In this episode, I talk about feelings and emotions and how you can deal with being ruled by yours. You will be able to determine by listening to this episode if you are ruled by your emotions.
Ruled by Your Emotions?
Emotions also sometimes referred to as our feelings. As children, we may have often used the phrase, “You hurt my feelings.”
Let’s name some emotions.
Positive Emotions: Joy, happiness, delight, affection
Negative Emotions: Fear, sadness, anger, disappointment, guilt
“Emotions are gages, not guides.” – Jon Bloom
Sometimes we get advice from well-meaning individuals that say, “Follow your heart.” Or “do what feels right to you!” We hear this in love songs and children’s movies, but that is NOT the direction that God gives us when it comes to heart and emotions. He says in Proverbs 28:26 “The heart is deceitful above all things.”
One of my favorite authors Elisabeth Elliot put it this way, “The difficulty is to keep a tight rein on our emotions. They may remain, but it is not they who are to rule the action. They have no authority. A life lived in God is not lived on the plane of feelings, but of will.”
God does not tell us to trust our feelings, or to follow our feelings, instead God gave us free will, but he also called us to surrender our lives to him. Ultimately, he is our authority and should be our guide. He gave us the Bible as a roadmap. I’ve heard the term Bible used in an acrostic: Basic instruction before leaving earth.
I know that this can be difficult, as women we are emotional beings. But when we build our lives upon our emotions they can change with the wind, however, if we build our lives upon God’s word, which is unchanging our feet are set firm.
As humans, our feelings are often self-focused, which is why they may change. But as God’s word says his truth is unchanging and He cannot lie. Titus 1:2 says, “This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God–who does not lie–promised them before the world began.”
Many times, our emotions and God’s word and the commands and promises of it may not line up.
I recently read this quote, “When we try to edit truth to mesh with our own emotions or preferences, we are placing our opinions and thoughts higher than God’s.”
In our world, putting God’s truth above our emotions can be difficult especially when everyone around us is constantly screaming “follow your heart”.
In fact, as Scripture tells us following God is easier when we are led by his Spirit rather than by our emotions.
“This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16
This requires us to stay close to God in order to be able to discern what God would have us to do in those situations where our emotions seem to be taking over our situation.
What to Do When You Feel Like Your Emotions are Taking Over
Don’t make any big decisions.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Talk it out!
Keep a journal.
By practicing some of these things you will be able to get a better grasp on yourself and your emotions when they are attempting to take over and rule your life. Always remember you can turn to God in any and all circumstances and you can reach out to him for guidance and wisdom on how to handle any situation you may encounter in your life. So the next time you feel as if your emotions are taking control remember these things.