Negative Emotions Unleashed

Our normal daily order in life is often disturbed by unexpected incidents, which may touch a sore spot deep within our subconscious mind. The unanticipated moment triggers negative emotions from our past, which are stored in our subconscious mind. They cause us to either over-react or to withdraw to nurse our wounds.

These dormant, negative emotions boil like a pot on the back burner of the stove. Sometimes, they will boil over the edge, often when we least expect it. People think we are crazy for getting upset over such a simple issue, but our reaction is actually stirred by years of pent up sentiments and fueled by a similar painful experience.

These feelings may continue to boil over until our soul is empty. Then we burn up from the inside out. False accusations, or being ignored or some misunderstanding may cause us to feel bitter, especially if this issue is never resolved. Bitterness is spiritual poison and defiles our whole life, which affects everything we do and everyone to whom we relate (Hebrews 12:15).

Bitterness sets us up for a snowball of negative emotions, which may eventually freeze out the people whom we love the most. We are usually kind, gentle and loving people; but the painful experiences of our past are whittling away at our inner strength and peace. Due to these subterranean emotions, we over-react negatively toward all further hurt.

The only cure for this vicious cycle is to go to God and to sit quietly in His presence as He reveals to us the root and origin of our negative emotions. He will reveal and heal the wounds in our soul and give us His peace and mercy (Lamentations 3:23). He will give us His joy and strength to face the adversity of life.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to rely on You and to stop attempting to meet life's challenges alone. Thank You for being our strong tower and for allowing us to run to You in times of adversity. You always keep us safe (Proverbs 18:10). Help us to forgive those who sin against us, just as You forgave us for sinning against You (Luke 11:4). Thank You for speaking Your truth to us about the underlying causes of our resentment and anger.

Thought for the Day:

A lifelong accumulation of emotional pain, humiliation, fear and false shame affects us every day of our life, until we allow God to speak His truth and to dispel the lies, which Satan planted in those memories.

To find freedom from your past read these three free chapters: http://theophostic.com/page13051343.aspx

I will be glad to pray with you for healing of past wounds.

Overcoming Temptation

The only power Satan has is what we give to him. Many Christians are perpetually discouraged and defeated because they believe Satan’s persistent lies about them and to them. If we linger in the pit of self-pity or bitterness, and if we agree with the lies Satan whispers in our ear, then he controls our actions by controlling our thoughts.

Satan accuses, belittles and defeats us. We end up overwhelmed, discouraged and hopeless. Those who give in to his accusations end up being robbed of the freedom that Jesus secured for us and that God intends for His people to enjoy. God's Word encourages us to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). God wants to heal the wounds in our subconscious mind. 
( www.theophostic.com )  

He sets us free from the pain and sorrow caused by our former circumstances in life. This will help us to ignore Satan's deceit. The first negative thought, which flits through our mind, is not sin, but is from Satan or from the wounds in our soul. Satan's temptations only become sin if we dwell on them, agree with them, believe the lie as truth and act on them.

Jesus comes into our life and reconciles us to Himself, frees us from a sinful lifestyle and delivers us from hell. He takes our sins and gives us His righteousness. His Spirit enlightens us to Satan's wiles and gives us the wisdom to stand against his temptations. When we put our trust in Jesus, God makes us His child. Jesus in us is greater than anything Satan tries to torment us with (1 John 4:4).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that if we fix our eyes on Jesus, we have no need to worry about Satan, the world or the flesh (Hebrews 12:2; 1 John 5:18). Victory over sin is ours once we realize that Christ abides in us (Colossians 1:27). He strengthens us, protects us and rescues us from temptation (2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 2:18; 2 Peter 2:9). We are also kept by Your power and given an escape from all unrighteousness (1 Peter 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Thought for the Day:

Authentic Believers are dead to the flesh and walk in the Spirit. 

- Galatians 5:24; Romans 7:5, 8:8-9; Galatians 5:16-25

Do You Feel Like an Octopus?

The Lord promises to be with us, even through the veil of death (Psalm 23:4). Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-36). There is no insult, adversity, persecution or difficulty that we cannot rejoice in for the sake of Christ; because when we are weak, that is when He is strong in and through us (2 Corinthians 12:10). In any type of trial or trouble, Jesus gives us His peace, which surpasses all human understanding (John 14:27).

God’s peace is our solace at home, at work and in the community, even when hardships come our way. The first principle of living in victory over Satan and the world is wearing Jesus’ peace as a cloak against any stressful situation we encounter. The Lord is always with us (Psalm 118:6). His peace quells all of our fears, worries and setbacks. He causes our persecutors to stumble, so that they do not prevail in the end. They will not prosper, and they will fail and be disgraced (Jeremiah 20:11).

However, even the Christian life gets overbearing at times. We had so many expectations and ministries to fulfill that we neglect our quiet time with the Lord. We are burdened by expectations from our parents, pastor, friends, employers, children and church family. We get overly committed and start to drown in our myriad of responsibilities. Satan whispers false accusations in our ear and we believe what he says as truth. We start to resent all of these demands and the pressure they put on us to be everyone’s beck and call.

Jonah had these same feelings (Jonah 1:3). In fact, he ran from God and from the ministry God called him to accomplish. He got himself in all sorts of trouble. He even cost his fellow shipmates the loss of their income and almost their very lives. God knows how to take care of us, however, even in the difficulties we tend to create for our self. He knows how to discipline our iniquities and to help us to see His big picture. He reveals to us what our obedience means to His Kingdom and for our blessings.

This helps us to take our commitment to Him more seriously. We spend time reading God’s Word and listening to the leading of His Spirit. The Lord guides us and satisfies our needs, even when our strength fails us. During the dry, parched times of life, He causes water to spring up within us. We dwell as a well-watered garden, even in the midst of troubles and trials (Isaiah 58:11). God’s Spirit is our guide all throughout our life and even through our passage from this life into the next (Psalm 48:14).

Prayer:

Father God, Your infinite Spirit frees us from the restrictions of this world. You transcends time, space and matter (Psalm 139:8), and You fill the heavens and the earth. Your infinite power works for us, in us and through us as we wait on You (Jeremiah 23:23-24). Thankfully, You are not contained in a building, restricted in Your movements or denied Your will (Acts 17:24). You are never far from any one of us, because as Your children, we live and move and have our existence with Christ in You (Acts 17:27-28: Colossians 3:3).

Thought for the Day:
Even if our life does not unfold the way we planned it; God works it out better than our best ideals.

Saving Faith

Read: Romans 5:8-10

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18

My ultimate joy as a human being is that I benefit from a personal relationship with the Living God on a daily basis; a relationship where I walk in intimate fellowship with Him every moment of every day. Sin can separate me from His cherished companionship, but restoration is only a humbled prayer away.

We start out in life as enemies of God. Then, we are reconciled to Him by believing in the saving grace of salvation through the death of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross (Colossians 1:20). We are not only reconciled to God through Christ’s death, but we are also saved through His life! (Romans 5:10)

Even as Christians, we so often we get an idea in our mind and run with it. We go from one worldly pursuit to the next, collecting human accolades and storing up treasure on this earth. We eventually find our feet far from the path that Christ designed for our life. We are walking in disobedience and completely out of His will. Every sin spawns from one major offense ~ the sin of unbelief. Unbelief keeps us out of the Kingdom of God on earth and prevents us from enjoying eternity with God in Heaven (John 3:16-18).

We inherit an unbelieving heart from Adam and Eve, but we acquire saving faith from Jesus Christ. He presents us holy in His sight, without blemish and free from any accusation that would condemn us for eternity (Colossians 1:22). This assurance works in our hearts and transforms us from children of darkness into children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Then God launches us into the ministry of reconciliation, to bring this same Good News to all of those, which He places in our lives (2 Corinthians 5:18). Take a chance tomorrow...share the Good News with someone you know.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to share Your faith with those I meet each day. Give me Your courage, wisdom and words to lead souls to faith in You. Keep me on a straight path, because of my enemies (Psalm 27:11); and surround me with your angels, so that I will not stumble (Psalm 91:11).

Thought for the Day:

When we were enemies of God, Christ reconciled us to the Father through His death.