James 3:10-11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?.. No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
“I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”
― Oscar Wilde
Emotions must always be a passenger, not the driver behind the wheel. If emotions start driving we are certain to crash at every bend. The soul or the mind is the seat of all emotions, feelings, wants and wills. When a person is controlled by emotions he/she will be reactive and raspy, not receptive. Emotions should encourage and not deter our journey of faith. The emotional, live by what they see but people of faith see beyond what they feel.
The Bible calls a person controlled by his emotions ‘the carnal man’. Those who are motivated by the flesh only pursue what benefits themselves. But those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities (Romans 8:5). A carnal person is driven by wants of the flesh and their feelings but a spiritual person is directed by the Holy Spirit. What we marinate in our mind will be deposited in our heart. If we ruminate on insults, abuse or humiliations over and over again in our mind our heart will be filled with bitterness. Jesus explained this succinctly by saying, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:19).
The first thoughts in the morning as soon as we open our eyes must be about our dear Savior. If we think about our job, spouse, children, food or friends or about our finances or career then we are still carnal. We must deposit the promises of God in our heart and our mind will automatically be directed to the faithfulness, goodness and His unfailing love, when we face challenges.
Take control of your emotions:
1. Brag: Our mouth will reveal the contents of the heart. If the container is filled with gratitude the content will be thankfulness. If we hoard discontent then, we will be complaining and dissatisfied. Watch what you speak. Bragging and flaunting will not demonstrate the love of God. “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2). If we hear ourselves talking about our merits all the time, we have conceit hidden in us.
2. Barrage: Don’t let emotions barrage and bombard your mind. One negative thought will build a stronghold of fear, apprehension and doubt. Allowing our emotions to control our moods will be like opening the floodgates of a dam. We will be flooded and will drown in fear and pessimism.
3. Baffle:Don’t let emotions baffle and perplex you. Don’t be fooled by your emotion as your character trait. We were not born insecure, fearful or envious. These are learnt habits by repeated emotions and practiced feelings. Wrong emotional behaviour can be unlearnt.
Don’t let your emotions control you.
Ecclesiastes 11:10 Remove sorrow and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to allow your Word and not my feelings or emotions to direct my life. Make me emotionally steady and sturdy. Amen
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