Master Your Emotions

Our emotions can actually move our lives in a particular direction, either toward God’s will or away from it. As Christians, we must not become overly spiritual by pretending our feelings do not exist; they are real and they are an important part of our souls. God gave us emotions, but we must master them instead of allowing them to master us. Negative feelings move us away from the mission God has for us in life, but positive emotions like joy have the opposite effect. To succeed in life, we must learn to harness our emotions. Our feelings are determined by the way we think, whether godly or ungodly. Therefore, we must allow our thoughts to be controlled and directed by the Word of God.
A. When we master our emotions, troublesome situations lose their power over us. 1. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (3 John 1:2). a. Our souls control the direction of our lives. The condition of our mindset determines the condition of our emotions. b. The devil rides our emotions to take us away from what God wants us to do. We need the correct mindset to take us where we should go. c. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). 2. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me (John 14:1). a. Just because trouble comes does not mean it has to overcome us. We are accountable for how we feel. b. Igniting negative emotions allows the enemy to move us away from God’s will for our lives. Self-control and godly emotions escort us closer to His will for us. 3. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). a. We are guaranteed to encounter trouble at some point in our lives. However, we must learn a different emotional response to it from the rest of the world. b. Jesus has already taken care of every situation we could ever face.
B. The Word of God in us gives us power and strength to rejoice in the face of adversity.
1. Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4). a. One of the biggest challenges in life is facing adversity with joy. This takes practice; no one feels like rejoicing when they receive bad news or trouble shows up. b. Joy is the fuse to our faith. Joy causes our faith to become explosive. 2. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full (John 15:11). a. We need to be full of joy, and this joy must remain in us. Joy comes from the Word in us; no Word equals no joy. 3. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:810). a. It is important to understand the Scriptures we read. b. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7). c. Joy from God makes us strong. If we have no strength, we are weak; if we are weak, we cannot fight; if we cannot fight, emotions will lead us.

C. We are in a fight for our minds and emotions. We win when we use joy as our weapon. 1. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (James 1:2-4). a. Joy is our weapon we use against the enemy in the spiritual fight we are in. b. Happiness is based on how we feel at the moment, but joy comes from what we know. c. The trying of our faith employs patience. Patience is being consistently, constantly the same. 2. And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ (Acts 5:40-42). a. Whatever we go through, we should rejoice and continue doing what God called us to do. We can be joyful that He will strengthen us. 3. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles… Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all (Psalm 34:17, 19). a. We need to know that we can call on God, and He hears and delivers us. b. Being righteous does not exclude us from trouble.
D. God laughs at the plans of the evil against the righteous; therefore, we can too. 1. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth (Job 5:22).
a. There is real power in laughing at trouble. We are in control of our laughter; laughing is an act of faith. 2. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision (Psalm 2:1-4). a. We are in a fight. Laughter is a powerful weapon. 3. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The LORD shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming (Psalm 37:12, 13). a. There is always someone plotting against us, whether we know it or not. 4. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). a. God is on our side. Joy comes from knowing this. 5. Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved (Isaiah 64:5). a. God will meet us when we rejoice. Our joy draws Him to us.