"Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before... either into a creature that is in harmony with God, ...or into one that is in a state of war with God. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other."
~ C.S. Lewis ~
Mere Christianity
Doesn't this quote just fit me right now!?!?! I guess it would fit all believers wouldn't it? But I have been struggling lately with this very topic. So, I needed this today.
As a female, I am run by my emotions. And I tell you what, Satan knows which buttons to push in me...which words to whisper to my mind...and which thoughts to fill me with to tear me down. And the annoying thing is, I know when it's happening and I give into it, I do. I know it isn't right, but I focus on Satan's whispers. And before I know it, I am gloomy, easily irritated, and heavy-laden.
I do have days where I don't give in to Satan's plan and I choose instead to ignore it and fill myself with the Spirit. And on those days, the fruit pours out of me. I am filled with love, peace, patience, gentleness....and so forth.
So, one would wonder, if all I have to do is ignore Satan to reap such wonderful rewards, and if giving into him brings about pain, then why do I do it? It's because he's sneaky. He knows me so well and he knows how to get my goat with his sly tactics. But when I see it coming and I still allow it to be, that's when I make a choice and choose poorly.
On March 22nd, there was a snippet in My Utmost For His Highest that really spoke to me and it touched on this topic. It said...."Much of the distress we experience as Christians comes not as the result of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature. For instance, the only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run its course in our lives is to examine what the final outcome of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately. But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spirit of God and you don’t allow it to have its way in your life, it will cause a reaction on a lower level than God intended. That is the way unrealistic and overly emotional people are made. And the higher the emotion, the deeper the level of corruption, if it is not exercised on its intended level. If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will."
To me, the choices I make emotionally have a great GREAT impact on me. They impact my mood, my day and my Spirit. And when the emotions I choose to allow to rule me are not of God, all they do is destroy me. This has been such a hard lesson to learn, and even after learning it, I still mess up daily.
But I do know, without a doubt, that I'd rather stay in harmony with God, because Satan's melody is a somber one.
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