THE WORD OF GOD SAYS
BE KIND TO OTHERS
Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.
James 2:12-13 MSG
LEARN TO MASTER OF YOUR EMOTIONS WITH THE HELP OF GOD’S WORD
God spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.”
Genesis 4:6-7 MSG
GREAT LEADERS DON’T DO CRAZY!
A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.
1 Timothy 3:1-7 The Message (MSG)
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT YOU AND SEE GOD
… We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior…
Titus 2:1-6 MSG
STAY CALM AND COLLECTED
When besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool.
Psalm 27:3 MSG
PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them . They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.
Matthew 23:1-3 MSG
HAVE A SOUND MIND
A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones.
Proverbs 14:30 MSG
STINKING MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL GARBAGE
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
Galatians 5:19-21 MSG
RELAX!
“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving . People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends! The Father wants to give you the very kingdom itself.
Luke 12:29-32 MSG
I said to myself, “Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings. Soul, you’ve been rescued from death; Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears; And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling.”
Psalm 116:7-8 MSG
DON’T BE DOUBLE-MINDED BY BEING DOUBTFUL
If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind. For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].
James 1:5-8 AMP
DON’T BE A SCATTERBRAIN!
But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.
James 1:25 MSG
THE NASTY SURPRISE FOR THE ONE WITH CRAZY EMOTIONS
If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures, don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights.
Proverbs 30:32-33 MSG
LET NOTHING OVERWHELM YOU—HAVE A REPENTANT LIFESTYLE
No evil can overwhelm a good person, but the wicked have their hands full of it.
Proverbs 12:21 MSG
OFFENDING GOD
The way [of life] of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, but He loves one who pursues righteousness [personal integrity, moral courage and honorable character].
Proverbs 15:9 AMP
THE DANGER OF SPEAKING OUT AGAINST GOD—CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS
They set out from Mount Hor along the Red Sea Road, a detour around the land of Edom. The people became irritable and cross as they traveled. They spoke out against God and Moses: “Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water—we can’t stomach this stuff any longer.”
Numbers 21:4-5 MSG
LIVING A LIFE THAT ECHOES GOD’S WORD
Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore— you’re the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom.
1 Thessalonians 1:7-10 MSG
DON’T SNAP AT EACH OTHER
Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 MSG
RELAX YOUR FACE
Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts. We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders, not lying around sponging off your friends.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 MSG
JESUS DIDN’T ALLOW HIS EMOTIONS TO CONTROL HIM—LIVE LIKE HE DID
Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6 NLT
KEEP IT QUIET
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
Psalms 37:7 NIV
PRAY, IF THINGS ARE TOO MUCH FOR YOU
Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything.
Mark 11:22-25 MSG
BE HAPPY AND DO THE RIGHT THING
You meet those who happily do what is right…
Isaiah 1-7 MSG
THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD CONDUCT YOURSELF AS GOD’S REPRESENTATIVE
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
WALK CLOSELY WITH GOD AND THEN YOUR SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING WILL ABUNDANTLY INCREASE
Peter, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those [elect—both Jewish and Gentile believers] who live as exiles, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia [Minor], and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by the sanctifying work of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be yours in increasing abundance [as you walk closely with God].
1 Peter 1:1-2 AMP
THE WORD OF GOD WILL PROTECT YOUR SOUL—FAITH COMES BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD
My faith shelters my soul continually in Yahweh. Why would you say to me: “Run away while you can! Fly away like a bird to hide in the mountains for safety.
Psalms 11:1 TPT
YOU WILL BECOME MORE STABLE IN YOUR EMOTIONS WHEN YOU DWELL IN GOD’S PRESENCE
HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
Psalm 91:1 AMPC