Emotions play a powerful role in our lives.

1. Emotions play a powerful role in our lives. • God created us with the ability to experience emotions.

2. Emotions play a powerful role in our lives. • God created us with the ability to experience emotions. • There is a proper time and place for the fully array of emotions God has given us. (Ecc 3:4, 8)

3. Emotions play a powerful role in our lives. • Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NKJV) - A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

4. Emotions play a powerful role in our lives. • Ecclesiastes 3:8 (NKJV) - A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

5. Emotions play a powerful role in our lives. • One has said that it is "our emotions that put us in motion."

6. Emotions play a powerful role in our lives. • One has said that it is "our emotions that put us in motion." • Emotions in their proper role are a blessing to our lives.

7. Emotions do not determine reality • We are to see things as God sees them. (Heb 4:12-13)

8. Emotions do not determine reality • Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJV) - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

9. Emotions do not determine reality • Matthew 13:15 (NKJV) - For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their earsBare hard of hearing, And their eyes they haveclosed, Lest they should see withtheir eyes and hear withtheir ears, Lest they should understand withtheir hearts and turn, So that Ishouldheal them.’

10. Emotions do not determine reality • Our emotions can be used as a “short cut.” It will not give you the will of God!

11. Emotions do not determine reality • Emotions often are a by-product of something believed. (Acts 2:36-37;Gen 37)

12. Emotions do not determine reality • Acts 2:36-37 (NKJV) - “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

13. Emotions do not determine reality • It is possible to by-pass reason and appeal directly to our emotional side!

14. Emotions do not determine reality • It is possible to by-pass reason and appeal directly to our emotional side! • Consider the actions in a pep-rally or in some Pentecostal churches.

15. Emotions do not determine reality • It is possible to by-pass reason and appeal directly to our emotional side! • Consider the actions in a pep-rally or in some Pentecostal churches. • The false teacher appeals to our emotion side apart from the truth so he can lead us anywhere he wishes! (Col 2:18-19, 2 Pt 2:18-19; Jude 16.)

16. Emotions do not determine reality • Colossians 2:18-19 (NKJV) - Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

17. Emotions do not determine reality • 2 Peter 2:18-19 (NKJV) - For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

18. Emotions do not determine reality • Jude 16 (NKJV) - These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.

19. Emotions do not determine reality • By faith I need to only take the responsibilities God has given me.(Matt 11:28-30)

20. Emotions do not determine reality • Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) - Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

21. Emotions do not determine reality • Without God we often take on things that we cannot change!

22. Emotions do not determine reality • Paul knew his place in the teaching of God’s word. (1 Cor 3:5-7)

23. Emotions do not determine reality • 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (NKJV) - Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

24. Emotions do not determine reality • "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

25. We must chose faith over fear • Fear can paralyze. (Dan 5:5-7, 9; Mt 28:2-4)

26. We must chose faith over fear • Daniel 5:5-7 (NKJV) - In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.

27. We must chose faith over fear • 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

28. We must chose faith over fear • Daniel 5:9 (NKJV) - Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

29. We must chose faith over fear • Matthew 28:2-4 (NKJV) - And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

30. We must chose faith over fear • Great Roman soldiers are now trembling and playing dead.

31. We must chose faith over fear • I vividly remember my first IRS audit notice!

32. We must chose faith over fear • I vividly remember my first IRS audit notice! • It can cause one to act without thinking. (Gal 2:11-13)

33. We must chose faith over fear • Galatians 2:11-13 (NKJV) - Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.

34. We must chose faith over fear • How many have used men’s fears to their selfish ends?

35. We must chose faith over fear • How many have used men’s fears to their selfish ends? • Good people can easily be caught up in this shared emotion.

36. We must chose faith over fear • How many have used men’s fears to their selfish ends? • Good people can easily be caught up in this shared emotion. • It can change reality. (1 Sam 22:8)

37. We must chose faith over fear • 1 Samuel 22:8 (NKJV) - All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”

38. We must chose faith over fear • Our feelings can easily take over our reason! Have you ever entered a room and a group of people laughed? (Some will scrutinize others.)

39. We must chose faith over fear • Our feelings can easily take over our reason! Have you ever entered a room and a group of people laughed? (Some will scrutinize others.) • You can easily create an image of another person or even an entire church!

40. We must chose faith over fear • Our feelings can easily take over our reason! Have you ever entered a room and a group of people laughed? (Some will scrutinize others.) • You can easily create an image of another person or even an entire church! • It can be easily shared. (Num 13:30-14:9)

41. We must chose faith over fear • Numbers 13:30-14:9 (NKJV) - Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”

42. We must chose faith over fear • 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

43. We must chose faith over fear • Numbers 14 - So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

44. We must chose faith over fear • 3 Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

45. We must chose faith over fear • 6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.

46. We must chose faith over fear • 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

47. We must chose faith over fear • They saw the signs all these years but never came to trust God!

48. We must chose faith over fear • How many have died because of shared panic of a crowd?

49. We must chose faith over fear • How many have died because of shared panic of a crowd? • Fearful people do not want to see the truth.

50. We must chose faith over fear • How many have died because of shared panic of a crowd? • Fearful people do not want to see the truth. • It is not uncommon for fearful people to be surrounded by “yes” men.