You’re having a great time with your family at your favorite restaurant. The hostess sat you at a table directly across from the bathroom with your two boys, ages 10 and 12. They ask and you give them permission to use the restroom. A few minutes later, a waiter comes out of the bathroom heading directly towards your table. He looks ticked. When he arrives, he begins to chew you out. Your kids are flushing toilet paper down the toilet causing water to flood the floor, which he has to clean up.
How do you feel? Confused, my boys wouldn’t do that? Embarrassed, my boys could do that? Anger, at your boys for doing such a thing and the waiter for treating you so horribly?
You get up from your pleasant evening and head to the bathroom. Once there, you discover your boys using the stalls properly. It’s not your kids who are stuffing the toilet with paper. Now, how do you feel? Relieved, as a smile comes across your face?
I’m sure there are other feelings arising within you, but let’s stick to your initial reaction. Were your initial feelings justified? No! They were based upon faulty information. If your kids had gone and returned from the bathroom without incident, your pleasant night would’ve continued. Yet, because of faulty information and your reaction to it, your evening became one big teachable moment.
I don’t believe just because someone “feels” something that they those feelings must be validated. “I’m angry and you have to accept that fact.” No, I don’t. The definition of validation is to be “sound; just; well founded; well grounded in logic or truth.” What if your anger is not based on truth? It is no longer sound, just and well founded. So why validate it?
Feelings don’t need to be automatically validated. They do need to be acknowledged so you can discover what is underneath – the root issue of what is happening. What is causing these feelings? Is it righteous? Is it true? In the above situation, you felt embarrassed and angry until you checked out the cause and discovered your emotions to be unfounded.
Some have put feelings above truth. The Bible never does. In fact, faith often runs opposite of the way we feel or think. Faith tells us to do something that is in our best interest, whether we feel like it or not. In this situation, faith tells us to slow down, process what we’re hearing and feeling through the Word (Biblical worldview) so we can listen to Jesus and let Him show us how to respond.
I like what one person said, “You can’t feel your way to faith.” Your feelings will catch up as you by faith put what Jesus tells you to do into action. At this point, I’ll be more than glad to validate your feelings.

Our van was recently totaled after someone hit it in a parking lot. As we started our internet search to find a replacement, we asked God to guide our decision to find the best car for us. After 4 hours, we’d narrowed it to two vans, both at least an hour away from our home. After again asking the Lord to guide us, we sensed Him pointing us toward one particular vehicle, though we’d never actually seen it. We drove to the dealer to look at it, again asking the Lord to guide our decision. We ended up purchasing the vehicle.
I’ve often been asked when it comes to living with a biblically-based truth filter, “Hasn’t God given me a brain. Why do I have to clear every decision through Him? Why not just think a decision through and go for it?”
My first response is, “Well, what does the Bible have to say about this?” (See BWV definition in About.) First, humanity was born with a sin nature (Ps. 51:5), which affects our thinking. I need help. Second, Jesus was born without a sin nature (Luke 1:31,35) yet He cleared everything through His Father (Jn. 5:19). As His disciple, shouldn’t I follow His lead? Lastly, Paul states in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we are to demolish all arguments that set themselves up against the knowledge of Jesus. We can make logical deductions, have sound rational bases for our decisions; and, can even be justified in our actions, but still be wrong!
Our brains are tainted with the left over residue of the sin nature. We’ve been thinking our way for so long, how do we know what the Lord wants? And doesn’t He want what is best for us, even when it comes to making a decision about buying a used car? This is a Biblical worldview. Filtering every area of our lives through the Book because we trust our God to know what is best for us.
Everything about the car “looked” good. It was detailed inside and out, right down to the new tires. I did all the things my mechanic told me to do in checking out a car. But I couldn’t see the important parts of the vehicle – the engine and transmission. The Lord could (Heb. 4:13). He could see past my justifications for buying this car. He could expose any loopholes in my rationalizations. He could even help me sort out what I was seeing to see what I couldn’t.
Yes, God gave us a brain. He expects us to use it by realizing we belong to Him, believing He knows what is best for us, and trusting Him to guide us to the best, even when it comes to used car buying. How is this done? Choose to use the brain God gave you by living with a Biblical worldview to filter out any and all lies in our thinking so we can draw closer to Him.

A buddy of mine loves to ride mountain bikes. His Bible Impact Group partner is also into mountain biking. One day they were discussing who they should be praying for on their BIG cards. His BIG partner was saying he could never get on a street corner with a sign proclaiming God’s love. Yet you should see him when he’s riding his bike. He is always talking up Jesus to those he rides with – no matter who they are and matter where they are!
My buddy pointed out that he was doing just what Jesus wanted him to do. There are people just like him who love to ride mountain bikes. Where will they be? Riding their bikes on the various trails in the hills around his house. Who can reach them with the love of Jesus? My buddy and his BIG partner.
I love what a friend of mine, Dezi Baker, likes to say. “It doesn’t matter where you are; but who you are where you are.” If you’re living with your biblically-based truth filter switched on, the Spirit will be molding you into the image of Jesus. Being with and like Jesus wherever you are will give you plenty of opportunities to share His love with those around you – whether it’s on a street corner or in the mountains.

Every area of your life, not just your church life, should be done in Jesus’ presence. Colossians 3:17 states, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Healthy believers, then, should never say, “It’s just business, nothing personal.” They should always keep their biblically-based truth filter turned “On” in both their public and private lives. The results of the “On” and “Off” positions are seen in two recent Internet articles.
One article noted, “Carter was a big disappointment to the evangelical Christians. He believed he had the duty of upholding the Constitution and the wall of church-state separation. Like Kennedy, he believed his religion was private and not the basis for presidential decisions.”
A second article commented on another public figure. “Why is Tim Tebow such a fascinating and polarizing figure? Not just because he claims to be religious; that claim is commonplace among football stars and ordinary Americans alike. Rather, it’s because his conduct – kind, charitable, chaste, guileless – seems to actually vindicate his claim to be in possession of a life-altering truth.
“Nothing discredits religion quite like the gap that often yawns between what believers profess and how they live. With Tebow, that gap seems so narrow as to be invisible. (“There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow,” ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote last year of the quarterback’s charitable works, “and I’ve looked everywhere for it.”) He fascinates, in part, because he behaves – at least in public, and at least for now – the way one would expect more Christians to behave if their faith were really true.”
All decisions, whether it’s the President of the US or the street sweeper by your house, are based upon values. How do you tell whether something is right or wrong, but by the values you hold? Therefore, on what source will you choose to base your daily decisions? Will it vary from your public life to your personal life? A healthy believer keeps their filter in the “On” position no matter where they are because they want to stay in Jesus’ presence; resulting in fulfilling their God-given purpose in life.

The ultimate purpose for living with a Biblical worldview is to live in the presence of Jesus 24/7. It gives us the ability to screen out the lie-based messages so we can hear the voice of our Savior drawing us closer to Him. Enjoy this song, “Here in Your Presence.”