When
circumstances threaten to drown us, and our thoughts and accompanying emotions
overwhelm us, there is hope on the horizon. We can dissect this event and gain
the victory over one aspect of it at a time.
It
is vitally important for us to refrain from criticizing our self for over-reacting
to these situations, and for entertaining negative thoughts and emotions. God
created us as a human being with all of the normal range of actions and
reactions inherent in our personality.
The
first step to walking in victory is to surrender the situation to God. We are
guaranteed to experience overwhelming tribulation in this world; however,
Jesus' promises that He already overcame this type of issue, and He abides
within us (John 16:33).
Asking
for support from our mate, family and prayer partners also reduces the negative
effects that trials have on our body, soul and spirit. The circumstances may
not change, but our attitude about the aspect does. The effectual, fervent prayer
of the righteous changes things (James 5:16).
Also,
advice from those who already experienced this type of trial is always valuable,
because it helps to change our focus. We are more readily able to overcome our self-sabotaging
patterns that cripple our soul and spirit, as well as bombard our body with
toxic chemicals.
Journaling
our honest feelings is a good practice to develop. We can discover in our
written words what is really going on in our soul. We also inscribe the advice
that we receive from others, from God's Word, and from His Spirit's comfort.
Journaling
helps us to relieve stress, and it unravels our anxious thoughts. We spend time
jotting down memories from the past and our fears about the future, which helps
us to reduce the issues influencing our negative reaction to our circumstances.
We
make sense of our thoughts and feelings, separating them into categories. We learn
new ideas about who we are and what we need. We also pray God's Word over the
situation. As we submit the conflict to God's capable care, the intensity of it
diminishes.
We
are able to breathe deeply and to relax through it. When we change our focus
about the situation, by gaining God's perspective on the issue, then positive
feelings return and our mood improves by the moment (Philippians 4:8).
Prayer:
Father
God, Job is a great example of someone who walked with You and trusted in You
through every negative circumstance which assailed Him. You used Satan's
destructive ways to strip Job of every earthly blessing he received from You,
and then You gave him more blessings than he ever had in His whole life (Job
42:10).
Help
us not to pay back a wrong done to us, but to wait on You to deliver us instead
(Proverbs 20:22). Help us to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those
who mistreat us (Luke 6:28). Help us to work hard to help others. When someone
mistreats us, help us to bless them rather than to retaliate; and when we are
persecuted, help us to endure (1 Corinthians 4:12).
Thought
for the Day:
When
we trust in the Lord, our God, He is our dwelling place, and no harm will
overtake us; we are overcomers through our union with Him, and He sends our
guardian angels to lift us up, so that we ride out the storm with His wisdom
and strength.
-
Psalm 91:8-12
