OUR TESTIMONY FOR THE LORD
Jeremiah 11:20 But, O Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
Job 23:8-12, 14-16 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
[9] On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
[10] But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
[11] My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
[12] Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
[14] For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
[15] Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.
[16] For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:
God created us as emotional beings; to feel, think, react and act. As Christians, we can feel love, warmth, comfort, hope, joy and inner peace. However, at any given moment, we can also feel, anger, hurt, fear, hate and lust. What are we to do with these emotions when we feel hurt by someone or we are angry at someone or a situation in our life? How can we look at these emotions from a Godly perspective and harness them for good? I believe Jeremiah gives us the answer in our text, when he says; “the Lord triestthe reins and the heart.” HE tries them, HE weighs them in HIS holy scales and if necessary the Lord even sends us and our emotions through the fire of a trial in our life. The Lord can and does bring about a fiery trial of an event that can stir our emotions, and HE does so to purge out the bad and bring out Jesus and make us more like HIM! Hallelujah! Our emotions can be used for good but, in order for us to do that, we must allow God to try them and search them. In order for God to search us, we must have a heart that is willing and surrendered to HIS purpose. The heart is the well from which our emotions flow, that is why we must be careful what and who we listen to, see, think on, because it will end up lodging in and affecting our hearts.
Our flesh and emotions can overtake us without notice and they can be harmful and destructive. If we are not careful, they can destroy our testimony, harm others and anything else in their path. None of us are immune to our emotions, and so we must be diligent knowing how we can have an effect on the feelings of others, the Lord’s work, and especially someone who may be lost in their sin. It is good for us all to be reminded, that how we react to any situation, our emotions are on display for all to view whether good or bad. Friend, maybe you have recently went through or are going through a trial and your faith, your emotions, and testimony are really being put to the test. Like Job in our text, you have looked to your right and left and all around, but you can NOT see God anywhere in this trial. May I encourage with God’s Word and HIS promise….that HE is there! HE knows which way you need to take and HE is working through you to make you precious, make you shine and come forth like gold in HIS sight! It’s my hope and prayer that the Lord would make your heart soft toward HIM and others to know Jesus is at work in your life. There is too much at stake, too many souls in the balance to miss God and let our emotions and our flesh ruin our testimony in difficult times. Today, would you make the commitment to stand firm on God’s Word and give Jesus all of your heart, emotions, or any fleshly thing that may harm your testimony for our Lord?
Bro. Lawrence Longworth
Isaiah 61:1 “the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
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