We live in a world that has an ever-changing culture because due to the belief that we can live by our feelings. The belief of I can do or be whatever I feel like causes our culture to be on a constant roller coaster. I did live in a time when I allowed what I felt to control what I did or how acted and when I lived like that I was the
unhappiest I had ever been in my entire life. Our feeling are all over the place and can lead us in crazy directions. And that is basically what we see on a daily basis all round us.
As a believer in Jesus it can be difficult to know how to express love without condoning things that are not biblical. Pastor Chris Hodges does just that in his book The Daniel Dilemma. Pastor Chris walks you through the toughest situations that Daniel found himself in during his lifetime. I have been through some tough times but I can honestly say I have never faced lions in a den.
Daniel experienced many tests of his faith. It would have been easy for him to given into his feelings but his faith had to override his feelings. Chris dives in deep in the life of Daniel and brings to light how we can use Daniels example to “stand firm and love well in a culture of compromise.”
The book is filled with more “ahhs” than I could possible write without rewriting the entire book. But If I can leave you with one bit it would be from page 130, Pastor Hodges writes:
“Despite what God’s Word says, and in spite of our won past experiences, we still tend to think our feelings can be trusted. We think reality consists of whatever we feel. Regardless of what our feelings may be, we assume that they reflect how God made us, therefore earning his stamp of approval. As I said before, it’s good to have feelings—they help us engage with God, other people, and the world around us in extraordinary ways. But it’s not oaky to call our feelings our truth. God is the only One who has cornered the market on truth. Our emotions, opinions, and desires don’t determine truth. It’s not a subjective commodity to be determined by each individual. God’s eternal truth exists regardless of what we feel or don’t’ feel.”
This is not a book where you can jump right to the quote I posted about. This book builds chapter on chapter building faith and compelling the heart to love well without compromising your faith.