GET A GRIP ON YOUR EMOTIONS

GET A GRIP ON YOUR EMOTIONS

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”   2 Timothy  1:7 KJV

God has given us a “sound mind” to reason things out with clarity. So why do we keep getting sentimental about issues.? And what exactly does it mean to be sentimental?  It is the tendency to base our actions and reactions more on emotions or how we feel than on reason.

However we are instructed by God in scripture to……….“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  Isaiah  1:18 KJV

God expects us to be reasonable in our actions and as such we should learn to be on guard always so as not to fall into the hidden dangers of being sentimental or over emotional.

In Exodus 32, Moses’s anger at the Israelites for worshipping an idol calf they made from their gold ornaments, caused him to react violently. He got so upset that he threw down the stone tablets that God had only just given to him on the mountain.  He over reacted.  Ironically, in Exodus 32:25 (NLT) Moses scolded Aaron for allowing the Israelites to *get out of control* “much to the amusement of their enemies”; while Moses had himself “got out of control” just a few moments earlier. Let’s be careful and not give our enemies a foothold into our lives by reason of anger.

A similar event occurred in Numbers 20 when Moses reacted angrily to the Israelites’ disdain of God’s grace while in the desert and they had no water for sustenance. Moses’ reaction was to strike the Rock twice, instead of speaking to it as God had instructed. The result? … God cut short Moses’ destiny and he never made it into the promise land, thereby not eating the fruits of his labour. This was not God’s original plan but Moses had committed an act that could not go unpunished because God is justice and the Rock which Moses struck was the Holy One of Israel himself -the only son of the true living God.

Emotions can be toxic if not properly managed. When we allow our emotions to get the better of us, we run the risk of overreacting which could lead to sacrilege or disrespect; characterised by response to situations in ways that appear overzealous or intensely passionate.

We all have our emotional battles and we do get sentimental from time to time, especially when things are not going our way. It becomes very easy to let ourselves get worked up, lash out and hurt loved ones, colleagues at work, employees,  or even hired helps.  It is easy to get frustrated especially if you are in a position of leadership and need to depend on others. If you happen to be one of those who take pride in high standards, then experiencing frustration is a foregone conclusion as people will most certainly let you down at some point. As humans, we tend to make assumptions when set standards are not met without us first trying to find out what is really going on behind the scenes. If we take the time to find out, we may yet discover the sudden drop in standard is the result of deep personal problems or challenges an individual is battling with and we should be able to apply compassion rather than toxic emotion, which could cause severe damage to an existing relationship.

I believe one of the main goals of every believer should be attainment of emotional stability. After all it is one of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:23.)  King David sums this up in one of his Psalms as follows:

“Stop being angry!Turn from your rage!Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land”. Psalm 37:8-9 NLT

We should seek God to learn how to manage our emotions and not allow them to manage us.

Edward Olugbile ©