Today, you will learn what to do when you hit an emotional pressure point. We have a new printable packet for you to add to your other packet from lesson 7. That packet taught you what to do when you are tempted. This one is for you to use when you are overwhelmed. Go ahead and download and print it. (If you downloaded The Worship Strategy Book at the beginning of this course, it is all in there on pages 21-26.)

Feelings of anger, rage, hate, fear, anxiety, sadness, depression, laziness or impatience can feel overwhelming. Once you notice that there is a crack in your pipe, however, you can do something about it before the mess gets out of control. The first thing that you have to do is to turn off the water by going to a private place to process your emotions.

How do you start dealing with a flood of emotions? You start by talking to Jesus through his ghost, the Holy Spirit that lives in your spirit with you. Even though he lives in you, his thoughts are different from yours. You have to ask him to influence your mind by giving you his viewpoint. Then, you can take his thoughts about your situation and use them to replace your cracked, leaky pipes. The next time that you feel this intense pressure come up in your daily life, your new thoughts will carry your emotions to the proper outcome (the fruit of love, joy and peace).

This doesn't mean that you will not feel these negative emotions anymore. It just means that you will know what to do when hurtful things happen. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you will remember that God can help you to handle the situation appropriately (in a loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle way).

Since lesson 7, you have been learning how to handle temptation. It's time to practice doing this in an emotional crisis. That means you will stop what you are doing the next time you feel badly and go to your private place for a while. You will need some supplies: a journal (paper and pen or a notebook app) and a Bible or Bible app (we recommend Logos).

While you are there, you will learn how to recognize the devil's influence in your mind and use the Bible to hear God's thoughts instead. Here's how:

In your prayer journal, write a note to God about how you are feeling and why. This will help you to get your thoughts out of your head. Then, ask God for a Bible verse that explains how he sees your situation. To find this verse, you can use "The 30 Battlegrounds" pages from your last packet, or you can go online and use Bible search tools. If you don't know how to do that, just open your Bible to the Table of Contents. Turn to a place somewhere in between Romans and Philemon and keep reading until God to speaks his thoughts to you. Write down the new thoughts that he gives you. If you need more instructions, see your new packet, "The Intimacy Strategy."

If you want peace, love and joy, God will show you how to have them.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

-Matthew 7:7-12

God will give you a good solution to your situation that allows you to treat others just the way you would want to be treated.

Assignment 12: Use the text in bold above for breakthrough this week.