Your Devotional Life Will Determine Your Emotional Life

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

There is a battle going on for control of your mind every day. It's an epic fight to control 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. Rather, he will attack your weaknesses to zap your strength.

The animated Pixar movie Inside Out tells the story of five emotions: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Sadness, and Joy. These emotions grapple for control of the mind of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. The movie cleverly illustrates how Riley navigates these emotions daily and how, when they get out of control, these emotions can hurt her and the lives around her. The same is true for us. When you wake up every morning, the enemy sends divisive emotions to fight for control. The main goal is to steal your joy and control your thoughts and mind. But there is hope! When you start looking for hope to deal with these seemingly never-ending emotions, only one thing is required - sitting at Jesus' feet.

If you are reading this devotional, you are putting Jesus first. Your response, perspective, and view of each day start with who or what you put first. When you put Jesus first, you are allowing the Prince of Peace to take control of your thoughts and emotions; there, you will find victory, even amid the storm. The Word of God is the most powerful tool we have. 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” (Philippians 4:13). "The battle is not mine; the battle is the Lord's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). "If God is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31).

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 might say, "I wish I would have thought of that." A God idea is where you would say, "I would have never thought of that." We need some "I would have never thought of that" moments on this journey.

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" (NLT). 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 (NIV). 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" (NLT).

When you make the daily choice to put Jesus first in your life, your thoughts will slowly but steadily shift. Your thoughts will eventually move from war to peace, sadness to joy, despair to hope. Every day, make spending time with Jesus your first priority. He will respond and give you all the things you need and more.

I will make a bold statement: The majority of favor I have received in life and ministry has not been due to things I’ve done, but from the times I have spent with Jesus. He is your ultimate power source. If your desire to do more for God is greater than your desire to spend time with God, you have a power issue.

Here is the definition of devotion: To show love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause. The question is, what are you devoted to? What do you spend the most time doing? I had to ask myself that question. I found myself spending more time on things in life that were temporal instead of spending time on what would be eternal. When you look at it that way, it changes your perspective. Although putting God first will help you in the short and long term. Why? Because you are building your relationship with the One who can do it all for you daily.

Daily devotional life will take your relationship with God to a new level. If I compared the favor I had in my life while putting Jesus first to the years I was sporadic in my devotional life, there would be no comparison between the two. God’s blessing and favor have been exponential in all facets of my life since making Him a daily priority. When you get up in the morning and put Jesus first place in your life, watch for His goodness to chase you down.

Pray this: Dear God, Your Word says that when I put You first in my life, all of these things will be added. I stand on that promise today. I will not fight my emotions on my own. I will let You fight the battle for me. Amen (So be it).

Declare this: There is hope and grace for today. I choose to surrender my emotions at the feet of Jesus and trust that He has everything I need. I will see His goodness as I put Him in first place in my life. I know that all of His blessings will be added to my life daily!

Win for today: I will give God the first 15 minutes of my day by praying, reading His Word, or meditating on a devotional as I spend time with Him.

For more encouragement for special needs parents, visit www.championsfamilies.com