Don’t live at the mercy of your emotions

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Live long, live well”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t live at the mercy of your emotions”

Isaiah 41:10 is one of my favorite passages from the Old Testament. It paints a picture of a person who is stable and steady, confident and peaceful. The person is that way because they trust in and lean on the Lord. It reminds me of another Old Testament passage which is also from the pen of Isaiah. Isaiah 26:3 reminds us, “You will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on you.”

That brings us back to what we were thinking about yesterday about learning to manage your emotional health by bringing your emotionally charged issues to the Lord in prayer and then leaving them with Him (Philippians 4:6-7). If we will do that then as Paul wrote, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”

The spiritually mature Christian has control over his or her emotions. Theirs is a life that is steady and stable, calm and peaceful, with their emotions well under control. By contrast, if you live at the mercy of your emotions, you are in for a wild ride in life. Emotions tend to take us up and down and all around. Life becomes a rollercoaster of drama and exaggerated thinking (followed by exaggerated responses).

It has been rightly said that: “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts can.” and “We suffer more in our imagination than in reality.” Unregulated emotions do that. Out of control emotions make everything seem bigger and worse than it is, and to borrow a phrase from the Apostle James, such a person is as unstable as water.

Good emotional health is a key factor in our health overall. Unregulated emotions create enormous stress and have a negative impact on every other part of us, including on our physical and spiritual health. But God has given us Biblical principles which help us to master our emotions rather than living at the mercy of them. It’s critical that we follow Paul’s instruction in Philippians 4:6-7, and 4:8, and learn to control our emotions by committing those issues to the Lord and then truly leaving them with Him.

God never intended for you to live at the mercy of your emotions. It’s simply not healthy.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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