Have you ever wanted to have a deep faith in God but you just couldn’t shake your feelings of doubt? Maybe you wanted to believe that God was with you, but you felt like nobody was there. Or maybe you wanted to believe he had a purpose for you, but you felt completely unworthy to have one.

It is great when your feelings line up with your faith, but sometimes the two can be in conflict.

One day a man who met Jesus was in the middle of that conflict. He thought Jesus’ disciples could help his demon-possessed son, but they couldn’t. He felt doubt swirl through his heart to the point where two things were true:

He believed Jesus could help him.

He felt uncertain if Jesus could help him.

Upon recognizing his inner conflict, there was only one thing this desperate dad could blurt out when Jesus arrived: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

There will be times in life when your feelings conflict with your faith. When that happens, remember which comes first. Let the certainty of your faith speak into the uncertainty of your feelings. Make your feelings subject to the faith that God has grown in you.

Whether you feel it or not, he loves you, is with you, has redeemed you, and has a purpose for you. Subject your feelings to the unchanging object of your faith.