Tag: worry

Battling anxiety with God’s word

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Lately I have been experiencing anxiety. Not just regular anxiety, but pandemic anxiety, which is like anxiety on steroids. I also have vacation anxiety and mom guilt thanks to our kid free trip fast approaching and hanging in the balance.

These feelings come in waves. Sometimes they pull you under and other times you ride it out.

Today’s devotional suggested I hash it all out on paper. In one column, write down all raw, anxious, worrisome thoughts. In the other column, write down the promises of God’s.

If I shared with you column 1, your head might spin. Let me tell you I was very honest and it felt good to get these negative thoughts out of my head.

Column 2- well, column 2 turned into more of a dialog than a list, and I think that’s exactly what I needed. First verse that came to mind…

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Well…that should cover it. All things work for good. So if any of those negative thoughts come to fruition, it is for my good.

Reassuring, but column 1 is lengthy. I need more.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

Ok that’s good to know, but I’ve had unanswered prayers…so I struggle with this. I should revert back to Romans 8:28. All things work for good. So if it is an unanswered prayer, there’s a reason.

But why?

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

Alright, so he knows more than me. Got it…but I still feel unsettled.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

I want that kind of peace. I need that kind of peace. If only I could control my thoughts.

2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

I can picture it now.

  • Negative thought enters my mind.
  • Negative thought gets handcuffed, taken to God, and immediately forced to turn positive or leave.
  • As soon as a negative thought is escorted out, another enters. Then another. Then another…

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

That’s it! If I want this peace, I will need a guard for my mind. Full time position. Probably some overtime.

Philippians 4:8 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.

Any negative thoughts that sneak past the guard will be filtered!

  • Is it true? Well, no because most of my worries never come true.
  • Is it lovely? Not usually.
  • Is it worth of praise? Nope.

I need to use these filters. Why?

Philippians 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Because I need this peace! But it seems impossible.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me

I rely on God’s strength all the time. He’s probably tired of dealing with me.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Column 1 is starting to seem less scary.

But still..even if I guard my mind, filter my thoughts, and rely on God’s strength, I may still face trouble.

James 1:2-3 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Joy and trials in the same sentence? Really?

1 Thessolonians 5:16 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

All circumstances? What about the bad ones?

Romans 8:28…start back at the top.

Use God’s word to argue with your anxiety, and the anxiety simply can NOT win!

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

We may live in uncertain, ever changing times, but God has not changed. He is the same and He is good. And He does not want us to put back on the chains that Jesus broke many years ago.

God has cleared the calendar

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I use my Outlook calendar and every important moment of life exists in that space.

If it is not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.

At the start of the year, I decided to start using a paper planner also to keep track of healthy habits and other things. I like to write things down, so this works for me.

On Sunday I sat down with the planner open. Normally I would write down everything I need to accomplish that week, things going on, sporting events, goals, etc…

Instead I just stared.

There is literally nothing to write down.

Almost immediately, something came to my mind.

“God has cleared our calendar.”

For sake of our finances, we are fortunate both of us can still work. Anthony has to go in to work but I am working remotely. Nothing else planned besides that, which leaves a lot of time to spend with each other and help others.

That’s it.

Crazy.

Who would have thought there would be no good basketball games to watch in March, no softball season, no spring break trips?

I am trying to keep open ears and an open mind, because God is showing us something, without a doubt.

When worry sets in, which seems to be daily…

I remember Psalm 56: 3-4

Fill your calendar with good things during this time! Read, pray, spend time with family, and help others when you can! And when worry sets in, read Psalm 56: 3-4.

Calling All Control Freaks and Worry Warts

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It’s February already!

Yikes!

Weren’t we just ringing in the New Year? Like usual, time is flying.

Back in December, I had posted about my New Year’s Resolution. Only 1 this year! You can read about it here. Right around this time, a dear friend had reached out to me about getting together for a book study. We both struggle with control issues and anxiety so I searched for something along those lines and found It’s All Under Control by Jennifer Dukes Lee. We decided it would be worth checking out, ordered the book and study guide, and started reading. The timing could NOT have been better! Looking back, this was a total God thing. Had my friend not reached out, I probably would not have picked this book. I have a bookcase and Kindle full of books I’ve ordered and never found the time to read. Shameful, I know!! I broke my own rule of not buying any more books until I read the ones I already have, and I am oh so glad I did!

Immediately I fell in love with this book. It was EXACTLY what I needed to read at that exact moment in my life. I read with a pencil and highlighter in hand. If you’ve never done this before, try it! In the past, I opted for e-books. Super convenient, but for a scatterbrain like me, it’s very hard not to get distracted. Ding – email. Ding – Facebook message. Ding – text message. Ding. Ding. Ding. Plus, there are a lot of verses to reference. Some devices make it hard to swap back and forth between a bible app and a book.

I usually read early in the morning as part of my quiet time. Sometimes I got up before my 5:30 am alarm (crazy, I know) wrapped myself in a blanket, and read. Some days I would stare down the clock, hoping it would slow down so I had more time to read. My book friends will understand what this is like!

In order to let God be in control (as I said before, I know He is in control, but I typically like to pretend I am) I really need to keep myself on track. This book was a great tool for that. I could relate to the majority of the book.

While I don’t want to send out a spoiler alert, I do want to share a few of my favorite parts:

• “True Rest isn’t about your lack of activity; it’s about the state of your soul.” This one spoke to me! I am a busy person (aren’t we all) Work, kids, family, etc.. sometimes feel like there is just nothing I can cut. Maybe sometimes that is ok – if I find rest for my soul. That needs to be non-negotiable. Because without rest for my soul, I just can’t tackle the weekend-long softball tournaments or gymnastics meets or band festival.

• As long as everything goes exactly the way I want, I am totally flexible. Ha. Totally me!

• God cares for your loved ones more than you do. Love this! One of my biggest areas of stress and worry comes from my family. The world is a scary place. I worry about my kids, sometimes in an over the top, unhealthy way. I can reason with myself and know the worry won’t do any good, but still can’t stop. It was a great reminder that God loves them more than me.

• My type A likes to be in charge. Fundraisers, field trip chaperones, travel softball accommodations, you name it, I’ll do it. Until now! I’m starting to pass the baton. I just can’t do it all. I’ve come to realize something has got to give. Sometimes it’s painful because they just don’t do it right. Ha ok I’m joking (kind of) but in the end, it’s done and that’s all that matters.

I would practically rewrite the entire book if I wanted to share all my favorite parts! Had I read this a few years ago, I might not have been so enthralled. I’m telling ya – divine timing!

Here are my two cents on how I got the most out of this book:

• Get the paper copy! This is one of those books I feel like you will want the book in hand. I realize electronic devices make it easy to bookmark, etc… but for me, this was a book I wanted a paper copy of!

• If you follow step 1, have a pencil/pen/highlighter handy. There are so many things I underlined because I could totally relate.

• Use the study guide. I learn best by writing. For me, this was the perfect companion to the book. It had a lot of thought-provoking questions, fill in the blank, and other exercises. I have done studies in the past where the study guide was very redundant of the book, but this was not the case in my opinion.

You can order the book and study guide on Amazon by clicking on the images below.

You can also check out her website which has a lot of other great info. www.jenniferdukeslee.com

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have! I’m looking forward to meeting with my friends to discuss!