SERMON NOTES: EMOTIONAL HEALTH

HOW TO DEAL WITH HOW YOU FEEL

50 Days of Transformation – Part 4 (Emotional Health)

Pastor Gary, September 7, 2014

           “The most important commandment is this: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your SOUL, and all your MIND, and all your STRENGTH.”                   Mark 12:29-30 (NLT)

UNDERSTAND MY EMOTIONS

                   o  God has emotions              ________________________________________________________________

                   o  My ability to feel is a gift from God                  ________________________________________________________________

                                    “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...’”

                                                                                                                                                                  Genesis 1:26 (NIV)

                   o               Two extremes to avoid:

                                                      Emotionalism: _  All that matters is how I feel  

                                                      Stoicism: Feelings are not important at all

                   o               God gave us the book of Psalms to understand our emotions.

WHY I MUST LEARN TO MANAGE MY EMOTIONS

1.  BECAUSE MY FEELINGS ARE OFTEN UNRELIABLE.

                  “There is a way that SEEMS right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death.”                                                                   Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

2.  BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO BE MANIPULATED.

                  “Like an open city with no defenses is the man with no check on his feelings.”                                                                   Proverbs 25:28 (NAB)

                  “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

3.  BECAUSE I WANT TO PLEASE GOD.

“To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.  .  .  Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.”                                                     Romans 8:6-8 (TEV)

4.               BECAUSE I WANT TO SUCCEED IN LIFE.

“[People] get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control.”                                                           Proverbs 5:23 (CEV)

“From now on you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God’s will and not by human desires.”  1 Peter 4:2 (TEV)

HOW TO MANAGE AN UNWANTED FEELING

1.               NAME IT.

                                    Ask: What am I really feeling?

2.               CHALLENGE IT.

                                    Ask: What’s the real reason I am feeling this?  Is it true?  It is helping ot hurting me?

Eliphaz asked ob: “Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash?”                             Job 15:12 (NIV)

3.  TAME IT.

                                    o Everyday: Ask God to Fill you with His Spirit.

“When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”   

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

                                    o Everyday: Ask God to help you control your mouth!

                  “Self-control means controlling the tongue!”  Proverbs 13:3 (LB)

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord!”           Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

YOUR SMALL GROUP THIS WEEK

“How to Heal Your Damaged Emotions”