Fighting Emotions – Pg 21, 22
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Joyce says, “At first it won’t be easy to overcome emotions. It never is. When you and I initially begin to break ourselves of any habit, we have a struggle on our hands.” (Not just with self, but with the evil angels who love to taunt us and make things a bigger deal than they really are)
Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
#1 – When the temptation comes and the flesh is screaming its loudest…say this verse out loud and think about what Jesus suffered for us on the cross and in the wilderness when He spent 40 days without food to gain the victory for us.
Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
#2 – Then this verse – repeated out loud – taking the cup of salvation that Jesus offers to each of us, His cup of victory over sin that He gives to us as we cry out to Him for help.
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s a struggle especially the first few times, but it works. Another gem I found was the the bigger deal I made about it, the harder it became. Instead of saying at work, “Oh no, I really want that, but I shouldn’t have it, it’s not really good for me, but oh doesn’t it look sooo good. Well maybe I could just have one bite”, blah blah blah and then I’m sunk.
But when I said, “Oh thanks so much, I can’t have it, but I appreciate the offer” and then I WALKED AWAY and didn’t even give it another thought except to thank God for giving me the ability to not make it a bigger deal than it was, and I got busy in whatever I was doing. Then I realized that the temptation was gone and I gave God the victory.
Joyce mentions, “If you know you have given yourself over to some bad habit like emotional eating, when you sit down to the table you have to say within yourself, “Holy Spirit, help me not to overeat.” In a restaurant where everybody at your table is ordering dessert, and you can feel yourself starting to waiver, you can cry out inside, “Holy Spirit, help me, help me!”
(I would add here – if necessary, just when the person comes to take the dessert order, excuse yourself and go to the restroom and pray some more!)
Joyce also says here, “I have found that if I depend upon my flesh through sheer will power or determination alone, I will fail every time. But if I determined to resist temptation by calling on the power of the Holy Spirit, I find the strength I need for success.”
And the beautiful thing is that if you gain the victory once, it is easier the next time. And, as Roger is quick to add and has during our whole marriage, be balanced. Too far one way or the other, tends to be a bad idea.
This is NOT in the area of sin. When it comes to sin, abstinence is God’s way and He’ll give us the strength to overcome and He’ll give us His victory.
Questions
Can you think of and share another idea on how to overcome a certain bad habit or sin?
Do you think having an accountability partner or friend would be a good idea in our walk with Jesus? If yes, reach out to someone and ask them.
Next Week
Emotionless & Hardened and Unbridled Emotions
Pg 23-24
For me, the best way to avoid sin is spiritual preparation. You listed perfect examples of scripture verses. The more scripture verses I have committed to memory, the more weapons I have to defeat the enemy. My spiritual quiver is full.
For me, the best way to avoid a bad habit (such as over-eating, bingeing on snacks, choosing comfort foods over eating a salad, not exercising, watching TV instead of doing a Bible study, etc.) is simply planning in advance. When I plan in advance, I generally succeed. When I don’t plan, “winging it” generally lands me in trouble.
I LOVE THESE – My spiritual quiver is full AND THIS…
When I don’t plan, “winging it” generally lands me in trouble.
Just the other day I mentioned to my boss that I was a wing it person. Always have been, but I also mentioned that I wasn’t going to be winging it, but making preparation for the upcoming task.
I am reminded I need to do that DAILY, even moment by moment, because when I step in, instead of stepping back and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead, I REALLY ROYALLY MESS THINGS UP!
Unfortunately, I am still at the point where I have a quiver, but I keep misplacing my arrows! I am trying to rectify that by constantly immersing myself in the Word and the teachings of others more spiritually-led than myself.
I love the end of this section: We need to be able to see through the lies Satan speaks to our mind and past the feelings he stirs up within us. [And, do what the Word of God says, not what we feel like doing… by using our will to do this – It is always our choice.]
Choosing His way is difficult when I’m so familiar with my own ways.. but it is far more rewarding and THAT is motivation enough to continue.
I purposely choose my time to be spent with Him. Psalm 90:12-Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. And, Matthew 6:30-33, especially, Seek First His Kingdom and His Righteousness.
I am still at the point where I have a quiver, but I keep misplacing my arrows! (Sort of like having the Scriptures available in our minds, but choosing NOT to use them in the moment of temptation) WOW…not sure if that is what you meant, but it’s what it spoke to me.
Now here is where I want to caution you…
I am trying to rectify that by constantly immersing myself in the Word and the teachings of others more spiritually-led than myself.
This refers back to my challenge I made in the daily Scripture. The teachings of Jesus are direct teachings from Jesus and if we follows His commands, He’ll continue to lead us. After reading the sermon on the mount again in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7 (and I JUST STARTED), I’m realizing we have been following more traditions than Jesus’ Words. OUCH. When I say “WE” I mean the majority of people today in the church, including the teachers that we look up to.
So…my Pattern, once again, is JESUS, and reading the Bible and especially His Words in the New Testament so I can really understand what “ALL IN” means.
Great answers! Plan and preparation…the key to accomplishing a great many things. The final part being execution. If only it were that simple, a straight line, but its not. Having Jesus’ words at the ready, working towards filling that quiver, so you can load up your bow when needed on our journey, is certainly worth striving for!
Okay, so I have to share that at the first mention of a full quiver my mind went to Squanto and then meandered onto picturing him journeying through the forest…did anyone else’s mind go there?