Joy of Emotional Strength

 

    Feelings change according to what we focus on.  You feel what you are thinking.  If you want to feel good, then look at what you are thinking about in a positive way.  It will be healthy and constructive.  Focus on what is good instead of bad and your health will do better.  Intentionally down play what is dissatisfactory in your life and it will loose it's power over your emotions.

    Your perspective comes from what you focus on: good or bad, blesses or cursed, gratitude or discontent.  Life does not have to be good for you to find joy. let reason direct your emotions to make wise decisions in life.  Maximize your joy by minimizing your negative emotions.  

    Suppressing emotions will not work.  At the same time expressing all of them will not help.  What other options are out there?  You choose to grow emotionally strong.  Your choices will lead to actions.  You think of a strategic plan and you put it into motion.

    Negative emotions are like a fire that need to be contained.  You can't feed the fire and you can't ignore the fire.  You extinguish them with positive emotions through constructive thinking.  Acknowledge your negative emotions, so you can address and deal with the emotional pain.  God wants you emotionally and physically healthy, so find that harmony to be able to be intune with Him.

    Emotional pain is an indicator that something is wrong and needs to be fixed or healed.  Do not ignore it or it will only get worse making harder to deal with down the road.  Evaluate to see if any critical needs are going unmet.  What needs to be maintained?  Sometime if you just eat or get a little sleep things can get better.  

    Challenge the validity of your negative emotions.  Emotions are not always based on truth.  Check in to make sure that the truth is fueling your emotions and not assumptions or ideology.  If you do not control your emotions, then your emotions will control you.  Allow God to be your compass on what is validated to address or what to overlook and redirect.  God is the ruler of your life, not your emotions.

Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 23, 46:1-3, 73:21-26, Isaiah 40:28-31, Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Ephesians 3:14-19, Philippians 4:10-14, & James 1:2-4