Are we controlled by our emotions & circumstances or by the power of letting the Lord be in control?
Posted : 10 Oct, 2009 10:59 AM
I have been on here for about 5 months & have met so many men who fall head over heals in Love with the first stroke of the keys or first glimpse of a picture or are overwhelmed with themselves that someone actually contacted them. So many of the men live by their emotions pushing them upon the other person expecting them to be head over heals in love with them as they are with you without getting to know each other. Expecting whatever the other person feels to be upon the other as well or there are serious mental consequences trying to get the other to do as they will.
Is this what the Lord wants for us to live by our emotions? Or to sit back & understand what the Lord wants in getting to know someone without emotional manipulation? Why did He give us emotions anyway? I had recieved a posting in a Christian group from The purpose driven life by: Rick Warren
October 10, 2009
From PurposeDriven.com
�It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities� (Proverbs 16:32 TEV).
When we say things like, �That makes me so mad�so sad�feel so bad,� then we�re actually saying that circumstances control the way we feel. Yet, we do have a choice. We have the ability to make healing choices. We can choose to remain positive; we can choose to not let some circumstance �make� us mad.
The ability to control our reactions, to handle hurt without retaliating is called meekness. Jesus promised, �Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth� (Matthew 5:5 NIV). Meek people control their reactions toward life and this gives them far more control over a situation than if they simply react.
If you are a meek person, you are no longer a victim. You control your choices. The best definition of meekness in the Bible is Proverbs 16:32: � . . . It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities� (TEV).
During World War II, the noted psychiatrist Victor Frankl was a prisoner in the concentration camp at Auschwitz. He said, �They took my clothes, my wife, my kids, my wedding ring. I stood naked before the SS and I realized they can take everything in my life but they cannot take my freedom to choose how I will respond to them."
That is a freedom you will always have. How do I react? How do I choose to react to those people who hurt me?
Jesus says we will be blessed when we show self-control. You might be thinking, �That leaves me out! I can't control my reactions! I can't get them under control!� The secret of controlling your reaction is letting God's Spirit fill your life moment-by-moment. He'll break all those bad habits, all those patterns of reacting, all those old ways of being negative, defensive--reacting in fear, in anger, in sarcasm. He can break all those old patterns in your life and fill your life with power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7).
Some of us are stressed out by life, by circumstances, by relationships. What do we need more than anything else? We need to develop the quality of meekness; the quality of controlling our reactions by the Spirit God has placed in us.
You can learn more about what God wants for you by reading The Purpose Driven Life.
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Related1 Healing Choice: Self-Control is Christ�s Control 2 Healing Choice: Protecting Your Mind 3 Healing Choices: A Mind for Repentance Comments (0) Post Comment
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Are we controlled by our emotions & circumstances or by the power of letting the Lord be in control?
Posted : 10 Oct, 2009 04:22 PM
"I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." Philippians 4:11
We've all known people who claimed they'd be happy if only they were married, had children, had a big house, or had the right job. But most people who are banking on circumstancial contentment will find themselves in emotional bankruptcy sooner or later.
Unhappy people are not made happy by marriage, by children, or by any other possession they don't have at the moment. An unhappy person needs a change of heart more than a change of circumstances. I don't believe God will allow surrendered hearts to continue to long for things He will not ultimately grant in one way or another.
