But You, You are to be feared!
Who can stand before You
when once Your anger is roused?
From the heavens You uttered judgment;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
the remnant of wrath You will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all around Him bring gifts
to Him who is to be feared,
who cuts off the spirit of princes,
who is to be feared by the kings of the earth. Psalm 76:7-12
Our emotions were created by God. We are like Him in many ways as we were made in “His image” (Genesis 1:27). So, there is ‘mystery’ within us in that there are ‘ways’ and ‘parts’ we know very little about.
For You formed my inward parts;
You knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (set apart).
Wonderful are Your works;
my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14
We were made to be ‘eternal’, death was not in the equation of our life, when Man and Woman were created. We have ‘parts’ today within us that are still like ‘Him’, like our soul and spirit. But our body will waste away – ravaged by the 2nd law of thermodynamics and the ‘curse of Adam’. But our soul and spirit are like Him. Where do our emotions sit within us? The soul? What exactly are emotions and are they always correct? Can our physical senses be fooled? Can our emotions be triggered by past wounds? Can our emotions be triggered by things surrounding us in the moment? So, are they much like our physical senses but on a different ‘plain’? Can you discern what triggered your emotion(s)? How do you deal with the ‘darker’ emotions within you? Are they always to be followed? How is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) supposed to play into our emotions? Is our anger always righteous, like God’s? Or is our anger coming mostly from our ‘brokenness’? What about our sadness and grief? What about our ‘loneliness’?
Do you ever ask the Holy Spirit about your emotions? What triggers yours specifically and why? Do you ask Him how you are to deal with your emotions and soul desires? Maybe we should treat our emotions like our thoughts in that we should bring them to the ‘seat of Christ’ for ‘judgment’ and discernment by the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 10:5) If we make our decisions by our emotions, how dangerous can that become? About as dangerous as following and acting on every thought that pops into your mind.
Lately, I’ve been pondering God’s anger. His anger is NOT like ours. I believe His anger is motivated by love. I know our Father HATES to see His innocent children hurt. I know He hates to see His children deceived. From the current state of things in the world – there is a lot for God to be angry about.
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19
Have you got a handle on your emotions? Do you seek out the Holy Spirit to help you define and understand your emotions and what you should do with them? Should you submit your emotions to Him before acting on them? Have you learned the discipline to stop yourself before acting on your emotions? This is still the lesson I am having to learn over and over.
How about you?