Psalm 23:1-6; (NET+) A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He takes me to lush pastures, he leads me to refreshing water.
3 He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation.
v4 Even when I must travel through the most dangerous places, I will not fear the danger, because you are with me; the guidance provided by your doctrinal standard of reference for thinking reassures me.
5 You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.
v6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all my live, and I will reside in the Lord's house forever.
We are presently in a study of satan's cosmic system, a system of arrogant demonic thinking that is comprised of lies and deceit from demonic viewpoint that since the fall in the Garden of Eden, separated from God in the darkness of spiritual death has become the viewpoint of the entire human race. 1Cor 2:14; Rev 12:9;
At this point in our study we are examining the various manifestations of the arrogance complex of satan's cosmic system. We have noted that arrogance creates weakness that makes the unbeliever susceptible to demon possession and the believer susceptible demon influence so arrogance is the point of satan's attack.
When we stopped last time we had concluded our look at rational arrogance that is based on anthropocentric academic speculation. The antithesis of rational arrogance is emotional or irrational arrogance that is based on how one feels..
While rational arrogance uses human viewpoint and academic theory as the criterion for life instead of Bible doctrine. Irrational arrogance uses feelings and emotion as the criterion for life instead of Bible doctrine.
This is a misuse of emotion because normal emotion is a response to rational thinking. The human soul contains initiator functions and responder functions. The intellect is the initiator and the emotion the responder.
Emotions are designed, under normal living, to respond to the content of the intellect and to the standards developed from rational thinking. When the standards are met or not met the emotions respond accordingly.
Normal emotion only functions under the authority of thought just as volition must function under the authority of divine establishment and under the divine authority of the Word of God, so emotion is normal only when it is subordinate to proper thinking.
Emotion is a responder and reflector of thinking or lack of thinking in a normal person. Emotion is the reflex of the soul that is manifested in feeling and responding.
As a system of feeling and response, emotion in itself does not contain the ability to reason. When emotion dominates the soul the ability to reason is lost. Emotion has not capable of thought. God did not design emotion for thinking,. He designed it to respond to thinking with somatic stimulation.
Emotion therefore has no doctrinal content or criteria. Emotion has no common sense. This means that when emotion dominates the soul, there is no common sense. Emotion has no vocabulary as a tool for mental function. Thinking requires a vocabulary.
Because of this emotion is never the criterion for Christian experience. You are not saved or spiritual because you feel saved or spiritual. Your feelings have absolutely nothing to do with your spiritual status quo.
Emotions can respond to spiritual growth or to the doctrine that is finally understand, just as emotions respond to other things that one likes or dislikes.
The criterion for Christianity is positive volition to and compliance with Bible doctrine that comprises truth that is the sine que non for rational thought that is established in what is actual.
Emotion is not a criterion for Christianity because emotion is a system of feeling, that when used as criterion leads to the distortion of truth and the rejection of God's protocol plan for the church that requires the actuality of truth to function.
Under irrational arrogance, emotion becomes a major distraction from the execution of God's protocol plan. Preoccupation with self in arrogance substitutes emotional stimulation for Bible doctrine that results in the rejection of doctrine.
This is why emotional people are weak so they often seek guidance and counseling from others for their decision-making.