin assembling a rebel army.

James 4:6-8
But God gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

At first, every one of us is ignorant of how much our feelings are driving our lives, decisions, dilemmas, etc... By God's grace, His Spirit begins by revealing to us this reality. This is helpful because previously we didn't even know our hearts weren't trustworthy. But once we realize this is true, we still have a deceitful heart trained by years of habits to contend with and we feel worse, not better. Again, God in His grace, enters in and helps us begin to see in hindsight situations where our hearts were driving and begins revealing to us what we should have done in retrospect. But this only makes us better at repenting of sin, which is another step in the right direction, but not all the way to where we want to be yet. The next step is realizing that you're listening to your heart in the very same moment that you're doing it. This is an improvement chronologically speaking over the previous progress because now you realize you're doing it WHILE you're doing it. But this, again, is not yet the end. It is, in that moment, the ability to trust in God and say, "Yes" to Him and, "No" to self while your self is looming large and at its strongest. This is the place we want to be. To be in temptation, hearing self whisper deceptive sweet nothings and endure the attack by responding, "“Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’" When we do this, the devil leaves us like he left Jesus and angels minister to us as they did Him.

Hebrews 1:14
Are angels not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?