WILLING TO BREAK

Crying "freely and openly" over my past has always been difficult for me. Today marked the beginning of tears. The more I am willing to break, the more the pain will flow out in tears. And the deep healing begins.

DON'T FIGHT THE CHANGE

I have seen myself change and grow more in the Lord. The more I release my fears to Him and trust Him, the more intimate our relationship becomes.

The below passage taken from the book "Jesus Calling" can be claimed by anyone. I Certainly Take A Stand and Claim It For Myself! Will you?

"Your friendship with Me is changing you from the inside out. I am shaping you into the person I want you to be. Don't fight the changes, or try to speed them up. Let me set the pace as I create a better you. Hold My hand and walk with Me - step by step." - Jesus Calling

RULED BY FEAR

Today's devotion (ironically enough, yeah right) talks about fear. Fear still remains a "Big" hindrance in my life.

I am seeing just how much I was influenced by my mum's irrational fears growing up and even to this day. Although I have improved tremendously from where I began my journey four years ago, I still can be ruled by fear and panic attacks.

Satan uses fear to his advantage with me. So much so, that there have been times, and still are, where I become physically ill before something I really want to do or need to be a part of. Something that would not even bother the average person. An every day normal event. I envision the worst! Something as simple as going out after dark because of the instilled fear from my mum that something bad would happen to me. My mum used to give me on occasion (her) Valium (that tells you something there) when I was in my early teens just to be able to calm down if we were going out in public. I would become so fearful of something awful happening to me.

After being forced to move up with my mum from FLA to NY when she soon remarried after my parents divorce when I was eleven, I lived all of my teenage years behind my closed bedroom door and hardly talked at home for years and was so isolated and in my own emotional pain. Satan used that situation to escalate the fear in my mum that I took on which prevented me not to accomplish things I needed in order to grow maturely and even spiritually. Every day normal things.

The devotional below illustrates a "loving" God concerned about us and does not want us to fear. Not like a "controlling" parent, minus the "loving" part. Whatever the reason, I am learning, although hard, the difference now and combating the lies of Satan.

I hope this devotional helps anyone else out there:


Friday 27th of January 2012

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I
will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand. Isaiah 41:10

Many of us struggle with fear. It is a very uncomfortable emotion. We would
be happy to be rid of it. It causes our hearts to race, our focus of attention
to narrow, and terrible possibilities to enter our minds. We wish we could
banish fear from our hearts by sheer will power. We wish we could simply
stop feeling afraid. Unfortunately fear is not dismissed so easily.

There is something about texts such as this one that leave us very uncomfortable. The words "do not fear" seem like a simple command. God says "do
not fear". It looks like a simple imperative. Our job is simply to
obey. But, we cannot seem to obey. No matter how hard we try not to be afraid,
we cannot seem to make our fears go away.

The key to understanding texts of this kind is to see that when God says
‘do not fear’, it is not a simple imperative from an authority figure. The
words "do not fear" are spoken as words of comfort. And they are followed
by a specific promise of God’s presence with us.

A loving parent speaks to a child who awakens from a nightmare with words
such as, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here with you. You are safe." This
is not a rejection of the child’s fears. It is not an instruction to do
the impossible. It is, rather, a promise of protection. If a parent says
only "Don’t be afraid," then the child learns that the parent
doesn’t understand and the child feels unprotected. But if the parent says
"Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you," the child’s needs are validated
and the child is comforted by the parent’s protection.

God comforts us in the way a loving parent comforts a frightened child.
God says to us, "I know that you are afraid; but I also want you to
know that I am here with you. I will not leave you. I will give you strength.
I will give you help. I will hold you by the hand so that you will not fall".

You know, God,
how often I am afraid.
And you know the soil in which these fears have grown.
And you know how I have struggled to be free from fear.
Help me to draw courage today from your presence.
Be with me.
Give me strength.
Help me.
Uphold me with your hand.
Still my fears, God of all Comfort.
Still my fears with your powerful love.
Amen.

Copyright 2012 Dale and Juanita Ryan

WITHIN REACH

Been locked up in my own world for a long time. From the outside in. If that makes sense? The taste of freedom has never been so close. Many painful layers have been peeled away as God heals my broken places.


These past few years I have been fighting back. Determined to regain back what satan stole from me. Facing many terrifying and painful memories of my past. Setting boundaries that were scary enough to cause my little girl to fear something awful. Establishing the "amount" of trust with people that I needed to help me along on my journey at this stage. The Word of God backing me up.


Finally making head way and breaking out. Only to go so far. My little one is frightened. She still has some things in her that she is not yet ready to face. Mainly grieving "fully" parts of her wounded child.

When she is ready to face the remaining monsters/strongholds of fear and certainty of the love of God, she will. Then she can look forward to......






FREEDOM!!

TURN MY HEART ON!!!

Daddy, PLEASE PLEASE turn my heart on!!!!

My heart aches to feel Your love!!!!!

It hurts so bad when you desire something so strongly!!!

To actually feel in my heart for once in my life what "love" is!!!

That is all I ask!!!

Replace the hurt with Your love!!!

GRIEVE TO HEAL

I still find myself grieving some of my past. There are still areas that have not been dealt with that coincide with my present. Being laid off has brought up some emotional grief and anger that I would not think mattered. But God is showing me I still have stuff to work on.

I have pretty much grieved my family falling apart and my parents divorce when I was still a child. My father's neglect and my feelings of abandonment, still haunt me, but not as severe as once before.

Maybe one day I will be able to fully grieve my father's passing some 23 years ago. I was so very disconnected back then. Surviving in my la-la land world. Even while my father was dying. At his funeral. Everyone around me was grieving and crying. Not me.

My roommate at the time had tears streaming down her face, and she had never even met my father. I was too afraid to grieve. Ironically enough, the thing my father frowned upon with us children were tears. He gave that disapproval look if I began to cry. Shaming me that this "normal" function was not allowed. So wouldn't you know it.... there were no tears for him from me when he died.

In Matthew 5:4 Jesus states that, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." It is like a blessing from Jesus to everyone who is courageous enough to grieve. God sees grieving as healing. An opportunity for Him to comfort us.

Understanding in my terms, what comfort means to me, is I can weep so very deeply and even rage/lash out in front of God without fear of retribution. All the while.....and here are those words I find difficult to utter, "he loves me" through the pain. Healing then begins and continues.

Grieving is not easy. Down right exhausting at times. Mentally and physically spent. Takes a lot out of me. Grieving is part of the healing process and takes determination in facing the full range of my emotions, as best as I am able at this time, that God has given me. Very hard and painful work. But, God knows the process will produce positive results in the end.

Through the pain, God promises in Isaiah 40:29 that, "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

In replenishing my weariness during this time, God does not reject or shame me for my weakness. God can still administer strength and power during my greatest time of need. Amen!

HEALING SHAME

Although God is the ultimate source of healing our past, the excerpt below from A Courage to Heal is a reminder how we who have been hurt by critical, abusive people in our lives affected us. Bringing on feelings that were not ours to claim. Feelings of shame, guilt, condemnation, fear, worry, hate, etc.

"A key sign of healing is that your shame becomes less. Instead of looking at somebody's watch while you tell them what happened, you can look at their face. And then eventually you can look in their eyes and tell them, without feeling they can see what a creep you are. You can just look at someone, tell them, and say, "And I'm okay," without having to ask, "Right? I am okay, aren't I?"

There are many ways to overcome shame. The most powerful is simply talking about your abuse. Shame exists in an environment of secrecy. When you begin to freely speak the truth about your life, your sense of shame will diminish."
(A Courage to Heal)

A few years ago I could not look at anyone comfortably when talking about myself. I hated the idea of having to share anything about myself as I felt such shame and guilt. All brought on because of my upbringing. Both parents shamed me. Different methods. But, it got the job done.

When I began t. four years ago, I had trouble keeping eye contact with my t. Let alone be able to verbalize my pain. There has been such improvement since then. God continues to heal me gradually. My walls of shame and false beliefs have begun to slowly crumble as I began to trust. Through prayers and therapy.

There are a few walls still remaining. Not as high. Those too will come down one day. I know it!

OVERCOMING FEAR

Last night I attended my Friday night worship. I left to go there before my mum's nightly phone call to me to make sure I was alive. I knew in my spirit if she did not get me on the phone she would panic. I did not tell her I was going, because really, I do not want to. I am a grown woman who does not need "mummie's approval" for things. But she still thinks I do. The worst that could happen was she would have received a phone call from me a few hours late. But, she is so set in her ways. Especially if it is after dark her fear increases. So, I continue to set painful boundaries that probably hurt her more than me.

It was not easy the couple of hours I was gone. I had her on my mind, envisioning the left messages on my recorder when I came home. I really did not enjoy myself at worship.

Sure enough, upon arrival at home there were three panic messages on my recorder. I decided on my drive home that I was not going to return her call right away. Only because I knew she would not let it rest until she heard my voice and would call again. Did not take long. The fourth incoming call came in. I picked up the phone and you would have thought someone had died. Well in all honesty, in her mind she feared the worst about me. We have gone down this road so many times and she refuses to trust God in this area. So the reprimands begin. The guilt trip of "me" making her blood pressure rise because we did not have our nightly call. The usual guilt trips.

Well, like always when I cannot make any headway with my mum, I politely but forcefully tell her that I was not taking on her guilt issues and am ending this conversation now and would speak with her tomorrow. She was still crying and going on as I hung up on her. My mum does not see herself as fearful and throwing guilt trips my way. But, that is how she controlled me all my life. I am choosing now to confront my mum (and IT IS HARD) and not run away!

Some of you may think I am hard on my mum. My mum is a very strong and stubborn individual. Very controlling.

When I spoke with her this morning, she was a bit cold.

Joyce Meyer shares on overcoming fear. Funny thing, my mum watches her daily. But, I do not think what Joyce shares my mum thinks applies to her.

Overcoming Fear
First, let me remind you that fear is not from God but from Satan. Second Timothy 1:7 says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Every time you feel fear in your life, it's a manifestation of the kingdom of darkness. I often say in my teachings that fear is the "master spirit." It's the spirit Satan uses to try to rule God's people and keep them from coming under the leadership of the true Master, Jesus Christ.

Multitudes of people never fulfill the call of God on their lives simply because every time they try to go forward, the devil uses fear to stop them. Is he using fear to stop you? Satan uses fear to keep people from enjoying life. Fear brings torment, according to 1 John 4:18, and you surely can't enjoy life and be tormented at the same time.

I want to encourage you to take an inventory in the fear department. What are you afraid of? Are there any areas in your life that are being stifled because of fear? Satan is always going to bring fear against us at various times. It’s one of his major weapons—not a cap gun, but a cannon. The thing we all must learn is how not to "fear the fear." The devil brings fear, but you can choose not to bow your knee to it. David said,"What time I am afraid, I will…trust…in You" (Psalm 56:3). I believe we can say that when God leads you to step out in an area to do something new, or leads you to make a bigger commitment, you may (or probably will) feel fear. However, if you're sure God told you to do it, put your trust in Him and go forward.

I have to apply this same principle to my life all the time. Years ago, we realized that we really needed more office space. At the same time, we needed more employees, which would require more desks, computers, phones, etc. We had a choice. We had prayed for growth so we could help more people. And everything did increase—resource orders, speaking engagements, incoming phone calls, mail, etc. It was God's timing, and He was moving. We had to make a decision to either stand still in fear or move with God. If we had not been willing to rent more space and hire more people, we couldn’t have kept up with the growth. I can tell you for sure that fear tried to stop me. I heard things like, "Joyce, you're getting in over your head." "That's too much money to spend." "What if the increase doesn't continue?" I'm sure you know the recording; you've probably heard it also.

We certainly don't want to move in the flesh or out of God's timing, but when God is moving, you can't be afraid to move with Him. In the situation I described to you, I had a choice to be led by my head or follow the leading of my spirit. Satan brings fear to your mind and emotions. You may even physically shake, but let the Holy Spirit lead you. Don't fear the fear, and what time you're afraid, trust in Him.

Some common fears are fear of lack, death, loneliness, people, authority, commitment, heights, germs, closed-in spaces, airplanes, dogs, cats, failure, rejection, being laughed at, and even fear of being attractive. We went to the library and got a typed list of known phobias—it was four pages long. It even included phobaphobia, which is the fear of being afraid. It seems that the list is endless.

It convinced me even more of how extensive Satan's work is in this area. Isaiah 41:10 says, Fear not, for I am with you. I believe God works gently with us to bring us out of bondage and into liberty. If you've been afraid of something and desire to be free, the time will eventually come when you'll have to face your fear and not run away from it. Just take Jesus' hand, acknowledge that He is with you, and do it. If you're afraid of people with authority, the time will come when you'll have to confront an authority figure and not cower in fear. God will have arranged the time. He'll be there, but you'll have to choose whether to go through or run away.

If you're at one of these crossroads in your life, let me encourage you to go forward. Don't stand still in terror, but take His hand and go forward. Remember, fear torments and God wants to deliver you from all of your fears.

(Joyce Meyer)

BEING GENTLE - YOUR DEFINITION

Some times I feel I get close to victory in one struggling area of my journey only to come up short. Many times over. Bringing on the feelings of shame and failure. Being extremely self-critical of myself.

At those times I am continually reminded by my t. and many of you wonderful bloggy people when I get this way to be “gentle with myself.” Everyone is not the same in their brokenness and healing process. Time. Time. Time.

My question to you.....

Is your definition of being gentle with yourself basically the same as mine?

Not to beat up on yourself for not living up to expectations. Whether yours or others? That you are taking too long to defeat your monster? Are you able to extend grace to yourself at those times? Be merciful not only to yourself, but if you have a little one, them too?

Please feel free to share.....

IN YOUR PRESENCE

Two of my favorite soaking songs. Already mastered one on guitar.

I felt a great impression upon my heart last night that one of the reasons the Lord let me be taken out of the work field is to have more time to be in His presence. He is giving me that opportunity.

When I first learned about my lay-off I tried to figure out "on my own" what activities I could fill my days with. Checking out different day time bible studies, women's groups and what not. The more I searched out things to do, the more my spirit was not in agreement. I was just trying to find fillers to ease my pain. Anticipating boredom. It really only took a day or two for me to realize this was not the route God wanted me to go.

Although I have been after His presence much more intensely these past few months, not having a responsibility of a job right now (I can comfortably last a few good months) frees me up to really seek out Him and He me.

Not saying this has been easy. It has not. Each day is a struggle. I am still dealing with my journey issues at the same time.

When I wake up in the mornings from usually a bad nights sleep, being or seeking out His presence is the furthest thing from my mind. Satan right away attacks my thoughts and tries his darnedest to condemn me. Possibly having me snowball right into an negative attitude. All before I step out of bed.

This is where I have to actually "fight to live." Get out of the pit of despair I have dug for so long and remind myself that in Jesus' presence I will find peace. The joy and eventually experience His love!!

INVISIBLE

I had an interesting t. session tonight. I call these the 'on-the site' sessions. When something(s) happen that triggers you right in the session itself. Then you go from there and begin to challenge what the triggers brought up.

Do you ever find yourself saying "I feel invisible." That no one takes notice of you. Your husband, children, family, friends. Even God? I have. And unfortunately still do.

It is amazing how I have conjured up in my mind the lies my parents bestowed upon me growing up that "no one cares and no one even knows I exist." Mainly the non-verbal disapproval by my father and then the verbal disapproval by my mum. Especially when I did not live up to their expectations. Reprimanding me for making mistakes or doing something that was not my fault or intentional. Making me very suspicious of my own actions and perception of people. Condemning myself. I continue to meditate on Romans 8.

"Children should be seen and not heard," was one of my father's sayings in our house growing up. Many times I felt he was saying, "Children should Not be seen Nor heard." Giving me the impression that I was not important. Do NOT speak.

That is probably why I have so much difficulty in expressing myself with others. Convincing myself for so many years that "people are not interested with what I have to say or offer." Putting a lot of pressure on myself to "perform" well and be "perfect." By doing so only brings a tongued-tied JBR who totally says mumbo jumbo instead of what she wanted to say. Thus resulting in feeling inadequate and shameful.

I know deep deep down I am not invisible to God.

If I could just breathe and exhale the real me. And not continue to have a performance based life, and beat up on the little one when things do not go as planned, I am sure things would come more naturally for me.

TAKING BETTER CARE OF MYSELF

I have been pretty disciplined since being off.

Knowing ahead of time the possibility of being let go, I would have the opportunity to 'catch my breath' from all the pressures of last year and be able to relax. My whole body and mind have been so tired.

The wheels were already turning in my head before the final word came down from the "higher-ups." If I was to be let go, which I was for some of you new readers, that I would have the time to take better care of myself.

It has already been close to two weeks now that I was let go. Each day I have been walking outside. Presently I am up to 2-3 miles a day. Not walking those miles at one time. That is the luxury of having all this free time now. I walk for a 1/2 hour then go home. Rest up a bit. Then go out again. I am glad I like to walk. Breaks up my day too.

I usually walk about 4 to 5 times a day. One of those walks is to the near by hospital where I live. There I pick up a well balanced meal for the day in their cafeteria to take home. Was not eating well this last year due to stress issues. I do not like to cook. Let alone for myself. If someone cooks for me, then I am happy. I am determined to at least eat healthier now.

"Why was I let go?" I still ponder that question. Desiring to leave this job was the last thing I wanted to do. I was content. Planned on retiring there. But.......

I knew 2011 was a very stressful year for me. It seemed I was never ever able to recoil and bounce back. I needed to rest. One challenging trial after another. Put a WHOLE LOT of strain on me mentally and physically.

1) My department at work was forced to move to a whole new location. Making my travel time longer. So the stress of the move.

2) PPP thew me "big time" under the bus the same time of the move. Then not speaking with them for over four months. I eventually forgave them. I finally wanted to. Especially having the unction in my spirit that my time was short at my work place for me and I wanted to make amends.

3) My department splitting after a couple of months in our new location. All of a sudden one day having a new boss. Right there I knew I was in trouble.

4) My mum being rushed to the ER for her erratic heart beat. Finally getting that under control after being in the hospital five days.

5) Discovering while in the hospital by a routine x-ray that she had a growth on one of her kidneys. All signs pointing to cancer. Major stress.

6) My mum having major surgery to remove what was a miracle the "non-cancerous growth" a couple of months later.

7) Having to take a week off from work to tend to my mum when she came home from the hospital.

8)Learning I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and having to go on meds.

9) The-change-of life making its grand painful appearance. Why not! Everything imaginable was happening to me.

10) Training someone for my job. All along I was to pretend that 'nothing was happening.'

And finally,

11) Being let go from my job after 4.5 years. Yes, I had quite a year.

I think a lot of the reason why the Lord had me let go was "I was just too physically and mentally tired" from what last year brought me. I wanted so desperately to rest. I also believe I have arrived at a different stage in my life where the Lord desires for me to trust Him even more. Get to know Him even more intimately. That would be awesome!

Sure I questioned, "Lord I could still trust you while I was working there." No. Apparently He saw fit, right now for me to be unemployed and trust Him for my next venture.

LITTLE BY LITTLE

I tell you if I Did Not have God in my life I do NOT know how I would survive all the things I have gone through. I may not appreciate it whole heartedly just yet what He has brought me through, but God was there with me through all the painful times in my life. Even before I personally knew Him. He got me through just to survive my past as a child. Now He is with me to "work through my past." Little by little. One step at a time.

The one step at a time slow process is God's way of healing. He is NOT in a rush. I am learning and accepting that now.

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

I am my worst enemy when it comes to putting unrealistic expectations on myself. Demanding only the best. Only because I want to to be liked and not be rejected. And in my stinkin' thinkin', that requires to be flawless. Oddly though, I only do this in certain areas. It is not all across the board.

I have noticed this demand for the best shows up especially when I am trying to impress someone. Even though I "can" hold high expectations for others, I find I give them more mercy when they do not live up to them. Giving them far more "grace" than I give little JBR.

My little girl received from her dad great expectations to accomplish a task on the first try. Only to find out if not successful, daddy was disappointed. Casting doubt and shame that little JBR would amount to or could do anything. Oh how she wanted to please and be approved by her daddy. She is slowly learning and accepting this is not true.

I really am not the controlling type. Of people that is. I am not that brave to do so. For fear of rejection. I am the opposite. I would people please. I would change for others. But, I do try and control my surroundings around me. Circumstances, situations.

Freedom from bondage continues to remain in my line of sight. To one day break away from all these rules and regulations I have put upon myself. The lies and beliefs I have grown to accept as truth. To have them eventually put to death. And to out-and-out Be Set Free!

OUTWARD SIGNS

Since I have more time on my hands after being laid off a week ago, I am walking more. Where I walk is a park. Young children play in the park. Setting me back in memory to their age.

Such carefree children. One cannot image that they have fears. Was I the same? Did anyone know what was going on in my house? With my parents constant arguing? With my brother sexually abusing me? Did I show any outward signs of trouble?

As I walked towards my destination, I pondered the thought, "If I were to sit down with these children, would I be able to detect problems at home?"

WORRY = FEAR

Worry seems to be the topic these days. My last two devotionals from two different sources have centered on "worrying." Hmmmmmm.......

Today's devotional for this date is one that I have shared with many people in the past. Even using it as one of my early-on devotions at my last job. Very simple and plain. Not too deep. But, makes its point.

Though worrying may be a normal part of your life, it does not have to be. God does not want you to worry. Worry is Fear! Hard as it may be, we need to make the conscience effort to cast our cares onto the Lord. He will not do it for us. Most often than not, this process will take some time. Maybe a life time.

Growing up in a worry sick environment for so many years, I have my work cut out for me. I have been known to analyze the possible worst scenario to what I perceive as a "threatening" (whether emotional or physical) situation. One that would require "my little girl" to have to face and come to grips with. Shaking in her little shoes all the way out of fear. In the past I would derive a way, if I could, to avoid any such pain. Have a game plan. Run away as best I could from the fear worry would produce. In the end, there would always be something else to worry about on top of the other worry I was trying to avoid.

Or I would rehash over and over days upon days upon months even, a troublesome situation. Literally frying parts of my brain by using the same memory over again in one spot. A known fact that the brain has powerful hormones that are sent out. Intended only for short-term worries and emergency situations. Over a period of time with constant worry, many brain cells will be killed off.

Like with any 'bad' habit, it will take time to restructure and rewire my thinking. Regain some healthy brain cells. Putting my full dependance on God.

God is willing to work with us. If we let Him.

"Therefore do not worry and be anxious."
(Matthew 6:31)

God is vehemently against worry. Jesus preached against it. Paul preached against it. The whole Bible preaches against worry because it was designed by Satan to produce stress, strain, and death.

Yet many of us still act as if it's an option, as if we're free to worry if we want to. But we're not! Worrying is a sin. It's one of those things the Word of God directly commands us not to do.

What are you supposed to do then with all the concerns you have about your problems? In 1 Peter 5:7, God says you should "cast them all upon Him." All. Not 75 percent of them. Not all of them but the ones about your kids. All of them!

Your confession every morning should be, "I do not have a care in this world because I've cast every one of them onto my Lord."

Let me illustrate how that works. Let's say you were standing about 20 feet away from me and I tossed my car keys to you. If someone else were to come to me and say, "Brother Copeland, I need the keys to your car. I need to use it." I would say, "I can't help you. I cast my keys over on him. I don't have them anymore."

That's what you need to do with your worries. You need to cast them over on the Lord and not take them back. If Satan brings a worried thought to your mind, saying, "What if this terrible thing happens?" then you can tell him to talk to God about it. It's in His hands, not yours!

Once you do that, changes will start to take place in your life. Problems you've been fretting about for years will start being solved. You'll no longer be tying God's hands with your worrying. His power can begin to operate because you've acted in faith and cast your cares on Him!

Remember, though, God will not take your cares away from you. You have to give them to Him. Then you have to replace those worries with the Word. You are the one who has to keep your thoughts under control. But you can do it. The Greater One dwells within you. He is able to put you over. Commit to it. You'll never have to worry again.

(Kenneth Copeland)

WORRY IS A WASTE

Most my life I have grown up in an atmosphere of worry and fear. If any of you are familiar with my story, you will know the amount of fear my mum had and has to this very day.

The words below and the symptoms fear produces holds so very true. I can certainly vouch for that! But, in the meantime God asks us to cast our cares and be anxious for nothing.

I heard over and over again last night at a worship service in a song that resonates in my heart still this morning, the words....."Love comes down and fear goes out." Even though my heart cannot fully connect to God's love just yet, I know this is the answer.

Worry Is a Waste
by Joyce Meyer
Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing? —Matthew 6:25

Once you allow the spirit of fear to take hold of your life, you open the door to other spirits that want to grip your heart and cause you to freeze up, unable to move forward in confidence and assurance. Worry and dread are both relatives of the spirit of fear.

Or look at it this way: Fear is the parent, and worry and dread are the children. The Bible clearly teaches that God’s children are not to worry. When we worry, we rotate our minds around and around a problem and come up with no answers. The more we do it, the more anxious we feel.

Worry starts with our thoughts, but it affects our moods and even our physical bodies. A person can worry so much that it makes them feel depressed and sad. Worry places stress on your entire system and causes a lot of physical ailments, such as headaches, tension in muscles, and stomach problems. It’s no wonder that 80 percent of chronic worriers also have a poor self-image—their confidence has been eaten up by fear and doubt!

Lord, You know what I’m worrying about even as I pray. Help me to see through the lie that I am believing and to replace it with truth. Amen.

BROKEN GIRL

I am believing that God can put me back together again.

LAID OFF

Yes, I was laid off today. After 4.5 years. Knew that was one of the possibilities though. Although my spirit prepared me ahead of time of this possibility, it is still hard. The full force will hit me in the next few days.

GRIEVE

My little girl still hurts deeply and still needs to grieve.......