Who's Defining You?
How to Stop Letting Your Emotions Be the Boss
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Hello everyone, Pastor Ras here.
Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up feeling off? Maybe you feel inadequate before your feet even hit the floor. Or perhaps a wave of anxiety greets you before your first sip of coffee. We have all been there.
Here is what I have learned in those moments. If I do not proactively tell my mind who I am, my emotions will happily try to define me instead. And friends, our emotions make terrible bosses.
Text graphic from All Nations Community Church reading: If you don’t tell your mind who you are, your emotions will try to define you. Pastor Ras encourages believers to start each day declaring who they are in Christ before emotions take over, reminding them that truth must lead and feelings will follow. From Week 1 of the Victory Mindset series.
Feelings are important, but they are not truth. They are responders. They react to circumstances, to tiredness, to old memories. If we let them, they will write a story about our identity that is completely different from the story God tells.
But there is a better way. A simple practice that can change your entire day before it even begins. It is this: every morning, declare who you are in Christ before your emotions get a vote.
This is not about positive thinking. This is about truth telling. You are not making anything up. You are aligning your thoughts with what God has already declared to be true about you in His Word.
Before you check your phone, before you scroll through social media, before the day's demands start shouting, speak the truth to your soul. Stand in front of your bathroom mirror if you need to and say:
"I am a new creation in Christ."
"I am deeply loved by God."
"I am forgiven and free."
"I am chosen and called."
"I am more than a conqueror."
You are setting the thermostat for your soul. Instead of letting your emotional temperature rise and fall with every changing circumstance, you are setting it to the constant, unwavering truth of God's Word.
Your feelings will eventually catch up to what your faith declares. It might not happen in an instant, but as you consistently feed your mind truth, your emotions will learn to fall in line. They will begin to respond to God's reality rather than defining your own.
Do not wait to feel loved to act loved. Do not wait to feel strong to walk in strength. Declare it first. Believe it first. Watch how your feelings follow.
Prayer of the Day:
Heavenly Father, thank you that my identity is secure in Christ. Help me to start each day by declaring who I am in you. When my feelings rise up and try to tell me a different story, bring your truth to my mind. Teach me to trust your Word more than my emotions. May my life be built on the solid foundation of who you say I am. In Jesus' name, Amen.