Part of our identity is connected to emotions. As we well know, emotions can be very powerful. So much so that they can affect our habits. Do you have a favorite emotion? If left unchecked, that favorite emotion can vastly affect your life in ways you would never expect. It is one reason to connect to your identity in Jesus Christ. There is nothing in it that is destructive, because God is absolutely for you! We want to experience various emotions. The proper ones at the proper times. However, chasing particular ones and clinging to some will not bring you emotional intelligence or balance. Nor will they connect you to God, much less your true identity. Chasing emotional experiences will not bring you closer to God; however, being close to God will cause emotional experiences. While our design includes having emotions, none of them should hijack your life. Let’s examine some examples to clarify the above statements.
How many love to feel depressed or melancholy? If so, where did that come from? Is that affinity for depression linked to one’s self-worth? Perhaps, your old identity says, “You don’t deserve to be happy or joyful. Maybe some of you received attention from others when they saw you lower than dirt, and felt the need to rescue you. Thus, you feel the only way they paid attention to you now is by feeling sorry for you. As a result, you look for reasons to be depressed (or sick for that matter). Hey, some have pity parties in hopes people will party with them. It’s a form of manipulation. If you’re one who feels unworthy of joy or even have a taste of happiness, you might find self-destructive habits haunting you, no matter how hard you “try to succeed.” And that’s the rub: the attempt to develop new healthy habits is a charade, because there is no real intention to succeed. You will find a way to torpedo your progress, so you can sink back into depression. This is a reason some do those destructive things of which they should know better. That is correct, some will do things that everybody knows better than to do, in order to self-destruct. For some, the root of it can be traced to someone very close, such as a parent, who shattered their self-worth early in life. Maybe some dark event took place and they are too ashamed to talk about it, even if they were innocent victims. The devil seeks to destroy young lives. The younger, the better. That is why there is a strong link between one’s early life and the present state of affairs. Know this: Jesus made you worthy of a joyful life. You are a well-loved child of God. You do realize ABBA (Daddy), Father wants you to succeed in life more than anybody, don’t you?
Things can get lodged into our brains that can interfere with who we’re called to be. Our physical brains are like computers, only far superior to the machines of modern technology. There are certain thoughts stored in our memories that can be the equivalent to viruses. They need to be dumped and replaced. Some came in like Trojan horses, which are life events that appeared harmless, only to wreak destruction because we let down our guard. There are individuals who are addicted to fear because it helps them keep watch (of course, there are other reasons). They simply won’t let fear go, because of pain they suffered runs deep. It collides with the ability to love and walk by faith. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), and faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). In some instances, people are robbed of love, because they are afraid to love. Of course, if they do not feel worthy of love, they will find ways to sabotage relationships.
Then, there are those who relish anger and wrath. Why? Because they give them a sense of power and certainty; but, that is a false sense of security. Anger and wrath can lead to guilt because of explosive behavior that usually follows. Fear and anger go hand-in-hand. Fear causes anger, because a person will use it as a shield against the fear. The Bible clearly tells us to get rid of them both (see Ephesians 4:31). These carnal weapons lead to self-defeat.
An inconsistent lifestyle can lead to anger because it lacks the certitude people crave. Frustration often accompanies the mania of a dysfunctional life. When all these things are bottled up in the attempt to “be normal,” depression stand is lurking in the shadows. Do you want to have a normal lifestyle? Become abnormal. Be the anomaly. What does that mean? Become who God says you are, and you’ll never be normal by world standards. How many in the world have peace that surpasses understanding in the midst of chaos? “What’s the matter with you? How can you remain so calm with all this stuff going on?” God never intended for you to be fearful, constantly angry, depressed or filled with hate. He designed you for love. Think about it: God is love, and you were created in His image. Submission to the Lord includes believing Him. The renewal of the mind is crucial for your success. Look in the Bible, and find who you are in Jesus Christ. It may surprise you, and you may find your emotions yielding to the Holy Spirit, while habits change for the better. By the way, God absolutely loves you apart from your performance!
