I have a love/hate relationship with my emotions.  I feel things deeply.  So that means it’s great when I feel happy emotions deeply but not so great when I feel the depths of sadness.  My emotions have balanced out more in my older years but when I was young I knew if I had an extreme high then the horrible low was right on it’s heals.   In my case, I believe it was partially physical and partially from the deep wounds in my heart that still needed healing.

I am learning a lot about emotions these days.  They are definitely God given so anything that is God given should not be despised.  I’m learning to enjoy the happiness and give God the unhappiness.  HE’S never been closer than when I am hurting.  But I do not want to write about highs and lows and God’s comfort this time.  I want to write about deception and our belief system.

We often counsel husbands and wives that have discovered their spouse was either unfaithful or headed in that direction.  You can only imagine the emotions that they are battling.  Times like these we have to walk through our hurts and cling tightly to our Heavenly Father.  There are no short cuts.  It’s unfortunate and it’s not fair!  I’m sure these people would prefer to have no emotions at that time in their lives.

And then there are the elated emotions of the birth of your child or grandchild.  The day you marry your sweet heart.  The day you come into a real relationship with Jesus.   Nothing can come even close to the joy you feel during those days.

So, emotions are good BUT emotions are many times used by the enemy.  He knows that if we feel something long enough, we will be tempted to make it a belief.  If we make it a belief, we will make choices that can change the course of our life.  Do you see why the enemy would choose emotions as a major tool to tempt us?

I am directionally challenged.  Can you relate?  I cannot tell North from South, nor East from West.  I can place my life on it that I am going in the right direction and be going in the total opposite direction.  I think emotions can deceive us in exactly the same way.  If you follow my blog, you know that I learned how to swim this past summer.  This week I have been in a pool at our favorite vacation spot.  I was so disappointed that I left my goggles at home.  So I had to just close my eyes during my first swim in the pool.  Since I am a beginner, I’m cautious.  I don’t want to knock myself out as I ram my head straight into the side of the pool.  So I was counting my strokes.  There were so many times it FELT like I was right at the edge.  I would come up for a breath and open my eyes and I was no where near it.   There were times I was going in one direction and raise up to see I got off course somehow.  I was on the opposite side of where I thought I was headed.

I’ve been thinking a lot about emotions this week.  They are wonderful and they are deadly.  Deadly if they are funneled through the flesh and influenced by the enemy.  We really do have the capability to say no to our emotions.  Whether it be an affair we are considering, an extra piece of cake, an act of revenge that would be oh so easy or shutting down emotionally from all relationships; we don’t HAVE to do it!  We really don’t!  The old cliché, “If it feels good, do it” will get us into a LOT of trouble.  As a counselor, I have watched the unbelievable pain people have to endure AFTER making a choice that was contrary to their true identity in Christ.  All because they believed their emotions.

Friends, truth is what God says, regardless of how we feel, think, believe or act.  HE says our true identity is in our Spirit, where Jesus resides.  HE says we have the same power that Jesus has.  Remember HE even could raise people from the dead!  Will you stand tall and stand firm and say NO to those emotions that are haunting you?  The longer you entertain thoughts that are coming from the enemy, the more they will feel real and true.  They are not!  When you begin saying “No!,” “In the name of Jesus,” you will be amazed at how your emotions will begin to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to give you peace and assurance of the truth.  Does that mean you will now have smooth sailing?    Maybe, maybe not.  Ask God to show you why you struggled with that temptation and let HIM bring healing to your heart.  Get with a trusted counselor and investigate your struggles with the Lord.  God will take what the enemy meant for evil and bring you good.  Lots of good!