Some emotions lead to sin.  Of course, there are all kinds of ways to get into sin.  You can be enticed by lust [Jas 1:14] or you can be enticed by others [Prov 1:10].  But sometimes you get into sin as a result of an emotion.  Common emotions that often lead to sin are loneliness, fear, anger, and love.  We’re going to discuss these emotions and see how to keep them from leading you into sin.  Common emotions that lead to sin are:

Loneliness – when you are feeling lonely, you will typically seek companionship.  One lady told me that cigarettes helped her when she felt lonely.  The young man void of understanding in Prov 7 sought companionship from a strange woman.  In Prov 7:18, they solaced themselves with love.  The remedy for loneliness is found Heb 13:5; you are never alone.  We sing a hymn entitled “Never Alone.”  Moses was by himself on the mount, but he was not alone. He was with the Lord.  Elijah was by himself on the mount, but he was not alone.  In Matt 14:23 Jesus was alone when he was praying in the mountain, but he was not lonely [Jn 8:29].  When you feel lonely, you can find your comfort in the Lord.  His Holy Spirit is the Comforter.  When you are comforted by him, you won’t run into sin to find solace.  Loneliness can lead you into relationships you shouldn’t be in.

Fear – when you are afraid, you aren’t trusting the Lord.  Fear paralyzes faith.  Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. One of the most common fears is the fear of man.  The fear of man brings a snare [Prov 29:25].  You may have a reason to be afraid, but, in fact, you have no business being afraid of men [Ps 56:3, 11; Heb 13:6].  When you find that you are doing something out of the fear of man remember 2 Tim 1:7.  God didn’t give you that fear; he gave you power, love and a sound mind.   Peer pressure is a good example of the fear of man.  To be cool, you might choose to sin.  Likewise, you have no reason to be afraid of the dark because of Ps 4:8.  You have no reason to be afraid of sudden fear because of Prov 3:24-26.  You have no reason to fear the uncertainty of the future because of Prov 3:5-6.  Fear magnifies the things you are afraid of and leads you to make poor, irrational, and sinful decisions.

Anger – when you get mad, you are going to sin.  Eph 4:26 says it’s possible to be angry and not sin.  But I have yet to lose my temper and not say or do something that isn’t right.  In Prov 25:28 you see that you must rule your spirit.  A part of ruling your spirit entails putting away anger and its companion emotions Eph 4:31-32.  When you are angry, you attack those close to you and you grieve the Holy Spirit [Eph 4:30].  To prevent the sins caused by anger, be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving [Eph 4:32].  The quicker you forgive, the better.  When you hold anger in it turns to bitterness and bitterness troubles you and defiles many people [Heb 12:15].  Some of the sins commonly caused by anger are road rage, cruel words spoken to your friends or spouse, vengeance, destruction of property, bodily injury to others, etc. Anger is outrageous.

Love – the emotion of love is often confused with “true” love.  True love may have emotions associated with it but it is not based on emotion.  True love is giving [1 Cor 13:4-8; Eph 5:25; Jn 3:16].  The love that draws you away in sin is, on the other hand, “getting” love.  You love because it makes you feel good and you love for what it does for you.  This love is more like infatuation.  In 2 Sam 13:1-2 Amnon loved Tamar.  But his love turned to hate after he got what he wanted [2 Sam 13:15].  The way to prevent getting into sin with love is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind.  Get as close to him as you can.  Then when a possible mate enters your life, if this person doesn’t distract you from your walk with the Lord, you may have a true love.  A man should wait for a woman who will submit herself to him in his walk with the Lord.  A woman should wait for a man who can become her head without putting any distance or distraction between her and the Lord.  And each of you should remain chaste while courting.

Conclusion: Believe the truth that addresses the emotion and the truth will make you free from the sins to which these emotions can lead [Jn 8:32].