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Overcoming Anxiety

God’s Word for the Day: Overcoming Anxiety

by Lily Benson November 9, 2023

Discovering biblical wisdom and practical strategies to find peace amidst anxiety’s grip.

What Does the Bible Say?

“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”‘ Isaiah 35:4

Did you know that one in five young people struggles with anxiety? It’s a prevalent issue affecting our generation, with 91% of teenagers experiencing physical symptoms due to stress and anxiety. But there is good news we serve the Prince of Peace – Jesus Christ and He wants to bring peace to every area of our lives.

In Matthew 6:25-27, Jesus encourages us not to worry about our lives, assuring us that our Heavenly Father cares for us. Recognizing that anxiety is not God’s design for our lives helps us approach it with faith, knowing that we are not alone in our battles.

The Bible is filled with promises that offer comfort and hope in the midst of anxiety. In Philippians 4:6-7, we are urged to bring our anxieties to God through prayer, with thanksgiving, trusting that His peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds. Meditating on these promises and anchoring our hearts in God’s faithfulness can bring a profound sense of peace and assurance.

Our thought patterns significantly impact our emotional well-being. Romans 12:2 encourages us to renew our minds through the transforming power of God’s Word. By filling our minds with truth, and meditating on Scriptures that speak to God’s love, faithfulness, and sovereignty, we can combat negative thoughts and replace them with God’s promises. Memorizing and reciting affirming verses can serve as a powerful weapon against anxiety’s grip.

Anxiety may try to steal our peace, but as Christians, we have a firm foundation in the unchanging character of God. By anchoring our hearts in His promises, renewing our minds with God’s truth, seeking support, and trusting in His perfect timing, we can find serenity amidst anxiety’s grip. Remember, you are not alone on this journey. God is with you, guiding and comforting you every step of the way.

Let God Hold Your Hand

by Corine Channell April 19, 2020

written by Corine Channell

Fear will stop you dead in your tracks. It will make you distrust your own shadow. Fear will divide you from love and have you questioning the truth. It’s staggering how fear is so destructive in and of itself.

By the way, it’s true – fear is a liar. The goal of it is to keep a strangle hold on our heart, rob our peace, separate us from others, and ultimately destroy us.

Don’t Live In Fear

Personally, I can’t live like that. I refuse. I choose to pay attention, have my eyes wide open but not be consumed by all the troubles at hand. You can be wise and fearless at the same time. Pretty sure God never intended us to be consumed with anxiety and fear. That would be the other guy – the enemy of our soul.

Yes I fully know who I am. I know my own strengths and weaknesses. This current rearranging of life has mentally kicked my butt. Whatever was normal or abnormally normal to each of us, has changed. Some in big ways; some in small, but life as we knew it, has changed. I can tell myself (and do) all the words, all the truths, and all the inspiration. I’m still tired. And, it’s okay. I’m also still strong.

“If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trusted, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5)

Basically we have the current opportunity to learn to walk with the footmen so later we can run with the horsemen. It’s an ongoing process; it’s a journey. One step at a time.
Pace yourself.

What If…

Prior to writing this blog my heart was heavy; my fears were suffocating. I was having too many ‘what ifs’ (not good ones) run through my mind. I felt heavier and heavier; weighted down and too weary to go on. It felt like there was a deeper level of anxiety I had fallen into.

I took a brief moment to turn on worship music (and turn off the news). Immediately my soul felt like it caught on fire. The song playing was ‘Fear No More’ by The Afters. I sobbed and began to worship God, and all of a sudden the fears and all the ‘what ifs’ and the heavy burdens vanished as I turned my eyes off of fear and on to Jesus. “When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:19)

His grace and love and strength and peace were greater than the sum total of all my cares. Fear laid down at His feet. Fear had no power in His presence.

Finding The Safe Place

Nothing in the world ( or in my corner of it) has changed, but my heart ran to the safe place I know so well. Peace was restored. Hereafter I will try not to wait so long to cast my cares on Him. He truly brings a peace the world can NOT give; and the world can’t take it away. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

“Every anxious thought that steals my breath.
It’s a heavy weight upon my chest.
As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold.
Help me to remember that You’re in control.
You’re my courage when I worry in the dead of night.
You’re my strength ’cause I’m not strong enough to win this fight.
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind.
I will trust You, Lord.
I will fear no more.”
(‘Fear No More’ by The Afters)

The lyrics of ‘Fear No More’ were truth to me. They resonated deeper than that level of anxiety I had sunk to. No pit is too deep but God’s truths are deeper still. He truly calmed the storm of fear raging in me.

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13)

Basically, God came to His fearful child and held her hand. I am changed.

April 19, 2020 0 comment

Articles Faith

Finding My Identity While Letting Go Of My Insecurity

by Emily Wheelock October 21, 2019

written by Emily Wheelock

“But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” (1 Corinthians 6:17) Media Personality and Mental health Advocate, Trevor Tyson, opened up recently on his Instagram about his insecurities and his identity shift. Since the post went up, Trevor has received an overwhelming response of support.

In the photo, Trevor is standing in a black and off-white flannel jacket with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone as he poses for a mirror selfie.

The caption reads. “I’ve debated on posting this or not but here it is. Here is the face of a once depressed, anxiety-filled boy from Social Circle, Ga. The difference about this picture is that the anxiety and depression aren’t in my identity anymore. God delivered me from it and He can for you too. Do I still have times of doubt and struggle? Yes. But it’s not found in my identity. This is me at @radiocitymusichall walking in the path He created me for. So why would I debate posting this or not? I’ve always been really insecure about the way I look and judgmental of myself… But thank God, He delivered me from that too. This is me. I am who I am. This is my life. Welcome to #trevortalks.”

Trevor said that he wanted to inspire and help people with the post.

Trevor speaks volumes when he says that anxiety and depression are not part of his identity anymore. One thing we all seem to forget is that our identity cannot be found in our illnesses or the things we like. Those things don’t define who we are. God does. Our identity can only be found in Him.

Four Ways Finding Identity in Christ Changes Us

One thing we have to remember is that scars come with living. We go through things in life but those things do not define us.

We don’t need to chase after the desires of the flesh.
One no longer has to fear the future.
We no longer compare ourselves to others.
One is not surprised when suffering comes.

Something I have always struggled with is that third one. Comparing myself to others. I get all “she has this and all I have is this.” I know I shouldn’t but a lot of the time I can’t help it. I know my identity is in Christ but sometimes comparison creeps in. Comparison can suck the life out of us and I find conviction in that. Biblical convictions are hard and fast truths that God has given us in the Bible to show us how to live. Personal convictions, however, are decisions we make for ourselves that may be right for one person but wrong for another. And sometimes it is easy to confuse the two.

Sarah Walton of Unlocking The Bible said, “This can also create insecurity in our own choices due to our desire to please man over God,” she also said, “We can ask Christ for wisdom in this area of personal convictions, be open to hear and discern other’s perspectives without judgment, and then walk in confidence that God is the only one we need to honor and please in these decisions.”

Insecurity and Me

I’ll admit it, I am an insecure person. I have grown but I still compare myself to others. Why do we find ourselves seeking an identity outside of Christ even though we know it will lead to insecurities? Our lack of confidence fuels our insecurities.

In his article Insecurity And Me, Trevor Tyson wrote, “It isn’t an overnight process. This is a mindset and a truth that you will literally have to teach yourself. Being you and loving yourself can be very hard for a lot of people.” Trevor went on to say, “You deserve happiness and a winning mindset, just as everyone else does. To obtain that mindset and start slaying your giant of insecurity… it starts with your own thoughts in your own head. Start your journey to finding your value in God – today.”

Just be happy, kind, and love others. We are created not only in His image but to be like Him. So, if He is kind, love-giving, merciful, and forgiving, shouldn’t we be as well? Yes. The more we put our trust in Christ where our identity lies, the less likely we are to compare ourselves and fall into an insecure life.

October 21, 2019 0 comment

Articles

Anxiety, There Is Something You Don’t Know

by Emily Wheelock September 25, 2019

written by Emily Wheelock

Anxiety is a complicated mental problem that 40 million adult Americans struggle with daily. When I had my first anxiety attack I didn’t know what was going on. I thought the worst, of course. It wasn’t until I was in the middle of the attack in the dead of night when my mom told me it was anxiety. I told her that I didn’t know why I was scared. That’s the problem with it though. A lot of the time you aren’t even afraid. Most of the time anxiety can be caused by stress, depression, or literally just genetics.

Over the past years of struggling and dealing with anxiety I have learned that it is not my fault that I have it. But that doesn’t stop me from getting mad at myself for skipping out on social events or not answering phone calls because of it.

A lot of people don’t understand anxiety though. When trying to explain it, the only words that come to mind are drowning and fear. People just think you’re just scared and you just have to “man up” when really you can’t control it. It’s something that lurks in the shadows of your inner being and you never know when it’ll jump out at you. Because of this, I wrote an open letter to my anxiety to help others better understand what it’s like.

The Letter

September 25, 2019 0 comment

Articles Faith

The Shepherd’s Anointing Oil

by Corine Channell August 17, 2019

written by Corine Channell

Even when it doesn’t feel like it, the shepherd’s protection always breaks through.

But that phone call that rocks your soul to its core. That doctor’s diagnosis that shatters your picture-perfect world. That moment when you feel like a hurricane has settled over you, stuck under the mighty force of its wind. It just seems to never stop whirling and swirling and throwing you around like a rag doll.

Times like this are the worst of all, I think. It is when you have hope deferred and see no sign of any change and you realize THIS might be all there is.

Is this it?

I have lived through this scenario more than once. I guess the keyword there is THROUGH. I have to remind myself that a storm will not remain forever, the pain will cease and life will be reborn. I DO believe that to be true, that life indeed goes on after the worst day or the worst season of your life. I DO know it is the truth.

First of all, getting through to the other side is hard. No, it is more than hard. It is like free-falling down the longest, darkest hole that you could ever imagine in your worst nightmare. People who have felt THIS sort of pain know exactly what I am talking about. It is when you literally feel broken or shattered into a thousand pieces. It is when you don’t recognize yourself and your own landscape is suddenly unfamiliar and threatening. It is like standing in front of a storm front that is headed straight for you, and there is nowhere to go or hide and when it is upon you, you are its captive.

Getting through the storm

David – Shepherd, writer, warrior, king.

David talked a lot about his soul being troubled. Troubled means: ” unsettled, hard, tough, difficult, stressful, anxious.” David the shepherd boy who would later be King, knew a lot about stress. I was wondering why. I mean, his typical days were spent tending sheep. They are a stubborn animal with the tendency to wander and they do what they want, but THIS was his reason to be so troubled and anxious? It had to be more.

There are 150 Psalms in which he cried out to God because he felt forsaken. Psalm 69:3 is absolutely a verse I can relate to: “I am exhaust from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.”

There have been times where I literally would try NOT to think about whatever it was I was going through (the really bad times..) because I couldn’t handle my own falling-apart anymore. I was tired. Literally, just tired. Tired of my own thoughts, words, tears, and tired of the storm beating down on my soul. I felt like I couldn’t even pray because it exhausted me to do THAT. I was sick and tired of crying out and asking for help. I was too tired to seek the shepherd’s help.

Feeling forsaken and broken.

The refreshing of the Lord

Psalm 22 is a Psalm where David talks about how he feels forsaken, wondering where God is and if He hears his groaning. He expresses how he feels like a worm, a reproach and someone despised. He says, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It has melted within me. (whoa) My strength is dried up like a potsherd (a broken piece of pottery) And my tongue clings to my jaws.” THIS is a true testament to depression and anxiety.

How David felt and how he expressed his anxiety maybe will resonate with some of us that have felt the same. For me, its that feeling of YES – THAT is exactly how I feel. It is very hard to put into words that level of despair. I am thankful David was a writer and chose to write his way through his troubles. Ironically, after his depressing woe-is-me Psalm 22, comes THE most infamous Psalm of them all. Psalm 23.

You know this Psalm – The shepherd’s love shows up in David’s relationship with God. He always ALWAYS come for the ONE forsaken sheep. It is the very nature of a shepherd. Verse 3 says, “He restored my soul.” Thank you, Jesus! “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me.”

You are NOT alone.

Wait. I want you to get this! It is those 4 words that will change everything about that hurricane you feel stuck under. HE IS WITH YOU. If you can get that and wrap your head around it, it will change everything. A shepherd does NOT leave his sheep alone. And if one is lost or stuck in a thicket, he will leave the other 99 to come rescue it.

For all the phone calls, losses and moments of pain we have each encountered; for all the sleepless nights and swollen eyes; for all the hope that seems never forthcoming – YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Psalm 23:5 – “You anoint my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Why oil you say? How does THIS change anything?

The shepherd’s oil

I read a wonderful story online explaining something profound. To paraphrase it, it said when a sheep gets its head caught in a thicket or brier bush, there are nasty flies which will burrow in their heads. This causes MUCH anxiety to the sheep and they will beat their heads on rocks to the point they could die. (Sound much like us and our troubles and anxieties?) The reason a shepherd puts oil on their heads is to protect it. It protects their heads from the tormenting flies.

THIS! Do you see it? Do you get it? (Credit for this analogy to “We Believe In God”, on Facebook). Oil speaks of peace. You anoint my head with PEACE, so I can overcome the enemies of anxiety trying to attach to my mind and destroy me.

I recently was feeling the torment on my mind and heart. I am happy to report that the Shepherd’s love for me came and rescued me. My circumstance did not change, but I did. And THAT is everything.

The last verse of Psalm 23 – “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” This is the result of our good Shepherd’s anointing oil.

August 17, 2019 0 comment

Faith

Trading Anxiety For Peace

by Corine Channell June 13, 2019

written by Corine Channell

Anxiety.

That word comes with so much misconception, and pain. If you have experienced it you already know its damaging effects and how it deadens any hope of peace.

(I first want to clarify as in any mental health issue, there are extreme cases that may require therapy or counseling or medicine, and way more than just a small encouraging blog).

On a scale of 1-100, where do you find yourself IF you are someone who battles anxiety? I think I was at a bit of a normal level (if there is a norm) of feeling anxious in my life – raising 6 kids (before and after their dad passed away from cancer). I would venture to say the first bouts of anxiety were more regular stresses of a life with many children; worried about them, and money, and the future – worried if I’d get it right! After their dad died the worries tripled times 10 – or more. I tried to hold it all together and looking at me, sure – it seemed to be so.

Explosion of Anxiety

I think anxiety has been growing inside of me for a very long time; I simply did not truly understand it. I thought I was a very faith driven, positive, glass half full kind of person! Part of my anxiety (ironically) was trying to maintain being THAT person!

People needed me to be strong, to be happy, to cheer THEM on, to provide for them, to serve them, to love them with every ounce of my being. How I really felt got shoved way down, deep inside, and out of sight.

There can come a time when you just hit rock bottom, no matter how optimistic you are. Rock bottom despite all of its danger and fear and hopelessness, is indeed the place where Jesus becomes the solid ROCK of the bottom!

I fell apart on one particular day, due to an extremely painful situation in my life that pretty much leveled me flat. My faith in God was intact, but my soul was too shocked to remember how to apply all the faith principles I knew (I learned it’s okay to admit you’re NOT okay). At the time however, I still was not ready for that admission. In our frail brokenness God Himself is always holding us; even when we may or may not realize it at the moment of our hellish descent.

Rooted in Fear

So, anxiety. What is it basically? It is fear. We are worried or concerned about uncertain outcomes. It turns into agitation, tension, stress, foreboding, uneasiness (multiplied without number), and an overall sense of having lost our bearings. It sends you spiraling out of control – sometimes slowly, but other times it feels like you were shoved off a cliff into midair – flailing for your life all the while just falling – falling – falling.

The opposite of anxiety is so beautiful. Yes (shout, Amen!) there IS an opposite. It is PEACE. And it IS possible to find even in the midst of life’s worst moments. It is a journey, and it will probably be a solo journey. It is YOUR fight to find it. I love that pop song – “The Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. Part of the lyrics are: “…’Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.” When you get down to the bottom, there is this instinct that kicks in that says, THIS can’t be where it all ends!

That fight? That will to survive? That is God in you. Do NOT ever ignore it or make light of it. That will be the exact moment you will be able to look up (even just a glance upwards is enough) from the bottom of your anxiety, and hope will be ushered in – right from the depths of your OWN soul.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast [THROW] all your anxiety on HIM – because He cares for YOU.” Memorize this; it’s short and sweet and TRUE, and it really is possible. I have lived through some hellish situations that looking back, I wonder how I am still here – how I still can be a glass half full person.

He Brings Peace

The reason is I threw it ALL on Jesus! HERE! You take it, and do what You want with it – I can’t take it anymore. There is something that transcends human understanding that happens when you really surrender the worries and pain and anxieties to God. It is a trade. HE takes it from me, and then HE gives me back something in its place. He brings peace, which is stronger and more powerful that anxiety.

Anxiety is laced with the poison of lies from the pits of hell, meant to suffocate us, diabilitate us, and ultimately destroy us. PEACE is the real deal, truth that brings strength and hope right in the middle of a situation that has not yet changed. Yes. THIS is true.

Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest…you will find rest for your souls.”

Visualize it as you take ALL your worries and hand them over to Jesus, however that looks to you if you were painting it as a picture. For me, it would look like broken, shattered pieces of glass with jagged edges. As I try to scoop them up the glass cuts my hands and begins to bleed. It hurts just handing it all over to Him. But I don’t want it anymore. I can’t! I can’t do it! I can’t handle it! It has sent me to rock bottom.

Then from the deep darkness of the bottom of rock bottom, from the depths of my broken shattered soul, comes the sweet exchange. I take my anxiety and fear and pain to the ONLY place where true relief can be found.

Call the bluff on the enemy of your soul. Let the fight song of your own life rise up! In that split second that you release the worry from your soul, God is there in that moment. Significant moments are tiny pockets where change is born.

Life still has all the elements of a tragic opera plot line. The change may not be in the outward circumstances, but the change will be inside of YOU. And this truly changes everything. “This is my fight song, take back my life song – my power’s turned on, starting right now I’ll be strong.”

The power is Jesus. The fight starts with US and the victory to win ends with HIS strength given to us as we surrender the worry. “Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4) This is my go to – take a deep breath and press on – scripture. I am not alone. You are not alone. We are held.

It is a win-win. Slowly, but surely you will rise from the ashes. Fear will not hold you for ransom anymore. YOUR fight song is blasting in the background as you go from fight to flight!

June 13, 2019 2 comments

Faith

Hope Remains

by Lesa Henderson May 22, 2019

written by Lesa Henderson

No matter how bleak it may look, hope remains… The post below, from 2011 came through on my Facebook recently. Seeing this memory feed was such a reminder of God’s faithfulness and how He wants us to always remain hopeful in all situations.

You see when I made that post, we were going through a really difficult time. We were struggling financially and trying to get our footing after the market crash of 2008. Our son, Brandon’s drug addiction had escalated to unimaginable heights, in spite of eing arrested by US Marshalls the previous fall! In the natural realm it looked like we were losing him.

To add to our concerns, our oldest daughter was in a destructive relationship. Our world was spinning out of control and it really looked hopeless. And the enemy was there whispering that it really was…

But… Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”

Don’t let hopelessness suck you down

Satan wants you to believe that it’s hopeless and your prayers are useless but they’re not! Today, our son is free. Brandon has an amazing career (one that should be impossible for someone with his past); he’s the father of three beautiful children; and he and his wife serve beside us in ministry. Brandon’s testimony has been featured in Charisma Magazine, The 700 Club and in the documentary Hope Has A Name and is going around the world.

Our daughter, Tiffany is married to a wonderful, Godly man and they’re the parents of two precious children and are also serving in ministry and carrying the Gospel around the world! This is a picture of our family today, but what if I’d given up? What if I’d listened to the lies of the enemy?

Hope Remains

Don’t let the quicksand of despair and hopelessness suck you down. Don’t give up! Press on! Be encouraged in this solid truth “As long as God is on the throne and the ruler of Heaven – HOPE REMAINS!”

This is my sincere prayer for you my friend: ^“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

May 22, 2019 6 comments

Articles

iPhone Addiction: To Connect Or Disconnect – THAT’S The Question

by Corine Channell April 12, 2019

written by Corine Channell

iPhone addiction, or any smartphone for that matter is becoming an increasing challenge in today’s world. Corine Channell shares helpful insights from her own experience, in her usual amusing way.

Wishfully thinking of the old days I call “Life before I was connected to a charger”. Maybe you’re a teenager and you have NO recollection of life before electronics, and apps, and a constant barrage of cords and chargers. Many of us DO remember. Some of us miss it.

What in the world did I do before I had a cell phone that serves as a tiny lap top computer? I seriously was trying to remember.

There is a place on your phone where you can see your screen time each day. I did not know that until I found it by accident, and I had a rude awakening – I felt kicked in the gut. Are you kidding me? I spend THAT much time on my PHONE? I was ashamed and embarrassed and felt like I had a secret addiction I couldn’t talk about. I mean really, who spends THAT much time on their phone in a day.

In trying to justify my screen time to my guilt-ridden self, I broke down all the things I do on my phone. It is way more than just texting or talking. There are my apps – for Uber, bus routes, plane tickets, recipes, banking, Starbucks (of course there is a coffee app on my phone), Amazon, Pinterest, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, email, PayPal, Pandora, weather, news, WordPress, Western Union, and YouTube. And I DON’T have the zillion others that are all at my fingertips if I merely download (or is it upload?) them.

iPhone Addiction

Good Grief! I had this moment – you know – the BAM moment, when I realized most of my life was connected to the end of a cord. My phone connects me to everything and everyone, and I am NOT entirely sure I am handling it well.

After all, shouldn’t we should do ALL things in moderation. That means, if you are going to eat Oreos just eat two (not a whole sleeve). It means whatever you do, don’t over-consume. I feel like an over-consumer of my little tiny Apple looking up at me ALL day long, saying FEED ME! LOVE ME! PAY ATTENTION TO ME! In some ways, it has become so much a part of our daily lives in very practical ways (catch a bus, catch a plane, check your bank balance) that we ARE benefited and we depend on it.

(deep sigh)

Knowledge has increased, IS increasing still, and at a rapid pace. With all our knowledge, are we really better off? I wonder if we are more anxious at trying to keep up? I am. Just sayin’. I can only speak for myself. What to do people? How do ALL of us break free of being owned by our phones? Is it even possible in this world where we are connected to a charger? Yes and no, maybe so? Ugh. I don’t see a perfectly perfect answer to this.

It’s Your Choice

So, for ME – this is my advice to myself. YOU have to do what works for you, but just know you always have a choice and really, we do NOT want to be owned or controlled by anything – and especially an electronic device (This sounds so Matrix).

With fear and trembling I will pay more attention to how much time I spend on my phone – and note if it was smart time (smart time – smart phone. I can remember THAT)! Sure, I need my phone to write blogs (I love the dictionary access at my fingertips); I need it to make travel plans, to find a recipe, to scope out birthday gifts, etc.

What I do NOT need is to surf Facebook or be on messenger all day long. I don’t need to know who is doing what at all times! I don’t need to read all the news comments about politics (no, no and NO), and feel my blood boil at the hatred spewed.

I don’t need to scroll through YouTube videos about cute babies and dogs; I don’t need to see the millions of brilliant creative ideas on Pinterest (I think my best friend and I WERE Pinterest before there was Pinterest). “If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.” (Proverbs 25:16) Wow. I think THAT may be the key really. “Eat only enough for you.”

My brain and my eyeballs are over it. My heart needs a break from social media and seeing and knowing what everyone everywhere is thinking, or saying, or doing 24-hours-a-day. It is addictive – iPhone addiction.

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self control.” (Proverbs 25:28) Guilty.

Connection

You do it however you want. Me? I am at least going to try to not be so connected to a charger. I want be better connected to the people in my life, spending time talking to God, reading His Word (To know God does not require cords or chargers or good WiFi), and being more personally creative with my gifts and talents that do NOT require charging.

I still prefer to read my mother’s old Bible (complete with her notes in the margins and scribbled all around every single page) as opposed to looking up scriptures on my PHONE (which I have done and sometimes still will). I still like to go to a store and scope out the sale racks as opposed to clicking on gift items on shopping sites. I still like to write cards and letters as opposed to emails and e-cards.

I just think, though all of that is just FINE, it loses the personal touch. I had an elderly aunt who sent me a card for every occasion every year of my life up till she died – her handwriting was shaky and sometimes hard to read but I knew who it was and I knew HER because of it. I miss those cards.

“Make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence knowledge, to knowledge self-control; to self control perseverance; to perseverance godliness.” (2 Peter 1:5-6) I find it interesting that in this scripture it places adding self-control after having added knowledge. With lots of increased knowledge at our beck and call 24/7, we need self-control to overcome iPhone addiction. THAT is where I find myself today.

Whatever you do or don’t do with your iPhone addiction (don’t throw your phone up against a wall or feel guilty if your job IS your phone), just find a balance that eliminates being overly consumed, or out of control, or unnecessarily anxious. At the end of the day remember that the delicate and lovely lilies of the field grow and toil not, neither do they spin to be beautiful. Sometimes all that is really necessary is to just BE.

#DisconnectWhenNecessary

April 12, 2019 0 comment

Articles

‘This Is When God Becomes Real’: Bethel Church Pastor Testifies After Nervous Breakdown

by GOD TV February 12, 2019

written by GOD TV

The senior worship pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, Brian Johnson, shares his life-changing personal testimony about overcoming anxiety. Not too long ago, he experienced severe panic and anxiety for six whole months. But despite everything he went through, God displayed His goodness to Pastor Brian’s life.

The worship pastor shared his experience in one of his sermons at Bethel church and just authored his book about his journey, When God Becomes Real.

He went through the darkest part of his life in July of 2016. And because of that moment, he realized that he needed God to become more real than ever before!

“… I got to the point when my heart started raising and I remember saying, ‘I just can’t do this, I can’t do this’. I’m freaking out and the ambulance came and they put me up to oxygen. And they took me to the hospital. I remember telling my kids before I went to the hospital… ‘This is when God becomes real’”. Pastor Brian shared in one of his sermons.

The father of four and the husband of Jenn Johnson, a lead worship pastor of Bethel church, shared what he wonderfully experienced during his 6-month nervous breakdown. He encountered God in a most unique and special way. He also learned a very important lesson that he shared to the congregation.

“Consider it a gift even when you’re faced with circumstance where God is the only answer,” he said.

“…Because most people never get to experience a level of pain deep enough where God becomes their only hope and answer. There’s no drug, there’s nothing that can mask that type of a pain… When your at your end and God is the only answer, lucky for you because what’s gonna happen is you’re gonna enter into a time of deep surrender and healing and your ministry will start out of that. And it will be pure,” Pastor Brian added.

He wrote about his story in his new book, When God Becomes Real. He wants to make his life an example and encourage everyone who is going through anxiety and depression. On top of the book, Pastor Brian also wrote songs that reflect what he went through.

Two of those songs are “Living Hope” and “I Won’t Forget” which they uploaded in Bethel music’s YouTube channel. Millions of people were inspired by the song and it became a beautiful blessing to everyone.

Pastor Brian’s testimony is a wonderful reminder for all of us. God will never leave us. He is faithful enough to rescue us from the darkness. We just need to hold on and have faith. We may experience dark moments in life, but always remember that God will always hold your hand and He will never let you go.

Overcoming Anxiety - Brian Johnson | Bethel Church

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Credits: Bethel Music

This article was written by Kriza Jo L. Tanduyan.

February 12, 2019 1 comment