Saturday, June 6, 2009

We women....


are emotional. I recently (about a month or so ago) was reading about being led by the Spirit. I was talking about not being a reactive person, but letting the Holy Spirit led and guide me. I today came across an article that helps me to also know of another way the Holy Spirit can lead me. As women, we are emotional beings....we can't help it, it's the most wonderful thing God has equipped us with...yepo..equipped. I believe emotions are a strength for women...however it can be a detriment when not under the control of the Lord. I read this article I am about to post (only an expert from it) and really thought that I need the Holy Spirit to control my emotions too...that's part of walking and being led by the Lord. Here it is...let me know if you agree or disagree????

If our emotions are to be sanctified, if our emotions are to be conformed to the image of Christ, then we must have a grasp on what the Bible says. If we are going to successfully cultivate our emotions for greater godliness and put to death those destructive, ungodly emotions, then we must have a handle on what the Bible says about them. A biblical theology is foundational for us if we ever hope to understand our emotions and grow spiritually. A commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture must undergird our approach. A confidence in the grace of God is a prerequisite if we are to change. Once that commitment and confidence are firmly in place, we can begin the journey with the expectation that God will teach us, prune us, and grow us.

As soon as we start this journey, however, we encounter obstacles and potential detours because there is so much erroneous teaching on the emotions. We need to navigate around the obstacles, avoiding dangerous detours, and cut a clear course when it comes to the emotions and what the Bible teaches. To think erroneously, that is, unbiblically, about the emotions is to be held captive by wrong thinking and to remain powerless to overcome wrong feelings and cultivate right feelings. To have a biblical foundation for understanding the emotions is to think rightly about them.

This does not mean that all emotions are rational. They often are not. But it does identify the fact that the emotions are responses to our perceptions, which may be right or wrong, real or imagined. “Emotions are the language of the soul. They are the cry that gives the heart a voice.”10 This is not to claim that all emotions are easily intelligible and able to be thoroughly analyzed. They often cannot. And yet, we must learn to understand this basic part of our humanity. Sam Williams rightly notes, “God gives emotions for a specific purpose. They are necessary for us properly to know and relate to and glorify God.”11

2 comments:

eyes wide open said...

Right on woman. I can dig it. My wife being a godly person is one of the most skilled and influential people I know primarily because of "Christ in her, the hope of glory". Thanks I dig it.

Megan said...

Wow...I needed this today. I have days where I hate being emotional, but other days where I think it is very important. Thanks.