Think a Minute:
Did you know that God cares about your feelings and emotions? It’s true…but He doesn’t want you to be ruled by them. He doesn’t want you to just find a way to cope with negative emotions that undermine your life. He wants you to be completely free of them so you can become the whole person He made you to be. I have come to learn by experience that when one is emotionally fragile and hurting, we are not whole. Being whole means having peace about who you are and what you are doing. It means coming to a place of peace about your past and realizing you don’t have to live there anymore. As my dad once said to me, “You can visit the City of Regret once in a while, but don’t plan to build a home there!”
My friends, wholeness also means having peace about your present situation – even if you feel it is not yet good – because you trust that God will make it right. In addition, it means having peace about your future, no matter how scary it may seem. It is trusting that because you have surrendered your life to the Lord, your future is safe in His hands. If you struggle with negative emotions, know that God has freedom, healing, and restoration for you. This is a new day and a new beginning, and He is a God of redemption and healing. My prayer for you, if you are struggling, is the process of healing will happen quickly for you. But if it doesn’t, keep walking toward the wholeness God has for you. Listen to the Psalmist in God’s Word: “The Lord restores my soul and leads me on the right path” (Psalm 23:3). There is power in prayer….pray this prayer today:
“Lord, today I refuse all depression, anxiety, fear, dread, anger, and sadness, for I know they are not from You. by the power of Your Holy Spirit I resist the temptation to see the bad in life, and I ask You to open my eyes to the good. Enable me to sense Your presence at all times, no matter what is happening. My life is in Your hands, and Your love sustains me. May Your joy rise in my heart so fully that it crowds out all that is not of You. Help me to worship You often. Set me free from all negative emotions that have become a habit. Give me a garment of praise to take away the spirit of heaviness. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and Amen!”
Pastor Rob Pesola