by Joseph | Mar 1, 2026 | Sharing
Prepare to Battle The Subtle Deception
Have you ever noticed how our emotions can become like Pharaoh’s taskmasters? They crack their whips, demanding our obedience, insisting we listen to their voices above all others – even God’s. Perhaps most dangerously, they often disguise themselves as divine guidance, wrapping our own comfortable feelings in spiritual language to justify the paths we already want to take.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). How often do we say “God is leading me” when really we’re following the familiar pathway of our emotions? We might feel anxious about a decision and interpret that anxiety as “God’s warning,” when it’s simply our fear of change speaking. Or we might feel peace about a choice that goes against God’s Word, mistaking our emotional comfort for divine approval.
Understanding Our Emotional History
Our emotions don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re shaped by every experience we’ve lived through, every wound we’ve suffered, every victory we’ve celebrated. “Remember the former things long past” (Isaiah 46:9) isn’t just about historical events – it’s a recognition that our past experiences color how we interpret the present.
Satan, the master deceiver, understands this all too well. He knows exactly how to play upon our emotional history to create confusion and doubt. Consider Eve in the garden. The serpent didn’t begin with a direct lie but with a subtle question that stirred emotional uncertainty: “Indeed, has God said…?” (Genesis 3:1). He used this emotional manipulation to make Eve question what she knew to be true.
Learning from Joseph’s Journey
Consider Joseph, thrown into a pit by his own brothers. Imagine the crushing weight of betrayal, the suffocating fear, the burning anger that must have settled in his heart. These emotions had every right to become his masters. How easy it would have been for him to say, “God is telling me to take revenge” when it was really his hurt speaking. Yet somehow, in that dark pit and later in prison, Joseph learned to distinguish between his emotional voice and God’s true leading.
“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him” (Genesis 39:21). Notice the profound truth here – God’s presence didn’t prevent Joseph’s imprisonment, but it gave him clarity to see beyond his emotions. While his feelings screamed “despair!” and demanded “revenge!”, Joseph chose to listen to a different voice.
The Enemy’s Manipulation
Look at how the enemy worked against Peter. Jesus warned him, “Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). What was this sifting? It wasn’t physical torture but emotional manipulation. Satan used Peter’s fear, his pride, and his past experiences to lead him to deny the very Lord he loved. The enemy knew exactly which emotional triggers would cause Peter to falter.
“The one who trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). Why such strong words? Because our emotions, shaped by our experiences and often manipulated by the enemy, can be desperately unreliable. Think of how David’s emotions swung from confident praise to deep despair, sometimes in the same psalm. The difference was whether he was letting his feelings interpret his circumstances or letting God’s truth interpret his feelings.
The Jezebel Pattern: When Emotions Take Control
This struggle finds a darker mirror in the story of Jezebel. When Naboth refused to sell his vineyard, we see Jezebel consumed by rage and pride. These emotions weren’t just feelings; they became controlling forces that she likely mistook for righteous guidance. “So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal” (1 Kings 21:8). Her emotions didn’t just influence her – they possessed her, masquerading as justified actions.
How often do we find ourselves writing similar letters in our hearts? When anxiety whispers, “You must control this situation,” do we mistake it for God’s guidance? When shame declares, “You’ll never be enough,” do we accept it as divine truth? When bitterness insists, “You have the right to stay angry,” do we confuse it with God’s justice?
Finding God’s Still, Small Voice
Remember Elijah’s experience? God wasn’t in the wind, earthquake, or fire – all dramatic, emotional events. Instead, He spoke in “a still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, NKJV). This teaches us something crucial about distinguishing God’s leading from emotional reactions. While emotions are often loud and demanding, God’s voice tends to be quiet, steady, and consistent with His Word.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Notice it doesn’t say “trust in your peaceful feelings” or “follow your heart.” God’s leading often requires us to step beyond our emotional understanding.
Breaking Free
Breaking free from emotional bondage begins with recognition. We must honestly ask ourselves: Am I following God’s voice or am I following my feelings and calling it God’s voice? Like the Israelites who said, “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt” (Numbers 11:5), we often prefer the familiar slavery of our emotions to the uncertain freedom of true divine guidance.
The beautiful truth is that God doesn’t ask us to suppress our emotions but to surrender them to Him. David shows us this path: “Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8). We bring our emotions to God, but we don’t let them make our decisions.
Finding True Peace
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons” (Romans 8:15). True peace comes not from following our comfortable emotions but from submitting them to our loving Father’s guidance. When we learn to distinguish His voice from our emotional echo chamber, we find a freedom that no feeling can give.
Prayer:
Father, forgive us for often mistaking our emotional comfort for Your guidance. Help us to discern between our feelings and Your voice. Like Joseph, help us see Your presence even when our emotions cloud our vision. Holy Spirit, grant us discernment to recognize when the enemy is manipulating our emotional history. Help us to still our rushing feelings so we can hear Your whisper clearly. Heal the wounds of our past that Satan would use against us, and anchor us in Your unchanging truth rather than our changing emotions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
by Joseph | Mar 1, 2026 | Preparation, Sharing
I have several subscriptions that I read daily from all over the world. I specifically enjoy ready the reports from people who I believe have keen Scriptural understanding and insight – especially as it relates to current events. It is important that we look carefully at what Scripture is telling us about the times we are living.
Yesterday, I received a special report that I believe is important for people to hear. It is encouraging to me, and I want to share it with you. I also encourage you to subscribe to his report at: thegoldenreport . com
Here’s the special message:
The time frame as it has been revealed to me.
9-29-08
All the so-called Prophets are saying “Gloom & Doom” it’s all over there is no future. To some that may be so, but for this Believer in Yeshua it is just an opportunity to serve others while serving God. What I feel is happening is God is giving us one more chance to come to Him with an open heart and soul confessing our sins and casting them with our greed into the pits of hell.
God is bringing judgment on the US , Israel and the rest of the world. As for the US God is first taking away their god of greed for money, in hopes that they might come to Him in true repentance before His final judgment on that nation takes place. God’s Word makes it very clear to me that He will use nuclear power of Russia to bring the final Judgment and those plans are already in effect. As Russian are moving war-ships along the Syrian coast just north of Israel ready for an all out strike. But before that strike takes plane the US must be taken out of the equation. (more…)
by Joseph | Mar 1, 2026 | Preparation, Sharing
Shared by: Jeff Rowland
You’ve heard it said that you don’t know who your friends are until the bottom drops out from under you. We have all had fair weather friends that are there when things are going great, but a true friend does not leave you when things are falling apart. The scriptures declare that God is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
The ultimate measure of friendship is not measured during comfort and convenience, but during challenge and controversy.
Therefore the test of friendship comes during adversity.
God shows His great faithfulness to us during times of adversity in our lives. I love the emphatic statement that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful.” All through the scriptures God has proven His faithfulness to His people.
Abraham received a promise of a son. When it looked as though this promise would never be realized, God proved His faithfulness. Noah received a word from the Lord that there would be a flood. Though time passed and it looked as though this word would never come to pass, God in His faithfulness fulfilled this word and provided for Noah. God again proved His faithfulness to Elijah by feeding him with the birds. God again proved His great power and faithfulness to Gideon with just 300 men. God met with a little boy named David in His battle with Goliath. God parted a sea for His children to cross over on dry ground. Jesus Christ met Peter while walking on the water. He shook the jail for Paul and Silas. On and on we can name instances where the Lord proved His faithfulness to His children.
Remember that true faithfulness is proven during times of adversity and hardship. This brings us to the opportunity there is for the believer during these times.
(more…)
by Joseph | Mar 1, 2026 | Preparation, Sharing
I believe we live in turbulent times and the difficulties often cause great anxiety and chaos in families. I also discern that things will likely get more difficult in the days and months ahead. We must prepare.
I’ve often shared that the “Call to Preparation” is far more than just food storage and learning new skills. It is about being anchored in your Faith, and letting God teach and lead you to overcome fears, difficulties, and discomforts – without completely falling apart (emotionally) under the strains. For many people, it is a major challenge and an obstacle that has been easily hidden from view – in a relatively calm existence. I often think that many of us would rather hide our fears under a rug, than go through the agony of facing (and dealing) with personal discomforts and failures.
The “discipline” of Preparation requires that we deal with tough things in order to handle tough days ahead. The work of Preparation then, is not simply a stroll in the park. In my journey, to be prepared means to accept the task of being vulnerable” in order to get rid of excess baggage that may hold me down during difficult times. That means being open and willing to purge emotional baggage (and resentments) that will likely serve no good purpose in any future difficulty.
One of those difficulties for many people is dealing with past pains from childhood, or specifically – hurts from parents. I don’t wish to sound cold or uncaring with emotional difficulties from a family of abuse, but I do wish to make a point. For the sake of those you love… It is time to “get a grip” and move yourself to the present.
It absolutely amazes me the number of people who continually find a way to blame their problems or difficult circumstances on their parents. Anytime trouble strikes, they are likely to complain “It’s all my parents’ fault! They are the ones who made me this way.” It sounds a lot like the ridiculous old saying I used to hear a lot… “The devil made me do it.”
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by Joseph | Mar 1, 2026 | Preparation, Sharing
I am convinced that there is going to be an increasing intensity of difficulties that we must face. As times get more difficult and events become more intense, it is increasingly important that we prepare ourselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
In the last several years of my life, it seems that I have been (and continue to be) led through a “purging process”. This process has been painful, especially as I tried to hold onto many things that I had accumulated along the journey. Now I realize, the purging is helping to lighten the load I am carrying so that I can better maneuver during the times ahead.
One of the areas that has been impressed upon me to purge, is the emotional baggage that has often been a weighty distraction. Hurts from broken or failed relationships, insecurities, and guilt from personal failures have all been obstacles to my movement forward. I have spent far too much time struggling under heavy emotional burdens that are completely unnecessary and are hindering me from being tightly focused on preparation for the path ahead.
Preparation is not as easy as I once imagined. Certainly, it can be easy to put a few things in storage and to learn some new skills, but the more difficult part of the journey is the process of transitioning. Habits that have been accumulated and comforts that have become a part of life – are now being altered. It is a necessity, because the journey ahead will not allow for the status quo.
Some of the greatest challenges that I am facing in my preparation call, occurs because my family circumstances are changing and we are forced to deal with discomforts. It has been difficult, but also quite enlightening as I realize the training is a valuable part of the preparation process. I welcome the training now, so that we can be firm when things around us may be wavering.
Tragically, too often family relationships are altered or broken simply because individuals could not handle transitions that emerged suddenly. For example, a lost income may force multiple changes in a lifestyle which may result in friction, anger, and blame – that ultimately impacts a relationship. If the relationship has been built on certain comforts or perhaps expectations, a sudden change in circumstances may unfortunately bring disharmony. Conversely, relationships that are God-anchored and nurtured on unconditional love can withstand difficult changes.
It is vital in the preparation process that individuals strengthen the foundation of their relationships and begin the process of growth through transitions. If we fail to purge ourselves of some emotional baggage now, when stressful times appear – we will not be adequately prepared to weather the storm. We need to quit looking back, quit feeling entitled to certain comforts, quit expecting others to supply our needs, and begin preparing for the beautiful journey ahead. Ask God to begin preparing you for the times ahead and rest assured… He will prepare you.
But be warned…from my experience, preparation will not look like what you expect.
