DAY 1 of Managing Your Emotions
DAY 1
It’s Your Choice
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
Deuteronomy 30:19
As you begin this ninety-day journey of learning to manage your emotions more effectively so you can be stable in an unstable world, it’s important to realize that no one is born knowing how to manage their emotions, but we can learn to do it. Making healthy, godly decisions when we feel like doing something else is vital to enjoying a victorious life. For years, I simply did what I felt like doing, and it got me into a lot of trouble. But God has taught me how to follow His Word instead of following my emotions. I don’t always succeed, but I have learned a lot about this and will continue learning all of my life.
People respond to emotions in various ways. Some ignore, deny, or suppress their feelings. Others respond physically—by overeating, drinking, exercising excessively, or substance abuse (whether that’s sugar, caffeine, prescription medications, or mood-altering drugs). Still others withdraw when emotions are intense, while others run to their friends or to social media to process how they feel. And there are some who go on cleaning sprees, and others take shopping trips. The list goes on. Perhaps you’ve experienced one or more of these unhealthy responses. If so, today is the day you can begin to handle your emotions in positive ways instead of negative ones.
In today’s scripture, God tells His people to “choose life.” This means to make decisions that lead to peace, joy, and stability. We learn how to make these decisions as we study His Word, and we find peace, joy, and stability as we obey it.
Prayer:
Thank You, God, for Your Word and for the ways it teaches me to choose life. Help me to obey it in every area of my life for as long as I live.
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The highs and lows of life bring many challenges, and our feelings want to swing accordingly, like an emotional roller coaster taking us from one extreme to another throughout the day – if we let them. Our emotions serve a purpose, but if we allow them to dictate how we choose to act, we lose our peace and stability, which only leads to confusion, anxiety, anger, and a host of other unhealthy attitudes. It’s a dangerous way to live and can cause us to make bad decisions that impact ourselves and others.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. The Bible contains wisdom to help you learn to manage your emotions each day, no matter what challenges life brings your way. And with this 90-day devotional, you’ll discover how to take charge of those fickle feelings before they take charge of you!
