I often hear people in church say things like, “The Holy Spirit” or “God is here: Can’t you feel his presence?” Sometimes, the congregation is encouraged to worship the Lord because his presence is being felt. There have been times when there’s been an admonishment from the pulpit to those people who don’t appear to be behaving any differently because the “presence of the Lord is here,” which reminds me of the song, “The Presence of the Lord is Here” that starts out like this:

The presence of the Lord is here,
The presence of the Lord is here,
I can feel it in the atmosphere.

Byron Cage

One thing that bothers me when people say, “The Lord is here,” is that God is always here. The Lord is with us even when we can’t feel his presence. Another thing that bothers me is that sometimes, when someone says, “I can feel the presence of the Lord,” I don’t feel God’s presence, which is okay. However, it’s not okay to scold people for not changing their worship because they don’t feel the presence of the Lord.

In Jeremiah 17:9, we are given this insight into feelings.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jeremiah 17: (KJV)

When we rely on our feelings, things get messed up because we do not depend on facts. Consider love. The world will tell you that you can love whomever you want. Therefore, you can sleep with whomever you want, same-sex or not. It doesn’t matter because you “love” them. Yet, when we read about love in the Bible, it’s clear that love is not a feeling but a choice.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (NIV)

There’s no mention of love being a feeling in 1 Corinthians 13. Indeed, let’s consider God’s love for us.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 (NIV)

Romans 3:10 gives us this insight.

As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”

Romans 3:10 (NIV)

Yet, God still chose to send Jesus to die for our sins.

Therefore, relying on our feelings isn’t the best thing to rely on. Even if we’re saying, we feel the presence of the Lord. Here are some examples of people who relied on their feelings and worshiped the wrong thing.

As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”

Acts 10:25-26 (NIV)

Cornelius tried to worship Peter because he was in awe of him. I’m certain Peter had a commanding presence because the Spirit of the Lord was with him. However, Cornelius’ worship of Peter was misguided by his feelings.

One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

Revelation 13:3-4 (NIV)

We know the world lacks discernment and is guided by the flesh. Therefore, it’s no surprise to see the world being led by the nose by its feelings.

At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

Revelation 19:10 (NIV)

John the Beloved and the writer of the Gospel of John, the epistles of John, and Revelation, was overcome by his emotions and tried to worship an angel. Not just once, but twice!

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Revelation 22:8-9 (NIV)

When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, he said some interesting things to her.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

John 4:22-24 (NIV)

When we rely upon our emotions and what they’re telling us instead of the facts, we can be deceived into worshipping false gods. In that deception, we can be thoroughly deceived because it feels good, and if it feels good, then it must also be good, right?

While there’s nothing wrong or unbiblical about feeling the presence of the Lord, we must remember that even when we don’t feel God’s presence, he is always with us.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (BSB)

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, freed from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.