Triggers

By Shellie Love — Editor in Chief | 01 July 2011

How many of you know what a trigger is? And no, I am not talking about the one on a gun.  I am talking about a different kind of trigger.

Recently, it seems as though I have had many conversations with others about learning to control triggers in their lives. Sometimes we end up in a situation and wonder how we got there.  Well, the truth is that it didn’t happen overnight.

Today, nobody likes to use the word boundaries because it's just too confining.  And after all, aren’t we FREE!!??  Absolutely!! And because of that we can make choices.  In fact, it tells us in Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.”

The interesting thing about that scripture is that He tells us the answer to such an obvious question.  But the truth of the matter is, that in our day to day life, in our relationships, speaking and actions in general we do not choose life.

When I was a teenager I was committed to staying pure and holy.  Since I didn’t want to wind up drinking and passed out somewhere drunk I didn’t go places where I would be continually put in a situation to do so.  In return I never even developed an appetite for drinking and to this day never have.  I continued the same standard and boundary in other areas of my life and was able to remain in a place of victory over my flesh in those areas.  At the times it didn’t seem to really matter, I chose life!

Although as with all of us, there are areas I did not follow that same pattern and have spent a good part of my life learning how to deal with those things.  My first step in becoming totally free in these areas was learning to control the triggers.

Most of the time there were certain situations, events, people, emotions, etc. that would trigger a certain thought or action.  If I was able to remove it I would, if not, I would try to minimize its influence!

I tell teenagers all of the time, if being in their bedroom on their computer late at night with nobody around is getting them in trouble then take it out and sit in the living room with the rest of the family.  And the truth is that this works in every area of your life.  Whether it be friends, movies, music, TV, etc…

In my opinion, we need to have a standard in our life and then live by that standard.  In my home we don’t watch certain movies, or listen to certain music or go to certain places.  Why? Because we will go to hell or because those things are sin? No.  But rather because if continued down that road they will begin to awake other things and trigger certain things.

A lot of you reading this will say just as your teenagers do. It doesn’t matter what I watch or listen to or what I spend my time sowing to.  Yet many you are struggling in areas of your life and wondering why you can’t seem to break free.  Ask the Holy Spirit what the triggers are to those areas and start there.  If you are serious about being free from anything that is holding you back, the Holy Spirit will give you the insight and wisdom on how to get free and stay free.  Many times the first step in freedom is simply controlling the trigger in that area.