"Emotions"

People go through many strains and stresses in life. Some have major obstacles that affect the way they think and function. If these are not taken to the right source, they can lead to emotional problems.

God created us with a varied of emotions. We have joy, sorrow, guilt, shame, embarrassment, anger, disappointment, relief, confidence, fear, peace, love and there are others. We are created in the image of God and were given emotions but we are created as spiritual beings (I Thes. 5:23). God did not give us emotions to rule our lives! Too many are living off their feelings. Too many are making decisions about their lives off their emotions. As time goes on, we grow more and more comfortable with our emotional makeup, even though it may be negative, and we seem to embrace it.

Just think for a moment: drug addicts are addicted to a feeling created by their chosen drug. People use different alcoholic drinks to create an emotional buzz. People that harbor their feelings of anger finally release it all emotionally at an out-burst at another and feel better. Children grow up in households where guilt is used to control them and they "feel" guilt is a normal state of mind. People that are compulsive act without thinking in order to achieve some immediate feeling of satisfaction to whatever has stirred them. It seems we are being imprisoned by our emotions because of habits! People live for feelings but have great difficulty in controlling them. How do we break the cycle?

We can't deny our emotions but we must learn to allow God to determine how we react rather that react how we feel. The Spirit of God, which is given to those only in Christ Jesus, has a major objective: to keep us from doing what pleases us (Gal. 5:17)! That's where emotions take us. We want what pleases us, what makes sense to us and God gets pushed aside. When you read carefully Gal. 5:19-21, in speaking of our flesh, 9 of the 15 things our flesh produces work off our emotions!! We need a greater help. The Spirit of God will lead us into the things of God to produce the fruit of God and one of the fruit produced is self control (Gal. 5:23). We need to learn how to yield and live for God. Following God will help bring your emotions under His control. You will still feel and sense but they will not be our master, determining our outlooks on life. We have God as our help. Jesus was emotional in the garden but He allowed the will of God to be His over-riding factor and His emotions came under control. This is the key to emotional balance!!

The Philippians were reminded when they became worried and anxious (those emotions are strong in us) to pray to God and let God know how you feel, making a request of him about the situation (Phil. 4:6-7). If we will give these emotions up to God, lay them at His feet, He will respond with His peace and will guard your mind and heart in Christ Jesus. It is a peace that is beyond any human comprehension. That's a promise we have from Him!

Whatever our emotional state of being, God can and will help but only under one condition: you surrender and allow Him to Master your life and not your emotions!