The change is this: passionate movement and the quest to feel good are overshadowing what our purposes and focuses should be as we wait for the Lord’s return. This was the devil’s first convincing and motivating message to Eve in the Garden of Eden, and today, the movement of thoughts and actions are centered on the need to feel good and to satisfy our emotions, These are the same messages and motivation that are changing lives today for the worst.

You will hear convincing arguments about a worship service with its strange music-making people feel good, alive, and spiritual. What could be wrong with a service that makes people feel good even if the tunes are worldly love songs with Christian words? Romantic songs that move your bodies from side to side in loving gestures as you sing to our loving Lord? Compare these movements to those where there are no actions or soulful songs? The first situation is the worship service of choice which is making waves among our believers. It is convincing and hard to see where we are heading, but I see a change that is difficult to manage, because when it comes to the issue of feelings and emotions you are dealing with solid rocks – hard-to-break situations that will take us by storm.

Another aspect of this change is within the family circle: I have seen many couples in the church separating as a result of seeking a more emotional, good feeling life than the ones they shared with their spouse. When you think about it, who would not want a better life if they can separate and find it elsewhere? This reasoning sounds good but needs assessing. The devil introduces many temptations of trust and fidelity which result in broken relationships, and thus the force to satisfy one’s emotional wellbeing are driving these change.

This emotional and feel-good force has driven sporting activities over the years and the result is like a bed-rock among the lives of brothers and sisters; these activities take away our time from what we should be doing with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How can we detect and annul this force? The first check is our emotions, our feelings. Then weight it against the Bible and God’s commandments. If it feels good, we need to assess other similar experiences in the Bible and see what the end result was. If it is good, it is of God; if it is bad, it is of the devil. But such assessment is difficult for the person who is involved; it is like a drunken person trying to rationalize his or her predicament. In such a state, the mind is powerless; therefore, the help of others, proven godly persons, is valuable. This will require God’s help and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Remember, even the high priest and the religious leaders deliberated wrongly against Jesus and his disciples because of the threat of violence from the Roman army. Their feelings were threatened, and they did not consult God’s written words in the scroll. If they did, they would have seen the prophecies which foretold of Jesus’ action. So, to annul this force, we need to check the Bible, pray to God, and seek counsels from godly persons. And if the results appear to be bad, you know it is of the devil. Some results will take months or years, but it will come.

Satan attacks us at our weakest point, and this point is when we are in the highest condition of excitement or suffering. He attacked Jesus in the wilderness when he was hungry, but failed. He will attack you at this point in your life. And when he does, will you succumb to your feelings or stand strong by the principles of God?