(Photo posted on Facebook page Finish Well)

An impulse is a sudden idea or feeling that is acted upon without any further thought, as the act of the young man in the photo. Impulsive people are rash and hasty…and often remorseful because our volatile impulses usually do not end well. (I am speaking from experience!)

A life governed by impulses and emotions is a wild roller coaster ride with many twists and turns, steep climbs, and plummeting falls. The Word of God tells us that the hasty person is foolish (Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 29:20, Proverbs 21:5, Ecclesiastes 7:9). We are to be governed by the steady and unchanging Word of God (Psalm 119:9, 105). That means we must deny our Self, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24-27).

Denying Self is not very popular these days. Many churches do not preach and teach their congregations to deny Self, fearing they might offend someone, but rather strive to indulge Self with “positive” motivational speeches. Like emotional impulses, it is not going to end well for those who speak such things and those who blindly follow them (Isaiah 56:10-12, Ezekiel 34:1-10, James 3:1, Matthew 15:1-14).

If your church is not preaching and teaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified (2 Corinthians 2:1-5), you need to flee to a Bible-teaching church before the wheels come off.