As I was talking with a friend today, what came out of my mouth surprised me. The enemy against us will use our own emotions against us. This might sound odd to you, but consider your emotions when something happens to you. Do you respond with what is coming against you, or are you blessing them? “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” The greatest example of the enemy using your emotions against you is in Genesis 3. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’ ? ” By Adam and Eve succumbing to their own emotions, they empowered the serpent over themselves and lost the glory of God. Tor us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
To not have your emotions get the best of you, you must have your mind renewed. Men have always thought evil, sin is evil. Always thinking of themselves first before others. This is the mind of men. “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’S counsel––that will stand.” “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” Peter got rebuked by Jesus thinking like a man. “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but THE THINGS OF MEN.” Thinking like a man is sinful, fleshly minded. Those who have their thinking renewed in the spirit, thinking righteousness, have life and peace. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” “So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness.” “As righteousness leads to life, So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.” “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway, there is no death.” “He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit.” We that righteousness way of thinking is of the spirit which brings life. Righteousness is also a fruit of light. ”For the fruit of the Light is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.”
I pray that this helps you in your journey with the Lord. Don’t bury the gift of righteousness that the Lord gave you in the sand. Let it shine. “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is THE GIFT OF GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Be blessed, my friends.