You can listen to this post here on the Refresh Her podcast.
God made women to be emotional beings. Those emotions can be a good thing that makes us useful for the Lord. For instance – It gives us empathy towards others that are hurting. It gives us compassion for those that need Christ. It gives us a great ability to love our family deeply and sacrificially. It gives us joy at being a homemaker.
But we have to be really careful that we don’t use our emotional attribute as an excuse for being moody or overly emotional. When I get moody, it makes me unpredictable, grumpy, and no fun to be with. I hate it! It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.” Prov 21:19 Contentious means touchy, prickly. Do others wonder how they’re going to find us today? We’re a joy one day, and touchy the next?
Other emotions we deal with are anger _Prov 21:19
Envy – Pr 27:4 Wrath is cruel and anger is outraging, but who is able to stand before envy?
Pride – Prov 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
Jealousy – For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Discontentment – Heb 13:5 – Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Sadness – Gloomy – Ps 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Sometimes I can almost feel those emotions coming up from inside and consuming me. Is it hormones? Maybe. Does that mean I have a right to it? I wish I could say yes, but we all know that’s not true. It is something that needs to be dealt with and my sweet Lord knows just how to do that.
One particular season in my life found me being extremely moody. Then our church had a week of meetings and I heard a message from Philippians 2:13 – It is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure . This passage is special to me because I’ve meditated on this verse over and over.
God is at work in me doing His sanctifying work in my life. What a blessing! The blessing turned quickly to conviction when the preacher then made serious application of it. He said,
Christ is powerful enough to save your soul from hell. What about the sin you’re struggling with right now. Is He powerful enough to save you from that as well?”
Of course the answer was “yes!” There was no list of sins given, but I immediately knew that the Lord was putting His finger on my moodiness.
The Spirit of God said, “I Can save you from that, too, Denise.” God saves us, then He changes us. This is called sanctification – being made like Christ.
God who works in you.
“Grace all-sufficient dwells in you, if you are a believer. There is a living well within you springing up; use the bucket, then; keep on drawing; you will never exhaust it; there is a living source within.” (Spurgeon)
When we look back to verse 12, we get a greater understanding of what God’s work in me should be doing. V 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
The idea is that since God has done and is doing a work in me, I have a greater responsibility to work diligently with fear and trembling regarding my own salvation and walk with the Lord. God’s work in us increases our responsibility; it doesn’t lessen it in any way.
Verse 13 goes on to say – Both to will and to do: God’s work in us extends to the transformation of our will, as well as changing our actions ( to do). Yet in light of the original exhortation to work out your own salvation, this is not a passive transaction.
For His good pleasure: Why does God convict us when we act contrary to a child of God? It’s for His good pleasure. This is the motive behind God’s work in our life. He does so because it gives Him pleasure to do it.
Wow. It is easy to excuse my sin and give it a nice name – hormones – and be done with it. Everyone else would just have to understand. But now, with this Truth in front of me, I was forced to recognize it for what it really was – selfishness and pride.
I took the preacher’s counsel and wrote down this sin in my journal and then how the Lord was showing me to deal with it. Now when I’m tempted to give in and be moody, my mind has goes to my Savior and His power to save me – not only from Hell, but also from this ugly sin. I remember His work in me and my responsibility to work out my salvation. In other words – to live a life that is believable!
Am I perfect now? Ask my poor husband – the one who gets the brunt of my emotions. No, I never will be until I get to heaven (what a day that will be), but I am seeing the Lord give me strength to overcome!
What emotion are you dealing with that you excuse? The Lord has power to save you from hell, and from that sin, Friend. He’s at work in you right now and desires to free you from your bondage.
We sang this song the night I heard that message from Philippians –
What the World Needs Is Jesus
What Denise the world needs is Jesus,
He alone can save.
What Denise the world needs is Jesus
All His life He gave.
There is no other Savior
He can change (my) men’s behavior
What Denise the world needs is Jesus,
He alone can save!
If he saved you He can change you, too!
Confess and repent of your moodiness. This is how we manage our emotions. You will be refreshed in your spirit, and you will also refresh those who spend time in your presence.
RefreshHer 