FAITH OVER FEELINGS — TRUSTING GOD WHEN LIFE IS HARD

SERMON: FAITH OVER FEELINGS — TRUSTING GOD WHEN LIFE IS HARD Topical: Walking by Faith (Ep. 12)

1. EMOTIONAL HOOK What do you do when life hits harder than your faith feels?

When the diagnosis comes, the relationship ends, the prayer isn’t answered—when your emotions scream one thing, but you know God says another?

Have you ever had a moment where you believed in God but felt like He wasn’t showing up? Where your heart was breaking and your faith was shaking? Where your feelings screamed, “Give up,” but your spirit whispered, “Hold on”?

It’s in those moments where the real battle begins—not out there, but inside. In your thoughts. Your emotions. Your heart.

Because the truth is, there’s a war between what we feel and what we know. A tension between our reality and His promises.

You’re not weak for feeling that way. You’re human. Even Jesus wept. Even Jesus cried out, “Why have You forsaken Me?”

But the good news is this: our faith is not based on how we feel. Our hope is not held up by our emotions. And our God is not changed by our circumstances.

Faith is not the absence of feelings—it’s the decision to trust God in the middle of them.

2. TRANSITION TO ME I’ve had seasons where I felt numb, angry, confused, and even abandoned—and yet, that’s where I learned how real God actually is.

3. ME There have been times where my emotions felt louder than God’s promises. Times where my prayers felt like they bounced off the ceiling. Times where grief had a grip on my chest, and trust felt like a foreign language.

I’ve been let go from jobs I gave my whole heart to. I’ve had relationships crumble. I’ve watched dreams die slowly. I’ve sat in the dark, questioning what God was doing—or if He was doing anything at all.

There was a night where I literally said out loud, “God, if You don’t speak soon, I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”

And no, the room didn’t shake. But His presence met me. Quiet. Deep. Stabilizing.

It was in those moments—when feelings told me to run, to doubt, to give up—that faith taught me to stay, to trust, to keep walking.

Not because I felt strong. But because I knew who God was, even when I couldn’t feel Him.

4. WE/SOCIETY/CULTURE We live in a culture that worships feelings.

“Follow your heart.”

“Trust your gut.”

“Do what feels right.”

But feelings are terrible leaders. They’re inconsistent. They change with our sleep, our hormones, our circumstances. They’re real—but they’re not always true.

Faith, on the other hand, is rooted in something deeper.

Culture tells us to build our lives on emotion. Jesus tells us to build on the rock.

If we let our feelings lead, our lives will be a roller coaster. If we let faith lead, our lives may not be easy—but they will be anchored.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

5. GOD: BIBLE VERSES AND QUOTES Let’s turn to Scripture and see how God invites us to live by faith:

2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we live by faith, not by sight.” We don’t walk based on what we see—or feel—but on what we know to be true. Faith is a posture of trust in who God is, not how life looks.

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Our feelings say God is distant. Scripture says He is close—especially when we are most fragile.

Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you.” God doesn’t leave us in our fear—He enters it with us. His presence is our promise.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him...” He’s not working just when we feel Him—He’s working in every unseen moment, in the background of our heartbreak.

Lamentations 3:22–23 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed... His mercies are new every morning.” God doesn’t run out of grace. You may feel drained, but He is never empty.

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith isn’t fantasy. It’s anchored in the unseen, but rooted in a very real God.

Charles Spurgeon said, “God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”

Corrie ten Boom also once wrote, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

6. YOU/PRACTICAL STEPS So how do we live by faith when feelings try to take over?

Name your feelings—but don’t follow them.

Acknowledge the sadness, the fear, the doubt. But then speak truth over them. Say, “This is what I feel, but this is what I know.”

Remind yourself of God’s track record.

Write down every time He’s come through in your past. Let your history with God build confidence in His character.

Anchor your day in the Word, not your emotions.

Start your morning with truth—not social media. Let Scripture set the tone, not your inbox.

Worship even when it feels fake.

Worship isn’t a response to how we feel—it’s a declaration of who God is.

Bring your full self to God.

Don’t hide your emotions. Bring them into His presence. The Psalms are full of raw, honest prayers—because God can handle it.

Analogy: Feelings are like waves. They rise, they crash, they pass. Faith is like an anchor. It keeps you steady in the storm.

7. CLOSING VISION, WE We are not a people ruled by emotion—we are a people led by faith.

We may feel fear, but we choose courage. We may feel doubt, but we choose trust. We may feel lost, but we believe we are held.

What sets us apart is not that life is easier for us—it’s that our foundation is stronger.

Imagine a church full of people who don't ignore their feelings—but don’t bow to them either. A people who cry and worship in the same breath. Who pray honest prayers and still move forward. Who feel deeply but walk steadily.

That’s who we are. Because our faith is not in ourselves—it’s in the unchanging, ever-faithful, always-present God.

He is with you. He sees you. He hears your tears. And He’s not going anywhere.

So when your feelings rage—lean into your faith. And when your heart breaks—remember who holds it.

Let’s be people who walk through pain but refuse to walk alone. Let’s be people who feel deeply but refuse to quit easily. Let’s be people who know our God is bigger than our breakdowns, stronger than our sorrow, and faithful through every season.

Because faith is not the absence of emotion— It’s the courage to trust even when it hurts.

And we walk by faith— Not by sight. Not by fear. Not by how it feels— But by who He is.