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Hope for Today

Your Devotional Life Will Dictate Your Emotional Life

There is a battle going on for control of your mind every day. It's an EPIC fight for control of your thoughts, decisions, and actions. If the enemy can control your thoughts and feelings, he can debilitate your mind. The enemy doesn't initially attack your strengths, but your weaknesses to zap your strength.

The animated Pixar movie "Inside Out" is about five emotions that are personified as Anger, Disgust, Fear, Sadness, and Joy, who grapple for control of the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. The movie cleverly illustrates how Riley daily navigates these emotions and how, when they get out of control, these emotions can hurt her and the lives around her.

The same is true for us.

Every morning when you wake up, the enemy sends divisive emotions to fight for control. The main goal is to steal your JOY and control your thoughts and mind.

If you deal with fear, the emotion of fear comes in and highlights what you're most afraid of: failure, being overlooked, feeling alone.

If you deal with disgust, the emotion of disgust comes in and highlights your mistakes, your appearance, your feeling of self-worth.

If you deal with sadness, the emotion of sadness comes in and highlights your loss, your pain, your scars.

If you deal with anger, the emotion of anger comes in and highlights your regrets, your abuse, and your questions of "How could this happen to my child?"

This list could go on and on. But there is HOPE.

When you start looking for hope to deal with these seemingly never-ending emotions, there is only one thing that is required - sitting at Jesus' feet.

Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

If you are reading this devotional right now, you are putting Jesus first. And the Word of God is the most powerful tool we have.

Your devotional life will dictate your emotional life. Your response, perspective, and view of each day starts with who or what you put first.

When you make the daily choice to put Jesus first in your life, your thoughts will move from war to peace. Peace is power. I've learned over the years that peace and control cannot coexist. When we try to control things, we are not at peace. We have to let go and let God fight our battles daily.

When you put Jesus first, you are allowing the Prince of Peace to take control of your thoughts and emotions, and it is there you will find victory even amid the storm.

Find devotionals you can read every day. Commit to studying the scriptures. Declare them over your life each morning when you wake up. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." "The battle is not mine; the battle is the Lords." "If God is for us, who can be against us." Pray and listen for God's voice to provide the solutions you need.

There is a difference between a good idea and a God idea. A good idea is where you would say, "I wish I would have thought of that." A God idea is where you would say, "I would have never thought of that." On this journey, we need some "I would have never thought of that" moments.

Stop fighting the battles meant for God to fight. It's the Mary & Martha principle we see in Luke 10:41-42 where Jesus says to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."

Jesus didn't come to be served; He came to serve. When you allow Him to serve you, "all of these things will be added to you," as Matthew 6:33 says. He will give you just what you need when you need it. 2 Corinthians 9:8 promises that "God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."

Declare this: There is HOPE for today. I choose to surrender my emotions at the feet of Jesus and trust that He has everything I need.