2 Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Which emotions do you struggle to control? Whether it is anger, depression, fear, anxiety, frustration or something else we all struggle to control our emotions every day. How do we control our emotions?
First we must understand that there is a process that develops every emotion. Depression, anger or anxiety usually do not suddenly appear overnight, but tend to grow out of our thoughts.
Feelings of depression or jealousy begin as thoughts like “You will never make it through this” or “You deserve that (fill in the blank) more than she does.” Those thoughts develop into feelings or emotions when you meditate on them and begin to agree with those thoughts and add more of the same thoughts to your mental list. It doesn’t take long for one little thought to grow into an emotion that can ruin your day or lead to a bad decision.
Will thoughts or emotions ruin your life? Probably not, but they can lead to bad decisions, which can ruin your life. You don’t have to look far to see bad decisions people make because of an emotion.
So what do we do? 2 Corinthians 10:5 gives us the straight answer, we must “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” Some thoughts may go down kicking and screaming, but we have to wrestle, subdue, arrest, apprehend…however you want to say it, the thoughts in our heads that don’t line up with God’s word.
One of the best ways to take thoughts captive is to use your words and God’s words because when you start talking, that takes precedence over your thinking. Think about it…you could be daydreaming or worrying about something, but if the phone rings and you start talking about something else your brain switches over to think about what you are talking about. (This could explain why there are so many cell phone related traffic accidents…) Speaking words, especially the words of God, are powerful enough to take any thought captive, for example:
Thought Words to take it captive
You’re broke…you’ll never have anything.- God provides for all my needs
You won’t make it through this - God fights my battles for me
You’re sick…are you dying? - By Jesus’ stripes I am healed
You should be afraid - God has not given me a spirit of fear
You don’t deserve to be happy - The joy of the Lord is my strength
Take a few minutes and think of the emotions you struggle to control and back track to find the thoughts that may be feeding those emotions. Then get into the bible, find out how God wants you to think and make a habit of speaking His words out loud whenever those thoughts pop into your head. Before long those Godly thoughts will lead to Godly emotions, which is where we all want to be.
Author Resource:-
Bible teacher at Sherman Full Gospel Church
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