Emotions can get us good. We are all in our feelings about something, right? You might not feel good at your job; coworkers might be taking credit for something you worked hard for. Perhaps a friend is talking behind your back. Your spouse could be making bad financial choices. Whatever it is, they are in the wrong and you are obviously in the complete and total right. Sound familiar?
Or maybe you are super laid back and could care less about who has treated you that way; maybe you aren’t bothered by what is happening at work. But you just can’t stand how our government is just totally screwing us all over! Whatever it may be, there is unrest within you—an internal struggle. This is Satan tugging at your heart, hoping you will fall for it and act out of your flesh.
We tend to stick to our reactive, worldly ways and ignore the voice within, telling us to be still. If you choose your flesh, it will continue to grow, take more control over you, and steal your joy. Don’t let it! I want to encourage you with a few verses. Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up” (NIV). These passages can be memorized and used as affirmations. Even if your perception doesn’t change right away, trust me or better yet, trust Him—you will start seeing the fruit.
Jeremiah 32:17 says, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (NIV). Every person you ever meet, no matter how great they are, will let you down. Because they are human. Do you know the one person who will never fail you? Never give up on you? Will never give you the short end of the stick? You guessed it—God. If He created the heavens and the earth, He can absolutely handle everything in your life. Know that choosing not to react and just being still allows God to fight your battles. The Bible says if He is for us, who can be against us?
If in those moments you choose to turn towards Him, instead of reacting or going down a rabbit hole of reasons why you’re right or why you feel this way or blah blah blah, you might be surprised that He gives you just enough peace to change your mind. The goal is to focus on how to look at the situation through God’s lens and not through a self-centered lens.
If you managed to do this, guess what? You just put God first! It’s not easy and it takes practice. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (NIV). It might not happen all at once, and that’s okay. In the process, God is still worthy of praise and trust.
If you love the Lord, then you need to trust Him. Trusting in Him means trusting that all His ways and all His thoughts are higher than yours. Isaiah 55:9 says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (NIV).
It will take patience. We like to rush to accomplish things in our own timing and take our lives into our own hands. It will take redirecting your heart and mind towards God. But it is so worth it! Remember that He always keeps His promises. Stay in the word, trust Him and it will be easier to live life putting Him first.
