What to do when things go wrong 3 – Wednesday, 08 November

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.”
John 14:1 KJV 
 
Jesus was speaking to His disciples just before His crucifixion, which was about to be a pretty intense crisis for His followers. The first things that Jesus says to prepare them for this is: “let not your heart be troubled”. In other words: control your emotions.

The moment “the paw-paw hits the fan” and things start going wrong we all have a choice: panic or not. I’ve been there I know! If you indulge in your emotions and allow them to run away with you, you will find it difficult to rein them in later because once you start indulging in negative emotions you’re on a slippery slope! 

Most people wrongly believe that emotions are something that you cannot control, but when Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled…” He showed us that we are in the driver’s seat of our emotions – we lead our emotions, they do not lead us.

You might feel something negative in your heart, but don’t indulge in it by thinking about it and speaking it out.
 
“For to be carnally minded is

death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Romans 8:6 KJV 
 
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”
Proverbs 18:21 KJV
 
Especially in a crisis, but even out of a crisis you need to Guard your heart (what you think about), and guard your tongue (what you say).

Carnal mindedness isn’t necessarily sinful thoughts. It can simply be having a focus on the wrong things – things that are carnal (of the five senses: what you see, feel and experience). The Bible says that carnal mindedness results in death. But on the flipside, being spiritually minded (focused on God and His Word) results in life and peace. We all want life and peace but it’s funny how many people prefer to be carnally minded, rather than spiritually minded. Then we blame something or someone (even God) for the mess we’re in. We’d rather meditate on and talk about what the doctor says, and how bad things are rather than talking about the solution and what God’s Word says. We plant seeds of death through our carnal thinking and then wonder why we’re not experiencing all that God has for us?
 
The Bible says that the tongue has the power to produce life and death, and yet we’d rather speak death and hope for life. We’d rather tell everyone, even people we just met, how bad things are, and then we’re upset and confused as to why we’re in fear and why things are not getting better. It’s because we’re reaping what we’ve sown through our thought-life, and through speaking out our unbelief and fear.
 
When things go wrong, don’t freak out. Relax. Remember what God’s Word says and choose perfect peace. If you’re struggling to control your emotions and your mind and tongue, then keep your mind busy by listening to good teaching (

We’ve got hours and hour for free here!) and reading the promises of God in the Word. Flood your heart and mind with the Word. Don’t give the devil a moment of opportunity to distract you from keeping your heart and mind fixed on God and His promises, and you will experience life and peace.