Feelings are Fickle

I really liked the song that one of the Women of Faith ladies taught us this weekend. It goes, "You got to think about, what you think about." Again, it's a really catchy tune that I wish you could hear.
The point is, that we can't just keep thinking any ole thought that pops into our mind. Emotions and thoughts come and go. Sometimes the devil puts thoughts into our minds, sometimes our flesh does, and sometimes God does. So we really do have to think about what we think about. The Bible talks about "casting down vain imaginations." That means that when a thought comes into our minds we have to judge it. Is this a right thought? A Godly thought? Remember the Word says, "What soever things are pure, whatsoever things are honest, true, and good, think on these things." So if its not a Godly thought, obviously it did not come from God and we need to cast it down. Casting a thought down is so simple. How? Just choose a different thought! Think about something else. Start singing a praise song. Or if satan dropped a judgemental thought into your mind about someone then, on purpose, start thinking about what is good about that person.
The only way a thought or feeling becomes our own is if we speak it out loud. Then we have taken the thought and made it our own. The Bible says that we will know what is in a person's heart by what they speak!
The second point is that feelings are not your faith. This was a huge revelation for me. Because I could be believing God for an answer to prayer and start to "feel" fear and think that I wasn't in faith anymore. Again, the only way I have negated my faith is if I have taken the "feeling" and spoken it out loud. What we need to do when we feel fear or any other negative emotion is to tell God. Give it to Him. If I feel fear then I say to God, "Lord I feel afraid, please forgive me, I know this is not faith. Please take this fear and give me peace." Then I start telling myself the truth. The Lord has not given me a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind!"
So, today, think about what you think about!