Part 2 (1/2)
Psychologists are correct in the sense that we can't help but be hurt if someone hates us or mistreats us. In the natural, that's true. Emotions are such a strong force that when something negative happens to us on the outside, there is bound to be a negative reaction on the inside. That is physical truth; that's the way we are made. But with knowledge we can learn to control those negative emotions. We can learn to manage them. We can harness them just as we harness a horse.
The Bit of the Bridle
Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
James 3:3 In the physical, I can't control a horse with my brute strength, but I can control a horse with my superior knowledge. When the Bible says that by putting a bit in a horse's mouth we turn about its whole body, it is referring to a physical, natural law. This is the way G.o.d made a horse. It can't do anything without its head leading it.
If a horse is lying down, you can sit on its head and hold that two-thousand-pound animal on the ground, because a horse cannot get up unless it physically throws up its head first, then the body follows. I don't know exactly why, but that's just the way it is. If you can hold a horse's head down, you can hold its whole body down.
Say you are riding a horse that has a tendency to get down on the ground and roll. You don't have to worry about that happening while you are in the saddle, because the horse has to dip its head before it can go down to its knees and roll over. If you hold that horse's head up, it can't get down. It might fall, but it's not going to get down as long as you hold its head up.
A horse cannot rear up unless it first throws its head up. So if you are riding a horse that tends to rear up, all you have to do is put a tie-down on it to keep its head from being thrown up.
If a horse tries to run away with you, you use the bit to rein it in. If the horse doesn't respond to the bit, all you have to do is pull the reins to one side. If you pull the reins to the right or the left, you can stop the horse from running away with you. It is impossible for a horse to run straight ahead with its head turned back around toward the rider. It will simply start going into a circle and eventually stop. This is the simple way a bit works on a horse. If you can control a horse's head, you can control the entire horse.
The same is true with our emotions. Emotions are a powerful force in the natural, but that doesn't mean we have to be at their mercy. G.o.d intends for us to control our emotions. It is simply a matter of knowing G.o.d's truths from His Word and applying them to our lives.
G.o.d's Word is the bit, bridle, and reins that gives us control over our emotions. When we live by G.o.d's Word, faith comes, and faith (knowing G.o.d) will override and neutralize any negative emotions. Then we can experience victory in our emotions.
That is exciting!
Chapter 3
The Mind and the Emotions.
As Christians, our sense of peace depends not on our outward circ.u.mstances but on our inward thoughts. If we think on the negative things of this world, we are going to be depressed, because the things of this world are depressing. But if we think on the positive things of G.o.d, put our mind on heavenly things, and think about what G.o.d has given us, we are going to be blessed. It all depends on where we put our mind. Christians, our sense of peace depends not on our outward circ.u.mstances but on our inward thoughts. If we think on the negative things of this world, we are going to be depressed, because the things of this world are depressing. But if we think on the positive things of G.o.d, put our mind on heavenly things, and think about what G.o.d has given us, we are going to be blessed. It all depends on where we put our mind.
Where Is Your Mind?
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 26:3 If we really had our mind stayed on the awesome things G.o.d has done for us and has prepared for us, it would be impossible for us to be depressed and defeated regardless of our present situation. There would be perfect peace.
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in G.o.d, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:1-3 Jesus was saying, ”Don't get all worried and upset, just trust in Me. I have everything under control and am working it all out for you.” That is also what Paul was talking about when He wrote the following scriptures.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which G.o.d hath prepared for them that love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 One of the reasons the Lord told us about the future and of the glories He has planned for us is because when we are in the middle of negative circ.u.mstances, we can close our eyes and think on these things. (See Philippians 4:8.) We can think about our glorious future. We can think about the fact that this physical life is like a brief millisecond compared to eternity. And as we begin to think on these things, it will bring emotional peace and joy to us. We will find our peace in who we are in Christ and in what He's done for us, not in our physical circ.u.mstances.
The Mind Controls the Emotions
Our mind - the things we think about - controls our emotions.
If I were to tell you that one of your loved ones had been killed in a car wreck, there would be a physical, emotional response; there's no option. Even if what I told you was a total lie, you would still experience the emotions that go along with how you think think about what I said. If you believed me, there would most likely be a reaction of grief, sorrow, or maybe even anger at G.o.d for letting such a horrible thing happen. If you knew I was lying, you would be angry with me, wondering why I would tell you such a thing. about what I said. If you believed me, there would most likely be a reaction of grief, sorrow, or maybe even anger at G.o.d for letting such a horrible thing happen. If you knew I was lying, you would be angry with me, wondering why I would tell you such a thing.
I could tell ten different people the exact same thing, and their emotional reactions would vary, depending on how they perceived what I said to them. Some may believe me, some may not. But they have all, in some way, preprogrammed themselves to respond a certain way.
For example, a person who was totally selfish and really didn't love anyone but themselves would respond differently from someone who was completely unselfish. If I told a woman who was one hundred percent selfish that her husband had just died in a car wreck, she might think, Well, what about me? What's going to happen to me? How am I going to pay the bills without him? Well, what about me? What's going to happen to me? How am I going to pay the bills without him? A woman who was really in love with her mate would think, A woman who was really in love with her mate would think, Oh, I loved him so much! How am I going to live without him? I'm going to miss him terribly. Oh, I loved him so much! How am I going to live without him? I'm going to miss him terribly.
There would be different reactions to the same piece of news, because people are emotionally different. They think differently and emotions follow thought. So if we begin controlling the way we think based on the Word of G.o.d, then we can begin controlling the way we feel.
For example, we can learn to control our emotion of anger by looking at things differently. I have learned that when people are angry at me, it is not physical flesh and blood I am fighting, but demonic spirits. (See Ephesians 6:12.) Satan uses people to get to me. So when someone attacks me, I realize that it is really Satan who is attacking me and not that person. That understanding has helped me tremendously.
I have also realized that what really makes me angry is pride, my own self-centeredness. (See Proverbs 13:10.) If I weren't so concerned about promoting myself and if I loved other people more than I love myself, then I wouldn't have such a problem with my emotions. When someone gets angry and then violent, I think, G.o.d, what's wrong with them? Why are they like that? What is causing them, to be this way? G.o.d, what's wrong with them? Why are they like that? What is causing them, to be this way? It's only a very selfish person who gets so angry they become emotionally upset. It's only a very selfish person who gets so angry they become emotionally upset.
Now you may say, ”But it's hard not to get angry when people hurt you.” That's true. But if we can diffuse that self on self on the inside of us, we can diffuse our anger. As we begin learning these keys through G.o.d's Word, it changes the way we think and ultimately changes our reactions. It changes us in the emotional realm. We don't have to go around like a bomb waiting to go off if certain things do or do not happen. the inside of us, we can diffuse our anger. As we begin learning these keys through G.o.d's Word, it changes the way we think and ultimately changes our reactions. It changes us in the emotional realm. We don't have to go around like a bomb waiting to go off if certain things do or do not happen.
The Limit of Faith
Today, many Spirit-filled Christians who have heard teaching on faith and how it can change their lives find themselves in situations where it just doesn't seem to work. They try to use their faith to rebuke the devil, to remove every obstacle in their path, or to get to the place where no one will ever cross them or rub them the wrong way. They try to use their faith to get rid of all financial problems, all physical problems, and all emotional problems. Through faith, they try to change their external environment so they never have an occasion to get hurt. That is the goal some Christians have set for themselves, and I believe that to a degree they can effect it.
For example, I believe G.o.d has provided financial prosperity for us. He doesn't want us to be financially dest.i.tute - He wants us to be prosperous. (See 3 John 2.) In the area of physical healing, I believe G.o.d has given us the authority to walk in divine health by faith. But I also believe that even if we had our faith working one hundred percent of the time in those two areas, which doesn't happen overnight, we would still have problems to deal with. I'm not sure anyone ever gets to the place where they can never be touched in these areas. But even if they did - if they had their finances and their health in perfect condition - they would soon discover that there are other areas they do not have complete control over, such as other people and their wills.
We cannot manipulate and control human relations.h.i.+ps with our faith. Whether we like it or not, other people always have a choice. We can influence them through our prayers and through our actions, but ultimately other people decide for themselves how they will think and act. Satan has more than enough people around who are submissive to him that he is always going to have someone he can parade across our path, someone we cannot control, and someone who knows how to hit our ”hot b.u.t.ton.”
The point is, if we are using our faith just to try to change our environment or our outside circ.u.mstances to where we have no problems, we will be sadly disappointed. It will never work. Never in a million years will you work up enough faith to have things your way, because there are always going to be people you can't control. As long as you are living in this world, you are going to be rubbed the wrong way - someone or something is going to bother you. The devil will see to that!
We are not to change our outward circ.u.mstances, we are to change our inner selves. We must change our emotions, our programming, and our att.i.tudes, so that regardless of what people do to us, we are going to walk in love. We are not going to be b.u.mmed out and we are not going to have a bad day - no matter how other people treat us.
Decide to Rejoice Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the G.o.d of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:17,18
Some people cannot relate to this pa.s.sage about rejoicing in the Lord regardless of their outward circ.u.mstances. They say, ”Do you mean we can have peace no matter what is going on around us? Is it possible that our emotions can be totally disconnected from our environment to where they don't dictate to us the way we should feel?” Yes, that is exactly what I mean.
G.o.d is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.