Category: Control your emotions

The dangers of lust The Psalmist realized the dangers of lust when he wrote: (Prov 6:25-29 NIV)  Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, {26} for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. {27} Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? {28} Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? {29} So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished. Begins with the eyes (2 Sam 11:2-4 NIV)  One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman…

Is Guilt Good or bad? Guilt can serve as a helpful motivator to cause us to change our bad behavior. It can also be a crippling effect on our life if that guilt is not appropriate. How effective is conscience and how to make it effective? Our conscience is only one way God talks to us through. But it is not the voice of God. It can be affected by all sorts of other factors such as our upbringing, society, education, etc. Our conscience needs to be checked by the word of God if it were to be effective in steering our life. Our conscience can get influenced by the wrong things that the media is feeding us with. How to get rid of guilt? Receive the forgiveness of Jesus…

Severity of the problem Britain consumes more antidepressants than antibiotics. Nearly three million people or 5% of the population in Britain is diagnosed as suffering from some form of depression. Symptoms of depression All these things happen to us at various points in our life but a combination of them occurring together is an indication of depression. Lack of interest in anything The things you are normally interested in are suddenly of no interest to you. Lethargy A depressed person is always feeling tired. Feeling of emptiness The person feels that life is not worth living. Self-pity Nobody in the world cares for me. Inability to concentrate or make decisions Irritability Changes in weight Excessive and inappropriate guilt What depression is not Ordinary unhappiness We may become unhappy due to…

God Himself was accustomed to failure When Jesus learned His earthly father’s trade as a carpenter, surely He did not always produce the perfect product at the first attempt. He probably learnt many things by trial and error. Even after three years of ministry, Jesus failed to win everyone He preached to and many left Him and followed Him no more. What seems to be failure in human eyes may be a pre-requisite for success From a human standpoint, Jesus’ death on the cross is a complete and utter failure. But from God’s standpoint, that is the basis of His success of victory for mankind over the dominion of Satan. Persevere despite seeming failure and look towards victory (Heb 12:2 NIV)  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author…

Facts about emotions Not all pleasant emotions are good and unpleasant emotions bad Grief is an unpleasant emotion but is not bad. It is in fact necessary for the healing process. Guilt is another unpleasant emotion that can work towards our good. Grief, sorrow, depression and despair are all displayed by the Psalmists when expressing their repentance towards God. Our thinking determines our emotions We are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. (Rom 12:2 NIV)  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. We are encouraged to think about good things. (Phil 4:8 NIV)  Finally, brothers, whatever…

What causes it Perfectionist attitude Frustration can be dealt with by developing a more flexible personality. It pays to discipline ourselves to be adaptable to changing situations. Unrealistic expectations Some Christians think that if they are moving in God’s will, then they should not be encountering any obstacles. Therefore when obstacles come, they feel frustrated. The Bible tells us that even Jesus met with many obstacles in His ministry. Hurt It is so natural to feel anger when someone has hurt us – either physically or emotionally. Yet Jesus gave us such a remarkable example in this area. He was hurt physically while on the cross but He was not angry with His tormentors. He was hurt emotionally when His disciple Peter denied Him three times. Yet He did not…

What is pride? Undue confidence in and attention to one's own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. Why is pride so bad? Pride is rebellion against God because it attributes to self the honor and glory due to God alone. God hates pride. (Prov 8:13 NIV)  To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Symptoms of pride Not able to see our faults Proud persons do not think it necessary to ask forgiveness because they do not admit their sinful condition.  First Timothy 3:6; 6:4; and 2 Timothy 3:4 use a word literally meaning "to wrap in smoke." It emphasizes the plight of the one who has been blinded by personal pride. Loves to quarrel (1 Tim 6:3-4 NIV)  If…

Make up your mind not to worry (Luke 21:12-14 NIV) "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. {13} This will result in your being witnesses to them. {14} But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. We cannot control the events around us. Many things will happen that will cause us to worry. But we can make up our mind not to worry. We can do so by meditating on those points listed above. Do not see fear as something we cannot control. The command “fear not” occurs 366 times in the Bible. It…