Emotional Roller Coaster

In Ezekiel 20, God talks about the rebellion of His people against Him in Egypt and their deliberate sin of idolatry. He admits to Ezekiel that His immediate response was to inflict His anger on them in Egypt, but instead He held back. He says in verse 9, "I acted out of who I was, not by how I felt."

I believe that God was not simply recounting history for us, but was establishing a guideline for our own behavior choices. We can easily become overcome by our emotional reactions to people, circumstances, and the opportunity to sin. Denying that initial, impulsive reaction and remembering our true character is the key to remaining distinctly different in our culture. Our foundational identity as followers of Christ should serve as that reminder that we do not have to allow our emotions to reign over all our decisions. Not only is it the healthiest decision for us, it is the example that God desires us to follow as His people.