What keeps you in an emotional prison? What limits you? What can free you from your emotional disability? Today's blog will address all of these issues and provide answers and a new way of life.
Signs of limitation and restriction:
anger, depression, disagreeable, bitterness, unfriendly, intimacy issues, violence, dissatisfaction, resentfulness, harshness, pain, jealousy, anguish, hatred, avoidance, hostility, whinning, cruelty. These are the signs, not the causes.
Isaiah 61:1 (NLT): "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has appointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed." The Amplified Bible speaks to the afflicted as well as the physical and spiriutual captives. Isaiah was fortelling of a person who would do these things for us. That person is Jesus who did come and provided for us ways of being released. Notice the word announce in that verse. Jesus announces the possibility of release. But who holds the key? You do!
Verse 2 (NCV) says: "He has sent Me to announce the time when the Lord will show His kindness and the time when our God will punish evil people. He has sent Me to comfort all those who are sad." NLT speaks of your enemies. NIV refers to you who mourn. And GWT calls you those who grieve.
Grief fits here because you are acting from intense emotional sufferings. You are being controlled by the emotions but the emotions are fueled by a cause. Whatever the cause is-you are still being haunted by it.
You are the one who is emotional and hurt, angry, etc but God is the One who is authorized to punish the evil people in your life. It doesn't mean that we cannot defend ourselves when absolutely necessary-- just be sure that you know what absolutely necessary means.
By allowing God to do His thing and forging on to do your thing brings rewards. Verse 3 (NIV): "And provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor."
Look at the trade off:
ashes (frown, scowl, furrowed brow, pursed lips) >>>>>>beauty
mourning>>>>>>>gladness
spirit of despair>>>>>>>garment of praise
And not only that but you become and appear as strong as an oak tree--you become His splendor!
Do you know what splendor is? It is: great luster, brillaince, pomp, grandeur. You become His bling!
But how do you get release if you hold the key?
Romans 12:21 (MSG): "Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good." I know, I know--you are still dealing with all those negative emotions. So how do you release those negative emotions?
Well it seems we need another reminder of God's role in all of this. Romans 12:19 (NCV): "My friends, do not try to punish others when they wrong you, but wait for God to punish them with His anger. It is written: 'I'll punish those who do wrong, I will repay them,' says the Lord." Looks like one of our confidence elements (Galatians 5:22-23) is used here--patience. Yes, it's very hard to sit back and wait but that's what God tells us to do--and we trust Him!
Besides patience, there is something else you can do. Forgive unconditionally. That's what I said, or rather God said. Jesus told a little story in Matthew 18 to illustrate the act of forgiveness. It's funny how you have to give up resentment toward someone (or release) in order to feel personal release. Matthew 18:35 (MSG): "And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy." What will happen to you if you don't forgive?
Look at the previous verse 34 (NIV): "In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed." Do you see the correlation of the jail and torture to your limitations brought on by the strong emotions in you?
God did not design you to live this way. James 1:20 (NCV): "Because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants."
What does forgiving unconditionally mean? How should you ask God to help you? His word guides us. 1Peter 2:19 (GNT): "God will bless you for this if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of His will." He knows He is asking you to perform a hard task--but He wants to help you!
And do this: Matthew 18:22 (NCV): "Jesus answered, 'I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he does wrong to you seventy-seven times. That sounds extreme, doesn't it? But do you want to be a confident person? That's what it takes!
So many times our enemies only live in our minds but when we are face to face with an offender God wants us to take it another step further. 2 Corinthians 2:7 (NLT): "Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so discouraged that he won't be able to recover."
On to a very important question---Who or what is causing your strong emotions--who has you in jail? There may be several people who have injured you as well as yourself. Knowing circumstances behind a persons actions helps us to forgive because we can then feel empathy instead of pain. Unfortunately we don't always have the luxury of knowing details yet still we are told to forgive--in order to gain freedom.
By the way, release means to set free from confinement, work, pain. To let go.
Release so you can be calm, cool and collected.
Jesus' healing and peace to all, Wynndy
