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How to Deal with What You Feel
By Rick Warren

“To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.” (Romans 8:6, 8 TEV)

Learning to manage your emotions is the key to peace of mind.

I want to share with you four important reasons from God’s Word why you need to learn to deal with what you feel.

1. You need to learn to manage your emotions because they are often unreliable.

Your gut is often wrong. Your intuition is often flawed. Your emotions often lead you down a blind alley. You can’t depend on everything you feel!

Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (NIV). You don’t have to accept everything you feel, because not everything you feel is right or authentic or will lead you in the right direction.

2. You need to learn to manage your emotions because you don’t want to be manipulated.

If you don’t control your emotions, they will control you, and you will be manipulated by your moods. And, if you’re always guided by your feelings, other people are going to take advantage of you. Worst of all, Satan’s favorite tool is negative emotions. He will use fear, resentment, and worry to wreak havoc in your life.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

3. You need to learn to manage your emotions because you want to please God.

God cannot rule your life if emotions rule your life. If you make your decisions based on how you feel, then you’ve made your feelings god, and then God can’t be God in your life.

Romans 8:6 and 8 says, “To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. Those who obey their human nature cannot please God” (TEV).

4. You need to learn to manage your emotions because you want to succeed in life.

Study after study has shown that your emotional quotient is far more important than your IQ when it comes to success. How many people do you know who ruined their reputation because of something said in anger? Or missed a job opportunity because of their lack of self-control?

The Bible says in Proverbs 5:23, ”[People] get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control” (CEV).

When you give your heart to Jesus, that includes your emotions. So when you say, “I gave my heart to Jesus,” you gave your emotions to him to be managed by him. Jesus wants to be Lord of how you feel, not just what you think and do. He wants to be Lord of your emotions.

“From now on, then, you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God’s will and not by human desires” (1 Peter 4:2 TEV).

Talk It Over

Do you base your decisions on your feelings? How do you know if a “feeling” is right or wrong?

Why do you think it’s important to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit? How do you do that?

What about your emotions do you need to surrender to God today?