The Lord's prisoner"Whoever wants to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross every day, and follow Me" (Luke 9:42). Here is the problem with walking by feelings. If I feel spiritual today, then I will pray, sing, read the Scriptures, and witness with great fervor. But if I feel unspiritual today, then I will do nothing. If this is how we live then we should see that it does not matter whether our feelings are good or bad, or if they result in good works or no works. Either way, we are still living based on how we feel and not based on our union with Christ. Even my "good works", solely motivated by how I feel, are rooted in Self. They are just as self-centered as my evil works. My feelings, whether they are good, bad, or indifferent, are in the domain of Self, and Self with all its feelings must be delivered over to death. It does not mean a Christian should be totally devoid of feeling, but it means a disciple of the Lord is not ruled by feeling. This is the practical application of the Cross. Only prisoners carry the Cross - "free" men do not. Those who love themselves will never take it up. For it means they have the sentence of Death in them. Obviously this does not "feel" good, so those who live by how they feel will find it unbearable. It is intended to bring my life to an end so that I may pass through death and come onto Resurrection ground. This is the purpose of all God's dealings with us as disciples. The sooner we become the Lord's prisoner, the sooner we will see His purpose realized in us.
