When Thoughts and Emotions Try to Lead

Shanice Chen · June 2, 2026

Sometimes the enemy will come, or even just a bad day will come, and in it you feel heavy or sad. Thoughts rush in, emotions rise, and it can feel difficult to shake. But this too is a trial. It is a test of what will govern you in that moment: the suggestion, the feeling, or God.

There are times when we allow thoughts to have more power than they should. We let them dictate how we should feel, and if we do not deal with them, we can gradually make room for the suggestion. This is not the way God desires His children to live, and it is not the purpose of the trial.

Part of why we lose ground is that we do not pause to examine the enemy's ways. We don't always recognize how the suggestion is presented, how it enters, and how it tries to settle. And if we do not learn to identify those patterns, we will struggle to defend and stand against him.

Many struggle because it feels like the enemy infiltrates the mind. But consider this: he offers suggestions that feel like you, thoughts you would normally fall prey to. Like a seasoned fisherman, he casts a lure designed for a specific prey and then waits to see if he can get a bite.

The truth is, he no longer has residence or authority over us; we have to allow him access. And so he will cast a line:

"Why did she have to say it with that tone?"
"Did God say that we cannot eat from this tree?"
"Nobody appreciates me."
"You work so hard, you should have this by now."
"Maybe I should just text him back; it would be rude not to."

The list goes on. And the hook lands when we take the bait, when we begin to consider an option or an alternative that is separate and apart from what God has already said.

This is also where we must be honest: sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We allow negative emotions to linger, we avoid dealing with them, and we give the suggestion time to talk, time to persuade, because a decision has quietly already begun to form.

These are not "small" moments. They are proving grounds.

James 1:13-15, King James Version13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Today, the goal is not to pretend the thoughts never come. The goal is to recognize what they are and refuse to let them lead. The trial is not meant to make you sink; it is meant to reveal what you will choose.