day 38- the means to transform my mind's feelings

Our feelings must be transformed for us to be at our best, true selves. Love, joy, and peace can saturate our minds as we allow them free reign within us. What are the means to accomplish this? Remember we must remove the underlying conditions that create destructive feelings in us and replace these conditions with love, joy, and peace.

1. Remove the underlying conditions that create destructive feelings in us.

First we do an honest assessment of our current feelings. Where do our negative feelings come from? What has happened in our past and is happening now that brings these feelings that seem so hard to let go? We may be carrying baggage for years that we continue to hold on to and we can't think of life without these feelings. They may have become part of who we think we are.

This is the old you. The new you will learn to love from the center of who you are without bitterness or resentment. You can...

- Write a journal about your current feelings. Keep track of them. Discuss your feelings with a trusted friend. Write this down.

- Name your negative feelings. What are they? Discuss them with a friend. As you understand them, you are able to place them before God for healing.

- Choose two people the pray for your change. Discuss what needs to take place. Spend regular times of checkup about how things are going. You could all go through this process and hold each other accountable.

- Keep journaling your progress. What are ideas and images that promote your negative feelings? Offer these over to God.

2. Replace the underlying conditions with love, joy, and peace.

God intends for you to receive this from him and from other people who are being transformed themselves. You have to look for them, but know full well they are there. Here are helpful ways to do this.

- Meditate on these scripture passages for one month and write insights that come to mind.

• Love- Romans 8:28-39
• Joy- John 15:9-17
• Peace- Philippians 4:4-9

- Keep track of your thoughts when God shows you love or when you see him love someone else. What was going on in the situation? What did you learn about God and about ways of showing love?

- Keep track of when family, friends, or strangers show you love or love someone else. What did they do? How? Why? We can begin to see models of giving love freely.

Finally, take what you are learning and receiving and pass it on to others.

This is major “means” work for long-term progress. Today, simply choose a negative feeling that continues to get in your way.