Circumstances and Emotions

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:8-9
To bear fruit in absolutely horrific circumstances takes the ability to separate ourselves from those circumstances. We have to learn pull ourselves out from the circumstances to see it from God’s perspective instead of our own. It takes discipline and self control to live for the Lord despite the circumstances. Many times, I have had to say, “Ok, God is powerful and has the ability to change these circumstances if needed. God is wise and has the ability to give me the wisdom to deal with these circumstances if needed. God is loving and knows what I need better than I do.” When I can apply these three attributes to my circumstance, I am able to trust God for them and thus, able to bear fruit in spite of them. The same thing is true for our emotions. The way we feel can hinder us from doing the will of God and bearing fruit. Our emotions can clearly impact our actions. Here are some examples: if we don’t feel like cleaning the house, we won’t do it even if it needs to be done. If we don’t feel like being nice today, we won’t be nice even though the consequences of not being nice will linger beyond the day. If we are led by our emotions, we will do or not do what we feel like doing. But in order to bear fruit and stay in the will of God, we need to be able to separate ourselves from our feelings and do what God has called us to do any way. To pull ourselves out from the circumstances, we can remind ourselves about the attributes of God. To pull ourselves out from our emotions, we need to be in the Word of God. We have to claim verses as promises to keep us focused in doing things that please Him, even if it doesn’t please our emotions at the time. It is praying for self control to maintain a life that brings Him glory. Every day and decision counts. Choices we make here matter up there. Keep sowing those seeds of righteousness and in time, you will reap a healthy harvest.