Strong Emotions; Strong Faith: A Spiritual Journey (ft. Jon Odom)
The enemy is always trying to find a foothold in our hearts. The paths the enemy can take are many, but one of them is through our strong emotions[1] — such as anger, rage, unforgiveness or despair. But through God and Scripture, we can find our sword and shield to win the spiritual battles in our souls.
In this episode, we’re joined by Jon Odom, Campus Pastor of The Avenue Church. Jon shares his powerful journey of fighting the spiritual war that was being waged in his life where he had demonic encounters and experienced a miraculous healing. Jon talks about how he now helps people process strong emotions in a healthy way, and not in a destructive manner. He also discusses the importance of recognizing these feelings and how they manifest physiologically and biochemically in the body. In addition, Jon talks about how the Scriptures and your spiritual community can help you over come spiritual attacks.
Do you want to learn how to process your strong emotions and fight your spiritual battles? Then, join us in this incredible conversation.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:
Discover how the Scripture and your community can help you battle against spiritual attacks.
Learn how you can go through your strong emotions in a healthy way.
Find out how you can speak truth in love, especially toward challenging people.
Want to be part of what God is doing through the Revelations Podcast? You can contribute here!
Resources
Revelations Podcast:
Learn about Jon Odom: https://the-avenue.church/, @jonodom43
Bible Verses:
This Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine Alternatives
Get back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/
Episode Highlights
[00:02:06] Jon's Moment of Revelation
Jon grew up with a growth deficiency which prevented him from growing properly. He took daily medication to address it, and also prayed to God every night.
His illness affected more than just his growth — it affected several bodily functions. Eventually, his family’s insurance ran out, preventing him from receiving treatment.
This moment was full of strong emotions — specifically anger.
Jon and his mother prayed one final time in a car. According to Jon, God healed him during the prayer. A medical test indicated that he was well.
In that moment, Jon decided he would follow Jesus. But this was only the beginning of his journey.
[00:07:47] Jon: "And as soon as I made that decision, like, God, I'm going to pursue with everything I have? My life got ten times harder."
[00:08:06] The True Beginning of Jon’s Journey
Jon grew up in a culture of athletics, but his illness made it nearly impossible. He saw God’s healing as a sign that he should play football.
Jon went on to train extremely hard — four hours a day for six days a week.
Unfortunately, the next seven years were marked with difficult, strong emotions: depression, suicidal ideation, and even seeing demons in the night.
Jon thought God had abandoned him. But he learned that there was a spiritual explanation for his hardship: his strong emotions, especially his anger.
Listen to the full episode for the story behind Jon’s anger and rage.
[00:12:51] Practical Steps to Fighting a Spiritual Battle
The true war is in the spirit; your spirit is what the Enemy wants to take.
Jon recommends starting with Scripture. It became Jon’s weapon in spiritual warfare. Next, take every thought and make it obedient to Christ.
Jon waged a spiritual war all throughout high school. His spiritual community helped him stay true to his faith.
[19:20] Jon: "One of the biggest reasons we struggle is because we are in isolation, and not in community."
Jon achieved so much in the physical world, but he learned he would not be able to survive this world without God.
[22:37] A New Heart
Jon’s strong emotions — his anger, his rage — were replaced by God. God gave him a new heart.
Jon learned to use his anger to instead do something good.
He played the most violent positions in football, but the loss of anger in his heart made it difficult to play those roles.
[31:03] Our Experiences Write Us
[31:06] Jon: "Every one of us has a past, everyone has had a childhood. And every one of us has experiences that have happened over the course of time that have impacted us in a deeply profound way."
Powerful events, experiences, and strong emotions all change parts of us down to the genetic level.
Bring those experiences to the Lord; not doing so leaves the door open to the Enemy.
Jon has four basic questions that help people manage and handle strong emotions. Listen to the complete episode for the full process.
[39:40] Strong Emotions; Strong Desires
Our gut reactions are an attempt to fulfill a deeper, internal desire that’s not being met.
Processing emotion helps us identify the desires within us. Even Jesus had strong emotions — he too flipped tables.
The critical thing to do in that moment is to find the act that would glorify God.
[46:49] Reagan: "Keep praying. The Lord just keeps reminding me: keep praying. He can do anything."
[49:29] The Future for Jon Odom
Jon dreams of seeing people come to know who Jesus is.
Jon believes that the way we become like Jesus is by beholding and doing our best to see the truth behind what Scripture portrays him to be.
We are challenged to see the glory of God and to fix our eyes on it.
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kw: strong emotions
meta: Your strong emotions can be an avenue for God to work through you, or a foothold for the Enemy. How can you glorify God?
