To Be Led By Emotions Or By The Spirit?

Today was one of “one of those days” for me so I chose to listen to Podcast by one of my favorite Pastors where he talked about emotions and being emotional. In summary he was saying emotions are real and have their place in our lives but they must not run our lives. He discouraged believers from responding to life or circumstances emotionally or based on emotions and insists that no one can fulfill their destinies by living life like that. Interestingly, I found that even my dictionary aligns with him. It says to be compassionate is to be touched by the pain/difficulties of another, to empathize and desire to do something about the difficulty of others. Whilst, to be emotional, is to be excessively affected by emotion rather than reason or an insincere and effusive demonstration of sentimental friendship and an involuntary physiological response to a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data which in bible parlance is flesh. So that when our lives are based on emotions, it is based on flesh or the sinful nature. Such believers often stir up emotions to gain attention and those who respond to them emotionally often end up helping them cripple their lives just like the onlooker who feeling the pain of the butterfly as it struggles to get out it’s cocoon, breaks the cocoon thereby inhibiting the butterfly for life not realizing that God in His wisdom had worked things out such that in that process, the butterfly is strengthened to fly and fulfill its destiny. Unfortunately, that quick relief would cripple the butterfly making it impossible for it to fulfill its destiny which is the fate of many believers today.

 

Romans 8: 8 “That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.”

It is so easy to want to live by emotions. It is such a cheap and easy way to get by in life and very often, it seems to work for us. When we appeal to emotions, it is easier to get people who would be sympathetic to your cause without considering the merits and/or demerits of it. Unfortunately, we often albeit unwittingly, give the devil room in our lives when we do this and even those who think they help us by responding to our emotional tirades or appeal often like the onlooker in the butterfly story help us ruin ourselves. The truth though is that we all owe ourselves a duty to be honest with ourselves because unlike the butterfly, we can think and know when we are appealing to people’s emotions. Indeed, some of us get very frustrated when people resist responding to our emotional outburst so it is just easier for everyone to let us have what we want especially if it doesn’t hurt them and then they can move on with their lives. I admit that our intentions are often not to cripple or facilitate the crippling of a believer but that is the ultimate result. Sadly, the fact that you did not know your assistance will ultimately cripple the believer, does not change the consequence.

Romans 8: 6 “So letting you sinful nature control your mind leads to life and peace.”

 

I am not by any means suggesting that we are not emotional beings. Jesus was full of compassion and had emotions; He also could be emotional like when He wept for Lazarus but He was not guided by emotions so that He always did the will of His Father despite how He felt. Indeed, going to the cross was so tough but despite the strength of the emotion that overwhelmed Him as He thought on the pain of the cross, He yielded to the will of the father. He put all the emotions aside and did what He had to do. If His decisions were based on emotions, we probably won’t be saved today. Emotional people often do not go the long hull. Going wherever their emotions go, they must leave whenever they feel hurt or run out of steam. Such people are often whimsical and life is all about them and how they feel. Often very selfish, they smolder you with what they insist is love and which it isn’t, unwittingly crippling you making it impossible for you also to fulfill your destiny and that is for as long as they feel like doing so.  They struggle with divine counsel and don’t listen to the voice of reason because they are overwhelmed by emotions and every person who does not agree with them is wicked and mean or at best, too tough on them. This is the height of selfishness but I guess it is hard to face up to one’s own weaknesses. Such people prefer to forget that all men are mortals and also feel like giving in to their feelings; it is always a fight not to do so. They act like they are the only ones built with emotions. We all have emotions but we must refrain from letting them determine our responses. The price we pay for that is too much.

Romans 6: 12 “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.”

We often delude ourselves arguing that being compassionate is being emotional which is not correct. Both the bible and my dictionary affirm this. It is good to be compassionate but our responses must be divinely guided or carefully thought through at the very least. Even smart unbelievers would listen to the voice of reason so that though they may not be led by God, they often provide reasonable responses even garnering help from others where they think they are unable to individually provide all the necessary help not caring who gets the glory. Emotional people, believers or unbelievers, will respond according to their feeling not thinking of the ultimate impact. Of course when such people are caught up on this emotional ride, they don’t reason and the word of God is furthest from their minds so they do not adequately assess the situation before they swing into emotional activity assuaging their emotion and/or conscience. We have to get used to turning to the Holy Spirit, who is the best teacher and guide. e is the best and most sincere guide and/or support but we sometimes do not even want to hear His truth. I realize that the easiest thing is to feed people’s emotions and everyone is happy but maybe when we start to look beyond ourselves to the crippling effect of our fleshly responses to situations in the lives of others, we will see the compelling need to turn to the Holy Ghost for appropriate responses.