To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T8BMjpHXSw4
SHOW NOTES
Welcome back to our series on living a balanced life. Last week, Tim and Kimberly kicked off our series by sharing the first area in our lives to find balance: the mind. This week they are continuing the conversation by discussing how to balance our emotions.
Imagine that your life is like a wheel with eight spokes. A wheel will keep moving if one of your spokes is broken, but if multiple spokes are not balanced, your wheel will collapse. In a balanced life, each spoke supports one another. They work together to create a balanced life. In this series, Tim and Kimberly are covering the eight categories they recommend balancing in our lives: our minds, our emotions, our spirits, our bodies, our social lives, our finances, our unique purposes, and our homes.
Tim starts by explaining that all negative emotions stem from fear and all positive emotions stem from love. If you are interested in learning about this concept more in-depth, make sure to check out Tim’s new book “Breathe” which can be purchased right here on the website.
Galatians 5:16-24 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Paul is making a distinction here between the manifestations of living a life led by the flesh and the manifestations of living a life led by the Spirit. The manifestations of the flesh are these negative spiritual, immoral, and emotional concepts that Paul listed above. When we lean into the desires of our flesh, we will naturally run into conflict with others. It’s unavoidable.
The manifestations of living a life led by the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Love is having submission to the needs of others in your life. The Holy Spirit dwells in us so we will manifest love for others. Love is the opposite of our natural flesh which desires complete selfishness.
Joy is a feeling or attitude of delight irrespective of the conditions of our lives. Joy is not an emotion but a choice. We are called to count it all as joy. James 1:2-3 says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
Peace is a relaxed emotional state of contentment for what is. Feeling a steady pace of peace in your life is a powerful position to rest in because you become less phased by the rollercoaster of life.
The Greek word for patience is the word "makrothumia" and the literal translation describes a person who takes a long time before they boil over with anger or passion. Patience is the complete opposite of being short-tempered. If you are easily provoked, you are likely living in the flesh.
Kindness is a disposition of giving to others without concern for yourself. Kimberly shares that she believes this quality is missing the most in our world today. This Spirit-produced kindness meets the needs of others and makes a person serviceable to others.
The word goodness in Greek is “agathosune” and it describes a divine, intrinsic goodness. This specific word for goodness actually only occurs four times in the New Testament and is a strictly biblical term describing this unique, intrinsic goodness that only comes from God.
Faith is a belief, trust, and confidence that the Lord will come through on His promises. Our faith is not an imaginary, backless hope but an understanding that the Lord guarantees he will fulfill His promises.
The word gentleness can also be exchanged for the word meekness, which literally means "gentle strength." Being meek isn't equivalent to giving up your power but to submitting to others with reserve and gentleness.
Self-control is equivalent to self-restraint, and it involves the power of being in control of your physical body and your thoughts.
The flesh always seeks personal gratification and the fruit of the Spirit always seeks to focus on others. The Spirit wants us to invest our time, energy, thoughts, and emotions in other people.
If you want to have balanced emotions, it is crucial to walk in the Spirit of God and not in the flesh. Walking in the Spirit is submitting to and relying completely on God. If you trust in and live by God’s Word and His promises, you will have perfectly balanced emotions.
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