Proverbs 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
All I know is that this is the way I was MOST of the time. I could barely let a person finish their sentence before I began talking. I was a TERRIBLE listener and VERY emotional about everything probably because even though I know it was a lie, I thought it was all about me.
I know I’ve shared before how often I would hear mom’s voice saying, “Settle down Annelie”. That is what I needed, a reminder to settle down, where now I rely on the Holy Spirit to settle me down.
Joyce talks on page 20 about “emotionalism as a tendency to rely on or place too much value on emotion…or an excessive display of emotion.”
Hmm…how many times a day do we say, “I feel?” How often do we say, “I wish I had just kept my mouth shut?”
I think we should pay attention to what we say throughout the day and how calm or excited we get throughout the day. Is how we speak and feel in accordance with God’s Word or with the flesh?
One time in church during prayer meeting someone said something without thinking. It hit one of my beliefs square on and I “FELT” self rising up, which I thought was righteous indignation. Now I kept my mouth shut, which was a partial victory, but I was arguing on the inside.
After the meeting, when I was calm and able to think clearly I thought about what happened and then a really troubling thought showed up. Was I really wanting to defend God and His Word, or was it more about me and what I believed to be true?
I had to admit and confess that I was prideful and selfish and even angry with the person, even if just for a short time.
I know God is working on us all to mold us into His character. I want to encourage us all to make that choice to humbly submit to God and resist the flesh. Ignore the flesh, even when it’s screaming to be heard, and in Jesus’ name and strength, keep it in the grave.
Questions
- Think of a time when you experienced the flesh crying out, and you gained the victory! How did it feel afterwards? You can share the experience, as well as how it felt afterwards.
- Have you relied too much on emotions? What can you do to remain calm in a stressful situation, even if you know you are right?
Next Week…
We’ll be covering page 21-23 – Fighting Emotions
Gaining victory over the flesh is the most obvious evidence of spiritual growth. To me, it’s also one of the most attractive qualities in a person. Sadly, I can recall more failure of the flesh than victory over it. Often I have said those very same words, “I wish I had just kept my mouth shut.” I have hurt many in my path with thoughtless and careless words and/or actions. I’m eternally grateful and forever thankful for my Lord’s grace and mercy. I need to remind myself of that fact and remain calm in a stressful situation when I am hurt by other’s thoughtless and careless words and/or actions.
Oh Lynne – Wow – I have hurt many in my path with thoughtless and careless words and/or actions. I’m eternally grateful and forever thankful for my Lord’s grace and mercy. I need to remind myself of that fact and remain calm in a stressful situation when I am hurt by other’s thoughtless and careless words and/or actions.
That is a wonderful thought and I believe it’s the way to forgive others. We remind ourselves that God forgives us, so we, in turn, forgive others. And…we know that if God asks us to forgive, then He will give us the ability and strength to forgive too.
Jesus’ words…right here…SO IMPORTANT. I think when we don’t forgive, it is a type of pride thinking we are better than someone else, like our sin is not as bad as theirs…but we are to compare ourselves to Jesus, and we ALL crucified Him. He went to that cross for every sin, even the ones we consider tiny.
Mark 11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
I like her comment regarding the verses in Proverbs pointing to the ‘timing’ of the response to our circumstances. Emotions are rash; wisdom is disciplined – especially as to the impact of our response on others.
Emotional responses can hide motivations that we’re not even aware of so reining them in can be tough – impossible even without the power of the Spirit.
I’m really enjoying the crazy journey of trying to let Him lead my life. It’s definitely NOT familiar for me, but the craziness is also full of wonder and delight. Whereas previous experiences of my unguarded emotional responses… NOT so wonderful and NOT so delightful.
Time after time He shows His ways are not my ways… they’re so much better!
What verse was that Elisa? I can’t find it.
Emotions are rash; wisdom is disciplined – so true.
‘Emotions are rash; wisdom is disciplined’ was my own summary of reading through Proverbs…
So many comparisons of Wisdom vs. Folly… like 12:16 “A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.”
I reread through Proverbs and thought, What would make me choose to respond one way vs. the other? My conclusion was that giving weight to strong emotions could lead me to poor choices, rashly – in the heat of the moment. But discipline, focus, and humility would be the work I needed to consistently walk in the way of Wisdom.
That makes sense Elisa – thank you for that. Great summary by the way.
1. Almost every morning when my flesh would prefer to go back to bed. Where is the expression “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” come from? Sounds like something Paul would have said, doesn’t it? I would like to get to the point where I’m not fighting the flesh so often.
2. I have relied on emotions too much when making financial decisions even though I should have learned much earlier in life not to. To remain calm in stressful situations should almost be a separate question…but its interesting that its tagged onto relying on emotions to make decsions only because different emotions affect decision making differently. For me, the ability to remain calm totally depends on the situation itself so I don’t know how to answer this.
May I say that you girls are an amazing and lovely group? I’ve seen so much growth in all of you through the years; life’s journey with God’s unending patience and love is something we can all be grateful for, eh?