Check Under the Hood
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!" - Psalm 139:23
When your car’s engine light comes on, it’s an indicator that something needs attention under the hood. The same thing happens in life. When emotions like anger, sadness, or resentment flare up, they’re signals that something is going on beneath the surface. The question is, do you have the courage to look under the hood? The truth is you don’t have to do it alone. God longs to walk with you through that process.
Take Paul, for example. In Acts 15, Paul had a disagreement with Barnabas over whether to bring John Mark along on a missionary journey. This wasn’t just a simple difference of opinion, it was the result of Paul’s unresolved resentment toward John Mark for deserting them earlier.
His reaction to Barnabas was shaped by what he was still holding on to from his past experience with John Mark. This teaches us something important: What we bring into a situation often affects how we respond to it. If you’re carrying anger or hurt from one place, it’s likely to spill over into other areas of your life.
That’s why it’s crucial to take stock of where you are emotionally. If you don’t, you might find yourself reacting to situations based on unresolved feelings from your past, projecting onto others what you’ve been carrying from elsewhere. But here’s an important distinction: Emotions and feelings are not the same.
Emotions are physical reactions in your body, while feelings are the meaning you assign to those emotions in your mind. For instance, when you feel anger, your body might tense up, your heart might race, and your voice may change. That’s the emotion. But how you interpret that anger, whether it leads you to feel distrust, defensiveness, or suspicion, that’s the feeling.
So, when the emotional warning lights come on in your life, don’t ignore them. Ask God to search your heart and help you deal with what’s going on beneath the surface. Pay attention to where you are emotionally so you can address it in a healthy way, and let God help you navigate the emotions that arise.
When your car’s engine light comes on, it’s an indicator that something needs attention under the hood. The same thing happens in life. When emotions like anger, sadness, or resentment flare up, they’re signals that something is going on beneath the surface. The question is, do you have the courage to look under the hood? The truth is you don’t have to do it alone. God longs to walk with you through that process.
Take Paul, for example. In Acts 15, Paul had a disagreement with Barnabas over whether to bring John Mark along on a missionary journey. This wasn’t just a simple difference of opinion, it was the result of Paul’s unresolved resentment toward John Mark for deserting them earlier.
His reaction to Barnabas was shaped by what he was still holding on to from his past experience with John Mark. This teaches us something important: What we bring into a situation often affects how we respond to it. If you’re carrying anger or hurt from one place, it’s likely to spill over into other areas of your life.
That’s why it’s crucial to take stock of where you are emotionally. If you don’t, you might find yourself reacting to situations based on unresolved feelings from your past, projecting onto others what you’ve been carrying from elsewhere. But here’s an important distinction: Emotions and feelings are not the same.
Emotions are physical reactions in your body, while feelings are the meaning you assign to those emotions in your mind. For instance, when you feel anger, your body might tense up, your heart might race, and your voice may change. That’s the emotion. But how you interpret that anger, whether it leads you to feel distrust, defensiveness, or suspicion, that’s the feeling.
So, when the emotional warning lights come on in your life, don’t ignore them. Ask God to search your heart and help you deal with what’s going on beneath the surface. Pay attention to where you are emotionally so you can address it in a healthy way, and let God help you navigate the emotions that arise.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for Yourself
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's PromiseWaiting with ExpectancyGrounded in PrayerStrength in PrayerPatience Through PrayerStay Focused Through PrayerGod's Conditional PromisesGod’s PriorityGrounded in FaithTrusting God's TimingThe Assurance of God's PromisesIs It Well With Your Soul?Health vs. HealingStewarding Your BodyA Holistic View of SpiritualityGod Cares About Your BodyWhat You Put in MattersNourishing Your SoulThe Power of Prevention
February
The Power of a ComebackHealing from the PastStop Blaming and Start TrustingBury the Past to Claim the FutureFacing Trauma with TruthCelebrate That You SurvivedRepair What is BrokenNothing God Can’t FixDon’t Swing at Bad PitchesStick to God’s PlanDon’t Let Desperation Drive YouShift Your WeightWho Knows Best?A Good Idea Isn’t Always a God IdeaPeace in God’s PlanFinding Purpose in God’s PlanProsperity in God’s PlanTrusting God’s Plan, Pace, and ProcessKnowing When to PivotGod Hasn’t Given Up on YouNext-Level Faith Requires PerseveranceA New Revelation of GodIt’s Not All About YouNext-Level ConnectionsNext-Level CommitmentA Prayer That Moves GodPrayers That Carry a BurdenPray With Boldness
March
A Solid FoundationPositioned for BlessingMarked by LoveTrust God's JudgmentRest in God's DeliveranceLet Go of ControlWhat You Want MostWhy Church Still MattersFaith in the Midst of DisappointmentJoy for the JourneyA Place of SafetyStrength in CommunityPeace in the ChaosThe Purpose of the ValleySeasons ChangeUnshaken in the StormHold OnThe Power of Resilience
No Comments