No One Controls You Without Your Permission

By Paula Williamson, guest writer

I hear so many people blame how they feel on others. He makes me so #*$! … She makes me so #*$! The truth is, we are in charge of our emotions. My nannie used to say, “You can get mad or glad in the same britches!” She meant we are not victims of others’ behaviors or circumstances. We control how we respond to life. What a powerless life it is to be a victim, and what a powerful day it is when we grasp that we are NOT!

It Is Written

ROMANS 8:37-39 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Victim or Victor

How we respond to people and situations is within our control—not theirs. We choose our response and need not live as victims. As believers, we can ask the Lord to help us manage our impulses and respond to life in a godly way, even if it means stepping away to calm down and think. We are not victims of our emotions or of anything else in life. In this moment and on this day, we have the power of choice.

Prayer

Lord, when we feel powerless, help us remember we have a choice. We can call upon You for help when we feel inadequate. You never leave us, fail us, or forsake us, yet You hear those who call out to You. You are good, and You are for us. In and through You, we are more than conquerors.

Takeaway

We choose how we respond to life and people.