The Christian faith is based on facts; not feelings. Romans 5:1-5 recounts those facts for us. Fact: You are justified before God. That means that you are lined up straight with Him. The typing on the left side of this paragraph is “justified”; it is not on the right. Since you are lined up with the will and heart of God, you should feel peace (Rom.5:1). Paul goes on to relate more facts to feelings. Since you stand in grace, you feel hope (5:2). The love God gives you releases you to love others (5:5). When we experience stress, God transforms it into joy as we persevere (5:3-4). Your relationship with Christ brings a total transformation, including your feelings. Expect Jesus to bring you joy.
That doesn’t mean than every minute of every day is rapturous. Tribulation turns into joy through a process. Facts remain true no matter how we feel. H.L. Hunt, once the richest man in the world, went to his office every day with a sandwich in a paper bag so he could have an inexpensive lunch. The fact is, he was rich, but he didn’t feel it. We all know there are beautiful people who feel ugly and thin people who feel fat. A person who trusts Jesus for salvation is saved regardless of how they feel at any given moment. But generally, an appreciation of the facts leads to certain appropriate feelings.
When you don’t feel good, see if you can track that feeling back to a belief you have about reality. Satan is a liar and an accuser. Have you accepted one of his lies as factual? Find the truth in the Bible and fight him. “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom…with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col.3:16).