The X Factor is a popular TV singing competition in which contestants seek to be the best. Usually, the prize is a recording deal, but often, even those who get to later stages, while they don't win, do get noticed.
But not everyone does get to the later stages. Many people go on the X Factor believing their voices to be sensational, so they are capable of winning, because their friends and family have always told them so. In reality, they need some serious improvement, so they don't even make it through the auditions. This is one of the most humiliating experiences any human can endure (being made especially difficult by certain harsh judges with a reputation for being especially cruel, as well as the fact it is televised). Effectively, the friends and family have set up the contestant for crushing failure.
"Feel good" messages, particularly relating to sin, are similar to this situation. As we're all human, we all want things our way. We want to hear that God's ok with us committing our favorite sin. Sometimes, we even try to justify it through the scriptures. But as one Christian put it, "I'd rather offend you into Heaven than flatter you into Hell". Surround yourself with those with the courage to rebuke you, and distance yourself from those who seek to pacify you. The former are your true friends. The latter will trip you up. And once you've surrounded yourself with the kind of person who will tell you a truth you don't want to hear, be the kind of person who will tell people what they don't want to hear. If everyone on earth did this, we would be in a much better place.