Handling Emotions

Understand the Difference Between Truth and Feelings
Pages 193-197

The subject of our emotions is one of the most complex and difficult-to-understand aspects of our walk as women. God created emotions, He experiences emotions and understands them. However, His emotions are always perfect, whereas ours have been tainted by sin.

Our emotions can send us all kinds of mixed messages, often deceiving us and leading us away from the Truth. The best weapon against misleading emotions is to pinpoint the lies and learn to counteract them with the Truth.

The first lie tells us that if we feel something, it must be true. If we feel unloved, then we are. If we feel that God has deserted us, then He has. We need to counteract this lie with the truth that we cannot depend on our feelings to give us a true assessment of our situation.

We should always rely on what we know to be true, regardless of how we feel.

32. The Lie: If I feel something, it must be true.

The Truth: My feelings cannot always be trusted. They often have little to do with reality and can easily deceive me into believing things that are not true.

Psalm 119:29-30, "Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me Your law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth; your judgments I have laid before me."

Jeremiah 17:9-10, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."

The Truth: I must choose to reject any feelings that are not consistent with the Truth.

Psalm 33:4, "For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth."

Psalm 51:6, "Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom."

Philippians 4:8-9, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

A Prayer

Lord, Help me to fix my eyes on you. Regardless of what my emotions are telling me, I purpose to trust you. Pour out your grace and give me the power and desire to see Your truth in every circumstance. I need Your help to be faithful to you. Thank You, Lord. Amen.