Hello, friend!
This recap is coming a day late but it is here all the same. I had a tiring weekend and could hardly put words together yesterday. However, I am thankful to be able to send this out today.
I’ll start this recap with some thoughts I have on last week’s Masterclass about emotions. As Christians, we generally don’t like to consider our emotions as important when it comes to our relationship with God. It is common to push whatever we are feeling aside and trudge on regardless. While we are not led by feelings, they definitely play a part in our maturity as believers and lovers of God. Here are a few highlights:
Emotions are not always good nor bad. They are signals that show our belief systems and why we react to things the way we do. Think about the fact that not everyone reacts to the same things the same way. The trigger is not always to blame. The button that was pushed is what needs to be investigated.
All emotions are influenced by beliefs. If you want to change how you react or respond emotionally, the focus should be your belief. For example, you should deal with the root cause of not trusting God, not just the symptom of fear.
We can learn to trigger better emotions by changing our belief systems. If you claim to believe that God loves you but still have a fear of getting rejected, then it’s likely that you don’t really believe it yet. Your beliefs will shift your response to circumstances.
To change your belief system, you need to spend time with what the truth is. Clearly put, you need to spend time with God. This is done in prayer, study, meditation, and worship. The muscle is further built by living in obedience.
When our emotions are anchored in His Word, we can be certain that regardless of what they are when they get stirred, they will be steered in the direction of the truth and life.
With this in mind, I’d like you to call to mind an emotion you felt today but tried to deny. Instead of pushing it away or feeling guilty, acknowledge that it happened. This is not restricted to ‘bad’ emotions like anger or fear. It is possible that you shy away from joy because you worry that it won’t last.
Talk to the Father about it with honesty and listen to His own side of the story - the truth. Listening could be by actively reading the Bible or just quietly sitting and listening to the Holy Spirit. I encourage you to journal this process.
The more time you spend in honesty and vulnerability with God, the more you look and act like Him.
Stepping into this month of November, it seems that many are being drawn to the word of God in a new way. The hunger to study and learn with Jesus is increasing and it is beautiful to see. For that reason, I’ll close this week by referencing my recap for week two. It includes tips to help with studying the word.
Here we go -
I pray that you enjoy the close and certain presence of Jesus through this week. He is with you.
Love and Love,
OTDamilola,
For King and Kingdom