Don’t Let Your Feelings Control You

Mar 18, 2023

‘Carefully guard your thoughts.’Proverbs 4:23 CEV

When it comes to everyday living, you can walk according to the unchanging principles of God’s Word or by your constantly changing feelings. When you live by God’s Word, you have stability. When you live by feelings, it’s like riding a roller coaster; one day you’re up, the next you’re down. God wants to bring you into emotional maturity, but you have to cooperate with Him. This calls for a daily act of your will; choosing to do things His way rather than your own. And once it becomes a habit, you discover that life is more enjoyable.

You don’t let everyone who knocks on your door come in and make themselves at home, so why would you let every emotion that surfaces dictate the direction of your day or decide your responses? ‘Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.’ (Proverbs 4:23 CEV) It’s your thinking that produces your feelings, not the other way round! That’s why Paul writes, ‘Capture every thought and make it… obey Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NCV) In other words, if a thought doesn’t line up with God’s Word, don’t give it a voice or a vote.

‘We walk by faith, not by sight.’ (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV) This may come as a surprise but you won’t always feel God’s presence. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the Emmaus road, yet they didn’t recognise Him. Why? Because they were occupied with their feelings! How did He lift them out of their negative emotions? ‘He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.’ (Luke 24:27 NIV) Bottom line: be led only by God’s Word.

SoulFood: Job 5–7, Luke 18:18–43, Ps 19, Pro 8:6–7
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2023

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