The devil is the one who manipulates feelings. His lie is that feelings are all important. The very thing psychology has been teaching since the 1970's.
The more you rely on feelings to guide you the less wise you will become. Feelings change quickly and often are inaccurate.
People engaged in adultery "feel" very happy and good in the middle of it, causing them to ignore the sad consequences.
There is an adrenaline rush for those plotting to rob a store but the end consequences are a life of hiding, running, arrest and even jail, greater confinement than they would have had if they had just obeyed the law.
Feelings cause normally righteous people to be tempted lash out at someone who hurt them. God wants righteous people to depend on the truth while ignoring their feelings that come from the flesh.
Feelings are there inside of us, they mess with our minds to cause us to engage in bad behavior when self-control would defuse a problem.
The Fruit of the Spirit is in those who walk with Christ. We need not react to the bad behavior of others. We can have the fruit of Christ's character that restrains the flesh.
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
When we walk away from someone who wants to fight we maintain our composure, our integrity and leave the blame only on the fighter. Those who exercise self-control in the face of trials grow in strength and remain blameless.
The trouble maker carries his own blame all by himself when we do not respond to him.
God said this for a reason:
Luke 6:27-28 "27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Christ died for us while we were still sinners, this is His model for our relationship with our enemies. We do not have to make them our close friends but we can model what Christ did, that is to die to self for the sake of demonstrating His character in front of others.
Ezekiel 18:20-21 " 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of the father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him. "
When we have to be in the company of wicked people we can maintain our integrity and leave when the chance arises.
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