WEEK 11
TOPIC: The Nature of Man (Part 7) – The Human Soul.
TEXT: Heb. 4:12
The Emotion
The third component that makes up the human soul is the emotion. The emotion has to do with feelings, desires, urges etc. These are very strong forces in the soul of a man because they can actually make or mar him. From the beginning, God created these components to assist the spirit to do the will of God. But at the fall of man, the human soul came under the force of spiritual death and it became susceptible to negative forces. Naturally, it is your emotion that helps you experience empathy in your relationship with men. The feelings of happiness, anger, rage, fear, anxiety etc are all expressed through the emotion. A man without an emotion has lost sense of humanity. The emotion by default is a wonderful thing. For example, the bible told us how Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35), boiled with rage against those who turned the temple into a market place (Mark 11:15-17), got full of compassion at the sick folks several times. These are the expressions of the emotion. So if you are a human being, you ought to have and express emotions too.
Things that Fuel the Emotion
The human emotion is created by God and is fueled by certain factors.
- Focus: Focus is very powerful. It can fuel feelings. What you focus on, give your attention to constantly has the ability to stir your feelings in its direction. Have you heard the saying “out of sight is out of mind”? That statement apply explains what we are saying here. There is always a connection between focus and feeling. In Heb. 12:1-2, the tells us to look unto Jesus. Why? He wants to help stabilize our emotions on God by giving Jesus to us as our focus. Even in human relationships, your feelings go in the direction of who you give your attention to. That’s how folks fall in love overtime because focus is powerful to fueling feelings. When you focus on the negative side of a person, soon, feelings of hatred, and resentment starts developing in you towards that fellow. Watch your focus, for it affects your emotion.
- Words: Words are powerful. Words carry powerful invisible sound waves that impact directly to our emotion. Have you noticed how you may have been down and so moody, then suddenly you hear that something happened, maybe someone bought you a car, credited your account with large sums of money etc. Do you notice how you suddenly start feeling excited within seconds. You haven’t even seen those things yet but your mood is changing already. What happened? Words! You heard something and your emotions are affected. Now you understand how words can help the sick get well. I don’t mean spiritual decrees, just natural words can help cure certain level of sickness of emotional origin. You want to control your emotions, pay attention to words and this includes the ones that comes out of your own mouth.
- Expectations: The Bible in Proverbs 13:12 says hope differed makes the heart sick. Hope in this context is expectation. Expectations can fuel emotions positively or negatively. Negative emotions are fueled by unfulfilled expectation while positive emotions are generated by fulfilled expectations. My counsel is to let the will of God form the template for tour expectations so you can have a guarantee of divine fulfillment.
Managing your Emotions
Emotions are to be used positively to help you maximize your walk on earth. The rule is this: Use your emotions because God gave them to you to enhance your life, but don’t be controlled by your emotions. Your emotions are to serve you, not to control you. They are to help express the feelings in your human spirit and not to dictate your actions.
No matter how you feel, do what is right. Emotions controlled people always live irresponsibly. It was emotions that threw the prodigal son into slavery while reason restored him to the palace. The best way to control your emotions is to make a habit of spending real quality time in fellowship with God because there is something about God’s presence and its consciousness that sifts things in your personality until substance is separated from vainness. Your emotion as a tool is a blessing, but as a master is a problem. Therefore, put your emotions where they belong; to give passion to the will of God in your life.
Points to Note
- Emotion is the container that carries feelings, desires, moods etc.
- Use your emotions but don’t let them control you.
- Emotions can be fueled by words, expectations and focus.
- Spending time with God in fellowship helps sifts vain things from our emotions.
Prayers/Declarations
In Jesus’ Name, I bring my emotions under the control of the Holy Spirit as I put my focus on Jesus and His glory and purpose for my life. I disconnect from everything that seeks to control my emotions against the will of God in Jesus’ Name.
Questions for Meditation
- Give a brief summary of what the emotion is all about?
- Examine what has been taking your focus lately and observe how it has affected your feelings?
- How does spending quality time in fellowship with God help your emotional state?