Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him. God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe, and he is the fortress where I feel secure. God saves me and honors me. He is that mighty rock where I find safety. Trust God, my friends, and always tell him each one of your concerns. God is our place of safety. Psalm 62:5-8 (CEV)
Hey there? What’s been going on with you? I’m hoping all is well.
As we approach the end of May, I feel strongly that God wants me to discuss how He’s recently aided me with getting my emotions under control.
When I say recent, I mean RECENT! In April, I went through a major shift in my life. Although positive, the change I made caused some other things to shift. I’m growing and I’ve grown but I still have more growing to do like most people. However, with new growth comes new challenges. Ever heard the saying “new level, new devil?”
We all know that when the Lord elevates you the enemy tries to bring you down. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV) While working to achieve my goals in one area of life another area, my emotions, began to get out of whack. I’d been placed into a position where I absolutely HAD TO deal with my feelings.
In the past, I sometimes ignored my feelings and moved forward. A very bad coping mechanism (very unhealthy don’t try that at home)! Or at least I thought that is what I’d done. Not truly recognizing that I never moved forward just buried my emotions as oppose to expressing them in a healthy way.
Well at this stage in my life I can no longer afford to “ignore” my feelings. Bottling up our emotions is not good. I had to learn that having feelings and acknowledging them doesn’t make me weak it makes me strong. In fact, one of the strongest warriors of the Bible was very in tune with his emotions. King David detailed his emotions in many of the Psalms he wrote in the Old Testament of the Bible.
David was emotionally intelligent, which is something we all need in order to be whole. Emotional intelligence is necessary for successful relationships. The most important relationship we will ever have is with God. Our Heavenly Father has emotions, where did you think we got them from?
Let me continue by appropriately defining emotional intelligence. The American Psychological Association’s Dictionary of Psychology defines emotional intelligence as “a type of intelligence that involves the ability to process emotional information and use it in reasoning and other cognitive activities. It comprises four abilities: to perceive and appraise emotions accurately; to access and evoke emotions when they facilitate cognition; to comprehend emotional language and make use of emotional information; and to regulate one’s own and others’ emotions to promote growth and well-being.”
Now that we have the formalities out of the way and by leading of the Holy Spirit, I’ve let you all up in my business (LOL)…let me assist you with yours.
Check Yourself!
The first thing God told me to do in order to shift my perspective when I was feeling down was to check myself. You might need to check yourself before you wreck yourself! Are you leaning on Jesus? Are you trusting Him? Have you let Him order your steps? These types of emotions only weigh you down when you take your eyes off Jesus. Whenever you feel down and out or feel like your days are dark … LOOK TO JESUS…. He promised to never leave or forsake you. “Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” Psalms 34:17-18 (MSG)
Once you get to know Him, you will find that he makes promises that you can trust and believe in. Will you trust Him? Learn to love him? No matter how close it seems to the end or what devastating circumstances you may face you have to know that He has you in the palm of His hands. “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” Isaiah 49:16 (ESV).
What About Your Friends?!
The next thing God told me to do was to check my friends. Fortunately for me I have a wonderful boyfriend and besties that always help me shift my perspective from negative to positive. “Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” Proverbs 27:9 (MSG) I have divine connections that God sent me, but everyone is not as fortunate. Pray for God to send you the love and support you need to make it to the next level He’s calling you to. Then ask God to use you as a conduit of His love to help others make it to their next level. If you already have supportive friends and family pray to keep those relationships intact.
Love Yourself!
The final tip I would like to share in this post to assist you with receiving your perspective shift is to be kind to yourself. Listen my love… you are going to have to learn to love on you! Be patient with and kind to yourself. I am saved and I love the Lord Jesus with my whole heart, but I’ve spent decades in bondage. God has revealed and keeps revealing to me that there is so much junk He must work out of me. But guess what? It’s not all up to me! God will work those things out of me. I know that sometimes it feels like you’re being hit with everything at once. Think of those times as preparation for the next level of restoration.
There were/are still some past wounds I’ve not been healed from. A lot of the time your negative emotions are a result of your experience. Most of the time those that were there to help create the negative experiences aren’t there to help sort through toxic emotions… go see someone who will. Child of God, I urge you to go wherever the Holy Spirit is telling you to go. Please! Go to therapy, counseling or some other form of support. Go get the help that you need. Always remember that asking for help or even realizing that you need it doesn’t make you weak it makes you strong.
Here is a prayer I wrote based on instructions from the Holy Spirit that resides in me to assist you with healing from toxic emotions. Please say this prayer (out loud if possible) and receive the healing that God is trying to give you today!
Prayer for Healing from Toxic Emotions:
Heavenly Father we pray grace and mercy over anyone who has read this message. We pray that they receive your peace in their hearts. The peace that passes all understanding. May this message conveying your love be received and their minds be renewed. Please show us how to put on the armor of God, especially the Helmet of Salvation so that we may be protected in this fight against the enemy and dark forces. God you have so many wonderful things in store for us and we want to receive them all. Show us how to take hold of and keep the proper perspective so that our thought life can be aligned with what you have for us. Most importantly, help us ensure that we have you on the throne of our hearts. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.
- More information on the full Armour of God can be found in Ephesians 6:10-18.
The Love JC Ministry 