PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Day 3 of our series on trust, and today, we’re going to talk about our emotions.
Emotions are valid, but they aren’t always trustworthy.
For example, if someone is abused, their fear of future abuse is absolutely valid.
A feeling of “I deserve this,” is not.
That’s an emotional lie built on circumstances, but not rooted in truth.
On the other hand, someone may feel hurt over words spoken in haste and it may create an emotional avalanche based entirely on assumptions.
So the point is, our emotions aren’t trustworthy.
This is a super-important truth to understand, especially in our culture where every “feeling” is embraced as fact.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
And it’s not the only Scripture that reminds us not to always trust our emotions.
When we listen to lies in our minds that tell us we’re not worthy, we’re not loved, we always screw up… here’s the truth:
We are not worthy, but we are redeemed.
We are so crazy-loved that Jesus died for us.
And no, we don’t always screw up, but our works aren’t ever going to be good enough to measure up the the standards of our holy and perfect God; that’s why we are given grace.
Satan loves to stir the pot with our emotions and he’s been doing it since he first tempted Eve in the Garden.
He told her in Genesis 3:5, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan played on her emotions to want to be more.
“You will be like God,” fed an emotional doubt that who she was — who God made her to be — wasn’t enough.
Psalm 139 pays tribute to how God knows us from the inside out, including the emotions of our heart.
When we have feelings, we need to weigh them against what Scripture says, and remember that our thoughts can deceive us.
Today, as you pray, thank God for feelings that are good such as love, joy, peace, contentment…
But ask the Holy Spirit to help you navigate fear, doubt, insecurity, hurt, anxiety, and pride.
Ask Him to help you weigh every emotion against His word and be wise about how you respond.
