The Sure Way to Master Your Feelings Before They Master You

If you’re like most, there’s a common phrase in your daily communication: “I feel … !“

• “I feel hurt.”
• “I feel alone.”
• “I feel rejected.”
• “I feel unloved.”

The list goes on and on.

To be certain, feelings have their place. God created us to feel and to experience. He wants us to feel when things are pleasant and good. He designed us to enjoy the beauty, sounds and tastes of His creation, and to intimately know the thrills of relationship.

Feelings also protect us. They keep us from severe burns or eating something deadly. And frequently, the Holy Spirit will use our feelings for discernment of right and wrong.

The Root of Negative Feelings

But like any good thing, the devil seeks to get it all out of balance. What was created as a guide to help determine good and bad, he perverts into a master that controls. This is where dysfunction begins to take place in our lives and relationships—because it’s simply out of the created order.

Understand that any out-of-balance feeling is most often rooted in the lie, “Can you really trust God?” This is how the issues of fear, anxiety, worry, stress or loneliness all begin to creep in. The temptation then is to find the solution in a person, object or a substance. And when those don’t work, the viscous cycle continues. That is … until the feeling meets resistance!

Freedom From Your Feelings

Here’s the good news: God has not left us powerless against things that seek to control us. No, He came to set the captives free! This includes freedom from our feelings.

The solution to master your feelings is to tell your feelings who the master is: God and His Word. Remember that God’s Word is more real than what you feel, whatever someone has said about you, your circumstances or your situations. God’s Word is your ultimate reality. Anything that disagrees with it is false.

Here’s how to put this all to work. When you begin to feel fearful, recognize the feeling as a lie, then combat it by mentally and verbally agreeing with God’s reality that those who have the Holy Spirit are no longer slaves to fear (Rom. 8:15). When you feel rejected, focus on the truth that you are handpicked and chosen by God for His good purpose (Eph. 2:10). You can do this for any out-of-whack feeling.

Agree With God’s Reality

Finally, remember that as a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit and all that comes with Him—each and every fruit. This means that you already have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). When you begin to feel something that disagrees with one of these, take control and declare: “I have the Holy Spirit and so I have His fruits. I have and feel love, joy, peace … !”

Be assured that when you exalt God’s Word over whatever you feel, you’ll begin to put your feelings back in their place. Then you’ll begin take back your life.

Kyle Winkler equips people to live in victory. His mobile app, Shut Up, Devil!, is the No. 1 spiritual warfare app; and his recent book, Silence Satan, has helped thousands shut down the enemy’s attacks, threats, lies and accusations. Kyle holds a Master of Divinity in biblical studies from Regent University. Get daily encouragement from Kyle on Facebook and Twitter.