Don't Let Your Decisions Be Based Only On Your Feelings

Imagine if we lived our lives based primarily on our feelings. Every few minutes or so our mood would change.

• I had a good meeting: Happy!
• My lunch was terrible: Sad!
• I am stuck in traffic: Irritated!
• I am about to watch my favorite TV show: Joy!

I'm sure you catch my drift. Our emotions are a part of how God created us, and they do play a role in how we live this life. However, sometimes we give way too much acknowledgment to how we feel and less to what is truth.

Related Post: Learning to Walk Through the Storms of Our Emotions

I am sure all of you, like me, have experienced a negative feeling. If we give enough attention and focus to these feelings, they create anxiety, unrest, sadness, etc. We hit a downward spiral that ends in self-introspection, depression, or discouragement. What we think about and focus on fuels our emotions.

[easy-tweet tweet="What we think about and focus on fuels our emotions." via="no" usehashtags="no"]

So, the question is, “What are we thinking of?” If our beliefs are wrong, then our feelings, and subsequently our actions, will end up being wrong. Our beliefs come from the way we think -- about ourselves and about life in general. For example, if you believe that you are a cat and not a human being, you'll start acting like a cat and pretending to be a cat. Does that make you a cat? No. You are still a human being, but your belief is incorrect, and your perspective has gotten distorted.

We need to think about what we are actually thinking about.

Don’t get me wrong, emotions do play a role in our lives. They are like the check engine light in your car. You don’t just ignore it and continue driving. I often find that if my emotions are all over the place or I have grown impatient or irritated, it is because I have not spent time receiving God’s love and allowing Him to minister to me. My disoriented emotions are my check engine light. So, I get into the word or watch a teaching and encourage myself again.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” - Romans 10:17

We are made up of a spirit, soul, and body. The more we allow the Spirit of God to be above all else and to guide all areas of our life, the more successful we will be in defeating the ill feelings.

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” - Galatians 5:16

With God, this is possible. He has a way better life for us all. It's a life not governed by which side of the bed we wake up on in the morning, but one based on the fact that He loves us unconditionally. The truth shall set you free, but it is only the truth that you know, and believe and follow daily, that will KEEP you free (John 8:32).In conclusion, I want to share the following message by Shayne Holesgrove (Gracelife: Stellenbosch). It really blessed me, and I trust that you will also be blessed by it.