Anyone else struggle with shifting moods?
Week 22 – Celebrating 100 Years of Oswald Chambers
SCRIPTURE: “Acquire your soul with patience” 2 Peter 1:5 (RV)
OSWALD: “There are certain things in life that we need not pray about— moods, for instance. We will never get rid of moodiness by praying, but we will by kicking it out of our lives. Moods nearly always are rooted in some physical circumstance, not in our true inner self. It is a continual struggle not to listen to the moods which arise as a result of our physical condition, but we must never submit to them for a second. We have to pick ourselves up by the back of the neck and shake ourselves; then we will find that we can do what we believed we were unable to do. The problem that most of us are cursed with is simply that we won’t. The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh. – (My Utmost for His Highest, May 20th)
Read the entire post:
How It Spoke to Me…
I’m a happy girl most of the time. Except when I’m not. 🙁
Most of my life, I lived on an emotional roller coaster. Up one day – down the next.
It was during one of those down-dooby-doo-down-down days, that I first read Oswald’s words on moods. It had been a difficult week filled with dizziness left over from a cold combined with an overwhelming amount of work at home and at church. My lower back was hurting and I just wanted to curl up and sleep for a year or two.
But the devotional cut through my self-pity and diagnosed an issue I’d struggled with for years. Moodiness and a habitual capitulation to whatever I was currently feeling.
Everyone has a blue day now or then…after all, life is difficult. It seems only right to throw a full-fledged pity party when things don’t go our way. But, as Christians, we are called to maturity and part of maturity is to put away childish things…like temper tantrums and tizzy fits.
To take ourselves, like Oswald says, by “the back of the neck and shake ourselves” and give ourselves a little talking to like the psalmist did.
“Why are you downcast, O my soul?” Psalm 42:11 says. “…Put your hope in God.” When you consider the entire chapter, the writer appears to have a lot of reasons to be sad. God seems far away, he is in physical pain and tormented by enemies. And yet in the middle of legitimate excuses to feel moody, the writer pours out his pain but refuses to give in to despair.
You see, what Oswald Chambers says is true…I’ve tried praying away my blues, but instead of dispersing them, my moods only seem to increase with the increased attention.
It is when I stand up and say, “No more, in Jesus name!” that I have experienced victory. For I’ve learned that if I don’t master my emotions, moodiness proves to be a slippery slope that can lead to full-fledged depression.
So, out you go, moody blues! As for me and my shifting emotions… we’re putting our hope in God.
Overcoming Moodiness Scriptures
Use the following verses to kick out your not-so-groovy moods. Declare the scriptures aloud:
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again–my Savior and my God! (Psalm 42:11 NLT)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (Psalm 55:22 NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6 NLT)
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV)
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3 ESV)
Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. (1 Peter 5:8 CEV)
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 NLT)
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NLT)
FREE Verse Download
If you’ve been following the series, you’ll see that this entry was from last week, but this topic and these verses were just too good not to share.
To help remind us of God’s promises, I’ve created a downloadable sheet of the “12 Mood-Changing Scriptures” shared above. (You’ll get two copies to a sheet – tuck one in your Bible and share the other with a friend!)
[ Click HERE for an instant download!! ]
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I’d love to hear from you…What helps you overcome moodiness?