God created us as emotional beings. At times, we may feel joy, excitement, or passion. At other times, we may feel sadness, sorrow, or discouragement. Feelings come to us all, but feelings don't always tell us the truth. Feelings are not facts. When you wake up in the morning, you can feel gloomy, but then you get a cup of coffee and feel great. Feelings can change on a dime. The mistake we make is to let feelings determine our mood. We wake up and feel the blahs, then go around discouraged. We feel offended by someone and go around upset. We have a bad break and feel self-pity, then wonder why we don’t enjoy life. It’s because we’re being ruled by our feelings.
You can’t stop negative feelings from coming, but you can choose to say, “Feelings, you are not my boss. You are not going to control my life.” This is what David did. He had armies coming against him, people slandering him, and even his own son was trying to take his throne. You can imagine how strong the negative feelings were—discouragement, anger, self-pity. When everything was saying, “Be depressed and sour,” David said, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). He wasn’t just being positive; he was telling his feelings, “You’re not going to rule me. You’re not going to determine my future.”
When we’re controlled by how we feel, that’s a very surface way to live. You have to go deeper than that. Your will is more powerful than your feelings. You have to say to the discouragement, “I will rejoice.” Say to the self-pity, “I will be glad today.” Say to the sadness, the blahs, the lack of passion, “You’re not going to control my life. I may feel you, but you’re not telling the truth. I will live this day in faith. I’m going to do what’s right. I want to enjoy my family. I’m going to be grateful. I’m choosing to have a good mood.” That’s how you rule your feelings. When you get your mind going in the right direction and fill it with thoughts of faith, hope, and victory, you’ll drive away the blahs, the discouragement, the discontentment.
Start telling your feelings that they’re not your boss. Don’t let them dictate your life. Where God is taking you is going to take stability and consistency, not being moody and upset. Every morning, start the day off in faith and say, “Father, thank You that this is going to be a great day.” If you rule over your emotions and choose to have a good mood, you’re going to live happier, have better relationships, and go so much further.