Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 832   
                                  (Sermon Summary - Moderate length)
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Dealing with Your Impulses      
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by John Rallison

Knowing which to follow and which to fight

We live in an impulse-driven society. E-mail ads tell me that I 
could increase my internet sales by 75% (if I sold anything on the 
internet) by adding credit card purchasing because it would let 
people buy on impulse. A resort hotel ad says that the best way to 
get rid of temptation is to give in to it. A company can afford to 
give away free PC's because the advertisers will pay to get their 
ads in front of people.  

Our impulses range from the bad to the beautiful. We want to buy 
something, run someone off the road, say some choice words, plant 
our garden, say, "I love you," panic, flee, give, take, hurt or 
help. We need to deal with our impulses because we have both good 
and bad. The challenge is knowing which to follow and which to 
fight.  

The Bible is full of stories of people who acted on impulse, 
whether from God, themselves or Satan. Just about anything can 
drive an impulse: jealousy, need, hurt, love, greed, fear, etc. 
God's Word gives us a few good questions to ask ourselves when we 
feel an impulse:  

IS THIS IMPULSE CONSISTENT WITH THE WORD OF GOD? 

The Bible is the manufacturer's manual for life. Psalm 119:165 
says, "Those who love your law have great peace."  

IS THIS IMPULSE LEGAL?

When the laws of the land do not conflict with God's law, we are to 
follow them.  

IS THIS IMPULSE REALISTIC?

Some people have the impulse to flap their arms and fly...from a 
sixth story window, usually to a bad result. We have to temper this 
question with the fact that impulses from God may not seem 
realistic to us, like when Peter jumped out of the boat and walked 
on water to Jesus.  

IS THIS IMPULSE AN INDICATOR?

Impulses come from somewhere. I read of a woman who had an impulse 
to throw her children out the window of her car. That turned out to 
be an indicator of some communication problems she had with her 
husband. He was not hearing her needs and, since she shoved that 
inside, it came out in this impulse.  

WILL THIS IMPULSE ACCOMPLISH WHAT I WANT TO ACCOMPLISH?

The Bible says that a wise people keep themselves under control 
(Proverbs 29:11). Sometimes following our impulses will only 
escalate the situation which brought about the impulse in the first 
place.  

IS THIS IMPULSE IN LINE WITH MY PRIORITIES?

We all have priorities we need to ask ourselves whether the impulse 
we feel will fit in with the things that are important to us.  

WHAT IS THE COST OF GIVING IN TO THIS IMPULSE?

The Bible tells us that it is wise to count the cost before you do 
or say something (Luke 14:28). Often the cost of giving in to an 
impulse to say something is much higher than any benefit you might 
get from letting those words loose.  

IS THIS IMPULSE BASED ON FEAR?

The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). If 
the impulse is based on fear it does not come from God because God 
is love.  

IS THIS IMPULSE IN THE SPIRIT OF LOVE?

Love is God's overarching principle of life (Colossians 3:14). This 
is the most important question to ask of any impulse that rears its 
head in your life.  

Maybe you are thinking, "How can I ask all these questions when I 
have an impulse? That's not the nature of impulsive behaviors!" You 
are absolutely right. 

The key to dealing with our impulses is a life of self-discipline. 
Hebrews 5:14 says, "...solid food is for the mature, who by 
constant use [of the Bible] have trained themselves to distinguish 
good from evil." The real key to dealing with impulses is living 
life so that you are trained ahead of time to deal with them when 
they come. 

Proverbs 7 illustrates the principle that harmful impulses come 
suddenly and those unprepared to deal with those impulses will have 
to deal with their consequences. The Bible gives three habits for 
spiritual maturity, which includes the ability to not be ruled by 
your impulses.  

1. I NEED TO PRAY REGULARLY

Jesus regularly went off by himself to pray. Just as you must spend 
time with your spouse in order to draw strength from your marriage, 
you must spend time with God in order to draw strength from him to 
deal with your impulses.  

2 I NEED TO REGULARLY STUDY THE BIBLE

The Bible is God's owner's manual for human beings. Hebrews 5:14 
says that those who use it constantly train themselves to know 
right from wrong.  

3. I NEED A CONTINUAL COMMITMENT TO FOLLOW GOD

James 2:22 says that true faith in God shows itself in the life and 
actions of the believer. If you are going to deal with the impulses 
in your life, you not only need to pray and study the Bible 
regularly, you need to constantly renew your commitment to put into 
practice what you learn from God.   

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John Rallison    St. Stephen's Lutheran Church
2311 East Chapman Avenue  Fullerton, CA  92831
voice (714) 871-1711        fax (714) 871-3132

SSLC Web Site    www.flash.net/~sslc
Devotions and Sermon Summaries change weekly.

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