When my wife and I moved to Greenville, South Carolina, one of the first ways we made our new house a home was to hang a decorative flag out front. But every flag we hang inevitably gets twisted and wrapped around the pole. Eventually the breeze changes direction, and it unwinds. Those twisted flags remind me of our feelings.
Our feelings are God-given sensors that help deepen our awareness and enjoyment of life’s great pleasures. Like relief valves, they also help us deal with painful, sad, or stressful experiences. But our feelings are not always to be trusted. They can be twisted like a flag around our flagpole by the winds of new remedies and trendy philosophies.
When Christ sets His children free, He changes everything. We are free, indeed (see John 8:36). Our feelings no longer control us. Our only sure guide, God’s Word, is like the steady flagpole of truth our fickle feelings can get wrapped around. Let’s unfurl and display the banner of His love over us as we walk by faith, not by sight nor by feelings.