"How dare he tell me I'm blowing things out of proportion? They are my feelings. No one is going to tell me how I should feel!"
Does this sound familiar? The wife gets her feelings hurt and she lets her husband know in no uncertain terms all about it. She feels justified in her actions because she doesn't think it is wrong to express how she feels. Of course her husband has no idea where all the emotion came from. He is puzzled because he didn't even realize that he hurt his wife's feelings. He wonders what he did that upset her so much.
Emotion--it is something we all struggle with as women. Sometimes we feel trapped by our emotions, unable to express how we feel, and other times we feel out of control and unable to keep our feelings inside. We say and do things because of our emotions that later we wish we could take back. Our emotions are complicated and definitely a challenge to control.
As Christians we want to do what pleases the Lord but our emotions are always right there pulling us in a direction we don't want to go. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." (NIV)
If you could use some help controlling your emotions in a godly way, then read on for some biblical guidance and encouragement.
Get the Big Picture
Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" (NIV)
God created us in His image. That doesn't mean we were created to be physically like Him. Instead God created us to be spiritually like Him. His desire is that we would imitate His heart and His character in every way. He gave us a soul so that we could connect with Him spiritually and He gave us emotions so that we could understand how He feels about things.
God also gave us emotions so that we could experience life in all its beauty and fullness. Our emotions allow us to experience feelings such as love, joy, peace, hope, compassion and gratitude.Yet, because we live in a fallen world we can't always trust our emotions to guide us. Just as Satan deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden, he plays on our emotions to distort the truth and cloud our judgment.
Get a Clue
1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (NIV)
So how do we master our emotions so that we are not lead into sin as Eve was? One way is to be aware of how we react in our flesh. We need to understand our own sinful nature in order to be able to recognize how and when Satan will attack us. When we feel an intense emotion, such as we might in the middle of a heated discussion with our husband, we need to pay careful attention to how our flesh is reacting. It is precisely at times like this that Satan can get a foothold in our heart. We have a choice to make. We can be weak-willed woman that are swayed by all kinds of evil desires (2 Timothy 3:6) or be spiritually strong woman who are clued-in to Satan's schemes.
Get a Grip
2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (NIV)
Satan is the Father of lies (John 8:44). He rejoices when we believe the negative thoughts he plants in our minds. Get a grip on your emotions by taking captive every negative and ungodly thought that Satan throws at you and make them obedient to Christ.
Get Prepared
Feelings do not always equal truth. We may have feelings of hopelessness, jealousy or anger which are clearly not what God desires. That is why it is so important to have a deep knowledge of the Bible. Let God's Word guide you, not your feelings.If you struggle with a particular emotion, study it out in the Bible. Then memorize scriptures that will help you to fight off Satan's attacks. Jesus fought off Satan with scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). God's truths are our weapons against Satan's arrow. It worked for Jesus and it will work for you also.
Get Real
Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (NIV)
When you are overcome with emotion, be open with God about how you feel. Go to him first, before you say or do anything. If you do this you will be in very good company. Consider the prayers of King David, the Apostle Paul and Jesus. They all poured their hearts out to the Lord in times of great difficulty. Jesus poured out his heart to God with loud cries and tears (Hebrews 5:7).
Getting your emotions out in the open before the Lord will help you get the healing you need (Psalm 55). Often our first thought is to go to a friend to discuss things under the guise of "getting things off our chest". A friend may give good advice but the Lord is the only one with the power to change a situation. Let us not make the same mistake as Judah did (Jeremiah 17:5). We must rely on the Lord first and foremost.
Get a Life
John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (NIV)
Jesus came so that we could have life to the full. God wants us to rely on Him, not on our feelings. Through faith in Him, prayer, Bible study and an honest appraisal of our sinful nature we can master our emotions. All things are possible with God.
Heart Challenges
How do I usually handle my emotions?
Do I pray to the Lord first or go to a friend first?
What are the emotions I struggle with the most? For example: anger, hopelessness, distrust.
What are some scriptures that I can memorize to help me fight against Satan's attack on my emotions?
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