Julie
Member
If someone were to ask me to share the most important lessons I have learned as a Christian, I would certainly include the way God has taught me that I do not have to let my feelings and emotions control my behavior. I have learned that I can have emotions without letting them have me; in other words, I can live beyond my feelings.
Of course, I have also learned many other valuable lessons in my walk with God, but learning to deal with emotions in healthy, godly ways is one that has truly changed me and enabled me to consistently enjoy my life each day and stay stable in an unstable world. I pray that as you spend the next ninety days in this book, thinking and praying about how you deal with your emotions, you will also find yourself enjoying your life in new and wonderful ways as you experience a greater level of emotional stability.
When you wake up each morning, do you wait to see how you feel before you decide what you will do? If so, you won’t end up doing much of what you should do. Do you wait to see what you think, and then decide how to spend your day? Or do you use your free will to decide to do what you know you should do? Do you think of something sad that happened the night before and allow your sad feelings to set the tone of the day? Do you allow worry or anxiety to cause you to dread going to work? Do you immediately remember the stress of something that happened earlier in the week? Do you think of a certain person and feel anger, jealousy, or resentment? Perhaps you do at times, but you don’t have to let these emotions set the tone for your day. You can change how you feel by changing what you think.
Emotions are part of being human. People express their emotions differently, but we all have them. However, we don’t have to let our feelings lead us into unhealthy and unwise decisions. We can choose how to deal with them. Feelings are fickle, and they cannot be trusted. You and I can feel one way when we go to bed and wake up feeling an entirely different way. For example, this morning I went to my gym to exercise and decided I would take a walk when I came back, but after working out, I felt like sitting in a chair for a while.
God’s Word encourages us to make good choices in Deuteronomy 30:19: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” God gives us two choices: life or death, blessing or curse. He even tells us which one to choose. He says to “choose life,” meaning to make decisions that lead to a life filled with His blessings.
We make a life-changing choice to be blessed when we decide to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. Because God gives us free will (the ability to do what we want to do), we have opportunities to choose to be blessed each day as we make decisions consistent with His Word. On some days, our emotions help us make godly decisions. But on other days they betray us and try to prevent us from making good decisions.
Each day you live can be a good one. This, of course, doesn’t mean you will not face situations that affect your emotions. You may find yourself in a circumstance that makes you extremely happy and fills your heart with joy. Or something may happen to anger you, frighten you, or sadden you. You have no control over many things you deal with each day, but you do get to determine how you respond to them. You can’t choose what happens to you, but you have complete control over how you decide to deal with it. You do not have to feel like doing the right thing in order to choose to do it. You can live beyond your emotions.
I pray this devotional will encourage and empower you to enjoy every day of your life as you choose to manage your emotions regarding people and situations instead of letting your emotions manage you.
It’s Your Choice
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.Deuteronomy 30:19
As you begin this ninety-day journey of learning to manage your emotions more effectively so you can be stable in an unstable world, it’s important to realize that no one is born knowing how to manage their emotions, but we can learn to do it. Making healthy, godly decisions when we feel like doing something else is vital to enjoying a victorious life.
For years, I simply did what I felt like doing, and it got me into a lot of trouble. But God has taught me how to follow His Word instead of following my emotions. I don’t always succeed, but I have learned a lot about this and will continue learning all of my life.People respond to emotions in various ways. Some ignore, deny, or suppress their feelings. Others respond physically—by overeating, drinking, exercising excessively, or substance abuse (whether that’s sugar, caffeine, prescription medications, or mood-altering drugs).
Still others withdraw when emotions are intense, while others run to their friends or to social media to process how they feel. And there are some who go on cleaning sprees, and others take shopping trips. The list goes on. Perhaps you’ve experienced one or more of these unhealthy responses. If so, today is the day you can begin to handle your emotions in positive ways instead of negative ones. In today’s scripture, God tells His people to “choose life.” This means to make decisions that lead to peace, joy, and stability. We learn how to make these decisions as we study His Word, and we find peace, joy, and stability as we obey it.
Prayer: Thank You, God, for Your Word and for the ways it teaches me to choose life. Help me to obey it in every area of my life for as long as I live.
Joyce Meyer, Managing Your Emotions
Of course, I have also learned many other valuable lessons in my walk with God, but learning to deal with emotions in healthy, godly ways is one that has truly changed me and enabled me to consistently enjoy my life each day and stay stable in an unstable world. I pray that as you spend the next ninety days in this book, thinking and praying about how you deal with your emotions, you will also find yourself enjoying your life in new and wonderful ways as you experience a greater level of emotional stability.
When you wake up each morning, do you wait to see how you feel before you decide what you will do? If so, you won’t end up doing much of what you should do. Do you wait to see what you think, and then decide how to spend your day? Or do you use your free will to decide to do what you know you should do? Do you think of something sad that happened the night before and allow your sad feelings to set the tone of the day? Do you allow worry or anxiety to cause you to dread going to work? Do you immediately remember the stress of something that happened earlier in the week? Do you think of a certain person and feel anger, jealousy, or resentment? Perhaps you do at times, but you don’t have to let these emotions set the tone for your day. You can change how you feel by changing what you think.
Emotions are part of being human. People express their emotions differently, but we all have them. However, we don’t have to let our feelings lead us into unhealthy and unwise decisions. We can choose how to deal with them. Feelings are fickle, and they cannot be trusted. You and I can feel one way when we go to bed and wake up feeling an entirely different way. For example, this morning I went to my gym to exercise and decided I would take a walk when I came back, but after working out, I felt like sitting in a chair for a while.
God’s Word encourages us to make good choices in Deuteronomy 30:19: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” God gives us two choices: life or death, blessing or curse. He even tells us which one to choose. He says to “choose life,” meaning to make decisions that lead to a life filled with His blessings.
We make a life-changing choice to be blessed when we decide to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. Because God gives us free will (the ability to do what we want to do), we have opportunities to choose to be blessed each day as we make decisions consistent with His Word. On some days, our emotions help us make godly decisions. But on other days they betray us and try to prevent us from making good decisions.
Each day you live can be a good one. This, of course, doesn’t mean you will not face situations that affect your emotions. You may find yourself in a circumstance that makes you extremely happy and fills your heart with joy. Or something may happen to anger you, frighten you, or sadden you. You have no control over many things you deal with each day, but you do get to determine how you respond to them. You can’t choose what happens to you, but you have complete control over how you decide to deal with it. You do not have to feel like doing the right thing in order to choose to do it. You can live beyond your emotions.
I pray this devotional will encourage and empower you to enjoy every day of your life as you choose to manage your emotions regarding people and situations instead of letting your emotions manage you.
It’s Your Choice
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.Deuteronomy 30:19
As you begin this ninety-day journey of learning to manage your emotions more effectively so you can be stable in an unstable world, it’s important to realize that no one is born knowing how to manage their emotions, but we can learn to do it. Making healthy, godly decisions when we feel like doing something else is vital to enjoying a victorious life.
For years, I simply did what I felt like doing, and it got me into a lot of trouble. But God has taught me how to follow His Word instead of following my emotions. I don’t always succeed, but I have learned a lot about this and will continue learning all of my life.People respond to emotions in various ways. Some ignore, deny, or suppress their feelings. Others respond physically—by overeating, drinking, exercising excessively, or substance abuse (whether that’s sugar, caffeine, prescription medications, or mood-altering drugs).
Still others withdraw when emotions are intense, while others run to their friends or to social media to process how they feel. And there are some who go on cleaning sprees, and others take shopping trips. The list goes on. Perhaps you’ve experienced one or more of these unhealthy responses. If so, today is the day you can begin to handle your emotions in positive ways instead of negative ones. In today’s scripture, God tells His people to “choose life.” This means to make decisions that lead to peace, joy, and stability. We learn how to make these decisions as we study His Word, and we find peace, joy, and stability as we obey it.
Prayer: Thank You, God, for Your Word and for the ways it teaches me to choose life. Help me to obey it in every area of my life for as long as I live.
Joyce Meyer, Managing Your Emotions
