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Today I want to give you a place to start your week. It’s Monday and in the wake of a great weekend and a workweek ahead, sometimes you just need a “kickstart” to get focused.  So grab some coffee let’s start a great week together.

A couple of weeks ago, we kicked off a series with our Kfirst community that focuses on how God wants to connect and use our emotions.  (Click here for yesterday’s notes.

Yesterday, we talked about getting control of our emotions. And our biblical example was Moses. This amazing charismatic leader was also a very emotional leader. But emotions are meant to be managed; they were not meant to manage us. Proverbs 25:28 says,

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.“

Simply said, in that culture, walls were vital to a cities preservation and success. Without walls, any thief or enemy can come in and out doing what they want and or taking what they desire. And thus, we come to Moses in Numbers 20. It was here he lost his dream due to unchecked emotions. Unfortunately, this has been the story of so many people who have lost out on relationships and opportunities due to a lack of self-control with emotions.

So we looked at Moses and gathered some keys to having a “Hostile Takeover” of what is happening inside of us.

1. Crack down on repeat offenders.
   • Anger was no stranger to Moses. If he would have taken care of his anger as a young man, it may not have been such a stronghold. So if something is emerging as a repeating, unhealthy pattern, you must deal with it before it consumes you.
2. Excel at talking to yourself.
   • We excel at listening to what our thoughts are telling us. It seems most people are terrible at “speaking to themselves.” I think it’s a safe assumption that Moses broke under the weight of the interior dialogue taking place.  His wife has just died and now the complaints of a nation are upon him.
   • Self-talk is a more than a conversation with yourself. It’s speaking the truth of God’s Word and your identity in Christ to the emotional state you are dealing with. Instead of listening to what your internal state says, speak to it life and freedom.
3. Turn on your updates. 
   • At 118 years old, Moses has given himself permission to not change. But growth is mandatory in our walks with Christ. Like a smart phone, we need to “turn on the updates” or submit our emotions to the Holy Spirit to tweak and grow what He wants to transform in our lives.
4. Be quick to recover. 
   • Moses never recovered from his failure in Numbers 20. He saw the promised land but could not enter. Too many have emotionally become casualties of failure or seduced by success. I find people either keep falling where they failed or they want to go back to some place of success (glory days). But according to 2 Corinthians 3:18, God doesn’t bring you to a place to leave you. He wants to lead you from glory to glory.

When Jesus died upon the cross, he acquired controlling interest in your life. As Paul told the church in Corinth, “you were bought with a price.” We don’t have to be a casualty of unchecked emotions. In Christ, we have the right and authority to have a “Hostile Takeover” of any emotion in your life.

This week, do an inventory check. Wake up every day doing this HOSTILE TAKEOVER by saying, 

• I serve Him and not myself.
• I honor Him and not myself.
• I please Him and not my old nature.

Love you all.  This Sunday, we’ll continue “Chasing Foxes” as we ask God to refine our vision about these divine gifts of our feelings.

BTW: Here’s a song for your week!