EXTREME EMOTIONS

Emotions are a part of everyone’s life and we can’t remove it. Emotions are yet another tool for the devil to play in our lives. emotions by themselves are not wrong or sinful. But when these emotions are pushed to the extreme they always lead us to sin. The book of James records the same thing,

but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James 1:14-15

Here James uses the word desire. This can be interpreted as an 'extreme emotion'. Because James says that they are dragged away and enticed which is what happens when emotions reach the extreme state. The devil does not push the emotions to the extreme but he triggers us to do so. We are the one who is sinning, but he provokes us to do it. He uses people around us, things that are said over us, things that happen to others and many other triggers that drive our emotions to the extreme state where we have no control over ourselves. These triggers are different for each person and we need to find that and ask the help of the Holy Spirit to not get triggered in that area of our life.

James goes on to say that when our emotions reach their extreme state it leads us to sin. Sin when it has reached an extreme state leads to death.

          EXTREME EMOTION ------> SIN ------> DEATH

Paul, in the book of Galatians, puts it like this:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

He says that when we follow the desires of our flesh or in other words when we push our emotions to the extreme, we will end up in the things mentioned by Paul. He also clearly states that we will NOT go to heaven if we do these things, in case you didn’t know.

Before we get to know the solution to these extreme emotions, let me give you an example of how the emotion, when pushed to an extreme, leads us to sin. Let’s take the emotion of sadness. Sadness by itself is not wrong, but if we push it to an extreme state which is depression. Now depression is not the only extreme to sadness. It based on how each person handles the emotions. But let’s say that sadness has gone to the extreme of depression. What is the next sate after that? It is probably suicide or some addiction, which are all sins. This is exactly what James and Paul are saying. 

But, Paul doesn’t stop with just mentioning the problem in Galatians 5 but goes on to tell in detail about the answer to this problem.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23

And yes the answer to extreme emotions is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you how this becomes a universal solution ton to stop our desires/extreme emotions to reach a state of sin. When we look closely at verse 23, we see Paul mentioning in the last part of the verse - There is no law against these things! What does this mean?

If we need to know the answer to that question we need to know what the law does.

The law is what defines good and evil.

In other words, the law is what defines sin. If there is no law, then there is no sin. Hence, when Paul says there is no law against these things, it means that we cannot sin when the fruit of the Holy Spirit is in action. If we look at the fruit of the Holy Spirit, they are also emotions and feelings. But still, Paul says that they cannot lead us to sin. Does this mean that these emotions can never lead us to sin? No, not at all, Paul isn’t saying that there is no law against these emotions. He is saying there is no law against the fruit of the Holy Spirit. He is saying that when these emotions and feelings are a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in us, then they will not lead us to sin. When it is through the Holy Spirit, no matter how far we push these emotions they will never lead us to sin.

The next question that is probably coming in your mind is “ how do exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit?”. Paul answers this question in the next verse of Galatians 5.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:24-25

He says that we need to nail the desires and sinful nature to the cross where Jesus died for us. Paul isn’t saying this in a literal context, rather in a spiritual context. When he says nail the desires to the cross, it means we make this strong decision to say no to the fleshly desires. This is why I told that self-denial is the price we need to pay to walk in the calling God has kept over us. We need to ask the Holy Spirit every day as we are in a relationship with Him every day to give us the strength and the ability to exhibit the fruit of the holy spirit in our lives.

This again gets us back to the point of being in a relationship with Jesus regularly as I mentioned earlier. The relationship we have Jesus not only helps us to get a clear picture of our calling but also enables us to stay in it no matter what the enemy brings our way. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and give Him space to chisel and correct us. We need to listen and obey His voice. We mustn’t get distracted by the lies and what the people around us say over us. We mustn’t allow it to define our life and the calling God has placed over us.

To summarize it’s these 3 things we need, to know and to stay in the calling of God :

1.  Relationship with Jesus

2.  Allow chiselling

3.  No distractions