Emotions Flag Our Thinking

So many of us spend more time thinking about what we are feeling.

We want to feel better, we want God to take away our problems, take away our pain.

The truth is, that we need the truth.

We need to remove the errors and lies in our lives, and invite the truth of Christ and Him Crucified to enlighten our understanding.

I had started saying this to friends of mine, but now the statement stands out even more:

"I don't want to feel better. I want to know the truth."

I had shared this during a very difficult and emotional moment in June. There was so much pain, so much pressure, and I had believed that all of these responsibilities were falling on me.

I had so many negative concerns, bad thoughts, burdened emotions.

What if? What about? bounced around in my mind.

Then when I recognized that Jesus is holding this world together, regardless of what I feel, then all the pain went away.

That was more of the truth which sets me free. We are not on good or bad standing with our father depending on how we feel or what we think.

Any fears or concerns are pushed away with the truth.

Any feelings of upset and pain come from the lie that those concerns have to be answered.

No, they do not need to be answered, because they have been answered.

I noticed today that individuals would snap at me for things that I did or did not do. I did find myself getting upset.

But then I recognized what I was thinking, and the thoughts that had ministered those feelings began to make sense.

I realized that I was thinking that I had to do something about the disrespect.

Then I realized the truth of God's Word, and the fullness of all  that He is. "Vengeance is mine". I do not have to reward the wrong-doing of others.

Yet why did I hesitate to take God at His Word in the first place?

Because the god that I was learning about was not the god in the Bible. Everything was mixed up with the false teachings of AA, versus the full and forever forgiveness of the Gospel of Grace.

While AA teaches us that we must watch out for our bad feelings, and confess our bad thoughts and sins to other people, the Word of God provides us with the proper renewal of our minds, brings us into oneness with the truth of who we are in Christ.

Our upsets, hurts, anger, bitterness, cannot separate us from the love of God, for nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8: 38-39)

Why did I struggle to believe this? Because the law is not of faith, nor is any other tenet based on our efforts instead of His Work.

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1: 8)

James provided the answer to this double-mindedness, which speaks of trying to live under both covenants:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." (James 4: 8)

How do we purify our hearts? We believe on Jesus and what He has done for us:

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" (1 Peter 1: 22)

Then we grow into maturity, trusting Christ Jesus for all things:

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" (Ephesians 4: 14-15)

The debate ends right there. We no longer go back and forth in our minds about the truth because of our feelings. We rest in Him, trusting that He is our peace (Isaiah 26: 3; Ephesians 2: 10)

We do not go back and forth in our minds trying to figure out whether we are OK with God based on our feelings. One of the biggest lies I had to overcome, was that my feelings had nothing to do with who I am before God. Yet because of the mind-control of the AA cult, I was in bondage to what was going through my head.

If there is any fear or tremor or upset in my life, all of it comes from believing a lie. Our bitter or toxic emotions will reveal to us that we are believing something that is not true.