Emotional or Emotion Full?
Women can often be perceived as crazy when it comes to our emotions. One minute we're happy, the next we are crying. We're joking around around with someone, then we're mad at them. Does this sound familiar? Men have just as many emotions as women, but from recent research I have learned that men can separate mental processing from emotion. This is why the men in your life tend to be so analytical and heartless about information like the neighborhood cat getting run over. Women on the other hand cannot process information without connecting it to past or present emotion. This is why you are rambling on about the injustice of cars and maniac drivers between sobs when telling him the story.
Unfortunately being labeled as emotional has become a negative title. It is mostly associated with women acting out of control on some level. God created us in His image. Since God is not in physical form, that means He gave us His characteristics and emotions. Love, anger, jealousy, joy, and compassion are only a few of the emotions He has placed within us. Sin has caused us to be guided by these feelings and to act on our own impulses when they arise. We are told in Mark 7 that what is in our hearts bring forth sinful actions. When we let the sin nature of our heart control our emotions, we will always act in a way to try to bring glory and satisfaction to ourselves instead of to God. Jesus always acted in a way that was pleasing to God, even when His emotions were strong. This was because His heart was in line with the Father, not human nature.
It is also easy to blame our current situation, upbringing, or people in our life for our daily emotional actions. Scripture makes it clear that we are each accountable to God for our own actions. Your husband, children, parents, boss, etc didn't make you become angry; you chose to show anger when the situation didn't play out the way you expected. Your dysfunctional upbringing didn't make you insecure, you chose to fall into a insecure view of yourself based on the feeling of not getting your needs met. We each have control over our emotions when the Holy Spirit resides within us. No situation in life goes unnoticed by God. He not only sees them but has ordained them to happen. It is okay to have emotions about things in life, Christ showed a wide array of emotions, but we must learn to trust in God's sovereign control over the events of our life to begin to change our hearts and in turn our emotional reactions.
So how can we begin to correctly show emotions? First you must have a repentant heart. Understand that you have been showing emotions based on the sinful desires of your heart and not to the glory of Christ. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and a clean heart. Second, begin to transform your heart through prayer and the study of God's word. The words of the bible are alive and active. Scripture is the only "self-help" that can actually correct our sin problem. Third, choose daily to think and act right. Romans 12 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and in 2 Corinthians to take every thought captive to obey Christ. Be aware of the fact that emotions are a big part of the female physiology. With that knowledge, choose to think about the cause of your emotions before you act on them. Are they coming from a selfish desire or has the Spirit of God directed you to your current feelings?
Emotions are a beautiful gift from God, but we are not meant to be guided by them. When we choose to handle our emotions as Christ did, we are showing the true image of God to the world. Pray this week that God would cleanse your heart and allow you to control your emotions in a way that brings glory to Him. "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
Unfortunately being labeled as emotional has become a negative title. It is mostly associated with women acting out of control on some level. God created us in His image. Since God is not in physical form, that means He gave us His characteristics and emotions. Love, anger, jealousy, joy, and compassion are only a few of the emotions He has placed within us. Sin has caused us to be guided by these feelings and to act on our own impulses when they arise. We are told in Mark 7 that what is in our hearts bring forth sinful actions. When we let the sin nature of our heart control our emotions, we will always act in a way to try to bring glory and satisfaction to ourselves instead of to God. Jesus always acted in a way that was pleasing to God, even when His emotions were strong. This was because His heart was in line with the Father, not human nature.
It is also easy to blame our current situation, upbringing, or people in our life for our daily emotional actions. Scripture makes it clear that we are each accountable to God for our own actions. Your husband, children, parents, boss, etc didn't make you become angry; you chose to show anger when the situation didn't play out the way you expected. Your dysfunctional upbringing didn't make you insecure, you chose to fall into a insecure view of yourself based on the feeling of not getting your needs met. We each have control over our emotions when the Holy Spirit resides within us. No situation in life goes unnoticed by God. He not only sees them but has ordained them to happen. It is okay to have emotions about things in life, Christ showed a wide array of emotions, but we must learn to trust in God's sovereign control over the events of our life to begin to change our hearts and in turn our emotional reactions.
So how can we begin to correctly show emotions? First you must have a repentant heart. Understand that you have been showing emotions based on the sinful desires of your heart and not to the glory of Christ. Ask the Lord for forgiveness and a clean heart. Second, begin to transform your heart through prayer and the study of God's word. The words of the bible are alive and active. Scripture is the only "self-help" that can actually correct our sin problem. Third, choose daily to think and act right. Romans 12 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and in 2 Corinthians to take every thought captive to obey Christ. Be aware of the fact that emotions are a big part of the female physiology. With that knowledge, choose to think about the cause of your emotions before you act on them. Are they coming from a selfish desire or has the Spirit of God directed you to your current feelings?
Emotions are a beautiful gift from God, but we are not meant to be guided by them. When we choose to handle our emotions as Christ did, we are showing the true image of God to the world. Pray this week that God would cleanse your heart and allow you to control your emotions in a way that brings glory to Him. "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
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