F.L.A.T.

I watched a teaching series (fulfilled), and the speaker talked about how she needed to beware of the enemy trying to destroy her. She had to learn to watch out for H.A.L.T., which stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. So the enemy(Satan) does not attack her. 1 peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. The word devour means to eat hungrily or quickly. The implication in the context is that if you do not bring your worries and cares to God, the devil will use depression and discouragement to devour you. Just as lions go after the feeble, the young, and the stranglers, so the enemy of our souls will always seek out those who are isolated, alone, or depressed to devour them. 

Serious, isn’t it? It is. Remember, God only has a stripe down the enemy’s authority, not his power, so he can still study, analyze, and deceive us into thinking that those emotions are acceptable and that you are entitled to feel them. That’s why we need to be watchful and alert. Subsequently, that acronym resonated with me so much because as a woman, daughter, wife, and mother, especially as a believer, I have been there many times, and I remember feeling ashamed, embarrassed, and guilty for feeling this way and condemning myself. So please, if you are a Christian who feels this way, know YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Remembering where I was and why I was feeling those emotions made me go into a pit where, thankfully, through prayer, studying his word, faith-filled friends, books, bible studies, etc. Yes, I know it looks like a lot, but it was a process that helped me to get out of it. I needed to be vulnerable and raw towards God so that he could heal and transform me. TRUST THE PROCESS makes you grow, mature, and stronger,

While going through the process, God placed many ladies in my life who needed the same help, which I could help and continue to encourage myself. Also, God brought into my life my beautiful bestie, who said to me process your emotions. Don’t let them process you. Lysa Terkeurst says Feelings should be indicators, not dictators; they can indicate some emotions to process but not dictate how we act or react in a situation. You see, God gave us feelings, and we get to feel, and they are real, but what we do with those feelings and how we act toward them makes the difference.

Here is what I have learned and applied in my life.

1.     Rebuke, replace, and repeat—rebuke the feelings (thoughts), replace them with the word of God, and repeat until they are rooted in you.  

2. Heart examination—Check your heart; do the 5Ws: What am I feeling, who is making me feel this way, where has it occurred, when did it start, and why am I feeling this way? Once we check, we can realize the root of our emotions and feed our spirit with the word of God, pray, and fix it.

3.     Start your day with Jesus- whether reading a devotional or having quiet time, start with his word. Stay your day with Jesus- mediate in what you have read or studied. Have a dialog with Him (yes, I am that lady who is talking in her car) and End your day with Jesus- write down whatever you have learned, need to improve, need to apply, need to change, and thank him for all of it. Pray

4.     Surround yourself with faith-filled friends. Faith-filled friends are great at encouraging you, speaking life into you, reminding you of who you are in Christ, and even sometimes smacking you (not literally) to speak the truth in love because they love you too much to allow you to live in lies and despair.  

5.     Speak honestly, be raw, and be humble with God. Trust me, he can handle it, and he wants to hear all about it. He cares about you, all of you. So, tell him how you feel and ask him to remove it. He already knows, but he wants you to tell him so he can help you.

6.     Pray-You have the best defense and it is prayer, thoughts or feelings come to your way halt with prayer. It is powerful and effective

7.    Praise God; praise him loud, then sing your heart out. Sing praise and worship until those feelings and thoughts subside. The louder those thoughts or feelings are, the louder your praise should be. God is greater; praise on even if you look crazy. The enemy does not mess with crazy.

8.     Beware of F.L.A.T. - For me, the acronym is F.L.A.T. (Frustrated, Lonely, Angry, and Tired). Yes, flat (you probably feel this way anyway). Sorry, I'm just being a little wordy clever. But when these emotions are present, I am vulnerable to my flesh flaming up and to the enemy's attack.

9. Think positively and do fun activities like dancing (I love to dance), going to the movies, bowling, having a girl’s night out, massaging (this helps me relax, which I love), or whatever brings joy, peace, rest, and love into your life.

10. Isolation is your enemy. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you are the only one feeling this way. Nothing is wrong, and it is normal to feel this way or be this way. No one would understand; they are just going to judge or criticize. Don’t suffer alone, nor dwell on your emotions. 

11.  Speak out loud- confess the scriptures and speak His truth over your emotions. Yes, words matter. God’s words matter, and you matter. Say who you are in Christ, who you are, and what is possible.

12. Post it- If you are dealing with loneliness, anxiety, depression, perfection, fear, failure, unworthiness, comparison, etc., write scriptures on the subject and post it all over your home, car, phone, tablet, mirror, and whatever you can see, remind yourself of God’s truth and silence the negative talk.  

13. Be your own best friend- Chrystal Evans Hurst says "It is good to have people in your life who cheer you on or give you guidance, but you must be willing to encourage yourself so you can keep your momentum going". You have the power in your lips to speak life or death into your life. Be careful of how you speak to yourself. Words are gifts to ourselves and others. It is your job to remind yourself who you are in Christ, who you are, and what God says you are. (I am precious, I am loved, I am worthy) Sometimes to move forward requires for you to encourage yourself even if no one else is doing it. Speak life and be kind to yourself. Even if you are doing it every day and out aloud (craziness I know) but let’s be honest you easily would speak positively to a friend or someone else but not to yourself. So, teach and learn to coach your lips, mind, and heart to be your biggest fan and FIGHT for you.  

14. This is a lifelong process where it is essential to continually need to refresh, renew, and feed your mind. God says in the bible again I say unto you…Therefore, I need to work on it constantly.

So, dear friend, you can apply any of these methods today and no longer need to let your thoughts or emotions govern your life. I know our lives are hectic, chaotic, and simply busy, but now more than ever, we need to stop allowing our emotions to dictate how we feel and act on how we feel. It’s okay to say I’m feeling overwhelmed, tired, etc., but God has not given you these feelings to condemn, dwell, carry, guilt, or pity yourself. He gave you those feelings so you could recognize what you were feeling. They say to God I feel defeated, but your word says I am victorious  (Rev: 12:11). I feel defeated. Still, you say I am more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). I feel I'm not able, but you say I am able (2Cor 9:8) I feel I can't do it, but you say I can do all things (Phil 4:13) I feel not smart enough but you say I will give you wisdom (1 Cor 1:30) Feelings come and go, but his love does not. Know that you are loved, blessed, chosen, the apple of the Father’s eye, equipped, worthy, forgiven, able, and much more.

I can’t say that the devil will not stop putting thoughts in your mind, but when you are rooted in HIS word, you can nip in the bud and tell Satan NOT TODAY and overcome. You are not your feelings; you must tell your heart and brain that we do not go by what we feel or see but by faith. Live by what you know, not by how you feel. Even if you are living by your feelings, open the bible, and you will know what God says to do. We need to align our emotions with the word of god.

I decided to live by faith regardless of how I feel or see, even if my current situation or feelings haven’t changed. I refuse to let the enemy deceive me that he has won. I am an overcomer, and I press on because God is faithful, plus we have the victory.