Are we entitled to emotion?

Are we entitled to emotion? The simple answer is yes BUT not all emotion. There are some emotions that God wills us to express. These emotions are said to be the result of surrendering to the Holy Spirit's guidance for our lives. Galatians 5:22 claims that "the Holy Spirit produces...love, joy, peace...and patience" for our lives.

There are other emotions, however, that God prohibits and can be attributed to our sinful nature. These are emotions that God does not wish for us to express...emotions that we do not have a right to express...emotions that we were not created to express. Galatians 5:19 sums up these emotions-- sexual immorality, impurity, lust, obsession, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition (pride), and envy. We are not entitled to these emotions simply because we are not God and our ways of feeling are never justified.

For example, selfish ambition is a failure to neglect the fact that it is God who provides for you. By trampling over and competing with others, you essentially do the same to God. Matthew 25:40 explains that what we do to others affects God and is a reflection of our attitudes towards God. In addition, one neglects the undeniable blessing of others in one's life and the importance of their life events to them. What one has to selfishly compete for is never usually worth it.

Anger is never justified. Jesus explicitly says that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us (Matthew 18:22). Additionally, Paul tells us to never take revenge, but allow the "righteous" anger of God to do that work for us (Romans 12:19). We learn here that we are not entitled to that emotion, only God's anger is pure because he is justice. By being angry, we forget all the times that others could have expressed that emotion towards us (but didn't), or did express those emotions towards us and how it brought fear and worry into our lives.

Pride essentially is deeming yourself God, as we deserve absolutely nothing and should instead be humble and grateful for our blessings, which exist as bonuses to what could be mundane. Amazingly, God (as a default setting) made life miraculous, and filled with blessings. To him goes all the glory.

Lastly, sexual feeling is to be expressed only within the sanctity of marriage. It is why God created marriage and it protects us as well.

There are many reasons why we should not feel the way we do a lot of the time. We should remember them to change the way we think.

So next time you feel a particular way, do question the emotion and remember what you were created for.