od's love allows us to love
ourselves, accept ourselves, love others, and be joyful. Emotions let us know
we have limited power and control. We know we've reached a boundary through
the structure of emotion. Emotions are human feelings. They impose limits on
our behavior. Emotions let us know we can and will make mistakes, this points
out that we need help. Healthy emotions lead us to God and allow us to be
authentic.
Emotions are
feelings whose basis does not necessarily rely on fact. We give power to our
emotions when we make decisions based on our feelings. When we live by our
emotional choice we become reactive and subject to the emotion of the day.
Emotions can be destructive.
The empowered
emotion can result in a lifetime of cover-up, secrecy, and hiding from the
truth in darkness and secretiveness. Emotions can create hopelessness and
spiritual bankruptcy. Emotions can alienate us from our true self and can
destroy life if left unchecked. Emotions can become a major destructive
force. This happens if we internalize and identify with an emotion as a state
of being. Deception is waiting at the door if we identify with an emotion too
closely. At that point, we could become an object of contempt in and of
ourselves. This would only serve to dehumanize us and cause us to create a
false self that projects a personality overshadowed by an emotional
identity. Your identity becomes what you feel about yourselves instead of an
emotion being the result of what your thinking reveals. When we give too much
power to emotions or do not release them, they can overcome us. We can then
become obsessed over them, and we can lose our identity in an emotional trap.
Emotions need resolution or they will direct every aspect of our life.
The first stages of
childhood should establish a basic trust. When security and trust are present,
we begin to develop an interpersonal bond and we develop a sense of self
through the relationships with our caregivers. We are vulnerable, in need of
our caregivers' love, respect, and care. Once the parent establishes basic
trust with the child emotions that develop can be either healthy or
destructive.
Healthy emotions
develop by firm yet compassionate limits; the caregiver's love allows the
individual child to explore, test, and violate the boundaries of allowable
behavior without the withdrawal of love. The boundaries balance and limit the
child's sense of self.
An emotion can
signal that we have overstepped the boundaries of those who meet our basic
human need of love, intimacy, belonging (bonding to others in the community),
and being in caring relationships with others. As feelings, an emotion
signals us of an embarrassing moment when one is not ready for the exposure of
an unexpected situation. For example, blushing manifests the exposure, the
unexpectedness, and the involuntary nature of emotions. Blushing reminds us
of our human boundaries or the times when we know we made a mistake. Shyness
is a defense from being exposed or wounded by a stranger; it is a reluctance
to expose oneself, another warning signal.
Healthy emotions
allow us to look at ourselves, to know ourselves, to look at our heart, and
learn about the world around us. We become aware of our basic needs through
the reality that we are not God. To admit that we have needs is to reveal to
ourselves the need we have of others and ultimately God. This admittedly
causes us to transcend ourselves and search for the truth.
If we accept the
responsibility for our own decisions and behavior, emotions can serve as a
guardian of love, power, and a sound mind. If we accept too much
responsibility, such as assuming responsibility for others' actions or
decisions, we may become neurotic. If we accept too little responsibility for
our actions we develop character disorders, such as blaming the world, devil,
ourselves, or others.
The interpersonal
dynamics of the culture in which we live, affect our emotional development.
The school, church, neighborhood, and peer group all contribute to the image
we have of ourselves. It is unfortunate that the culture promotes achieving
instead of being. The religious and secular theaters teach us to perform
instead of to use the freedoms we have in being human.
I am! Therefore, I
do! It is not in the doing that we have our being, it is in the very nature
of our God-given existence that we have our being.
The culture needs to
establish an educational system to nurture the whole person. We need to
emphasize who we are as well as what we do. People need more than reasoning,
logic, math, and physiology. The deepest need today is to realign our
priorities and let people know they are spiritual beings in a human body. We
are first of all a being, and the form, whatever shape it takes, is only an
outward reflection of who we are in the inside. Instead of just developing
the abilities for what a person does, we need to educate the person on their
entire makeup -- body, soul, heart, and spirit.
The roughest time in
a person's life is when they do not understand their identity as a being, and
therefore try to be accepted for their doing. When achieving is promoted over
‘being human’, a person can suffer damage. When we place achievement ahead of
personhood, we allow problems of perfectionism and legalism to undermine the
individuality of everyone. When anyone imposes the rule of rigidity we lose
our right to make mistakes, which is a natural occurrence, and we see our
value solely for our doing. We become objects instead of beings and we
diminish our value as a person in our eyes. Then we feel we need to cover-up
our mistakes along with our feelings. We begin to lose our authentic self by
our ‘doing’ instead of ‘being’.
Perfectionism and
legalism, the problems of performing for acceptance, do not allow
us to be human or to make
mistakes. Perfectionism does not allow us to make mistakes, and therefore
denies our humanness; we all have limits. At the same time, the rules imposed
by legalism establish rules that we must adhere to, without regard to the
individual's own needs, wants, and desires. In this extreme, we lose
ourselves and become subject to the performance-based culture we live in.
When we identify with what we do or don't do instead of who we are in our
Creators' eyes, we lose all perspective of reality and who we are.
The three prevalent
schools of thought in the church that we observe on any Sunday are: Legalism,
License, and Liberty. It is the responsibility of every individual to choose
their own course of worship. We will enjoy or suffer the consequences of our
own choices. One of man's greatest gifts is the freedom of choice, to have a
free will. In order to receive grace, man must be willing to accept the gift
of faith. If a man accepts grace, the will plays a major role in the
sanctification process.
Liberty gives the
church a true and healthy expression of emotion. We need to make decisions on
how we want to express ourselves, where we do it, when we want to attend, why
we are going, and whom we want to share our life with. Where the Spirit of
the Lord is there is liberty, volition, and then we truly have freedom to
choose. Where there is freedom and liberty, a full range of emotion reveals
the true self without regard to being offensive, because others love and
accept us for our ‘being’ and not our ‘doing’.
The religious
beliefs and the doctrines of men can bind us when the basis is not from the
Word of God, the Bible. The first two forms of expression do not allow us our
individual right to worship freely. On one hand there is legalism, and on
the opposite is license. When legalism is present, there is a set of rules.
Legalism binds emotions up in a very rigid, stoic, and performance-oriented
style of worship that imposes disdain on anyone violating the norm. Legalism
is full of moral should’s, ought’s, and must’s. The blame game, private
interpretation of scripture, behavioral righteousness, religious scripts for
everyday behavior, and how to act loving and righteous are all part of
Galatianism. The show becomes more important than the heart. Legalists
believe that feeling and acting the part lead them correctly on a path to
righteousness.
There is a very
enthusiastic form of worship that encourages emotional expression but only
certain emotions are ‘licensed’. The outburst pours forth in a cloud burst
under the subjection and will of the Presbytery. Worship, fasting, prayer,
meditation, services rendered, the use of the sacraments, seeking the gifts,
being slain in the Spirit, reading the Bible, and the quoting scripture, etc.
are all good in themselves. However, if the person is performing them to
alter their mood, to be seen or found righteous, they do not know God as He
is. We can know all about God but never know Him as our personal Lord,
Savior, and Life.
he search for identity is a
normal life struggle. Everyone wants love, appreciation, and acceptance for
who we are. The struggle comes from not knowing and accepting the facts about
who God says we are. The natural man who is being identified as 'in Adam'
cannot know God because the corrupt nature spiritually separates them from
Him. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and
in truth (reality). People remain in bondage who do not have a relationship or
experience God’s love and unconditional acceptance, or how God communicates
with us.
In Christianity, a
person agrees with God and identifies with Christ for the atonement of sin,
being born again with a new heart and spirit. God baptized us into Christ's
death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. In other words God gives us
eternal life. The restoration of our relationship with God ‘in Christ’ renews
our spiritual life. Our righteousness comes from God identifying us in our
relationship with Christ, while our direction for life comes through our
relationship with the Holy Spirit. The process we call sanctification is a
life-long experience in an intimate relationship with God.
The inner person
searches for an identity through culture, life scripts, and the family of
origin. When people identify with the presenting roles of their environment,
the community rears the child. We are born into a social order that has
already set its own rules, morals, and norms about the roles we play. While
the nurturing process progresses, our individual concepts of reality form from
our perception of acceptable behaviors and roles of the culture. They become
laws of reality over time, due to the culture's historical values. We
unconsciously accept the roles because they form our concept for
self-consciousness and esteem through a general consensus of what is right and
wrong. If someone tries to change them, we get upset and suffer fear, pain,
or frustration. The roles are not who we are, the roles are about acceptable
behavior that is imposed upon us. If we identify who we are by what we do, we
don't know who we are.
The authentic
personality remains hidden under the imposed scripts given from society. When
a person accepts a script, they abandon the self to find acceptance by playing
a character. The person accepts what society says they should feel or not
feel, and how they are to behave or not behave. This is tragic because a real
person should be able to love, feel, and know God. When a person surrenders
to the imposed script, the self-imposed role violates and assaults our freedom
to choose. The violations come in the form of injunctions, imperatives,
attributions, script modeling, and pre-arranged life experiences. The victim
surrenders control of their lives for acceptance.
One form of abusive
control is coercion. We attempt to manipulate the person into playing the
character. The injunctions tell us who we are not to be, while imperatives
violate our freedom through abusive demands. Attributions are conscious forms
of verbal emotional abuse that deny the persons right to their own mind,
emotions, or free choice. They tell us what role to play by being the
director (controller).
Script models come
from many resources. When a person transfers the qualities of the model into
their life, they magically infuse part of the script into their lives. They
hide behind the fantasies of ‘someday, if only and when’.
Every family has
roles the members play. In a healthy family, roles are flexible and allow for
individual choices. In a dysfunctional family, whenever the person takes a
role it's because they feel they do not have a choice. When we play roles, we
lose touch with the truth (reality). After a period of time, we forget we are
playing a role and it becomes an unconscious effort. We believe we are the
person the role calls for. We accept the imposed feelings as our own.
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIAN HEALING
The nature of man,
the personality, and styles of relating are manifestations of the heart of
man. The visible behavior that we see and hear reveals the belief system of
the individual. Our conscious efforts are a result of the influence of the
remnant memories of a corrupt nature. The old and the new nature battle, and
we see this through close observation. The concept of the opposing old
remnant in a regenerated man explains and predicts behavior better than the
usual sinful concept that deals only with behavior: overt or covert.
The mode in which
people communicate is the basis for all human interaction. One purpose of
this work is to bring to the forefront the abuse people suffer from the
inability to communicate the accurate meaning of their beliefs. This
double-crossed form of communication results in the misinterpretation of
information. When two or more people are functioning at different states of
awareness they misinterpret the information communicated. People do not
understand the message conveyed if they do not come to the realization of
their present functioning state. To address this inability is important, if
not critical, to open and effective communication. It would be reasonable and
prudent to take courses to learn the basic principles of logic, consistency,
and rational thinking to avoid contradiction. To many people practice
‘Freethinking’ which does not take these principles into practice and this is
the reason for much of the confusion where there is mis-communication.
We convey messages
from the learned and inherent relating style of our personal history. Every
person bases 'normal' on their own learned or inherent style. Crossed
communications exist between individuals until someone establishes a common
language. True communication cannot exist until people understand the meaning
of each other’s words.
There are three
functioning modes of communication that exist according to Berne’s
transactional analysis. The three observable functioning states of the
personality are the Parent, the Adult, and the Child. The mode we are
communicating with is whom we perceive our self to be. We can see the
different states at any given point in time. The state is relevant to the
personal relating style we communicate with.
There are distinct
states of consciousness people communicate at. The activity and content of
the language best describe(s) the state of consciousness. The body language
displayed -- i.e., gestures, posture, mannerisms, facial expressions, and
intonations are all clues to the individuals personal state of awareness.
Discerning the person's state of consciousness comes through observing the
visual and audible characteristics of a person’s relating style. Only when we
know a person understands what we are trying to communicate can we know in our
hearts that the truth is being communicated to their hearts and minds.
The activities that
accompany events like communication reveal the learned behavior and subsequent
thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of the past learned conscious state. The
person’s response will be in accordance to the emotional, mental, and
spiritual maturity of the learned observed behavior.
The development of
the ‘self’ is a consequence of the interaction between the person and the
external world. The child, juvenile, or adult response replays the learned
response of the environment they grew up in. A person can add or subtract
from his or her repertoire of behavior. We change throughout life as we
encounter life and modify our behavior based on the role models we choose.
We need to look at
the different levels of awareness we function at. There seems to be an Adult,
a Parent, and a Child in each of us. If we take time to listen to our
thoughts, we would soon be able to recognize the voice of each. The Child is
the unspoiled, innocent self, the best part of a person who can enjoy itself.
It is the source of life and joy, lost in the wonders of God’s creation. The
Adult in us reacts with the external world. The Adult processes the
information that is available and makes a decision to meet a specific need or
desire. The Adult is the thinker and detached from the emotions of the child
or parent. While in an executive position, the Adult is primarily an observer
and processor. The Adult protects the Child or empowers the Parent to
activate flight or fight measures to protect life: self-preservation. The
Parent has a repertoire of learned behavior. The corrupt nature, as well as
the Spirit of God, can influence the Parent. Over time the reparenting of the
self will allow the Child to be free to express the nature and character of
our heavenly Father. God set the regenerated Child or ‘spirit of man’ free
through the Word of God by the inner workings of the Holy Spirit.
People seldom see
the true self or hear of the carnal nature before reconciliation to God. When
God reparents a person He sets the inner child free from the corrupt nature
and then slowly conforms them into the image of Jesus Christ. Our self-image
has everything to do with our character and outward behavior. Godly character
inside will exude outwardly. The out-working of holiness begins from within
upon the ‘regeneration’ or ‘rebirth’. This process does not assassinate the
‘self’; On the contrary, God sets us free to become the liberated self, and
take our rightful place in the kingdom of God.
Who we perceive
ourselves to be is an important aspect of our physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual being. The only way to be healed is to go through the process.
There are revelations through God's divine intervention and grace that take us
beyond the normal patterns involved in inner healing. The rule is that we
have to work through our emotional traumas by bringing them out of hiding,
embracing them as much as we are able to, and working through the emotional
pain. We need to bring the pain into the light of God's love and allow His
grace to work in our lives to heal us.
Externalization is
the process through which we can bring the emotional trauma into the light of
God's healing life. Emotional healing is simple but it is difficult. Some
methods to reveal the internal damages include the following practice. We
consider these experiences practice because everyone responds differently.
The best practice is to find out what works for you.
Healing will take
time, and it begins when we allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be our Lord,
Savior, and Life. When God becomes the center of our life we can make social
contacts and honestly share our feelings with significant others without the
fear of being totally rejected. In Christ we can learn to establish
meaningful interdependent relationships with our new Christian family. By
working through a Christian educational program we can learn about our
identity and position ‘in Christ’ that will give us an expectancy and hope for
the future.
We can reduce our
emotional damage by writing about it and talking about it in an environment of
acceptance. Writing helps us externalize our emotions and feelings about
abandonment. We can express them, clarify them, own them, and take total
responsibility for them.
We also may
need to work through the Steps To Forgiveness and find our ‘inner person’ (our
spirit) and consciously connect with the Holy Spirit. Then we can have
confidence and become vulnerable to God's love and establish healthy
relationships.
We need to love
ourselves, accept ourselves as God does, unconditionally, and learn to love
ourselves regardless of what we do. We need to love ourselves because God
does not make junk. We have to learn to express our needs, wants, and desires
by trusting God for all of our needs.
We need to
distinguish between the voices in our mind by listening to the affirmations
found in God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to bring healing to our spirit,
the inner child.
We need to name the
voices to stop the emotional spirals, and then learn to replace them with
God's reassurance. We need to be aware of relationships that trigger
emotional spirals. Then we need to refuse to accept other people's opinions
of us over God's.
God’s desire is that
we accept responsibility for our actions, big or little mistakes, and allow
ourselves to be imperfect. Finally, we need to learn through prayer and
meditation to communicate with God and allow Him to restore the peace that
surpasses all understanding that will guard our heart and soul.
There is a hidden
danger of exposing our past and not being prepared to face the reality of who,
what, where, when, and how we will react to the truth. There is reason enough
to seek a responsible friend or counselor if hidden or secret events continue
to upset us. Proceed with caution and trust God to lead those people into our
lives to help us.
Emotional abuse is the
result of the prevalent belief that we must be rational and logical at all
times. The belief says we must be in control and all emotions controlled;
especially repressing anger and sexual feelings. Not many people have their
feelings of a sexual and/or angry nature affirmed and nurtured. In this sense,
we have to consider that most people suffer from some form of emotional abuse in
their life time.
Emotions serve two
basic functions. They monitor our basic needs, telling us of a basic need,
loss, or situation. The emotions also function when we respond to the
environment through personal communication. People do not base their emotional
or feeling responses or reactions on fact. Emotions can trigger by dissociated
events. We have to learn how to make a judgment and choose how we are going to
react. Our emotions are feelings and if we change our thinking, our feelings
will change. The battle for peace is in the mind; if we control our thoughts,
our emotions will line up with our thought pattern.
Emotions are an
expression of our inner being, and are not to control our behavior. Influence,
yes. Control, never! We are not an emotional being; we are a spiritual being
with a body, and emotions are an expression of who we are. If we are healthy we
have a ‘free will’ and can choose to express our inner self, using the vehicle
God gave us.
When we have losses to
our basic needs, our emotion of anger may alarm us and we need to make the
decision to run or fight. The emotion of sadness may relate to the loss, so
that we can integrate the shock of the loss and adapt to reality. Then, we can
go through the grieving process and heal. Fear is a warning of danger to our
basic needs. Fear is the opposite of faith. When we lose our faith, we lose
our trust in the source of the one meeting our basic needs. Guilt is the result
of transgressing our belief system; we have violated our own moral code. Our
conscience convicts us of the violation. Shame is the result of not living up
to the expectations of others and resolving the guilt. Without resolving the
sin, there can be no justification. Shame is a direct attack on the character
of a person and not on their behavior.
If we confuse our
identity with our life experiences, the emotional consequences can set us up for
a mental, emotional, or nervous breakdown. Our identity is a matter of our
‘being’; our life is a matter of our ‘doing’. What we do or what a person does
to us results in an emotional response, a reaction, a feeling, either good or
bad that influence our further actions. Life needs a basis of fact, not
feelings. What God did for us is a matter of historic fact, not historic
feeling! Joy comes from knowing the presence of God working in our lives.
When the inner child, our spirit, is in harmony with God and His creation, we
receive a peace of mind that surpasses our understanding. Peace comes when we
trust God to meet our needs and the desires of our heart.
LETTING YOUR FAITH CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS
To change an emotional
state we must learn to control the state of mind we are in. To experience the
fruit of the Spirit in our lives we must learn to recognize the Spirit of God
working in our lives to create in us the new man who desires to praise and thank
God for all the blessings surrounding us. I’d like to note that the word fruit
is singular yet the fruit is multiple.
An emotional
state of being is controlled by our thinking; either on a conscious or
sub-conscious level. To change an emotion we need to focus on what we are
thinking about. The positive emotions which are an expression of the fruit of
the Spirit will give us the attributes we need to take our thoughts captive to
the will of God. Knowing the negative works of the corrupt nature can send us a
signal to change or refocus our thinking. When we ask for anything according to
God’s will we know He hears us, and the Spirit in us will witness to our spirit
and we will have the change of heart we desire.
The manner in
which we act is a direct result of how we perceive God’s approval of our life.
Our state of being is a reflection of the truth, which in turn is reflected in
our countenance. Our environment may directly affect the way we live and move
and breathe. Understanding the grace of God will determine in a greater
capacity the way we live. Since we are in Christ, the relationship should
directly affect the way in which we perceive life. The blessings and promises
of God are our rightful inheritance as members of the body of Christ.
At any given
moment we are capable of being used to perform God’s will since it is His Spirit
in us who performs the works God has prepared for us to do. We can do all
things in Christ Jesus who strengthens us.
Let us do
everything we do as unto the Lord. Our attitude is everything. If we desire to
do the good things before us in the light of everything God has done and is
doing in our life - the joy of the lord’s good favor will ignite us unto those
good works.
When we are
empowered by the Holy Spirit, the dunamis power of God, working within us we
begin a new work in a firm foundation. Whatever the outcome we know all things
work out for the good of them who love God and are called according to His
purpose.
Our performance
is our responsibility and is tied directly to our attitude. Knowing in our new
heart and spirit that our desire is to please God we can easily discern the will
of God for our lives. This is witnessed by the peace of God which surpasses all
human comprehension.
Learning the
works of the Holy Spirit will enable every one to know their own areas of
responsibility and do the will of God effortlessly. The Spirit within us bears
witness to our spirit and we know the promises and blessing of God are for our
inheritance. We became heirs with Christ when the new testament was initiated
and a new covenant set us free from the curse of the law which is the fear of
death and hell. We are alive unto God through Christ and we know He Hears Us.
As heirs of God
we need deliberate action to reveal our faith in God’s promises. If we are to
receive the blessing of God we need to act upon the truth by asking, seeking,
and entering to open door we knock upon.
Our emotional
state and physical sensations we experience are a result of what we set our mind
upon at a given moment. If we learn to concentrate on the reality of God
working in our life we will certainly maintain a more harmonious attitude and
retain the peace of God. Knowing God’s presence in our life brings
contentment. Our balance is the result of seeing the finger of God controlling
the situations we know are His responsibility. Our ability to discern our area
of responsibility a given situation is empowers us to act upon or relinquish the
responsibility thereby maintaining balance.
Again
discernment is an evaluation that determines what we need to concentrate on to
reach balance. Balance brings the fruit of the Spirit to light in our life. We
retain our balance by continually taking every thought captive to the will of
God.
Memories are echoes of our
life - grace and mercy silence the painful echoes through forgiveness.
What the facts
of the matter are should determine your perception. Our perception is an
interpretation of the stimuli; the value we put on the sensations. Reality
should be based on environment and our reception of the stimuli, not the
sensation we get from the incoming stimuli. Feelings do not necessarily
communicate the truth; they are often a distortion of reality.
Our quality of
life depends largely on the difference between the genders. What a person
places their values upon determines the interpretation. We are accountable for
our perception of the events in our life.
We choose the
interpretation and assign a meaning to the stimuli. We need to walk a mile in
the person’s shoes in order to comprehend what value they place on events.
Information is
neutral. It is subjective to the value we place on the news. News is neither
good nor bad. News is just that, we control the interpretation by the value we
place on the information.
We are all subject to
a grid of life experiences. We filter information through our life history.
Before we make a decision we need to understand the filters we use when
accepting new information.
The past should
not control our perception of the present. The past is history and should not
control our decisions. We need to use sound judgment based on logic and reason
before making decisions. If we do not know what filters we are using to screen
the information, our decisions can skewed.
Paradigms are fixed
beliefs that can be formed from a dangerous mind set which does not allow us to
filter the new information appropriately.
Beliefs must be based
on facts. We set the limits of our accomplishments by what we fail to
appropriately filter. Our beliefs filter the way we perceive the truth and
contribute or detract from, our ability to perform.
We need to clear up our misconceptions about our
self. We need to examine our beliefs and weigh them against the Standard of
Truth, the Word of God.
The emotional life of
a person who is walking in the Spirit responds to the environment through a mind
that is being renewed through the Word of God. The emotional impact of events
are subject to the person’s faith in God to deliver them from the actual or
implied threat. The person who is under the control or influence of the
self-life, or false identity patterns, is subject to live under their darkened
understanding. The self-life only knows how to draw from learned behavior, so
it is reactive or responsive to a distorted view of life.
Our emotions are a
natural response to pain or pleasure. Emotions are amoral -- they are neither
right or wrong. The feelings are not good or bad. It is how we respond or
react to them in the light of God’s Word that is. Normally a reaction to an
outside stimulus calls for an immediate judgment to fight or flee. We get ready
to fight or head for cover. This is quite normal; every one of us should take
steps for self-preservation. The fight or flight reaction is a direct response
to a perceived threat.
The false identity is
not who we are if we are a child born again of God’s Spirit, a Christian.
Therefore, we should, through the renewing of the mind, be able to discern
between an actual threat and an imaginary threat. The fallen nature or
self-life only perceives growth in the Spirit to be a threat to its continued
existence or diminished capacity to control. Unless Christ sets a person free
they are subject to the desires of the false identity through the power of sin
working in their life.
In the following
Scriptures we will contrast the difference between a believer, who is free in
Christ, and an non-believer, or a believer walking after the false identity,
under the direct power of sin:
The person walking
according to old flesh patterns lacks salvation or assurance. 'And you He made
alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all
once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the
others. -- Eph 2:1-3
The fruit of the
person who walks according to the corrupt nature. 'Now the works of the flesh
are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of
which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those
who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’ -- Gal 5:
19-21
The person led by the
false identity is insensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. 'But the natural
man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he
who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
For ‘who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?’ But we have
the mind of Christ.' -- 1 Cor 2:14-16
For though by this
time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first
principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid
food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of
righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full
age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern
both good and evil. -- Heb 5:12-14
Our new spirit is
secure in knowing we are a child of God. ‘Behold what manner of love the Father
has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the
world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are
children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know
that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.’ -1
Jn 3:1-3
And this is the
testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He
who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have
life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of
God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to
believe in the name of the Son of God. -- 1 John 5:11-13
Christians will walk
manifesting the fruit of the to the Spirit. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law.’ -- Gal 5:22-23
Believers are led by
the Holy Spirit. ‘ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons
of God.’ -- Rom 8:14
The rationale of the
corrupt nature is darkened in its understanding. ‘And you He made alive, who
were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once
conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the
others.’ -- Eph 2:1-3
The corrupt nature has
wrong beliefs and philosophy of life. ‘Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the
basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.’ -- Col 2:8
The corrupt nature is
prideful. ‘Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have
knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he
knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.’ -- 1 Cor 8:1-2
The new nature is to
be renewed in mind. ‘And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God.’ -- Rom 12:2
... and be
renewed in the spirit of your mind, -- Eph 4:23
The new creation
handles the word of truth accurately. ‘Be diligent to present yourself approved
to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.’ -- 2 Tim 2:15
God equips us for
every good work. ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work.’ - 2 Tim 3:16-17
The emotions of the
false identity are triggered by fear. ‘Therefore do not fear them. For there is
nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
‘Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the
ear, preach on the housetops. ‘And do not fear those who kill the body but
cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell. ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them
falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. ‘But the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. ‘Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows. ‘Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess
before My Father who is in heaven. ‘But whoever denies Me before men, him I
will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.’ -- Mat 10:26-33
The emotions trigger
unrighteous anger. ‘Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking
be put away from you, with all malice.’ -- Eph 4:31
The emotions trigger
anxiety. ‘... casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.’ -- 1 Pet
5:7
Negative emotions can
trigger depression. ‘Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have
received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things
of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully,
but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience
in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those
who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not
believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus
the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God
who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of
the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet
not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;’ -- 2 Cor 4:1-8
Emotions may cause
discouragement and sorrow. ‘And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in
due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.’ -- Gal 6:9
The spiritual nature
sets the emotions free. ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ
has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.’ --
Gal 5:1
The Spirit gives us
joy, peace, patience. ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,’ -- Gal 5:22
The Spirit gives us
contentment. ‘Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in
whatever state I am, to be content:’ -- Phil 4:11
The ‘will’ or volition
of the false identity is rebellious. ‘... knowing this: that the law is not
made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the
ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers
and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,’ -- 1 Tim 1:9
The false identity
lacks self-control. ‘And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual
people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not
with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you
are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife,
and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?’ -- 1
Cor 3:1-3
The false identity is
undisciplined. ‘For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were
not disorderly among you; For we hear that there are some who walk among you in
a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.’ -- 2 Th 3:7-11
The will of the spirit
is submissive. ‘Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For
there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are
appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance
of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are
not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the
authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.’ -- Rom
13:1-3
The believer has
self-control. ‘... gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’
-- Gal 5:23
A believer learns
discipline. ‘But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself
toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is
profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that
which is to come.’ -- 1 Tim 4:7-8
The false identity
relates to others through rejection. ‘And you He made alive, who were dead in
trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works
in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and
were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.’ -- Eph 2:1-3
The false identity
relates to others through unforgiveness. ‘... bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ
forgave you, so you also must do.’ -- Col 3:13
The false identity
relates to others through selfishness. ‘Therefore if there is any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love,
being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition
or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than
himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for
the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ
Jesus, -- Phil 2:1-5; Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's
well-being.’ -- 1 Cor 10:24
The spirit relates to
others through acceptance. ‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in
that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ -- Rom 5:8
and, ‘Therefore
receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.’ --
Rom 15:7
The spirit of
God within us will relate to others through forgiveness. ‘And be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave
you.’ -- Eph 4:32
The spirit relates to
others through devotion to one another in brotherly love. ‘Be kindly
affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to
one another;’ -- Rom 12:10
‘Beloved, do
not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written,
‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.’ -- Rom 12:19
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