You’ve probably heard it before: “I’m just really self-aware.”
But what if self-awareness isn’t enough?

What if knowing your triggers, your trauma, or your “attachment style” still isn’t the same thing as walking in emotional maturity?

In this post, we’re diving deep into the spiritual difference between being aware of your feelings … and actually submitting those feelings to the authority of Christ.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in cycles of reaction, overwhelmed by your own emotions, or spiritually frustrated by how easily the enemy seems to knock you off course—this one’s for you.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE NOW:

The Setup: A Lesson in Journaling and Jesus

This episode of Restored and Rooted pulls straight from a personal moment of breakthrough. While attending a couples discipleship program at Dunklin (a powerful Christ-centered rehab in Florida), I was given two journaling prompts:

1. “Lord, speak to me about my emotional health.”
2. “Lord, speak to me about my spiritual health.”

I didn’t know it then, but God was about to show me the deep difference between being emotionally aware … and being spiritually mature.

Awareness Isn’t Maturity. It’s Just Step One.

God spoke this directly to my spirit:

“Stop thinking awareness and maturity are the same thing.”

That hit hard.

In our current culture, we love the language of emotional intelligence. We can diagnose our own patterns. We know our enneagram. We follow therapists on Instagram. But too often, we stop at awareness—and call it growth.

But here’s the truth:
You can be highly self-aware and still spiritually immature.
You can understand your trauma and still react in a way that brings death, not fruit.

Your Flesh Doesn’t Crave Your Feelings. It Craves Your Reactions.

Here’s the line that undid me:

“Your flesh doesn’t desire your feelings—it desires your reactions.”

Let that sit.

The enemy isn’t worried about how you feel. He’s waiting to see what you’ll do with that feeling. He can’t hear your thoughts—but he studies your patterns. And if he knows that bitterness, rejection, or control will get a rise out of you every time? That’s the door he’ll keep knocking on.

That’s why we’re called to:

Take every thought captive to obey Christ. — 2 Corinthians 10:5

We don’t just bring our thoughts to Jesus. We bring our entire reaction system under His authority.

Emotional Maturity Starts at the Cross

Here’s the thing:
Being triggered isn’t sin.
Having emotions isn’t sin.
But letting those emotions lead you is what gets dangerous—especially in spiritual warfare.

In seasons of hardship, misunderstanding, and injustice, our flesh will want to defend, react, spiral, and judge.

But the Spirit says:

“Heal them. Change me.”

That simple prayer—spoken in the middle of conflict—is a lifeline.

When Peace Feels Uncomfortable

If you’ve been trauma-bonded to chaos for most of your life, calm might feel foreign.

That was my story.
For years, my husband and I cycled through highs and lows, fighting and making up like it was our full-time job. So when peace came, we didn’t know what to do with it. We almost mistrusted it.

But peace is your portion.
And sometimes the first step in maturing emotionally is learning to let peace feel normal—even if your flesh finds comfort in dysfunction.

Strongholds Don’t Always Start in Sin. They Often Start in Unsubmitted Emotions.

The Bible says:

“The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds.” — 2 Corinthians 10:4

Strongholds aren’t always addiction or immorality.
Sometimes, strongholds are:

• Constant overreactions
• Emotional shutdown
• Living in past trauma
• Bitterness disguised as “discernment”
• Self-reliance disguised as “boundaries”

And the only way to demolish these strongholds is to take your emotions beyond awareness and into full submission under Christ.

What Happens When You Mourn the Spirit?

This is where it gets deep.

When we ignore the Spirit’s prompting—when we know we’re supposed to repent, forgive, or surrender but we resist—we enter what I call spiritual depression.

Our defenses go down.
We open the door to demonic interference.
And we wonder why we feel distant from God.

But this isn’t condemnation. It’s a call.
God isn’t trying to destroy you—He’s trying to rebuild you.

He breaks what needs breaking. But only to put it back together in truth.

So What Do You Do With All This?

Here’s how to move from emotional awareness to emotional maturity:

1. Journal with God, not just your therapist.
   Ask the hard questions. “Lord, what is the state of my emotional health? What strongholds do I defend as personality?”
2. Name your reactions out loud.
   What do you default to when triggered—control, criticism, avoidance?
3. Pray in the moment.
   Even a whisper of “Heal them. Change me.” is enough to start.
4. Be willing to be broken.
   Sometimes God allows a breaking so He can rebuild in freedom.
5. Get rooted in Scripture.
   Spiritual strongholds require spiritual demolition. The Word is your weapon.

Scripture to Anchor You

“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh … We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

TL;DR? Here’s the Takeaway

💡 Awareness is good.
🔥 Submission is better.
🙌 You don’t need to be ruled by your reactions.
💣 Your strongholds are not your identity.
📖 You have power, through Christ, to demolish every lie that’s ever told you otherwise.

Want More Spirit-Led Deep Dives Like This?

Check out the FaithPrint Club — a weekly revival-ready newsletter packed with Scripture-rich journaling prompts, theological study tools, and practical steps for living a bold, Spirit-led life. You’ll love it if you’ve ever whispered, “I want to go deeper … I just don’t know how.”