We were not meant to be slaves
to our emotions
but rather
surrenders of those emotions,
subjecting them to God’s authority
These raw and beautiful feelings
are an important part of experiencing life
and they are one of God’s gifts
to our hearts
but they are not meat to rule
our minds
Sadness
happiness
joy
anger…
they all express
life here in this
broken
and beautiful
world
And we aren’t to look at them
as bad
when the negative emotions come,
but allowing them to rule
in a dominant way
makes us out to be
victims
out-of-control
helpless….
and
we
are
NOT
We, my brothers and sisters,
are Holy Spirit influenced
and not emotion driven
Our feelings and emotions allow expression
but they are not in charge
of who we are
We take feelings that threaten to overtake us
into captivity by His Divine mind
and heart
and we rest
and submit
and offer
every bit of ourselves,
which includes emotion,
to HIM
We are not meant to stay stuck
in anger
or sadness
or worry
or even grief
but are meant to experience
unexplainable peace
when they threaten
to overtake
We allow the emotion to express,
but not take us over
and certainly not cause us
to sin
Surrendered emotion
under God’s authority,
captive to His love, joy, and peace
– Susie Stewart
A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person controls them.
– Proverbs 29:11 (GW)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4:6,7 (NLT)
Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.
– Romans 12:2 (VOICE)
A time to cry, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance;
– Ecclesiastes 3:4 (VOICE)
Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
– Ephesians 4:26,27 (MSG)
You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.
– 2 Timothy 1:7 (VOICE)
Jesus wept.
– John 11:35 (NIV)
…we take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ.
– 2 Corinthians 10:5 (GW)
Photo by Gracie Oertli
Susie Stewart 