Part Two of Two

This is a continuation of what we began yesterday. This comes for hearing Rick Warren’s help to “A Faith That Leads to Emotional Health”. It touches hearts where it hurts. It is helping my heart and providing healing from God as I work through his “ten commandments” for greater emotional health during the Covid crisis.

These are my notes and practical ways of applying what I have learned. For the complete message go to: https://donate.pastorrick.com/donation/ea2005a2…

Let’s us continue…

6. Share Your Feelings Instead of Stuffing Them

“Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

We are imperfect humans. We live in a world that cares only for themselves. We fall into those habits of selfishness as believers at times. We do and say dumb things that, at the time, seem harmless to us. Maybe we were saying it just to be funny or to sarcastically make a point. These words and deeds do not come from a heart of love. When it hurts someone else it is time to confess it. Stop and confess it, seek forgiveness from it and work to move forward in peace.

When we don’t confess and apologize, these hurts build and fester like a injury left unattended. It hurts even more in times of trouble, like a quarantine, that changes everything in our lives. Share the troubles with those who love and accept you most. Jesus want us to love each other like He loves us. So it makes sense to love each other in ways that allow them to be as comfortable in sharing troubles and feelings as we would with Jesus, Himself.

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, so that you may be healed.” James 5:16 (KJV)

To hold it in is like blowing up a balloon until it surpasses what it can hold and it eventually bursts sending pieces everywhere!

7. Seek Advice Before Making Major Decisions
I have heard in past counseling classes I’ve had in college that you should NOT make major life-changing decisions during a crisis. Our minds are not in the right frame of mind. We push away wisdom and fall to our feelings. Our feelings are not to be trusted!

“Our plans often fail because we don’t seek advice. But listening to good counsel will bring success.” Proverbs 15:22

“There is safety in seeking multiple counsel.” Proverbs 11:14

Seek advice from believers who know you well, see your gifts and abilities, and love you like Jesus does. Then heed their advice. Listen to them!

“When in doubt…DON’T” as been helpful to me in my adult years. I haven’t always followed that mantra, however, and ended up in more trouble than I had before.

8. Space Renewal Breaks Throughout My Day

“Even young people become exhausted and give up too soon. But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. The will soar like eagles. They’ll keep running and NOT grow weary. They’ll walk and not grow weak.” Isaiah 40:30-31

As we work our way through establishing new qua-routines, pray for wisdom from God who is not trying to break you but will work in you to renew His Spirit in your Mind, Heart and Soul that He holds precious to Him. Remember, God acts in our lives from a heart of unchanging love, mercy and grace that protects, guides, provides, comforts, and challenges us to grow in His character.

Wait, don’t run ahead of God thinking we know what is best to “fix it”, whatever “it” is. Allow the Lord to do what He does best…renew and restore as He makes the path clear and attainable.

As we said earlier, take time to rest between activities. Take a walk, smell the roses, consider all that God has brought us through in the past as well as currently. Trust Him for our future. Praise Him for He is God and we are not. The more we trust the less anxiety we will have if your trust is in God.

9. Serve Someone Suffering More Than Me
“The religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans or widows who need help in their distress and to keep yourself uncorrupted by the world.” James 1:27

“The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)

The world says “we are all in the same boat”…but we are not. We are in the same storm, but NOT in the same boat. Some have yachts while others are bailing out their rowboats. When we look up to God and around at the needs of our neighbors, we can’t possibly keep looking at ourselves.

When we help others, our emotional health skyrockets, not because of the “feel good feeling”, but because we are obeying God’s leading to help. When we help others at a moment’s notice without thinking about the consequences or expecting anything in return, or who knows about it, we just help, it is then that we are maturing in the way Jesus wants.

10.  Control the Controllable and Trust God for the Rest

(From Abraham’s example) “We see that his faith and his actions worked together. His faith was made complete by what he did.” James 2:22

Do what you can as the Lord leads and let God do the rest. He gives us what we need when we need it as we join Him in HIS work. He is at work always. We can rely on knowing God knows.

Let us pray for God to make our faith complete. May our faith and hope in Christ that leads to greater and better emotional health be paramount in our thinking and behaving each day we rise greet a new day. Be grateful for the new day. For God made it and gave it to us. “Rejoice and be glad in it.” May the peace of Christ rule our hearts.

Dear Lord and Savior,
Lead us in the ways we should go. You have our attention. You have my life. Heal me. Heal our land.
In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.