The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” ~Psalm 12:6

Scripture: Inspiration, Infallibility, Inerrancy. 

Inspiration: Breathed out by God

Infallibility: Scripture is incapable of teaching error

Inerrancy: Translations may err, but the original manuscripts penned by the prophets and apostles do not.

Do you believe Scripture? Do you really believe Scripture? What I really am asking is, when you read Scripture do you believe that Scripture is sufficient? Do you believe Scripture is all you need to equip you for a life of faith and service?

Included in our “life of faith and service” is our marriage and family. To be able to navigate marriage, children, and being the keeper of the home, we must anchor our faith in the God of Scripture, the Breath of God. If we do not then will be very ill equipped. We are ill equipped when our hearts (The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Jer 17:9)talk to us and want us to believe contrary to Scripture, when our feelings become the “canon” we consult and we act on that false “canon” of heart and feelings.

When we elevate our feelings over Scripture we forsake the healing, growth and peace that God as offered to those that love Hime. We have been told over and over in Scripture that we should be self-controlled, not rash in our thinking, acting, or talking. So why is the “canon” of feelings and “listening to your heart” a rising trend in the Church? 

Do you think that it is largely because we have abandoned Scripture to feed our flesh and our feelings? If you said yes, you would be correct. We are in a day and age where you can take Christians to Scripture, shedding light on their situation, trouble or question and maybe rushed through just to hear them say, “But you are not listening to me, you aren’t hearing what I am going through; that isn’t helping me.” 

And what do they mean?

They mean that Scripture does not give them immediate relief in the way they want. Their heart tells them “better’ on what they should do. Their feelings. Do I understand this? Of course, I do, I was very young in my faith and I did not believe in the Sufficiency of Scripture, although I said I did. But I really did not. My feelings reigned in my heart and actions. I esteemed my heart above God’s Holy Word. 

Why do you think I was vulnerable to this state of idolatry? I was vulnerable and succumbed to this form of self-idolatry because I did not believe God. 

I did not seek out the Scripture for the Truth. 

My heart said I deserved. Scripture said I deserved nothing. My heart said I needed to seek satisfaction. Scripture said I should be longsuffering. My heart told me that I should pity myself. Scripture told me I was to be grateful, the opposite of self-pity. My heart told me I deserved to be happy. Scripture told me that I needed to be content in all circumstances. 

There is no peace in listening to your heart, listening to your feelings. There is no peace in the futility of self-love. When we love and serve ourselves, we find ourselves frustrated, angry, and discontent. We find ourselves in this sad state because our heart is not God. 

But when we are selfless and serve others we pour out the love that God has poured into us. God’s Truth is our conduit to real peace, love, security, contentment, and self control. God’s Truth tamps down the love for self and magnifies the love for others.

Don’t look to yourself, don’t try to be you own savior. Your feelings and your heart are insufficient to give you peace. God’s Word is sufficient for all of life. But you must believe Him. You must trust Him.

I am sometimes discouraged to hear that the god of feelings and heart is being adopted by so many in the Church. Feelings are being held higher than Scripture.

People are looking to self and not looking to Christ. Christ suffered, we are to be little Christs but we don’t want to suffer. Suffering is hard. Submitting is hard. Leading is hard. Obeying is hard. 

But isn’t an anxious heart hard? Isn’t a strife-filled home, hard? Isn’t being contentious hard. Isn’t trying to usurp your husband’s authority hard? Isn’t not submitting hard? Isn’t your children’s not obeying hard. 

But we want our children to obey, don’t we? God’s Word tells us that our children should obey, that we are to not spare the rod and spoil the children. Could you imagine your children coming to you and saying, “God would not want me to endure your spankings and your punishments for my disobedience.” And you would begin to tell them what Scripture does prescribe and they would answer, “But my heart tells me differently and I want to go with my heart, you don’t seem to be hearing me, please understand my dilemma, why are you discounting my situation, my suffering”?

Do you see where I am going here? We expect our children to obey God. The doctrine of children is rooted in Scripture, and so should all of life be. Our doctrine of marriage, family, Church, work etc….

We don’t get to pick and choose. Our hearts do not dictate our marriage and saving Scripture only for Church and Children. Scripture is not to submit to our heart, but our hearts are to submit to Scripture.

The #metoo movement has caused more women, even in the Church, to have felt a bit of false “empowerment” to manipulate, coerce, and seek to rule over their own husbands. 

Their hearts have lied to them. And they have believed their hearts and feelings because of their rejection of what God has said in His Inspired, Infallible, and Inerrant Scripture. 

My counsel to myself and other women will always be to trust and believe God. Act on His Word. Practice (orthopraxy) His commands, and don’t entertain the false “canon”  the feelings , of our hearts.