God has an incredible purpose for our emotions.
Do you use the trust your gut method when making important decisions? I admit that I was quite experienced in the art of this feels right so I’m going to follow my gut method for most of my life. But I have since learned that the only way we can trust our decisions is when those decisions are based on the truths of the Bible, rather than on how we feel. This is because our feelings are constantly changing and may be flawed or even irrational. This makes them an unreliable factor on which to base important decisions.
On the contrary, biblical truth is always reliable.
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
Proverbs 28:26
In this world, you will have trouble.
This world is full of worries. In fact, the Lord Himself confirms this in John 16:33.
In this world, you will have troubles. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
The questions we need to be asking ourselves are:
• How am I to deal with these worries?
• How can I be sure that I’m making choices that are God-honoring?
• How do I stay in a place of peace during the process of making decisions that will affect my life and the lives of those I care about?
The world says, “Follow your heart.” But we Christians find ourselves in a bit of a quandary with that type of thinking, don’t we? Because we know that the Bible tells us that the heart is wicked and cannot be trusted.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
God created us as emotional beings.
God himself has an emotional character, and we were created in His image. We should never shame ourselves for having emotions. In fact, we should be thanking the Lord that He created us that way. We can know from His Word that God gave us our emotions for a purpose.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17
Yes, God created our emotions but we need to understand that our emotions are meant to be a gauge for us, not a guide.
In other words, when trouble comes we need to check our emotions because they can help us to recognize the spiritual battle being waged against us. For example, we can recognize stress or anxiety as a warning sign, telling us our focus has shifted from the Lord, and it’s time to get it back on Him.
At the same time, our God-given emotions, such as joy and pleasure, reveal to us what we love so that we can gauge whether the things we hold dear are God-honoring.
It is so good for us to take the time to look at what we hold dear:
• What is important to me?
• What are the things I wake up every day excited for?
• What brings me joy?
• What do I find myself wanting to spend my time doing?
Once we have identified these things that we love, we can look at each one to be sure that they are God-honoring. Are the things we love bringing us closer to the Lord or do they distance us from Him?
What a beautiful gauge our emotions can be for us!
Renee White is, first and foremost, a sinner saved by grace, whose life is a picture of God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. She is an extremely blessed wife and a mama to four incredible boys. She has a passion for God’s truths that bring peace, and she wants to spend the rest of her life sharing those truths with other women.
Renee loves being a Certified Christian Life-Coach for women and teen girls. She helps Christian women, just like you, build a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord while breaking free from stress and anxiety.
Email: renee@reneewhitelifecoach.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacesecured/