Emotional Health // The Art Of Being Unordinary [Part 5 Of 8]

“You are to love the Lord your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment.” Mark 12:30 (TPT)

UNDERSTANDING MY EMOTIONS

∙  God has emotions.

∙  My ability to feel is a gift from God.

“God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image…’” Genesis 1:26 (MSG)

∙  Two extremes to avoid:

Emotionalism:  All that matters is how I feel.

Stoicism: Feelings are not important.

∙ God gave us the Psalms to understand our emotions.

WHY I MUST LEARN TO MANAGE MY EMOTIONS

1. BECAUSE my feelings are often unreliable.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NIV) 

2. BECAUSE I don’t want to be manipulated.

“Like an open city with no defenses is the man with no check on his feelings.”  Proverbs 25:28 (NAB) 

“Curb every passion and be on the alert. Your great accuser, the Devil, is going about like a roaring lion to see whom he can devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (MSG)

3. BECAUSE I want to succeed in life.

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

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

HOW TO MANAGE AN UNWANTED FEELING

1. Name it.

Ask: What am I really feeling?

Ask: What are my triggers?

2. Challenge it.

Ask: What’s the real reason I’m feeling this?

Ask: Is it true?

Ask: Is it helping me or hurting me?

 “…Lord, cross examine me.  Test my motives and my affections.”  Psalm 26:2 (NLT)

“You can trust a friend who wounds you with his honesty…” Proverbs 27:6 (TPT)

Eliphaz asked Job: “Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash?” Job 15:12 (NIV) 

3. Tame it. 

∙ Everyday: Ask God to fill me with His Spirit. 

“When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) 

∙ Everyday: Ask God to help me manage my mouth. 

“Guard your words and you’ll guard your life, but if you don’t control your tongue, it will ruin everything.” Proverbs 13:3 (TPT)

“And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire!” James 3:5 (TPT)