SUBJECTIVE CONFIRMATION

My brother, Dave, was told by Mormon missionaries to pray and ask God to confirm if Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon was truly of God, the confirmation being a “burning in your breast” — a subjective feeling that these things were true.

Dave prayed the prayer and got the feeling, not knowing about II Corinthians 11:14, that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, counterfeiting the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Dave reversed the order, putting feelings before the already-revealed facts of the Word.

The result? Thirteen years in bondage to a lie — and the loss of his family once he came to a knowledge of the truth and chose to leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

This is why every subjective experience must measure up to the objective teaching of the Word of God. In other words: our feelings must line up with the facts.