MANAGING YOUR EMOTIONS
As far as I can see from reading the Bible and listening to Bible teachers like Joyce Meyer, EMOTIONS are not good or evil - they are EMOTIONS. God gave then to us, we SHOULD experience them - they are part of a MATURE, FULL life.
The Bible records JESUS experiencing a VARIETY of EMOTIONS.
Mark 3:1-7 (NIV)
1 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.
2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.
3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."
4 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
5 He looked around at them in ANGER and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.
6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.
Anger - As you can see, Jesus was ANGRY, but did not sin. David ALMOST sinned while he was angry at Nabal in 1 Sam 25 when he asked food from Nabal, this was the reply:
1 Sam 25:10-11 (NIV)
10 Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days.
11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"
David said to his men:
1 Sam 25:13 (NIV)
13 . . . "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
But Abigail (Nabal’s wife) heard what had happened and . . .
1 Sam 25:18-19 (NIV)
18 Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
19 Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
She made peace with David:
1 Sam 25:31-33 (NIV)
31 (then) my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant."
32 David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.
33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.
Joyce Meyer had THESE words to say on the matter . . .
“God wants you to use wisdom. Wisdom says wait a little while until the emotions settle down and check if you really believe it's the right thing to do. The bible says in Colossians 3:15 to be led by peace in making decisions. Don't let your emotions make your decisions. A good statement to remember is this: "Wisdom says wait; emotions say hurry." “
What does God’s Word say in James? Let every man be . . . :
James 1:19-20 (KJV)
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, SLOW TO WRATH:
20 For the WRATH OF MAN WORKETH NOT the righteousness of God.
OTHER EMOTIONS Jesus experienced:
Matt 14:1-14 (NIV)
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,
2 and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,
4 for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her."
5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.
6 On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much
7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted
10 and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
12 John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
13 When JESUS HEARD WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE WITHDREW BY BOAT PRIVATELY TO A SOLITARY PLACE. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
John 11:31-38 (NIV)
31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 JESUS WEPT.
36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
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Love - one of the expressions of Jesus’ love for us is expressed ALSO through emotion in:
Luke 19:41-44 (NIV)
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
42 and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-- but now it is hidden from your eyes.
43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.
44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
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Although Jesus must have experienced fear (HE was touched by ALL feelings that we experience), He did not succumb to it.
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Finally, just to touch on depression (we’re not discussing mood swing or medical problems), it is an emotion that must ALWAYS be resisted. Just remember this - SOMETIMES, depression isn’t depression AT ALL - it is a DEEPLY FELT call to PRAY and INTERCEDE ! !
Isa 66:8 (NIV)
8 Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.
Gal 4:19 (NIV)
19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you,