Emotions are closely tied to actions. Your emotions cause you to act, but you can also act your way into an emotion. It is important to have an ‘ACTION’ plan. Here is what ACTION means:
Acknowledge the emotion
Consider why you have it
Thank God that He will help you master it
Identify the biblical response to it
Obey the Holy Spirit’s leading
Nurture the appropriate fruit of the Spirit
In order to ‘Acknowledge the emotion’ you need to avoid denying or suppressing your emotions. You can only deal with an emotion only if you recognize it. How many times do you say ‘I’m not mad’, or ‘I’m not upset’…. When you really are? Burying an emotion can cause it to emerge in an unhealthy way later. Learning to identify your exact emotion will help you acknowledge your feelings. For example, you may think you are feeling sad about a matter when a closer look reveals that you actually feel lonely, abandoned, helpless, or overwhelmed. Giving an exact name to an emotion helps with the later steps of this plan.
In Matthew 26:37-38, Jesus did not try to deny or suppress His grief and distress as He faced the cross but admitted that He was sorrowful.
A second step toward mastering an emotion is to ‘Consider why you have it’. After you have acknowledged a feeling, it is important to understand why you are experiencing it. Identifying the underlying cause of an emotion is a big step toward mastering your reaction to that emotion.
Daily Thoughts: What did you get from today’s study?
Think about a recent time you felt a strong emotion about a matter. What feelings did you have? Can you identify your emotion?
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