When Man's Reason Challenges Heart Faith... What Am I to Do?

Question: If I find I am doubting something I received in my journaling time together with God what am I do? Especially when God speaks something, and reality does not appear to be lining up with it.

Answer: When God speaks to us, through two-way journaling or any other way (and our 2-3 spiritual advisors have confirmed it), He is offering us His potential blessing for our lives which we can receive if we embrace it, believe, speak and wait patiently for it, while following His instructions. It seems that the biggest battle we all fight is that these rhema words get attacked through the reasoning of our minds. The accuser comes through with a challenge of accusation, "What God said is not really true" (Gen. 3:1-4).  So when reason attacks faith, what am I to do? Which is to be allowed to rule in my heart? What does the Bible declare we receive through faith? What does the Bible declare we receive through reason? Let's see...

Shall I Live By Heart Faith or Man's Reason?

Do you think it would be wise to let faith overrule 
when man's reason challenges heart faith? 

Wrong Reasoning: Man reasoning outside the Sanctuary (or) Without the Guidance of the Spirit

Jesus rebuked the disciples in Matt. 16:7-11 because they were reasoning without faith or divine perspective. This is what makes reasoning outside of the presence of God, wrong.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they ... (Mat 16:7-12 KJV)

Note, they needed to move from their reasoning, which was done on their own, to interaction with the voice of Jesus, and this precipitated something deeper than their reasoning could muster -- "understanding." 

Right Reasoning: In the Sanctuary (or) With the Guidance of the Spirit

In Psalm 73, King David begins by reasoning on his own, and he reasons himself into a pit of depression and despair (vs. 1 - 16). Then he corrects his problem by going into the sanctuary to reason with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and he goes beyond mental reasoning to "perception." The King James Version of Ps. 73:17 says, "Then I perceived," and the meanings of this Hebrew word include "discern, perceive." I desire to do what King David did and receive what he received. I want to abide in the Lord's presence (Jn. 15) and I want revelation and perception and discernment, more than I want my own mental reasoning. 

Based on the teaching of Psalm 73 and Isaiah 1:18 ("Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord), I have made a rule which I have commanded my mind to always obey:

"I will not reason without the illumination of the Holy Spirit."

Faith is acting like it is so

When it doesn’t appear to be so

So that it will be so

Because it is so

(Mk. 11:22,23)

For example, I will do what King David did. I will behold the Lord at my right hand and ask Him for His perspective. Then tuning to Him (i.e. tuning to flowing thoughts, flowing pictures, flowing anointing and power), I let the flow of His spirit guide my reasoning process.

• I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Ps. 16:8 NASB)
• "For David says of Him, 'I SAW THE LORD ALWAYS IN MY PRESENCE; FOR HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND, SO THAT I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN.(Acts 2:25 NASB)

 Faith and believe are the noun and verb forms of the same Greek word

The Leaders' Paradigm

I will close by mentioning the fact, that for directive guidance and major decisions, I choose to have God confirm the direction He wants me to go through half a dozen ways He speaks. It is in the multitude of counselors that we find safety. So the counselors I use when making a directive decision in my life are discussed here, in what I have come to call The Leaders' Paradigm.

Journaling application

Hearing God's voice is as simple as: 1) quieting down (Ps. 62:1-5), 2) beholding Jesus at my right hand (Ps. 16:8; Acts 2:25), 3) asking for His revelation and tuning to flowing thoughts and flowing pictures (Jn. 7:37-39; Jer. 2:13; 10 pictures), and 4) recording this flow (Hab. 2:1,2; Rev. 1:9-11). I then test it, ensuring it lines up with Scripture (Ps. 1:2; Jn. 10:35; 1 Thess. 5:2) and is affirmed in the hearts of my three spiritual advisors (2 Cor. 13:1; Prov. 11:14).  See this link.

• Lord, what promise have you given to me that you want me to cling to with heart faith and not allow reason to tear down?
• Are their conditions you are asking me to meet to release this promise?
• Have I received illumined confirmation and input from my two or three spiritual advisors?
• What does a double minded man receive from God (Jas. 1:5-8)?
• Extended journaling exercise: Write out each of the verses in the above chart and ask the Lord to speak to you concerning each.