Learn to live above negative emotions.
Hello Friends and Members,
Pastor James here, coming to you again from our own little slice of paradise, Palm Bay, Florida! I trust and pray you’re having an amazing day.
Why do we have emotions at all? And for this message I’m going to interchange emotions and feelings because they bleed into each other and sometimes are indistinguishable. Emotions were designed by God Almighty to make life more enjoyable! John 10:10 says in Jesus own words, “I am come to give you life and that more abundantly.” Does that sound like dull and dusty living? I think not. Secondly, the emotions of hope help push us toward our goals. Currently we may be going through a rough patch, but hope allows us to almost taste the sweet success just over the next hill.
I just talked about positive emotions. But as we learned last week, fire (and many other things) can be a blessing or a curse depending on whether it’s controlled or not. So, let’s review John 10:10 and look at the first part of the verse I skipped over previously. “The thief (the devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy”. Again, remember these are Jesus own words. Satan is standing by to spoon-feed us all the fear, worry, discouragement, and despair we can eat. The choice is ours – will we affirm the positive emotions Jesus wants for us or sink into the pit of Satan’s despair? You know at one point in my life, I used to think thinking positively or repeating positive affirmations was humanistic and new age-y until I really started digging into the Bible. It is chock-full of positive thinking and affirmations, especially Psalms and the teachings of Apostle Paul. So, don’t allow the devil to tell you otherwise.
Here’s why you must absolutely learn to control your emotions to live a reduced stress life:
- Negative emotions hold you back from the best God wants for you. An acquaintance of mine, quite a few years ago, decided to open a retail store after years of success in wholesale distribution and manufacturing. He was already a self-made multimillionaire, so he didn’t need the retail store income to pay his bills. I asked my friend what his greatest challenge was in opening the store. To my amazement, he said fear! Fear of the retail store not being a success and how that would be a big embarrassment to him. Look at that – a wealthy businessman, with a proven track record of success, and yet the devil was lobbing fear at him! Fortunately, that didn’t stop my friend. He opened the retail store and it was immediately a smashing success.
- Negative emotions let manipulative people take advantage of you. Passive-aggressive persons often consciously (or subconsciously) may make snarky remarks and comments about you, or your career, your family, and your possessions. No matter, even though not verbally expressed, the attitude is loud and clear – “I’m better than you and you will never rise to my level.” Instinctively, one gets the urge to adjust his/her actions to get these manipulators to like or approve of us. Resist this with all you’ve got through the power of the Holy Spirit!!! Why would you want these tools to be your friends anyway? Seek the approval of God only to find lasting peace.
- Controlling your emotions allows you to live a life of joy and peace. You can actually have an almost out-of-body experience! People may be throwing all kinds of shade and accusations against you, but if you know you are standing on conviction from God or if you are working as diligently and honestly as you can, to the best of your abilities, you can float, unfazed, over all the meanness and nastiness. It will not affect your peace, your confidence, your positive feelings, or self-worth.
OK, James, you might say, I’m convinced! But how do I go about controlling my emotions and think positively? Words just cut me so deep!
- First of all, focus on the positive. Think back to the successes in your life and thank God for them. Remind yourself of them. Rejoice in what you are good at! Surround yourself with positive friends, positive music and positive literature.
- Secondly, know your position in Christ. You are not a failure. You are more than a winner through Christ (Romans 8:37). He loves you. He saved you. When God looks at you, he sees Jesus Christ. You are a spotless, redeemed, child of God. Heaven is your eternal home through the blood of Jesus Christ.
- Thirdly, find a trusted friend to vent to when people come against you hard and treat you unfairly. God didn’t intend for us to walk through the trials of life alone. Fellowship is key in the Kingdom of heaven. A good friend can help you stay positive and keep your focus out of the negative.
- Lastly, don’t engage those who hurl negativity your way. Jesus Christ modeled this perfectly. He either didn’t answer his accusers or responded to them with a question. Bullies love it when you engage them and refute them. You’re giving them the fight they were looking for. They love the drama and the arguments. They want to verbally fight you and tell themselves they came out on top. By modeling Jesus, you can drive your accusers crazy and be a witness for Jesus Christ!
Dear Ones, living above negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions is God’s design for your life! Resist the devil’s negativity this week (James 4:7) and affirm the goodness, love, peace, mercy, and joy of the Holy Ghost living in you, because of your redemption through Jesus Christ. Now go forth and be blessed!