It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit-depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm].

- Deuteronomy 31:8 AMPC

In my early years, I was led to believe that having certain feelings was wrong.

Sadness, anger, fear, even discouragement, (to name a few), were grounds for judgment, reprimand and false assumptions about my relationship with God and who I was.

What falsehoods! Thank God for his Holy Spirit who gives revelation of the Truth of His Word and His character! Thank God for mercies that are renewed each day!

Feelings are normal and not foreign to the Lord’s own experience.

He became man to experience the walk of man so that by His sacrifice he could reconcile humanity to Himself.

Jesus experienced his own feelings and emotions and because of that he has real empathy for us. Before his crucifixion Jesus cried “tears of blood” during His prayer time asking God to take that cup from Him.

Can you imagine what he must have been feeling? He was in the middle of betrayal, rejection, and suffering. He experienced all sorts of pain and then sentenced to death like a criminal!

While he knew God’s will be done and he maintained obedience for the purpose, He still had feelings about it! What a lesson and example for us to follow! Jesus gets it!

In this scripture, God is not saying not to feel but not to “be” or “become”.

Emotions are indicators not dictators.

Emotions can be deceptive. While feelings are normalized, we still must be careful of the authority we give them. We need to surrender them to the Lord.

We can’t give feelings the authority in our lives to dictate our choices or how we live.

In doing so, we are surrendering our God given authority over to what becomes a spiritual entity that now has governing power over us.

Friends, don’t “be” or “become” what the Lord advises against or else who or what or whose will you say you are? Trust in the assurance of His word and His promise that regardless of how you feel or what your circumstance are, God will carry you through. You are who He says you are; not how you feel.

With Love,
Jasmine Marrero