“Wisdom says wait; emotions say hurry.”
The Word of God says in Colossians 3:15 to be led by peace in making decisions. Don't let your emotions make your decisions. Believers are called to live in peace. Peace is a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). We receive peace with God through the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20). It is to "rule" in our hearts, meaning it should be in charge of how we live. Believers are not called to live in violence or squabbles among each other, but in peace (Colossians 1:2).
Jesus walked as God in the flesh on earth and showed human emotions. In the Scriptures, we see Him display EMPATHY- the capacity and ability to understand and share the feelings of others in the last hours before his crucifixion on the cross. COMPASSION towards people suffering from either physical ailments or as a result of their sinful actions. HAPPINESS in the Beatitudes, which says, "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven." SADNESS as He wept over the death of Lazarus and He cried again in Luke 19:41 which says, "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it." ANGER especially at religious leaders who thought they were better than others and driving all from the temple courts because HE didn't want the house of his father to become a house of merchandise.” It is important to note that there is no record of Jesus experiencing fear, anxiety, and worry! Read Matthew 6:25–34 for Jesus' teaching on worry.
To be led by emotions means that a person is emotionally driven and means that your emotional, impulsive brain is always overriding your rational one and shutting it down. To keep our emotions in check, we need to slow down, pause so that our brain can reset, and seek the Lord daily in every decision. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
David had to reset his emotions many times when he was being chased by King Saul. David was a man after God’s own heart. As King, he let his emotions override his good judgment and slept with Bathsheba, even though she was married. King David wrote Psalm 51 to repent of his sins and beg God’s forgiveness (Psalm 51:10-19).
We must not confuse our emotions with God’s voice. We must spend time in prayer and in His Word helps us to better understand God's character and recognize His voice. We must not base our decisions solely on feelings. We are flawed as human beings and our emotions are also flawed and quite able to deceive us. Our emotions are created by our brain and are not universally expressed. We cannot analyze a person by their emotions. Some of the people who seem to have it all, are suffering in silence. Science says that emotions are guesses in our brain. Emotions are built into our brain at birth but not yet formed because there is no experience to connect it with. As we go through life’s experiences, we form emotions based on those experiences. We may see someone who is depressed and project our emotional thoughts onto what we believe is wrong with them. Yet the emotions that we ascribe to that person are actually coming from our own emotional experiences.
Humankind can be awfully bad at recognizing the emotions of themselves and others, leading to a lot of misunderstandings. I used to be a quiet person and was OK with that. But those on the outside talked about me and my so-called emotional state amongst themselves instead of having a conversation with me. I forgive them because we all have made a similar type of judgment call on someone at one point in our lives. An only child might get labeled as withdrawn and a loaner when in fact, that person grew up without siblings and learned to occupy their time and adapt to not having a 24/7 sibling to play with.
Body language has long been used to dictate a person’s emotional state. For example, if we see a person who has their arms folded it is assumed that they are mad or bored when in fact, it is just the way that they feel comfortable to rest their body. Emotions that seem to happen to a person are actually created by that person. We have more control over our emotions than we think. Our brain is wired that if we change what we put into our brains then we can teach our brain to react differently. We must set our eyes, heart, and mind on Kingdom things and not worldly things. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2). We are the creators of our experiences. We can place and or remove ourselves in a situation, good or bad. We must have mercy and compassion for those who do have a serious medical concern when it comes to emotions. Many leaders face burn-out because they feel that if they are honest and show their true emotions, that they will be ridiculed or kicked out of ministry when all they would have to do is confess that they have a struggle and are seeking Biblical Christian counseling. We must put into practice valuing others above ourselves.
Moses was frustrated with the people and lost his temper (feelings and emotions). He struck the rock twice when the Lord only told him to speak to the rock in the desert to bring forth water for Israel. In Exodus 17:6, the Lord instructed Moses to strike the rock to produce water (obedience). In Numbers 20:8-11, Moses was instructed to speak to the rock. Moses struck the rock and was punished by God for disobedience. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city (Proverbs 16:32).
Once a person has an emotional connection with God and their emotional needs are met, then they can truly have the emotional capacity to value connecting with others without bleeding on them. For example, I need to know God has my back, and I can turn over my cares and worries to him (1 Peter 5:7). I need to know he forgives me (Psalm 32). I need to know God will give me courage and guide me on the best path for my future (Romans 8:28).
Our emotions matter a lot in our relationship with God and others around us and can be a gateway to experiencing God. Take time to reflect on how you handle your emotions and how that affects your relationship with God. Pray and talk to God honestly. Then pray about when to have an honest talk with friends and family so that you can better understand each other better and grow closer. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ (Colossians 2:8 NIV). - by Caroline Demby
Scripture reference: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Colossians 3:15 KJV).
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