Overcoming Barriers to Expressing Affection for God

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Spiritual Blockages in Emotional Expression

Many people struggle with expressing deep emotions and affections, both towards God and others. This struggle is often rooted in a spiritual blockage rather than just a personality trait. Recognizing this issue is the first step towards healing. God designed words to be a means of expressing the heart's abundance, and a disconnect between the heart and mouth is not how He intended it to be. By acknowledging this disconnect, individuals open the door for God to work in their hearts, allowing for genuine expressions of emotion and affection. [05:10]

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV): "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Reflection: Identify a recent situation where you felt unable to express your emotions. What spiritual blockages might be contributing to this, and how can you invite God to help you overcome them today?

Day 2: Self-Examination of the Heart

Self-examination is crucial to determine if our hearts genuinely love and delight in Christ. Biblical commands to love, rejoice, and treasure God must be experienced internally before they can be expressed externally. This process involves looking inward to assess whether our affections align with God's desires for us. By doing so, we can ensure that our expressions of love and joy are authentic and rooted in a true relationship with Christ. [06:11]

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV): "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

Reflection: Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal any areas of your heart that do not fully delight in Him. How can you begin to align your heart with His commands today?

Day 3: Identifying and Repenting of Sinful Barriers

Identifying and repenting of sin, such as pride, that blocks genuine expressions of affection is vital. Sin can subtly bind us, preventing us from expressing our true emotions and affections. By naming and repenting of these sins, individuals can experience liberation and a renewed ability to express their love and joy in Christ. This process requires humility and a willingness to confront the barriers that hinder our spiritual growth. [06:58]

James 4:6-7 (ESV): "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Reflection: Reflect on a specific sin that may be hindering your ability to express affection. What steps can you take today to repent and seek God's grace in overcoming this barrier?

Day 4: Memorizing Scripture for Expression

Memorizing scripture that expresses affections for God can help loosen our tongues. By internalizing these words, they can become a natural part of our prayer life and public expressions. This practice not only enriches our spiritual life but also equips us to articulate our love and joy in Christ more effectively. Scripture memorization serves as a powerful tool in overcoming the barriers to genuine emotional expression. [08:31]

Colossians 3:16 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Reflection: Choose a scripture passage that resonates with your heart's affections for God. How can you incorporate this passage into your daily routine to help express your emotions more freely?

Day 5: The Power of Prayer in Emotional Expression

Prayer is essential in overcoming barriers to expressing affection. Asking God to open our lips and enable us to declare His praise acknowledges our dependence on Him for transformation. Through prayer, we invite God to work in our hearts, helping us to overcome the spiritual blockages that hinder our emotional expression. This humble acknowledgment of our need for divine intervention is a crucial step in experiencing the fullness of expressing our affections. [10:57]

Psalm 51:15 (ESV): "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise."

Reflection: In your prayer time today, ask God to open your lips and enable you to express your emotions and affections more freely. What specific areas of your life do you need His help in expressing your love and joy?

Sermon Summary

In today's discussion, we explored the challenge many face in expressing deep emotions and affections, both towards God and others. This struggle is not uncommon, as many people find themselves unable to articulate their heartfelt emotions, whether it be joy, despair, or love. This inability to express can lead to a sense of isolation and a lack of deeper connections with others. The root of this issue often lies in a spiritual blockage that prevents genuine verbal expressions of affection.

The journey to overcoming this begins with recognizing the problem as more than just a personality trait. It's essential to understand that God designed words to be a means of expressing the heart's abundance. A disconnect between the heart and mouth is not how God intended it to be. Therefore, self-examination is crucial to determine if our hearts truly love and delight in Christ, as these are biblical commands that must be experienced before they can be expressed.

Additionally, it's important to identify any sin that might be hindering genuine expressions of affection. Pride, for instance, can be a significant barrier, as it was in my own life until God intervened. Memorizing scripture that articulates affections for God can also be a powerful tool. By internalizing these words, they can become a natural part of our prayer life and eventually our public expressions.

Spending time with those who naturally express their emotions can also be beneficial, as emotional freedom is contagious. Moreover, envisioning the freedom of expression we will experience in heaven can motivate us to start practicing now. Our sincere expressions of love and joy in Christ can also serve as a powerful testimony to others, potentially leading them to faith.

Finally, prayer is essential. Asking God to open our lips and enable us to declare His praise is a humble acknowledgment of our dependence on Him for this transformation. Only through His intervention can we hope to overcome these barriers and experience the fullness of expressing our affections.

Key Takeaways

1. Recognizing the inability to express emotions as a spiritual issue is the first step towards healing. It's not merely a personality trait but a disconnect that God did not design. Acknowledging this opens the door for God to work in our hearts. [05:10]
2. Self-examination is crucial to determine if our hearts genuinely love and delight in Christ. Biblical commands to love, rejoice, and treasure God must be experienced internally before they can be expressed externally. [06:11]
3. Identifying and repenting of sin, such as pride, that blocks genuine expressions of affection is vital. Sin can subtly bind us, but naming and repenting of it can lead to liberation. [06:58]
4. Memorizing scripture that expresses affections for God can help loosen our tongues. By internalizing these words, they can become a natural part of our prayer life and public expressions. [08:31]
5. Prayer is essential in overcoming barriers to expressing affection. Asking God to open our lips and enable us to declare His praise acknowledges our dependence on Him for transformation. [10:57]
** [10:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - Introduction to Expressing Affection
[00:44] - The Struggle with Deep Emotions
[01:24] - Common Blockages in Expression
[02:56] - The Role of the Holy Spirit
[03:40] - Personal Testimony of Overcoming Pride
[04:37] - Recognizing the Problem
[05:29] - The Heart-Mouth Connection
[06:11] - Self-Examination of the Heart
[06:58] - Identifying Sinful Barriers
[07:36] - Memorizing Scripture for Expression
[08:50] - The Influence of Others
[09:28] - The Hope of Heaven
[10:02] - Expressions as a Testimony
[10:57] - The Power of Prayer
[11:42] - Conclusion and Further Resources

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

Matthew 10:37 - "Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
Psalm 37:4 - "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Philippians 3:1 - "Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you."

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Observation Questions:

According to the sermon, what is the first step in overcoming the inability to express emotions? [05:10]
What personal testimony did the pastor share about overcoming pride in worship? [03:40]
How does the sermon describe the role of scripture memorization in expressing affections for God? [08:31]
What does the sermon suggest about the influence of spending time with emotionally expressive people? [08:50]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does Matthew 10:37 challenge believers to evaluate their affections and priorities in life? [05:48]
In what ways does Psalm 37:4 encourage believers to find joy and delight in their relationship with God? [05:48]
How might Philippians 3:1 serve as a reminder for believers to maintain joy in their faith journey? [05:48]
What does the pastor mean by saying that emotional freedom is contagious, and how can this impact one's spiritual life? [08:50]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you struggled to express your emotions. What steps can you take to address this as a spiritual issue rather than a personality trait? [05:10]
Consider the role of pride in your life. Are there areas where pride might be hindering your expressions of affection towards God or others? How can you begin to address this? [06:58]
Identify a scripture passage that resonates with you. How can you incorporate it into your daily prayer life to help express your affections for God? [08:31]
Think of someone in your life who naturally expresses their emotions. How can you spend more time with them to learn from their emotional freedom? [08:50]
Envision the freedom of expression you will experience in heaven. How can this vision motivate you to practice expressing your affections now? [09:28]
Reflect on how your sincere expressions of love and joy in Christ could serve as a testimony to others. How can you be more intentional about this in your daily interactions? [10:02]
What specific prayer can you start incorporating into your routine to ask God for help in expressing your affections more freely? [10:57]

Sermon Clips

I really have a special interest in this question and I want to try to answer it because I think there are millions of people it's not rare millions of people who share this blockage that prevents natural genuine verbal expressions of heartfelt affections not only for God and his glorious salvation but for children their own children or spouses or ordinary blessings of Life. [00:01:27]

The whole Realm of the emotional life and of spiritual affections is choked off for some reason there are millions of people who never say anything like what a beautiful day the sun is shining the breeze is cool I love days like this they never talk like that ever they never say anything like I love being married to you just sitting with you makes me happy. [00:02:00]

I think there's an analogy between that experience and the barriers that people can feel to verbal expressions of affections for God so even though there's no formula there are steps that you might be able to take which if you really want it if you want this Liberation would become means by which God would set you free. [00:04:24]

Recognize that it really is a problem to be overcome not just a neutral personality trait thousands of people excuse it as just a quirk of personality and has no spiritual Dimensions about it I don't think that's ever sufficient it's got truth in it but it's not sufficient Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. [00:04:56]

We should do a serious self-examination as to whether our hearts really do love Christ Matthew 10:37 really do delight in God Psalm 374 really do rejoice in him Philippians 3:1 really do fear Him Proverbs 28:14 really do treasure him Matthew 13:44 these are all biblical commands that our hearts must experience before our mouths can express them. [00:05:45]

We should also do a serious self-examination as to whether there's sin blocking the genuiness of our expression of affection there certainly was in me oh my I look back on attitudes that I had for 35 years that God mercifully was patient with and I am ashamed I'm ashamed I can remember sitting in Chapel at bethl when I was a teacher there. [00:06:20]

Memorize parts of scripture that give you the very words you need to express affections for God memorize Psalm 181 I love you oh Lord my strength Psalm 421 as a deer pants for the streams so my soul pants for you oh God my soul thirsts for God for the Living God Psalm 631 oh God you are my God earnestly I Seek You. [00:07:36]

If possible spend time with people who speak of their affections more naturally than you do emotional verbal freedom is contagious I have tasted this in my life in myself I could name people whose freedom in mature expression of spiritual affections has been very powerful in my life sixth realize that heaven is going to be like this utterly free. [00:08:48]

Realize that your sincere expressions of love to Christ and joy in Christ may be the means by which someone else is saved that's the point of Psalm 40 he drew me up from the pit of Destruction out of my Reb he set my feet on a rock making my steps secure he put a new song in my mouth a song of praise to our God. [00:09:42]

Finally pray pray like this oh Lord open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise isn't that an amazing request my lips are shut I can't open them something's wrong with my lips Lord yes there is in all of us Lord open my lips Only God Can Make It Real so ask him and keep on asking until he does it. [00:10:41]

I think under God God I owe my faith in Christ to the free expressions of love and joy in my mother and my father while I was growing up finally pray pray like this oh Lord open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise isn't that an amazing request my lips are shut I can't open them something's wrong with my lips. [00:10:27]

Thank you Pastor John and speaking of prayers there are some prayers we want answered like this one to open our lips of affection to praise God and some prayers we should hope are not answered what are those what prayers of ours should we hope never get answered we find out soon in our Navigator's Bible reading plan. [00:11:38]

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Overcoming Barriers to Expressing Affection for God

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Spiritual Blockages in Emotional Expression

Day 2: Self-Examination of the Heart

Day 3: Identifying and Repenting of Sinful Barriers

Day 4: Memorizing Scripture for Expression

Day 5: The Power of Prayer in Emotional Expression

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Overcoming Barriers to Expressing Affection for God

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