anxious

Choosing Faith Over Fretfulness ~ Psalms 37

9:00 AM

 Today's Reading: Psalm 37 &  Proverbs 2:21-22 ; Colossians 2:15



Are the events happening around you often unsettling? Do you ever wonder if God is listening? If He'll act, or when? 
Do you ever think that perhaps there might be something you could do to lend Him a hand as though He could use your help? 
I could answer "yes" to all the above at different times in my life, which is why I feel Psalm 37 is so powerful!

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the
         noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in
       their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil. –Psalm 37:1-8

David begins with, "Do not fret" because of what others are doing and I feel right away David must know me so well! I can't count the times I've fretted over what others seem to be getting away with! Or how many times I've wondered what they must be thinking! And, if I'm honest, I can't count the times I've sat here trying to figure out how I might try to lend a hand to help our Lord out, as though He really needs my help! Our Creator needs my help. (sigh).

Thankfully David didn't stop in verse one, but goes on to give us some great advice as to what we can be doing instead of fretting.  He goes on to list eight positives to the one negative instruction in just the first eight verses: 

“Trust in the Lord” (v. 3).

"Do good" (v.3)

"Live in the land and enjoy safe pasture." (v.3)

“Take delight in the Lord” (v. 4).

“Commit your way to the Lord” (v. 5-6).

“Rest in the Lord” (v. 7-11)

“Wait patiently for the Lord” (v. 7)

"Refrain from anger" (v.8)

This  is when I hit my "Aha!" moment. Where are my eyes focusing and where should they be focusing? When I take my eyes off of God and set them on others or circumstances is when my heart can become disquieted. It can be as easy as watching the evening news. I can begin to fret about all I see going on around me and even feel helpless in the situation. 

The blessings begin to come when we realize not only can we trust God during difficult times, but we can also be assured that He understands our situation and feels our pain. And cares about our problems. Furthermore, we can count on the Lord to bless us. (Read the rest of Psalm 37). He will provide for our physical needs, as well as supply spiritual strength and blessings to press on through this life.

My "Aha!" moment came when I realized David here, in Psalm 37, is telling us we all have choices to make. We can choose:

  • Faith over fretfulness
  • Trusting God over doubts.
  • To do good over evil.
  • The spirit over the flesh.
  • Positive thinking over negative thinking.
  • God's Truth over error.
  • Contentment over anxiety.
  • Choose courage over fear.
I'm so thankful David took the time to point all of this out! Aren't you?

So let me ask you:

When current events and the news are overwhelming, how do you initially react? 

Do you take time to be still before the Lord? Do you go to seek His wisdom, understanding and guidance at the onset of trouble?

Let's Pray: 

Dear Father, help us to be still, and to rest in Your love; trusting in Your omnipotent power to handle every situation and circumstance. Teach us to learn to be patient and to give You our anxious thoughts. Help us to turn our faces towards You to focus on Your, strength, light and love. Our Father, we thank You, for being our Refuge and Strength, and our ever-present help in time of need. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

 Blessings,




anxiety

The Best Defense for Anxiety! {Philippians 4:4-9}

8:00 PM


Reading for Wednesday, January 16th ~ Philippians 4:4-9

Don’t be anxious! Is that really humanly possible?
Notice what this article had to say:

When you’re overwhelmed by heart-pounding panic, paralyzed by fear, or exhausted from yet another sleepless night spent worrying, you’ll do just about anything to get relief.
More than one in five American adults took medications for psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression in 2010, according to new research by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Titled America's State of Mind ...
The analysis revealed that 20 percent of all adults took at least one drug to treat a psychiatric condition, while among women that number rose to 25 percent—or one in four—reporting having taken such drugs.*

I think we can all agree anxiety is a real problem among, not only women, but society in general. I also believe anxiety can sometimes be a physical condition and not just a spiritual one. I’ve read recently that diet and exercise can affect our anxiety levels; good or bad. Most councilors will tell you, that if you’re dealing with anxiety issues on an ongoing basis it’s best to see a doctor to make sure there isn’t a physical problem, and then you can deal with the spiritual.  

 I personally haven’t dealt with panic attacks as some have, but I believe all of us deal with different levels of anxieties at some times in our lives, and because of that, I believe God's solutions are found in His word like here in Philippians 4:4-9.

 The most popular verses being Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Faith is the opposite of anxiety/ fear/ worry/ doubts; whichever term you choose.

 Faith is complete, blind trust and obedience.  Faith doesn’t understand everything – but it's doing it anyway because you trust God and His perfect care and guidance!

AND faith requires humility. It requires us to admit we don’t have all the answers or the abilities we need, but we know the One who does. Anxieties can flair up when we’re trying to do it all on our own. Therefore the first step is admitting we need help! (Look back at Phil 4:6-7)

 This can be hard because it may cause us to feel weak in an area where others may appear to be strong. There is always going to be the temptation to keep pushing and hope the anxiety goes away on its own.

Which can bring on other coping mechanisms, however. 

Some may try to alleviate stress by snacking constantly on junk food. Some drink wine or other alcoholic beverages to take the edge off. Others may try to find solace in television, books or social media. BUT none of these are healthy ways of dealing with stress and anxiety and can actually end up doing more harm than good.

PRAYER through faith is our answer. 

 We need to turn our anxious thoughts and worries into prayer; which requires developing a conditioned reflex, like when we touch something hot our brain  immediately tells us to pull back. We need to recognize what's happening immediately and turn it completely over to God and His word promises that, " the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will mount guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

No other stress relievers needed.

But also notice the very next thing Paul tells us to do just after he tells us to give it up to God in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Paul is pointing out the fact that what we fill our minds with has a profound effect on our spiritual and mental state of being.

We need to remember that we live in a world at war. While God wants us to succeed and flourish, there is another who would love nothing better than to see us struggle and fail. He will come and whisper in your ear lies about your identity, your self-worth, your status before God, your past, your future, your hope; anything that will help him succeed in keeping you stressed, anxious and feeling like a failure. We not only need to recognize these for the lies they are, but combat them with God’s truth.

If you are walking through a valley of anxiety right now, there's hope! Give it all up, and keep turning it over to the One who is able to give you victory over whatever is causing your stress at the moment and fill your mind on the truths found in His word.

I hope you'll also remember this may be an on going battle which may not be won immediately, but He has given us our weapons of warfare and one another to help eventually gain the victory over our fears! If you're ready to fight, we're here to help! Please let us know how we can be praying for you over at Women in the Word!

Blessings!
sue

* https://www.anxiety.org/antianxiety-medication-use-soars-in-past-decade

anxiety

“Don’t Worry, I’ve Got This!” - God {Luke 11:37-12}

8:30 PM


   
What comes to mind when you hear the words: fear, anxiety and worry?

Fear…anxiety… or worry, whatever term you choose, is one of the enemy’s most popular and lethal weapons he enjoys using against us. Worry, anxiety and fear can overwhelm us at times; taking control of our emotions and can be detrimental to our health and livelihood. But, I’ll bet I don’t have to tell you that!

Pain is what I think of. I have a condition called TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorders). It has been so painful at times that I thought I had a brain tumor once, and went to the dentist thinking I had a toothache another! I’ve had butterflies in my stomach so bad I thought I’d be sick! I used to loose at least 5 pounds the first month of every school year, all because I allowed my fears and anxieties to get the best of me.

Fortunately since then, I’ve learned to give thanks (Philippians 4:6-8) when these conditions flair up, for I’ve learned to treat these physical symptoms as a tool to help me deal with what is going on within my mind.

 Martin Luther once wrote a letter to his wife saying, “Pray and let God worry.”, and this one statement set me on the path to experiencing victory over my anxiety. Imagine for a moment God worrying. Seems outrageous, doesn’t it? Of course! Our omnipotent God never worries! Why? Because He’s “large and in charge”. He is all-powerful; Creator and Sustainer over all things! There is nothing He cannot do!

Now, think of the things we tend to worry over: our health, safety, finances, the future, our children while out of our care, what others may think.... We worry about the things we have no control over, right? All the while we know that all our energy spent on worrying cannot help the situation!

Our Savior knew this. In fact the Bible is full of verses commanding us not to worry, become anxious, or fearful! Here are 33 passages just in this one poster for you to save if you’d like:

Jesus tells us in Luke 12:32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". In this one short verse, we see that we are His sheep and Jesus is our Shepherd. He is saying, "I am the Shepherd. I am going to watch over and protect you. Don't be afraid, little flock." Isn’t that comforting? We, as God's children, don't have to fear, for Jesus is going to watch over us.

But it’s tough NOT to worry, simply because we’re commanded not to! How do we stop the vicious cycle of stressing over things that are out of our control? I believe Jesus offers us an answer in the passage in chapter 12.

When Jesus says,

“Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!” (12:24)

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.” (12:27-28)

And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need (12:29-31 emphasis mine)

He’s saying, don’t worry, but set your focus on the truth. Pretty much what Paul also said in Philippians 4:6-8,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

It won’t always be easy, for it basically comes down to a choice. When symptoms of anxiety arise:
  • I will identify what is causing me to fear, worry or be anxious. 
  • I will give it all over to God and ask Him to guard my heart. 
  • I will instead choose to focus on what is true in the midst of uncertain times. (Philippians 4:6-8)
We may still experience moments of fear, but we can believe that God is with us. We can trust, though we may not be in control, He is. And take comfort when He whispers, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” for we know He absolutely does.

Blessings!
sue

Angie Benjamin

The Gift of Peace {Isaiah 24:1-27:13}

2:32 AM


    You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.- Isaiah 26:3

Isaiah 26:3 promises that God will keep us in perfect and constant peace when are minds remain fixed in HIM. That is when we make the decision of focus our thoughts in Him and not on our circumstances.

When we allow our minds to wander and think of all what we have done or have to do we push ourselves out of the perfect peace of God and we open the doors to anxiety and worry.

Some time back I read that there are two days in every week that we should not worry about, two days that should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One is yesterday with its mistakes and cares. Its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. Nor can we erase a single word we’ve said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we shouldn’t worry about is tomorrow. Tomorrow is beyond our control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise either in splendor, or behind a mask of clouds but it will rise. And until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day. Today. Any person can fight the battles of just one day at a time. It is only when we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives people mad, it is the remorse of bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.




Here’s what God says about yesterday:


“…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” (Phil.3:13)

“Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.” (Isaiah 43:18)

Here’s what God says about tomorrow:


“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt.6:34)

“Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (Prov.27:1)

Here’s what God says about today:


“This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Are you anxious or worried today? Turn your thoughts towards Him so that you experience His perfect peace. Peace that surpasses all understanding.