We struggle with a tug-of-war daily between the flesh and the spirit. It’s a continuous battle. I don’t know about you, but when someone gut-punches me with an unkind word, or I do not feel especially valued at work, my human side wants to pull me across the line into the muddy pit of self-pity or a pool of hurt pride or even anger, at times.
However, my behavior is more Christlike when zealously pursuing Christ and His truth and approval (2 Tim. 2:15, English Standard Version) than my own or what the enemy wants me to believe. I must remind myself to recalibrate my thinking to the mind of Christ to have the same attitude Jesus had (Phil. 2:5, New Living Translation). Then, I can pull the rope to the spirit side and find joy no matter my circumstances.
Emotions are fickle and cannot always be trusted. They make us do and say things we usually wouldn’t. Therefore, giving ourselves time to cool off and calm down before we act is wise.
The word Selah comes to mind. We see it mainly in the book of Psalms and once in Habakkuk 3. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains that the term has an unknown meaning. Of course, there are several theories on the subject, one being a signal to pause for silence (Brand 2015, 1426).
Mels Carbonell agrees. In How to Solve the People Puzzle, he recommends using the acronym ACT to change our behavior. A – acknowledge and accept: Acknowledge who you are and accept the way you are made (when we understand our strengths and weaknesses, we can alter our behaviors). C – commit and control: Committing yourself to control your feelings, thoughts, and actions instead of letting them control you. T – think: Think before you do things. Pause and consider their consequences (Carbonell 2008, 304).
He says, “There’s an ancient proverb that loudly cries, ‘Selah.’ It simply means, ‘pause and think!’ I’ve told many people over the years to ‘think past the present.’ In other words, think past the present moment and consider the consequences of your actions” (Carbonell 2008, 305).
Good advice. In a nutshell, we can change our behavior for better outcomes. It can be our goal to tug the rope in a more spiritual direction.
“You must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19, emphasis added).
Faith Walk Ministries, Inc. 