Question 1

How should I respond to my feelings?

Accepted Answer

1 Samuel 1:10Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.Job 7:11“I cannot keep from speaking. I must express my anguish. My bitter soul must complain.”Psalm 9:1-2I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.Psalm 62:8O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.Psalm 102:1-2Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you.We should honestly tell God our feelings. Pouring out our heart to him can be an act of faith and devotion.Psalm 31:24So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!Psalm 43:5Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!We can respond to feelings of discouragement and sadness by turning to God in faith. He gives hope for the future.1 Kings 10:9“Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”Hosea 11:8“Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows.”1 John 4:7-8Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.We were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and God’s emotions are foundational to his nature. Emotion is good and natural. We should recognize that we are emotional beings and that God made us beings of emotion. Our feelings are a natural part of our God-given life.Ezra 3:12-13Many of the older priests, Levites, and other leaders who had seen the first Temple wept aloud when they saw the new Temple’s foundation. The others, however, were shouting for joy. The joyful shouting and weeping mingled together in a loud noise that could be heard far in the distance.Romans 12:15Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.We should be respectful of others’ feelings, even when they differ from our own.

Question 2

Why should I exercise self-control regarding my feelings?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 16:32Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city.Proverbs 25:28A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.1 Corinthians 9:25All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.1 Timothy 3:11In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do.2 Peter 1:5-6Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness.Feeling anger doesn’t justify lashing out at someone. Feeling out of control doesn’t justify acting out of control and scaring people. If we let feelings run our lives, we become pawns to the impulses of our sinful natures. Our thoughts of sin become acts of sin. The Bible says that knowing God leads to self-control. We must strengthen our discipline and let God help us control what we cannot.

Question 3

How should I control my feelings?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 4:23Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.Matthew 6:21“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”We must guard what we permit into our minds and hearts. The thoughts and desires we dwell on direct the course of our lives. Growing our appetite for God and his goodness inspires us to follow him. Feeding our hearts with temptations and sin turns our hearts away from God.Colossians 3:8-10Now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.2 Peter 1:5-6Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness.As we come to know God more, it becomes easier to follow him and become like him. This gives us the self-control to avoid those emotions that might lead us into sin.Romans 13:14Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!Ephesians 4:23, 26Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. . . . And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.The Holy Spirit lives within us, and we ask him to keep our emotions pure. The emotions that come from the Holy Spirit are much more exciting, joyful, and satisfying than the emotions that come from our sinful nature.

Question 4

What are some of the dangers of feelings?

Accepted Answer

Jeremiah 17:9“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”Our feelings can deceive us.Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. . . . Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.Our feelings can lead us into sin.Numbers 14:1-4Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”Our feelings can cause us to forget the truth about God’s goodness. In their fear, the Israelites were quick to forget God’s promises and protection. Their feelings even convinced them they preferred to be back in slavery!Proverbs 14:13Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.Sometimes we cling to shallow feelings to avoid deeper problems.Judges 11:34-35When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him, playing on a tambourine and dancing for joy. When he saw her, he tore his clothes in anguish. “Oh, my daughter!” he cried out. “You have completely destroyed me! You’ve brought disaster on me! For I have made a vow to the Lord, and I cannot take it back.”Our feelings can lead us to make rash and foolish promises.Amos 6:1What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem, and you who feel secure in Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, and people go to you for help.Our feelings can give us an unwarranted sense of security.Matthew 1:19Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.Our feelings may hide the truth from us.Galatians 5:16-18Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.1 John 4:1Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.Our feelings are not reliable guides because they can be influenced by both our sinful nature and by the Holy Spirit. The best way to know what the Holy Spirit wants is not from our feelings but from the words of Scripture.Ezekiel 3:14-15The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong. Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days.Our feelings can hinder our obedience to God.Song of Solomon 2:7Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.An impatient reaction to our feelings can cause us to forfeit God’s perfect timing for us.

Question 5

How can we experience life’s most positive feelings?

Accepted Answer

John 14:1, 27“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. . . . I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”John 15:10-12“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”Romans 8:6So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!A daily, living relationship with the Lord will bring the fullest experience of life.

Feelings