7 Toxic Emotions

My Cascade Divisional Women's Ministries Secretary sent this out and I really liked reading it, thought you would too...

"Biblical Prescriptions for 7 Toxic Emotions that Sap Your Energy

1. Worry
Although it is certainly tempting to worry in these tough economic times, the Bible specifically tells us not to do so. Not to worry about clothes or food or what might happen tomorrow. Yet Christians worry anyway, don't we? Matthew 6:27: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
You have to believe that God is looking out for you.
People claim they don't have TIME to meditate on scripture.......but what is WORRY? It's meditating on your problems. Think about it: worry is nothing more than meditation--thinking about something over and over and over. The problem is you are meditating on your problems --which can do you no possible good. So take the SKILLS you have developed through years of WORRY--your ability to play the same record over and over again--and put it to good use.
The Bible says meditating on God's Word can literally bring healing to our bodies.
My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body. Prov. 4:20-22
Why not let MEDITATION become one of your favorite MEDICATIONS? You can, at the very least, supplement your medication with meditation and I guarantee your medication will work much more effectively when taken with a dose of meditation.


2. Anxiety
In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon points out that when you're anxious, you can't even sleep at night. How many of us lay awake, wracked with anxiety? What if this, what if that, what if the other thing. We get ourselves all worked up. You think that doesn't take a toll on your health? Think again!
Phil. 4:4-9 says:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
The Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom, which means WHOLENESS. Total Well-being: maximum health in your spirit, soul and body. That's what God wants for his children. Ask of him and he will surely give you his peace. If the cure for worry is meditation, the cure for anxiety is prayer.


3. Fear
It's been aptly said that 90% of what we fear never happens. What a waste of time! The Bible commands us "Do not fear" 83 times. Fear is the opposite of trust--the command to TRUST occurs 87 times. Do not be afraid, instead, TRUST the Lord.
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; Isaiah 43:1-5
Fear literally releases ADRENALINE into the body. Unfortunately, our body will only produce so much adrenaline before the adrenal glands are just wiped out. That's why Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome has been dubbed the Disease of the 21st Century. The Bible has the antidote for EVERY one of our destructive emotions. And the cure for fear is trust.


4. Anger
Go ahead and throw a good fit. Do it. See how it makes you feel?
My friend, Rachel, was struggling with anger toward her mother-in-law. When Rachel's husband died of an alcohol-overdose at the age of 37, his mother blamed Rachel. Which was ridiculous because Rachel was powerless to stop her husband's drinking. And few people suffered more from his drinking than Rachel and her three small children. Nevertheless, her mother-in-law hired attorneys to literally rob Rachel and her children of the inheritance that was due to them. She did everything in her power to make their lives more difficult. Almost every time I talked to Rachel, she would be angry and upset about the situation.
One day, as she was getting worked up about the latest rotten thing her mother in law had done, I said: "She sounds like she's in a lot of pain. She doesn't want to face the truth about her son. I think you should pray for her."
That was four years ago. Recently, Rachel told me that was the best advice anyone had ever given her. Praying really changed her heart toward her mother-in-law even though it didn't change her mother-in-law's behavior. The woman is now dying, so Rachel took the children to visit her. They were able to speak kindly to their grandmother, viewing her through their mother's eyes of compassion.....rather than anger. Most important, Rachel felt wonderful because she did not let this angry person turn her into an angry person.
The cure for anger is compassion--seeing the person who hurt you as a hurting person.


5. Self-Pity
This is the toughest one for me to address.....because I still struggle with this. But I'm not as bad as I used to be and I find some consolation in that. I was literally consumed with self-pity and it almost destroyed me. Poor, poor pitiful me. How the world had done me wrong. No one could get within a mile of me without hearing a litany of my woes. Yet I couldn't figure out why my phone never rang. I had one person in particular I liked to complain to, because she not only listened sympathetically, she would add little commentary that confirmed she knew the magnitude of my suffering. I'll call her Cindy. I figured it was good for Cindy to listen to my woes, since she always had a great big smile on her face and obviously had life "made in the shade." I mean , she never indicated having any problems of her own.
Then one day a mutual friend mentioned in passing that Cindy was dying. "Dying? As in dying dying? But she's only in her 40s. How is that possible?" It turns out that Cindy had contracted an incurable disease some five years ago and has been battling it ever since. She's been through several rounds of chemotherapy; but there's no cure. Cindy is dying. But Cindy is remarkably happy.
And do you know why??? Because Cindy REFUSES to feel sorry for herself. She REFUSES to wallow in self-pity. And she doesn't waste her time trying to solicit other people's pity. That's why she never once mentioned her terminal illness to me, in between my pitiful tales of burnt toast and fat thighs. Although she did share this sage advice with me one day, "You know, Donna, everybody has their own bag of rocks to carry."
And I started to think about that. Everyone has their own bag of rocks. Everyone has their own war stories. Their own heartaches. What right do I have to ask other people to carry my bag in addition to their own? What right did I have to burden down this dying woman with my never-ending self-pity trip?
No right at all. That's why Jesus told us to lay our burden's down at his feet, to make it easier for us to resist the temptation to lay them down at every one else's door. Cast all your cares upon him, because he cares for you. And he is the only one with the strength to carry your bag of rocks.
I believe Depression sometimes has a biochemical basis. In particular, I think post-partum depression, along with menopausal and PMS-related symptoms are very real--and may require medical attention. But a lot of depression is the direct result of wallowing in self-pity. You know, it is almost impossible to stay depressed without feeling sorry for yourself. If you're depressed, the best thing you can do is help someone else. If you are depressed because of a biochemical imbalance, reaching out won't hurt you....and it may just help by putting your problems into perspective. No matter how bad you think you've got it, there's always someone who's worse off.
The cure for self-pity is reaching out to HELP someone else.


6. Remorse
There's no point dwelling on the past. You can't change it anyway. Even if you've made mistakes, all you can do is ask the forgiveness of those involved, perhaps make some form of restitution...then move forward. Too many Christians waste their lives beating themselves up for past mistakes when God clearly says all is forgiven and forgotton:
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12
My pastor always says, "The next time you are beating yourself up, watch the Passion of the Christ. Cue up to the scene where the Roman soldiers are beating Jesus. Then look him in the eye and call him a liar. Tell him, 'Jesus, you lied! You said you took the full punishment for my sin. You said it was finished and the debt was pain in full. But you lied--there is still more to pay for my sin. That's why I have to beat myself up. You weren't beaten badly enough."
Can you honestly say that?
The cure for remorse is throwing yourself at the foot of the cross.


7. Evil-Surmisings
Evil-Surmisings means assuming the worst about people and situations. Jumping to conclusions before you have all the information. The mind is very complex and it can play tricks on us. We can create problems out of thin air! Women are notorious for doing this to their husbands, especially when they have to work late at night! Don't allow your mind to spiral out of control, imagining various scenarios and offenses. Discipline your mind to focus, not on what "might" be true, but strictly on what you know to be true: God's Word. Life is filled with enough troubles without manufacturing more in your head. Let your mind be filled with the things of the Spirit, which brings life and peace. Choose to do what the Bible says, "Believe the best."


Hope this was helpful to you.
Blessings
Donna Partow "