How emotion is defined?

-According to the American Psychological Association

(APA), emotion is defined as “a complex reaction pattern,
involving experiential, behavioral and physiological
elements.” Emotions are how individuals deal with
matters or situations they find personally significant.
-A strong feeling that arises spontaneously

Since feelings follow thoughts,

feelings also reveal thoughts!
Where did these uninvited moods, that rush in without any warning,
originate? God! 

The Bible tells us in Genesis 1 that we were made in God’s image, an

image that includes emotions. You see, we have emotions because God has
emotions.

While our emotions may be a divine gift, how we manage them

determines whether or not they become a curse. Most of us struggle with
our emotions because we can’t separate ourselves from them.

We cannot flee from our own feelings, so we must learn how to deal
with them. The stewardship of our emotions is critical to a healthy spiritual life,
and since God created us with emotions, he wisely sent us the emotional part
of himself, to help us manage ours.
 What most Christians don’t realize is that when they become saved, a
rich emotional presence enters their lives, we must learn to cooperate with
daily.

The most fundamental theology of the Christian faith is the doctrine of

the Trinity. The Bible teaches us that God is 3 (The Father, The Son, and The
Holy Spirit) in 1. The best way to understand this is to consider water. Water is
one substance that can become liquid, solid, or gas. We serve one God who
expresses himself to us in three persons, with 3 different roles. The Father is
God for us, the Son is God with us, and the Holy Spirit is God in us. The Holy
Spirit, who lives on the inside of us, works as a spiritual trainer to mature us
into spiritual shape, so that we start acting, looking like and reflecting the one
we were made in the image of. People who live controlled by their emotions
end up resembling a lot of different things, but God is not one of them!

Proverbs 29:11
11 A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.
(ESV)
Someone stated: “Feelings are like waves. You cannot stop them from
coming but you can decide which ones to surf.”

A wise person said: “Never make permanent decisions based on

temporary feelings.”

Oscar Wilde (the famous playwright from London) said: “I don’t want to
be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to
dominate them.”

Galatians 5:16-18
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the
Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you
from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you
are not under the law. (ESV)
 If our lives do not look like this,
we are not being Spirit-led, we are
emotionally driven!
The devils not afraid of people going to church. He’s afraid of people
looking like Christ!

When you read the book of Acts, you will find that on the day of
Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell, there was a transformation in the lives of
the disciples. Before, Peter was impulsive, fearful, and emotionally driven. But
after Peter was touched by the Holy Spirit, he became courageous,
committed, and constant! The Spirit changed him!

Peter, who was famous for denying Christ 3 times before Pentecost, changed:
-From following his feelings to declaring his convictions!

-From making popular decisions to taking principled

positions!

-From running when problems arise to rising when

problems arise!

-From deflecting personal responsibility to taking personal

responsibility!

-From following the demands of the crowd to declaring the

truth to the crowd!
 Although Christians receive the Holy
Spirit at Salvation, we also need to
be filled by him!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with
a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV)

Romans 8:14
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (ESV)

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
(ESV)

Romans 8:5-6
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of
the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on
the Spirit is life and peace. (ESV)
 Spirit-lead people live in freedom
but emotionally controlled people live
in chaos!
The great Joyce Meyer said – “Self-control is a freedom, not bondage.
You’re free to use wisdom, free to obey God, and free to follow the leading of
the Spirit. You’re free not to be pushed around by your feelings. You don’t
have to do what you feel like doing. You’re free to do what you know is wise.”

Part-time time Christians will never defeat a full-time devil!

Two critical things Holy Spirit does in

all of our lives:
(1) The Spirit helps guide our decisions!
(2) John 14:16-17
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,
to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You
know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (ESV)

+The Greek word for Holy Spirit is Paraclete and is translated to

mean: counselor, helper, advocate, intercessor, mediator,
encourager, defender, and legal advisor.

+In ancient warrior times, when Greek soldiers entered battle they
would stand back to back covering each other’s blind spots. Their
battle partner was called a Paraclete!
(3) The Spirit protects us from
deception!
Without supernatural help right now, Christians will fall prey to 3
areas of deception:

-Satanic Deception: 2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded
the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel
that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

-Spiritual Deception: Matthew 24:4-5 “Watch out that no one deceives

ou. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and
will deceive many.”

- Self Deception: James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

God has sent Christians a gift that empowers us to walk in truth and live
in victory!