WATCH OUT! EMOTIONS UNDER ATTACK

Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

Have you ever just had a bad day? You know, the kind of day where everything seems to go wrong. They seem to happen especially when you are just exhausted. My dad, Allen Domelle, always says to watch your spirit when you are tired because your fuse is shorter. The funniest part is that several of the church staff have truly taken it to heart by texting the other staff a warning on those days.

The problem is that sometimes bad days aren't funny. Sometimes they are extremely intense and clump together, making it feel like you can’t catch a break. Those times can really affect our spirit and cause us great stress. This is when we are the most vulnerable to Satan's biggest ploy.

We are always looking for the BIG thing that will take us out. The great sin that will destroy us. The opportunity that would take us out of God’s Will. The reason that would keep us out of church. The problem with that mindset is that most of the time Satan doesn’t use the BIG tactics because he knows that we expect them and won’t go for them. He uses the small things that slowly wear us down, ultimately wearing us out if we aren’t careful. When we are worn out, our emotions tend to go wild.

Proverbs 25:28 says, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” A well-ruled spirit safeguards our heart. How do we rule our spirit? By keeping our emotions under control. When our emotions are out of control, they tear down the walls of our heart, and then we are vulnerable to the bigger traps Satan has for us. He attacks our emotions the most because he wants free access to our hearts.

This may cause us to think having emotions is bad, but the opposite is true: emotions properly used are powerful. That’s why we must protect them rather than shut them down. So how do we do it? We don’t. We let God protect them. We let Him protect them by consistently giving our emotions to God throughout the day in prayer. We let Him have them so that we don’t hold them. That means if we need to step away for a moment to take a quick walk and pray, then do it. The only way to keep our heart is by giving it to the One who can protect it.

WATCH OUT! Satan’s ready to attack our emotions. Just remember that God will protect our hearts so long as we give them to Him.

Recommended reading from Old Paths Publications: The Victorious Christian Life