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Most people go through life thinking their emotions are beyond their control. If something bad happens, they feel down. If something good happens, they feel up. Thatβs just how it is, right?
Well, that kind of thinking will leave you constantly reacting to whatever is happening around youβlike a ship tossed by waves with no anchor.
According to the Word of God, your emotions arenβt supposed to control you. You can control them. Now, I know some people have never heard that before. It may shock you to hear it. But itβs true. You donβt have to live at the mercy of your feelings.
Let me show you what I mean.
In John 14:1, Jesus was speaking to His disciples the night before He was crucified. He had just told them He was going away. He was about to be arrested, beaten, and killedβand they were about to go through the worst few days of their lives.
Yet the very first thing He told them was, βLet not your heart be troubled.β
That was the very first thing out of His mouth. Not βIβm sorry this will be hard,β not βHang in there.β He gave them a command: Let not. That means you have control over your heart. Thatβs huge.
Now, I understand this rubs some people the wrong way. Iβve had close friends get upset with me over it. They say Iβm being insensitive or lacking compassion. But I believe compassion tells people the truth.
Iβm not saying life doesnβt bring real pain. Iβve lived through it. When I was told that my son was deadβhad been gone for four hoursβthe grief hit me like a wave. Everything in my body wanted to collapse into sorrow.
But I made a choice right then and there. I said, βI will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouthβ (Ps. 34:1). And as I praised, faith rose up in me. My son was raised from the deadβafter being gone for over four hours. That wasnβt willpower. That was the power of Godβs Word and Spirit.
When I chose to praise God, it wasnβt emotional denial. That was the spiritual reality overpowering the emotional turmoil.
You might think, But you havenβt been through what Iβve been through. Maybe not. But Iβve been through enough to say confidently: the Word of God works. And it will work for you too.
Hereβs something else most Christians donβt fully grasp: if youβre born again, youβre not βonly human.β According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, βIf any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.β
The only part of you thatβs been made brand new is your spirit. Thatβs the part of you that is identical to Jesus. First John 4:17 says, βAs he is, so are we in this world.β
Not someday in heavenβnow. If youβre born again, one-third of you is wall-to-wall Holy Ghost. Your spirit is alive with the same power that raised Christ from the dead.
But if youβre only responding out of your mind, will, and emotionsβyour soulβyouβll live like someone whoβs never met the Lord.
After my son was raised from the dead, I had to take a physical exam for an insurance policy. I passed the treadmill test, felt great, and had no symptoms. But the doctor said he found a tiny anomaly and told me I might need immediate open-heart surgeryβthat same day.
For about ten seconds, I froze. But then faith rose up and I said, βThatβs a lie. Thereβs nothing wrong with me.β
The doctor was shocked. He stammered and backpedaled, saying maybe it wasnβt serious. But the damage was already done: heβd planted fear, and I wasnβt about to let that seed grow.
And do you know what? It turned out the test was flawed. There was nothing wrong with me. Later, a second doctor confirmed I had the heart of a seventeen-year-old!
But what if I had let my heart be troubled? What if I had let fear run its course?
If I hadnβt known who I was in Christβand if I hadnβt trained my heart to respond with faithβI couldβve spiraled into fear. And fear opens the door for all kinds of torment.
Thatβs why Iβm so passionate about this. This isnβt about denying pain or pretending hardship isnβt real. This is about choosingβin every momentβto draw on who you are in Christ rather than reacting like someone who doesnβt even know God.
I know life gets hard. Iβve been lied about publicly. Iβve been through heartbreaking situations that made international news. Iβve had people say to me, βYou canβt possibly minister todayβnot after what happened.β But I got up and ministered anyway.
Why? Because God is still good. Jesus is still the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Whatβs happening to me doesnβt change who He isβor who I am in Him.
You donβt have to fall apart like a two-dollar suitcase every time something goes wrong. Iβm not saying the pain isnβt real. Iβm saying thereβs something more real living inside of you.
Galatians 5:22β23 says, βThe fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.β
Thatβs not something youβre waiting to get. If youβre born again, itβs already thereβin your spirit.
The only question is: are you going to draw from that? Or are you going to live like a powerless person waiting on heaven to rescue you?
Thereβs an old song that says, βIβm only human, Iβm just a man . . .β It sounds humble. But itβll kill you.
Youβre not just a man or a woman. If youβre born again, you have the supernatural, raising-from-the-dead power of God Himself on the inside of you! And He didnβt move in just to sit quietly while fear or sadness dominates your life.
Isaiah 26:3 says, βThou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.β
Thatβs not peace based on everything going right. Thatβs peace based on trusting Godβno matter whatβs going wrong.
There are no exceptions to that verse. It doesnβt say, βunless youβre going through a divorce,β or βunless the doctor says itβs terminal.β
Perfect peace is available right now. But it comes through faith and focusβkeeping your mind fixed on Him.
Galatians 1:4 says Jesus gave Himself to deliver us from this present evil world, not just the one to come. He told us to pray, βThy will be done in earth, as it is in heavenβ (Matt. 6:10).
We may not see that perfectly fulfilled in this life. But weβre supposed to pursue it. That means healing now. Peace now. Joy now. Victory now.
You may think Iβm weird. But I think youβre weird if youβre not living out of the power of God thatβs already inside you.
Iβm not saying these things to condemn anyone. Iβm saying them to wake you up to whatβs already inside you.
If the Spirit of Christ is living in youβand if youβre born again, He isβthen itβs time to stop letting your soul dictate your life. Itβs time to let your spirit lead.
I encourage you to take advantage of the materials available and meditate on what Jesus said: βLet not your heart be troubled.β
If you have faithβif you believe what the Word says about youβyou can overcome anything.
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