When I Feel...At Odds With God's Word

Seeing as there are five Mondays in January, I decided to add an extra meditation within my, "When I Feel..." series and I'll do this throughout the year with five-week months.

Last week, we started the series with, "When I Feel...Overwhelmed." This week, we continue on with, "When I Feel...At Odds With God's Word." I pray these words can be helpful, edifying and point us to the wonderful, unchanging truth of Jesus.

"When I feel I don’t agree with something in God’s Holy Word,
When the Scriptures seem opposed to other things my ears have heard,
When I find a verse “outdated,” challenging my “modern view,”
Help me Lord to ask myself, “What lenses am I looking through?”

Have my thoughts been swayed by culture, current-days or present-times?
Am I heeding points of view that contradict the things Divine?
Are my thoughts aligned with Jesus? Have perspectives gone off-course?
Do opinions war against Your timeless Word- the wisest Source?

When I wrestle with the Scriptures, help me Lord to bow the knee.
God forbid I twist Your Word and try to make it bow to me!
May my heart remember swiftly, when I hear each worldly speech,
You’re the One who made us Lord so may I trust in what You teach!

When the Bible shines a light upon this fallen heart of mine,
May I cry in true surrender, “Not my will but only Thine!”
Your Truth remains through every era, help me keep to Your command.
Let my spirit humbly ask, “What do I not understand?”

You encourage me to reason and to think things through each day.
Guide me on the path that’s Holy, lead me in Your Sovereign Way.
History reveals quite clearly, on this Earth, there’s nothing new.
Drench me in Your ageless wisdom. Keep me Lord, in line with You."


1 Corinthians 3:18-23
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.”

James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Isaiah 40:8
“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”


Heart Check

Am I feeling at odds with God’s Word at the moment? Are there certain verses of the Bible that I struggle to align myself with? Am I ever tempted to “cherry-pick” parts of the Bible and say I agree with some sections while leaving other bits out? If so, what influences am I listening to or watching that are leading me to doubt the authority and truth of God’s Word? What sources are leading me to think the wisdom of mankind is greater than the wisdom of God?

It may seem extreme to say in the first line of my poem that as Christians, we may not agree with parts of God’s Word but there are many times I’ve heard statements that would suggest just this. I’ve heard people say things such as, “I’m a Christian but I don’t believe in Creation. I believe mankind evolved.” Or “I’d say I’m a Christian but I don’t believe in sin, hell or judgement.”
From major subjects to minor things, there are many areas of life where we can find ourselves floundering and struggling to stand firm on what the Bible says if we’re not being well-taught and keeping rooted in the truth.

As Christians, it’s so important that we align our views with God’s Word and look at each situation through the lens of correct doctrine and understanding of Scripture. The opinions of this world are constantly changing and the realms of what’s regarded as “right and wrong” are forever morphing and moulding, according to the popular culture of the day. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “One era’s wisdom is another era’s folly.”

In other words, earthly laws and society’s moral compass are constantly changing and adapting. This is why it’s so vital that we always bring everything under the authority of God’s unchanging Word.

The entirety of the Bible is God’s infallible truth. As the Scriptures say in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

These verses clearly outline the truth that from the first word in Genesis to the last word in Revelation, the entirety of the Bible is God’s love-letter to His creation. He knows how we work, He knows our weaknesses and the pit-falls our sinful nature will lead us into. His Word warns us and helps guide us away from things that will be detrimental to our souls and instead, lead us to salvation and a life fit for Kingdom service.
Perhaps you’ve heard the opinion that the Bible was “just written by a bunch of men, years ago and doesn’t hold any more authority over mankind than other any other piece of writing does.” 2 Peter 1:20-21 confirms otherwise. Those verses read,

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

God is the Author of the Bible and He is the Author of truth. He is the Source of truth and is in fact, truth itself. Jesus said, “I am the way, truth and life.” This shows us clearly that truth is a Person. Jesus is truth so what His Word says is also truth. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and so if Jesus doesn’t change, truth doesn’t change. His Word remains relevant through all generations and as the Bible tells us, the Scriptures cannot be broken.

So what do we do when there’s a verse that challenges our views and opinions as Christians? First, give thanks to God that our spirit is alive to Him and His Word is speaking to us! Secondly, what I do is ask questions such as,
“What do I not understand about this Scripture? What is the context? Who is speaking? Who are they speaking to? What are the conditions surrounding this verse or verses?
After finding out these details and seeking godly counsel on this, do I now understand this verse and it’s relevance in my life? Do I need to pray about a heart change perhaps?”

Whatever the case may be, God’s Word does not change and doesn’t need to change, we do. We are to be conformed into the image of God’s Son, not this world. We are not the ultimate authority over our own lives, God is. He is our Creator and has the right to tell us what to do with our lives. He knows how we were made and why we were made. He has the rightful knowledge for the boundaries of our lives and it’s through His love that He guides us. May we take every thought captive under the power of Jesus Christ and may we know where we stand and why we stand there, Scripturally.
Others don’t need to agree with us, they just need to see a Christian who stands wholeheartedly for Christ and Christ alone.