Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for allowing us to see a brand new day. Your love is the supreme source of our joy. It is everlasting. I pray that this written expression will be used to magnify your glory. That it will be a blessing to someone who is battling with consistency and transparency in their relationship with you. All praise, honor, and glory belong to you Father God – In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen.
Life is full of different emotions; at any given time we can experience joy, pain, happiness, anxiety, fear, and a host of other feelings. How we embrace the feelings we are experiencing is the most important part of the equation. When feeling low, sad, depressed, and/or disappointed; a choice to supplement this feeling usually manifest through one’s thought process. For example, thoughts of watching pornography, using drugs, getting drunk, or engaging in risky behaviors, to escape the reality of how one really feels. However, when the high is gone there is a dependency for more. Which can possibly lead to a new low. Depression and anxiety eventually creeps back into the equation, heavier than before, and the cycle of use will need to be repeated to achieve happiness that cannot be sustained.
At the core of true joy is love. In order to experience true joy I believe the substance of God’s love is a vital component. Acceptance of circumstantial feelings is imperative as we all are human, and will experience different emotions at any given time. A wise man once told me that I should embrace the misguided thoughts and feelings that surface. Slow down. Process thoughts of anxiety, feelings of temptation and impulsivity, and evaluate the evidence of what the ensuing choices will risk or help to gain. The alternative to embracing this vulnerability would be to act compulsively. Letting urges drive decision-making may eventually create a cycle that is difficult to break.
Discernment is a key component in the process of making smart choices. It is also crucial that we recognize how we feel, why we feel this way, and what we are going to do about it before impulsively making a decision. I challenge you to consider the following before deciding which direction to move in.
Matthew 16:25 (NKJV)
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
This passage of the bible suggests that finding direction begins with submitting our will to the power of The Almighty God. We have to lean on our faith, through our relationship with God, to guide us to the coordinates of being saved. After processing the way you feel. I suggest communicating with God through prayer about the direction that you should move in.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
Pay close attention to the first word in this passage of scripture. TRUST – Have faith that God’s counsel is sure. Have confidence that his direction will supply you with all of your needs. We all have our different substances; for some it may be social media, a shopping addiction, or anything that distracts us from the will of God. My relationship with God has served as the substance that drives processing through maladaptive feelings. For all of us that have been in the same repetitive cycle of anxiety, depression, anger, fear, or disappointment; I encourage submission to God’s will of relying on him. Acknowledge that you have sinned, repent, and ask for forgiveness. He will forgive you! Disregard your own understanding, and lean on him for direction. God Bless You!
Featured Musical Selection: Fred Hammond – I Will Trust
Starving Christians 