Boy I Wish I Hadn’t Done That!

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If it feels right, then it can’t be wrong!

That is the message that we get from our culture today. It amazes me how many decisions are made based on our emotions and feelings.

Our world is so emotionally driven that they have come up with a new way to communicate…. A new alphabet…Emojis… You have all seen these before. Some of you absolutely refuse to use them…others can’t have a text conversation without putting an emoji or two in it.

This past year they put Bible verses on the screen at Christ In Youth and some of the words were replaced with emojis and the teens were able to read it with no problem at all. I had no clue, but they were amazing!

It’s no wonder so many people communicate this way.

Emotions affect and sometimes dominate the decisions we make every single day.

A few years ago, I was on vacation with my family. We went out to eat at a Japanese Steakhouse. I love to eat at Japanese steakhouses. I love the steak, the atmosphere, but I love the rice the most. I decided that day that I would order an extra side of rice to take home with me to eat for lunch the next day. My cousins being the loving family members that they are decided that they would pay for my meal. Which made me emotional. You see that place was expensive and I just couldn’t believe the kindness that they showed. But there was a catch…they told me that they would pay for my meal if I would eat all my meal including the extra side of rice. I decided to take them up on the offer and quickly figured out that it was going to be something that I would soon regret. It truly is amazing how much rice expands inside of your body. The truth is I knew deep down that eating that much food was going to be a mistake, but I let my emotions get the best of me. If you would have asked me to eat that much food without challenging me and playing on my emotions, I would have never done it. It was obviously a very stupid decision, but my emotions got the best of me.

1. Emotion That Is Not Guided By Truth Leads To Regret

We find one of the greatest heroes of the Bible confronted with emotional paralysis. He lost total control of his emotions and because of that he knew what it was like to live with regret because of his emotionally charged decisions.

(NIV)

Water From the Rock

20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

When you lose control of your emotions you lose track of what God wants for you in your life.

God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity.

God used him to do many amazing things.

He stood up to Pharoah and led a whole nation out of captivity. God showed his mighty power in his life time and time again.

When God said that He was going to do something He did. His word was true.

What caused Moses to fall short of the plan that God had in place for his life?

He was supposed to lead them into the promised land, but he lost control of his emotions.

(NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Since we are to live by the spirit it is appropriate to talk about spiritual things.

God made us with our emotions…he made us to be in control of our motions!

When our emotions control us…

2. Satan Uses Emotion To Blind Us From Focusing on Truth

So what is your blind spot…

This past year Urban Meyer got himself in a lot of trouble with Ohio State University because he let an emotional blind spot get in the way of the truth.

He had an assistant coach that’s personal life disqualified him from working with young people. He had addiction and anger issues that had his life spiraling out of control and the coach turned a blind eye to the truth because he was too emotionally invested to address the issues at hand.

It led the coach further away from truth causing him to lie to the press about the issues that the coach had.

In the end it caused him to be suspended. It put a stain on his legacy in some people’s opinion. He went through a great deal of turmoil and I believe it caused medical issues that he had to worsen to the point that it caused him to retire prematurely.

Feelings are too unpredictable to trust.

Feelings can blind us from the truth.

Satan has been using our emotions against us from the very beginning.

(NIV)

The Fall

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The Bible says the Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

If Satan is the opposite of God and Jesus says I and the Father are one; and Jesus is the truth then Satan is a liar, deceiver, and a manipulator.

When depending on feelings to guide you through life how do you decide which one came from God and which came from Satan?

(NIV)

A Final Charge to Timothy

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The truth is found in the word of God.

Satan masquerades as an angel of light, but he will be known by his deeds.

The Bible says the truth shall set you free, but it says…

1. (NIV)

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

2. (NIV)

Jeremiah’s Prayer

23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own;

it is not for them to direct their steps.

3. (NIV)

12 There is a way that appears to be right,

but in the end it leads to death.

4. (NIV)

26 Those who trust in themselves are fools,

but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Many base their belief purely off of emotion…

Tomorrow, I am going to start working out again. How many times have you said those same words?

I am pathetic. I can’t believe how many times I have said “I’m going to get in shape tomorrow”

But then I drive to work and I go passed 3 fast food restaurants and a bakery. And there are days when I don’t feel like it. There are days…moments…very weak moments…that I feel like eating donuts and being happy.

It is amazing how quickly my emotions (feelings) can change.

Exercise is what I need…there is no denying that.

But, I lose track of that truth the second I feel tired or just feel like a donut.

When our belief is based purely on emotion, I believe that Satan will use that to keep us from making it to our Promised Land.

Our emotions can lead us to think that we are disqualified or overqualified!

Some don’t feel like God will forgive them…and others feel like they are a good person and God surely wouldn’t judge them.

Both ideas are emotionally driven lies that are used by Satan to keep us from living in the truth.

When you use feeling and emotions to guide your life it becomes all too convenient to take out your eraser and change what the word of God says.

Emotionally driven decisions always take the easiest most selfish path.

Just ask Adam and Eve…

3. Our Job is To Be In Charge of Our Lives (Emotions)

3. Controlling Our Emotions Leads To A Strong Finish

(NIV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Emotions are there to take you to a place. You must control them so that you stay in control of the direction your life is going.

However, you deal with your emotions determine whether you get

Where do you want your life to end?

God’s promises or not.

However, how you deal with your emotions will determine whether you receive the Crown of Life or not.

Do you have authority over your emotions?

Jesus did…

(NIV)

Gethsemane

14:32–42pp—;

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”

35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Can you imagine a more emotional night than this?

Jesus had been betrayed…he went to get away…others were there but he was all alone…he was overwhelmed to the point of death…sweating drops of blood and having trouble just keeping himself up

Rod made the statement last week that all he wanted to do was finish strong.

Moses lost his cool and wasn’t allowed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land because of his anger. The Israelites had to wonder in the wilderness for forty years and never saw the Promised Land because of their fear and doubt.

Have you ever had a time that you have felt God speaking directly to you? I don’t mean the sky cracks open and he speaks directly to you, but rather His word speak directly to what you are going through. Earlier this week I began writing this message and was done except the ending by Thursday. Friday, I went to Kenzie’s track meet. Kenzie was scheduled to run in two races. I was very excited to watch her. She has improved so much this year. I was also excited that both of her events were scheduled for the beginning of the track meet. She ran her first race by 4:30 and then the skies opened up and they delayed the meet for about 40 minutes. For the next 2 ½ hours I watched my daughter stand at the long jump and watch every boy and girl jump. At about 8 I get a text from her saying that her she wasn’t going to get a chance to jump. I was furious that I sat there for all of that time and didn’t get to see my daughter jump. I was sad that she didn’t get a chance to jump. Walking to the car with my now crying daughter everything in me wanted to give somebody a piece of my mind. I wanted to lose control of my emotions and then I remember the message that God had given me to preach to “you” all today.

My reaction could have caused me to drag the name of Jesus and what I stand for through the dirt.

Think about the amount of emotions that Jesus felt as he went to the cross. How much of that do you think Satan had a part in?

Jesus didn’t deserve to feel ashamed, embarrassed, grief, insecure, rejected, lonely, miserable, overwhelmed, nervous, sad, and scared.

The only way to finish strong is to be in control of your emotions!