I have heard many people in church say, "I just do not feel saved." Others would say, "I want to feel his presence." Are these legitimate desires? Maybe. Are they realistic? No. The fact that faith accompanied by feelings is as unrealistic as a pig growing wings and fly.
Years ago, I fell into the lie that I do not feel saved. It was during my sophomore year in college when I approached a pastor who was preaching our fall revival services at East Texas Baptist University (ETBU)and told him I just do not feel saved. He looked me straight in the eye and said, you cannot base your faith on feelings. How true that statement was.
We can be tempted to believe that God will give us some kind of peachy feeling to accompany our salvation and when we do not feel "it," we think we commit some sin that ticked God off. The truth is the Bible never promises any feelings to accompanied our salvation. There will be times when you do not feel saved, like when you do not get enough sleep (how many of us have done that?)
The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), not our feelings. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." I do not see faith accompanied by feelings anywhere in that verse.
Faith in God means to hanging onto Him when you do not feel like you are close to Him, which you already are because of Jesus (Ephesians 2:13). You're feeling will mislead you into thinking God does not love or give a rip about you anymore. When your feelings start making you think that, go to the Bible. The Bible is the final authority for all believers not our feelings.
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