War – Feeling and Action

Greetings Dear Reader,

My enemy has some excellent weapons in his arsenal.  He is intelligent and logical.  He is conniving and convincing.  He has great experience talking people into and out of things.  He can launch a volley anger faster than I notice sometimes.  He feels things very deeply and never forgets a feeling that overwhelms me.   He sees something that is not the way he wishes it and immediately urges me to blame and condemn.  He feels hurt and instantly wants gratification. 

None of this is as dangerous as the pattern he uses for all of this.  He believes and often acts as if how he feels is justification for what he does.  He feels then acts.  He bases his actions on how he feels and does not consider what is right. 

My feelings and passions are strong and deep.  I am sure most of the things I have done wrong are because I have listened to my fallen nature push me to act on feelings not on reason and what is right.  I think that so much of the world works this way.  We respond to how we feel instead of thinking about what is right regardless of how we feel

How I feel is never an excuse to do what is wrong.  Basing my actions on how I feel is almost always short circuiting the process of seeking what Christ would have me do.  It makes following Christ more challenging but it puts things into perspective.

If I am motivated by my feelings I am acting selfishly.  If I filter those feelings through Christ then I stand a much better chance of choosing the right action.  I must not ever deny how I feel or suppress the feeling.  I must look at that feeling in light of who Christ wishes me to be as his follower.  If I let anger, bitterness, hurt, or passion rule my choices then I am not following Christ and my faith is weakened. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."