Now all glory to God, who is able, through his all mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. – Ephesians 3:20 Every minute of every day, thoughts go in and out of our minds. While driving to work in the morning, we may be thinking about the day ahead. What we need to do when we get to our desks, the meeting that we have at 1pm, what we are going to make for dinner tonight when we get home. Endless thoughts are constantly going around in our minds. If we …
From Anxious to Joyful
“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” – Psalms 94:19 When I was younger, I battled social anxiety. It started as not being able to speak up in class, when a teacher called on me, I sat there in my seat, frozen, and to scared to speak. This often led to me being forced to stand in the hallway for most of the class because my teachers couldn’t understand why I was unable to answer a question. As time went on, it went from not being able to speak in class, to not being …
Discomfort
God created each of us for so much more than just to be happy and satisfied. There are times when our joy in life comes with taking risks, pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do. A few years ago when I stood on top of a 14,000 foot mountain I felt so alive, like I just conquered the world. If you’re comfortable with how things are going, you’re not going to be hungry for righteousness sake. God allows a little adversity in our life at times to remind us who He is. He came …
It’s Cancer
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. “ Philippians 4:6 (NLT) I heard the words, “Yes, it is cancer.” The floor fell out under my feet. I was absolutely shocked. I’m only 39. The first few days of a cancer diagnosis can be described as emotional chaos and confusion. My mind was flooded with so many questions about cancer and all it will entail. But one thing was for sure. I knew I needed God because only God is bigger than cancer. Philippians 4:6 seemed to …
Trials
Reading: Romans 5:2-5 Everyone endures trials and tribulations throughout their lifetime, even Christians. Jesus didn’t promise that if we followed Him, our lives would be easier from that point forward. On the contrary, He warned of the opposite happening. He told us the world would hate us (John 15:18-19). Life can be rough as a Christian, especially when standing for Christ. People don’t typically like to hear they’re doing something wrong, and so, when we bring those sins to the attention of the wrongdoer, defensive walls immediately rise. Christians often suffer persecution because we hold high values and speak out …
Do You Recognize Them
“When they saw Job from a distance , they scarcely recognized him.” Job 2:12 (NIV) Job, a man of integrity who loved God, would most likely today be diagnosed with depression. His friends were shocked when they saw him and Scripture tells us they barely recognized him. When a loved one is suffering from depression or another form of mental health condition, at times you may not recognize them by their behavior or appearance. The increase of mental health diagnoses and awareness in recent years reveals more families are affected. Our pandemic-changed world has caused mental health problems to burst …
When You Seek Him
In those days when you pray I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:12-13 Over two decades ago my husband, Jay, landed in the hospital due to a severe depressive episode. This storm arrived like a tornado and was the beginning of a troublesome, lonely and often chaotic journey for our family – it was no picnic. While we were raising three young boys the search for effective treatment was exhaustive. Finding support and medical resources would often leave me feeling angry, weary, frightened all while unsure where to turn. I believed …
Live in Awareness, Not Fear
Which came first, depression or anxiety? I’ve lived with both and can tell you that neither is fun. Both are self-serving and hard to treat. Both conditions are very real and can destroy lives if not diagnosed and controlled, often with medicine. Instead of living in fear, get the facts from the Specialists; ask God for wisdom and give your fears to Him. Worrying and complaining solve nothing. Replace those bad thoughts with what is real and true. Don’t fret. God’s got this. 1 Peter 5:7 – “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for …
Cast It and Leave It
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV) I discussed in a previous blog post that the virtual prayer group that God led me to develop almost one year ago expanded to include a group of wonderful ladies. Last Tuesday, during our “chat and pray” session, one of my sisters in Christ (thank you in advance!) said something that inspired the title for today. To paraphrase, she mentioned that she needed a reminder …
Are You Worried in Your Wilderness?
Numbers 11:23 God answered Moses, “So do you think I can’t take care of you?” I was up early as usual deep in prayer and in my devotional time with God thinking about what we are experiencing not only as a nation but as a globe and all I can say is that we are in a testing season. I committed this year to read through the Bible again, this time in the Message version and it just so happened, well I should say by divine guidance that today’s message is from Numbers 11-14 and Psalm 33. I challenge you …
Finding Your Armor: Overcoming Anxiety
Do you ever have those days, or weeks, that so much is going on that you just feel like you’re drowning in it all? Do you feel so overwhelmed by everything that you can barely function correctly? Well, that was me this past week. I scrambled trying to find encouragement and empowerment and inspiring words for this week’s post because, quite honestly, I was not feeling very empowered myself. 1 Peter 5:7-8 tells us to cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. “Be sober minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for …
Finding Peace
The Lord woke me last night with a very powerful word. I scrambled in my sleepiness to reach the nightstand for my phone so I could jot it on the notepad. I was sure that if I didn’t do so, I would forget it by morning. But I didn’t forget. That word stuck with me. The Lord said, “Anxiety is satan’s leverage over your life.” Whoa. I have battled anxiety my entire life. As a child, I didn’t know what was wrong with me and no one else seemed to either. The dread of going to school was so bad that …
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