2 Peter 2:19b says, "for 'people are slaves to whatever has mastered them'" (NIV).
Emotions are so influential. It is so easy to decide what you will or will not do based solely on how you feel at any given moment. Recently God has been helping me to see that because I am a follower of Christ, I am no longer a slave to anything or anyone but Jesus, and this includes my emotions. This applies to everyone who is a follower of Christ. Outside of Christ, nothing has power over you unless you allow it to have power, and this means that you don't have to be ruled by how you feel. Your emotions are not your master. They do not get to decide what you will do and whether you will trust God. If your feelings have power over you, it is because you have given that power to them, not because they have any real power. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (NIV). This shows that when you are tempted to let your emotions have control over you, you do not have to give in to that temptation. I am not trying to imply that emotions are bad in and of themselves. God gave us emotions. We are meant to feel things. The problem arises when we allow our emotions to dictate our actions and rule over us. Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (NIV). When we let our emotions have control over us, we are putting ourselves into slavery under something that Jesus died to free us from. In a world that tells us to follow our heart and to embrace and act on every feeling, remember that in the freedom and power of Christ you are not a slave to your emotions.
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