Veto Your Emotions

Did you know that my/your emotions can keep us out of the will of God? They can also make you fat and lazy. They can also disappear at times when you would like their support. Emotions…everyone has them…but they can be very deceiving.

The older I get the more I have to “veto” my emotions and go in the opposite direction of what they are telling me.

LOL…Yes, I can’t tell you how many times I have given into the “I don’t feel like exercising today” only to find myself on a slippery slope. Once I give in one time…the next time it is easier and before you know it…my jeans don’t button.

Or how about that movie? The previews look so funny. Everyone is talking about it. You go….letting your “feelings of wanting to laugh and be entertained” override your moral compass…forsaking the convictions in your spirit when the whole story line of the movie goes against everything you believe.

The emotion of “anger” is strong too, especially when you know that you have been wronged. Maybe lied to. Taken advantage of. Falsely accused. Instead of living the scripture found in James, “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” you unleash everything that you are feeling. Like a breathing dragon, the fire rushes off the tip of your tongue.

I have done all of these. GUILTY. I can tell you after each time I have given into those normal, fleshly ”feelings,” I have immediately had remorse and regret. The feelings are normal but acting on them is another thing. In Christ we are a NEW CREATION. Scripture teaches we have the same resurrection power that Jesus had when He rose on the third day. “…That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,” (Ephesians 1:18-19).

Often times we forget or are downright intentionally disregarding what we know is the RIGHT thing. Ignoring the quiet inner voice…to ride the WAVE of our emotions that ends in a crash on the beach of life. The “grit of the sand” isn’t as pleasant as the temporary rush of the wave.

God wants all of us to enjoy our good emotions and resist the bad ones. I am gaining ground in this area but it has been a tedious work out. I see, almost daily, that God allows “tests” in my life to give me opportunity to put into practice what I am desiring….which is…to act and respond based on God’s word and deferring to the “voice of the Holy Spirit” instead of the voice of Sherry and my emotions.

Just the other day I was in a very big hurry. I ran into Ace Hardware to get special L.E.D. light bulbs for my lanterns at our front door. I had someone waiting for me at home who had come to help unscrew the screws that I could not make budge. The fellow behind the counter who was checking me out, in the middle of helping me, decided to answer the phone. My check-out totally stopped. Then another customer came in and stood behind me and asked where something was. Instead of finishing the check-out, the clerk stepped out to show the man where the dry/wet vacs were.

All I could do was pray. I know that I know that my facial expressions were starting to line up with the “war-like feelings“ that were going on inside. I just said, ”Oh Lord, tie up my tongue and unlock the glare on my face. Make it kind.” I can honestly say, peace washed over me. VICTORY!

I can’t tell you how long it has taken me to discipline my Type A self…to not only recognize my rising emotions but to discipline myself to pray and allow that “resurrection power” that we all possess to take over.

‘Alls’ I can say is, “Hallelujah!” As I write….I am just thinking…that in a couple of days…I will have to write and confess…how I have failed in this area.

I really am a work in progress in “lassoing my emotions” and allowing the Holy Spirit to restrain me, my tongue and my body language. Most every day, especially when it turns cold, I have to rely on the Lord to make me throw off the warm covers and get up to commune with the Lord and give Him the very first fruit of my day.

I encourage you with this…we have to be intentional about desiring to be more like Christ…and that goes against our flesh…but we truly have to believe scripture when it tells us…”Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” Allowing the “HE” that is in us…to take over. Giving Him “veto” power. Yes, taking over and helping us recognize and filter through our deceiving emotions.

I leave you with two excellent quotes from Charles Stanley:

“Our emotions often stand in direct opposition to our faith in the Lord and what He is achieving for us.”
“We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.”

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