You Are Not Your Feelings

In his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", the late Stephen Covey says, “We are not our feelings. We are not our moods. We are not even our thoughts.” What does this really mean? It means your feelings, moods and thoughts are not the core of who you are. They are something you may be experiencing, but it’s not your identity. Your identity is Christ. You are a new creation – created and completed in Christ.

If you overly identify with your feelings, you’ll begin to think your feelings are who you are. You’ll say things like, “I’m angry” when you are feeling angry or “I’m sad” when you’re feeling sadness. Does this mean you are anger? Or that you’re sadness? Absolutely not! Whatever emotion you are feeling, you are NOT that emotion. It just something you’re experiencing in that moment in time. I love this statement from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” What an accurate picture of who we really are. Why is this important? This is important because it will help you do several things:

1. Detach your identity from your feelings. You are not your feelings. They describe your temporary experience, but they don’t define who you are.

2. Control your emotions. Everyday, you get to choose how you want to feel. You can exercise choice over how you feel. Don’t let your feelings run your life. Get rid of unwanted emotions and dictate to your soul the emotions you want to experience and exemplify.

3. Keep the devil from moving you from your place of rest. August 2, 2106 at 6:36am, I awoke and instantly heard the voice of the Lord say, “Don’t let Satan move you from your place of rest.” When you fully recognize your power over your emotions, you won’t have an up and down life and Satan will not be able to move you from your place of rest.