PRAYER PROMPT ••• When I first saw Disney’s “Inside Out,” I was amazed by the imagination of the writers who came up with it.
It’s a fun idea, isn’t it?
Others responsible for the switches and gears in our brains that help us find our joy; let us be sad; even let us be disgusted and get angry now and then.
But God designed us with the free will to choose our reactions.
We are responsible for what we say and do, and how we act.
When we look at our emotions, and we wish we could have someone help direct us — find joy when we’re not feeling it or even help us deal with our sadness, we can trust the Holy Spirit.
He doesn’t man a control center in the brain, obviously, but He can help where we feel it the most — in our hearts.
The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
So yes, the Holy Spirit is highly qualified to help direct our emotions, especially when it feels more like they are controlling us than we are controlling them!
E. Stanley Jones once said, “If the Holy Spirit can take over the subconscious with our consent and cooperation, then we have almighty Power working at the basis of our lives, then we can do anything we ought to do, go anywhere we ought to go, and be anything we ought to be.”
NOTE “with our consent and cooperation.”
He’s not going to take away our free will, and if we stop cooperating, our emotions may get the better of us.
However, through the Holy Spirit’s power, we can find joy in knowing He is energizing is, directing us to God’s will, and have confidence He will inspire us to do our part.
And that leads us to live according to the fruits of the Spirit, and becoming more like Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Our emotions are still ours to control, but the Holy Spirit can help us manage them more effectively if we let Him.
Today, as you pray, thank the Holy Spirit for living in you.
Let Him know you’re giving Him control, knowing only through His power, can you experience the joy of Christ.
One Response
Amen! Too often my actions are controlled by my emotions! Intentional living is where I need start.