The
second strategy we'll talk about this week for living a godly life is
controlling your emotions. “But it's not my fault I just don't
love my spouse anymore.” Yes,
it is totally your fault. It's something you can control. “But
I just don't like that person at work – I can't help how I feel!”
Yes, actually you can.
But
not by trying harder. You can't control your emotions by gritting
your teeth or being robotic or by militaristically obeying orders to
love. Love doesn't happen that way. Trying harder just gets into
religion. God's not into religion, so we shouldn't be either. (As
an aside, the Enemy's totally into religion – he's started lots of
them. God's totally into relationship – He's started lots of
them.)
The
point is you can't control your emotions by trying to control your
emotions. But you can totally control your emotions. “Dude,
starting making sense.!”
Okay, here we go. You control your emotions by taking advantage of a
Kingdom principal that God wove into the fabric of the universe.
God
wants us living out of our will, not out of our mind or our emotions.
You control your emotions by choosing to serve that person. Find
something you can do to serve your spouse or your co-worker or
whoever you have negative emotions for. The Holy Spirit's presence
and favor is like water – it flows to the lowest point. So get
low. Philippians 2:3 says “... in humility consider others better
than yourselves.” Be determined to serve them. Not just once, but
as a lifestyle. What can you do that would bless them? The 100%
guaranteed, God-ordained, by-product for you will be positive
emotions toward that person.
Then,
like Isaiah 58:8 says, “Then
your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will
quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the
glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.” That totally works for
me. I'll take an extra helping of righteousness, please, with the
glory of the Lord on the side. But it starts by getting low. It
starts by serving. Try it and tell me in the comments how it works.
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