Our feelings are more powerful than we realize. They can take us to what feels like the highest pinnacle of elation or plunge us into a dark hole of despair. If we’re not careful, we can lose all emotional control and get swept away. This is why God’s Word gives us directions on how to deal with negative emotions.

God gave us emotions as a gift because of His favor toward us, but we should never allow them to control us. Most people think emotions can’t be controlled; however, believers have been given authority over them. We live in an angry world, but anger should never get the better of us. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; a hot-tempered person stirs up fights, but a cool-tempered person stops them.

Anxiety and worry are negative emotions that never do us any good. Worrying doesn’t add a single hour to our lives. Neither do we benefit by fretting about something to the point of being anxious; God tells us to be anxious for nothing, but instead prayerfully take the issue to Him for Him to handle. God can handle bad situations much better than we can.

Fear can warn us about potentially dangerous situations, but letting it take over paralyzes us emotionally. This is referenced in multiple places in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God told the people to fear not because He was with them and would help them; in the New Testament, He reminds us that He didn’t give us the spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind.

The way to conquer fear is to trust in God’s love for us and believe in it. There’s no fear in love; perfect love casts out fear. Genuine faith in His love strengthens us with the best kind of emotion—the joy of the Lord.

Prayer:

God, Your Word holds all the answers on how to maintain emotional control. Thank You for giving us authority in this area. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Proverbs 16:32

Proverbs 15:18, NLT

Luke 12:25, NIV

Philippians 4:6, NKJV

Isaiah 41:10, 13

2 Timothy 1:7

1 John 4:18

Nehemiah 8:10