Temptations of the Emotions……..

“The world is unprincipled.  It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair.

But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.”    II Cor. 10:3-6 Message Bible

The final test of Jesus’ commitment to His Father’s will took place on Calvary.

“Come down from the cross!” was the challenge uttered by chief priests, soldiers and people; but behind it was the deceiver himself.  (Matt. 27:40)

Having failed to entice Jesus through His body, ego and mind, Satan tried to break His will by means of His emotions.

The emotional strain of the cross was staggering.  The chief ingredient was abandonment! 

The abandonment of Jesus was complete----people, disciples and even His Father, though only for a brief time.

At the point when His emotions were at their strained peak, Satan whispered to Him, “Everyone’s against You; what’s the use?  You have taken enough; end all this business by a quick stroke of power and come down from that throne of pain.  Why should you suffer anymore?”

That was the most deceitful of all Satan’s tactics, for then he was in the role of sympathizer, reliever, and deliverer.  How often Satan’s temptations come in the guise of deliverance!

How quickly he can break our will by leading us to self-pity.  But Jesus saw through the trickery; He realized He could not spare Himself and still save others.

He refused to abandon His commitment no matter the cost; He would not renege on His Father’s will and so He triumphed!

Jesus kept His word to His Father, He was obedient and did not try to twist, justify or change His Father’s word……….He paid the price at the cost of His life!

His obedience provided us salvation and righteousness. 

How many lives can we touch through obedience?

I must realize that I am always vulnerable emotionally to Satan.   YET, my victory is not to reinforce my emotions but to reinforce my will.  Emotions will fluctuate; but if my commitment to God is firm, they will stay in balance.

“Lord, help me not to be distracted by my fluctuating emotional curve.”

The apostle Paul encourages me: “Through Him you have confidence in God…..so that your faith and hope might rest in God.”  I Peter 1:21