We often spend hours of our life
thinking of the worse case scenarios and how we will deal with them, yet most
never happen. This causes negative
emotions, which will kill us. We sense a dread of
immanent danger and we use negative emotions and behaviors to make us feel
better. These negative emotions suppress our immune system and cause digestive disorders,
muscle tension, short-term memory loss, the inability to concentrate,
disabilities, anxiety disorders, premature coronary artery disease, heart
attack, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, breathing issues
and nervous twitching and/or suicidal thoughts.
These fatal emotions alter our relationships, work
performance, lifestyle, appetite and sleep patterns. We compensate by using
alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, sleeping too much and overeating to soothe the
stress and to hide from or to desensitize our self from the overwhelming
feelings. Satan deceives us into thinking that we can use these negative
emotions to protect us from harm. We think that we can hide behind anger, or
worry enough to change our circumstances or prevent some disaster, or hate
enough to punish the one who hurt or offended us, or to yell loud enough to
change another person’s behavior or thinking.
Reading it in black and white makes this all sound
ridiculous, doesn’t it? God gave us the reaction of flight or fight to protect
us from real and imminent danger; however, in our modern society, we even allow
an uncooperative spouse, child or co-worker; long lines; rude customers or a
crying baby to throw us into the grasp of negative emotions. We nurse
these feelings and build the situation up in our mind until it consumes us.
Then, Satan has us right where he wants us. We take our mind off the eternal aspects
of life and the Kingdom of God and allow Satan’s sidetrack to monopolize and
consume our attention.
If our negative emotions are out of control,
counseling or medication can help us to deal with the intensity of them. A
great way to deal with these negative emotions is to keep a journal of how we
are feeling. We can write out our feelings in the form of a prayer to
God like the Psalmists did. Once they are out of our mind and down on the
paper, we can leave them in God’s capable hands to deal with in His way and
timing. If we are tempted to think of them again, we can remind our self that
this concern is in “the heart of God”, and He is able to make us abound in
every area of our life (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Whenever you feel your joy and peace disturbed in any way
for any reason, take it to the Lord immediately. Allow His peace to rule your
heart and mind (Colossians 3:15; Philippians 4:7). Refrain
from depending on your human reasoning, but trust in the Lord with all of your
heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). Then watch
Him work them all out for your good (Romans
8:28). Do not allow negative emotions to rob you of your health, joy and peace
in life. Nothing is too hard for God to handle (Jeremiah 32:17,27). He may not wave a magic wand and
cause the situation to change overnight, but He will use the issues to perfect
you and then He will change them when they have done their perfect work in you (James 1:2-4).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You dwell within us and want to live through
us, but we so often push You aside and insist on facing life in our own
strength and through our own human effort. This prolongs the issues in our life
and thwarts the results of their outcome. Teach us to walk in the Spirit moment
by moment and to relinquish everything to You. Help us to put on Your mind (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians
2:1-11, 4:7), and to resist the urges Satan sends our way to allow
negative emotions to ruin our witness for You and our reliance upon You for our
health and success in this life.
Thought for the Day:
Trust God for one moment of your life today. Before you
know it, you will trust Him in every moment.
You can buy a heart-shaped box and put little notes in
the “heart of God” as prayers about your negative feelings.
Here are directions for making a heart-shaped notebook:
http://www.babycenter.com/210_heart-shaped-notebook_6042.bc
Or buy them already made and write your concerns on the
back:
http://www.christianbook.com/heart-shaped-notepad-pen-someone-special/pd/680548
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