Feelings, are they true or false?  Actually, they can be both.  We can feel loved when a discussion is right and positive but if the same discussion is more negative we might feel unloved.  So what do we do with these feelings that swing back and forth like a pendulum?  In every situation, we look to the Word of God for the truth.

Each time our feelings attack us with negativity, we need to recognize the source for that negative feeling.  First of all, we need to realize that there is a difference between being or feeling negative and being or feeling conviction; they are not the same.  Though I will have to admit that conviction might make us feel negative about ourselves when it first appears in our heart, the purpose of conviction is to lead us to repentance, deliverance, and victory; whereas the purpose negativity is condemnation leading us to shame, failure, and destruction.

The Bible tells us that God’s thoughts toward us are love and good and that He has good plans for us.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  Jesus told us in John 10:10 that the thief (devil) comes to steal, kill, and to destroy, but that HE (Jesus) came to give us life, and have it more abundantly.  The reason God sent Jesus was to destroy the works of the devil, and He did, but we must believe in Him before those works can be made apparent in our lives.  (1 John 3:8)

We need to remember that no matter what caused us to fall short of the glory of God; when we repent there is forgiveness, and grace to walk in the power of God and not after our flesh (feelings).  (Romans 8:1)

Our feelings are a manifestation of our thoughts. So, in order to manage our feelings, we have to manage our thoughts.  The best way to manage our thoughts is to focus on the right thought-patterns because the Bible tells us that we are what we think.  (Proverbs 23:7)  And just for the record, in my experience, a person cannot think correctly without believing what God says about them.  We must know the Word of God in order to counter-attack the negative feelings from our wrong thoughts.  We learn from Proverbs 29:11 that, “a fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man hold them back”, meaning that a wise person controls his feeling.

We need to realize that a lot of times negative feelings stem from mourning over something that has happened or a wrong that we did.  Mourning is a result of grief, and if grief is not dealt with properly results in oppression.  The dictionary describes oppression as an unjust or cruel exercise of power or authority; now you see how the devil works in our feelings to control us.  The best way I know to control our feelings and switch them from negative to positive is to change what I’m focusing on, and praising God is the answer for me.

Years ago I learned that praise works like a garment.  It shelters me from the onslaughts of the attacks of the enemy, covering me and holds me close to God.  Praise dispels the negative feelings that cause heaviness in our heart.  (Isaiah 61:3)  Praising God removes the negative feelings and replaces them with the joy of the Lord, which in turn gives us strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)  This strength from God enables us to stand against the wiles of the devil (his tricks or strategies to ensnare or deceive us). (Ephesians 6:11)

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Good God, bad devil”, so for me, that is how I start evaluating a situation and my feelings. As I said earlier, if our feelings are leading us to condemnation, shame, regret, or failure, then they are not from God.  If our feelings are leading us to conviction, repentance, forgiveness, and victory, then they are from God.

Remember condemnation and conviction are not the same nor do they have the same end result.  Look for the underlining end result of the pull of your feelings is the question that needs to be answered.    So think about what you are thinking about and discern the origin of your feelings.  When we learn to control our thinking properly, as God intended, then our feelings will also line up with His Word and produce the blessings of God in our lives.