Mysty PfefferI hope your week is going well and you are staying healthy spiritually and physically, despite the chaos of our day. I don’t know about you, but for me, with so much unrest in the world, it is hard to stay focused on what is good and Holy!
However, that is exactly what we are called to do!
Therefore, I need some biblical ways to boost my mood! God’s word is more powerful than a double-edged sword to spiritually combat negative thinking and attacks from the evil one. Plus, His word never returns void or empty.
So, with that in mind, and following up with on the 10 Easy Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System post, I want to give myself and you 10 biblical ways to strengthen our mood; while also easing our mind, will, and emotions. Are you ready?
1. Praise God
When we fill our hearts with gratitude and praise God almighty for His unending, unshakable, enduring faithfulness we boost our mood. Negative thoughts are consumed by gratitude and evaporate from our thinking.
Romans 12:2 is an often-memorized verse in the bible to help us change our thinking. It says:
Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The testing comes in the form of situations, people, or circumstances that rub us the wrong way. As soon as negative thoughts build from encounters with others or text messages start rolling in, we are conforming to the pattern of this world.
Rather than getting our moods down, we can boost it instead by saying, “God, I praise you for this person, this situation, and this opportunity to turn to YOU for comfort and peace! Although, I don’t know what you want to accomplish with this situation, I trust you and praise you as you lead me.
2. Pray Scripture
I love to do this over you and my family! The best time to do it is in my early morning reading of the bible. Scripture is something we can incorporate into our morning prayers for ourselves and others because we oftentimes think of people in need as we read. For instance, Paul, in Ephesians chapter six calls the believers to be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. He urges them to put on the whole armor of God that they may stand against the schemes of the devil.
My friend, there is no greater victory for the devil than when he steals your joy!
As he reads our faces and remembers our reactions, his tactics become more precise. We need our full
armor of protection on before we leave the house in the morning. Remember, he is the tempter, so if we are prone to gossip, we’ll get a juicy tidbit of information from someone who is always ready to fill our ear. Pray for her and remember:
1 Timothy 5:6 “She who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.”
Do you see how serious this is?
Likewise, if we are prone to anger or fear, we’ll be tempted with the same scenarios each day that stimulate those turbulent emotions! (See more under # 3)
3. Memorize a Combat Verse
This one is so easy and EFFECTIVE in the heat of the moment. My personal favorite memory verse from scripture to combat the evil of the enemy and my own negative thoughts is—–“Take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ Jesus.” Look through scriptures for your personal favorite and use it as soon as those defeating thoughts creep into your mind.
This is especially helpful when fear, anger, and pride well up within at the sound familiar scenarios. If it is the news, turn if off! Gaslighting is a tactic of the devil and used by the media ALL THE TIME to pit one person’s view against another and stir up more hatred. Social media and search engines watch everything you browse, so they know how to add fuel to your own little fire.
If it is not the chaos in the world, it may be our spouse, family, or neighbors who stimulate unwanted or anxious emotions. We can pray for a soft heart towards them and to respect their stance on an issue without judgment.
James 1:19-20 God please let me be “quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
James 1 ESV – Greeting – James, a servant of God and – Bible Gateway
Therefore, confessing the behavior you and I are most likely to fall under and finding a scripture to pray ahead of time over this pattern will help us boost our mood; even under full blown attacks!
4. Laugh
—Look around us for fun and join or listen in on the activity. Yesterday we played kick ball with three of our grandsons. The middle one can’t stand to get out, so when he knows he’s caught between the person with the ball and the next base, he runs everywhere but toward the next base—-it’s hilarious! For you, it may be listening to your favorite Dry Bar comedian (they are clean and fun), watching puppies romp, or a funny movie.
5. Listen to Good Music
I love praise music and contemporary Christian songs that are upbeat and make me want to dance! You may like the old hymns, eighties, sixties, classical, or even bluegrass; wonderful! God created our love of music to lift our moods, express our gratitude and even express our sadness. It’s one way to work through our emotions.
6. Walk
Taking a walk does so many good things, it gets us out into the sun (see #7). Also, exercise as many of you know releases endorphins, known as the happy hormones in our brain. It’s true, so take advantage of something free and wonderful to just notice life, appreciate the breeze on your face, or the wonder of nature!
However, biblically speaking, walking with God means walking in His ways and in obedience to Him. There is no better way to boost our moods than when we are in step with God.
Ephesians 4:1-3—” I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
7. Sunlight
Genesis 1:16 “God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.”
God provided the sun for our benefit! Not only to give us light and warmth, but to make plants grow and feed us. It rules the day. Just think of its power over the earth.
Moreover, taking that walk or sitting in the sun 20-30 minutes will bring a bright light into dark thinking. Soaking up the sun gives us the wonderful vitamin D synthesis I talked about last week. Not only does it build our immune system, it boosts our mood!
Studies show a release of serotonin (the mood boosting hormone) at highest levels during summer sun exposure. (1)
8. Socialize
I know, if you’re an introvert like me, you must internally process emotions privately and in your own time; that is fine for the first day or so of your mood change. You can pray, and agonize with God and to God about all the stuff you’re dealing with. However, after the first day, find we need to find our trusted person or persons with whom to gather. The comfort, presence, and encouragement of other believers will biblically lift our mood!
Hebrews 10: 24-26 —And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
9. Omega 3’s.
These amazing ESSENTIAL oils are found best in tuna, salmon, sardines, and halibut, so try to eat them at least twice a week in this “preformed” way. If you don’t like fish, and want a different source, try chia seeds, hemp seed hearts, ground flax seeds or flax seed oil which can be added easily to salads. Your body must do a little more work to transfer it to the long chain fatty acid it needs, but still, it’s better than nothing. I mentioned the fish first because it contains the necessary EPA that has been proven in studies to help with reducing anxiety, depression, and boost our mood!
Although I cannot find a scripture that says fish boosts your mood, I do know Jesus ate, prepared, and served A LOT of fish. He called fisherman to serve Him, fed the five thousand spiritually starving people with it, and it was the breakfast he shared with his disciples after his death, burial and resurrection (John 21).
10. Serve Someone Else
Getting out of the house and doing something for someone else is an amazing biblical mood booster! When we are self-focused our mood is down or if overburdened with the care of a loved one, we may feel we are serving enough. But I ask you to just start small; this can be sending a card with a thoughtful note, or even simple text message. If you are particularly energetic, mow your neighbor’s lawn, or help someone load their car at the grocery store. God gives us PLENTY of opportunities to serve others; even if it is just a prayer.
1 Peter 4:9-10 “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
I hope these 10 Ways to Biblically Boost Your Mood Help you this week!
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12480364/ Lambert GW, Reid C, Kaye DM, Jennings GL, Esler MD. Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain. Lancet. 2002 Dec 7;360(9348):1840-2. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(02)11737-5. PMID: 12480
