Emotions. We all have them.
When they make us feel good, we love them. When they make us feel bad, we repress them, we deny them or worse, let them flare out of control.
God created us with emotions and said that it was very good. So what went wrong? Emotions are from God and they are good. The problem has never been with emotions, the problem, as always, is with sin.
When sin entered the world, it corrupted everything, and that included our emotions.
What are emotions and how do they work? Emotions are the result of chemicals released from the brain into the body.
Our belief systems generate thoughts, our thoughts cause our brain to release chemicals into our body, our body responds to the chemicals and emotions are felt.
The question we need to ask ourselves is not what is wrong with my emotions but rather, what do I believe and what am I thinking because of my belief systems?
Do I believe God is good? Life is hard? I am alone? My boss is a pain? Things will never change? I am loved? The list is endless.
Stop for a moment and really think about what you are believing. Be honest with yourself and God. God is not put off by our faulty belief systems. Jesus sacrificed His life so that they could be made new.
When we become Christ followers, we are born again spirit, soul and body and that includes our emotions.
God designed our emotions to reveal things to us, not tell us what to do. They’re meant to report to us, not dictate to us. They show us what we believe and where we are placing our trust. How we respond emotionally to something exposes an area of weakness that we need to strengthen.
For example, do you struggle constantly with anxiety and worry? Your emotions may be revealing that you need to strengthen your trust in the Lord. Study the bible and learn what God says about worry. Choose to believe His word and be intentional about aligning your thoughts with what God has said in His word. That is called renewing your mind. (Rom 12:1-2)
As Christ followers, we are to show the world what God looks like. We are like Our Father. We are to display His godly character – Christ in us, the hope of glory. We are to be governed by God’s love not our emotions. Holy Spirit in us, empowers us to be self-controlled and keep our emotions in check.
Holy Spirit’s fingerprints should be visible on our emotions. They can be seen when we realize that we are accountable for our beliefs, thoughts and actions and take responsibility for ourselves.
God has given us the wonderful gift of emotions to enrich our lives. He is a feeling God, and we are made in His image. We are not robots. But while feelings are wonderful servants, they are terrible gods.
When we make our feelings god, when we worship them, when we sacrifice our lives to satisfy them, when we allow emotions to run wild, independent of God’s Spirit and God’s Reality, they make us dangerous both to ourselves and to others.
When we put greater significance on how we feel then on what God and His Word says, we will find ourselves shipwrecked on the altar of self.
When my focus is on how someone makes me feel, instead of how God wants to love that person through me, I have stepped out of His design for my life and have forgotten who I am and why I am here. My emotions have hijacked my purpose.
We are here for one purpose – to represent God. To show people around us, regardless of the situation, or circumstance, regardless of who they are and how they treat us – who God is and what He is like. – love
Whose fingerprints are on your emotions?
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