Anxiety and Peace

Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NET)

Anxiety produces different reactions in people, but one thing that is in common is that we are not to be anxious about anything. For me, when I get into anxiety about something or someone, my stomach gets messed up, I feel like I got a lot of butterflies in my stomach, I can't eat...I just get messed up physically. At the same time my mind can think of nothing but what I have anxiety about. This happened to me this past summer. Someone said something about me and it wasn't very nice, and instead of praying and asking God what to do, I chose to dwell on what they said, which got me into anxiety. I also created different scenarios in my mind about potential outcomes. I did everything I wasn't suppose to do according to Philippians 4:6-7. When I eventually went to God in prayer about it, He very politely said "I'll take care of it." With that, the anxiety left and my stomach got back to normal. If I had chosen to pray in the very beginning, I wouldn't have had to go through all that nonsense. Jesus gave me 5 instructions for when I get into a situation that produces anxiety...

1) trust in God that He is taking care of the situation either by dealing with me or the other person

2) trust in God that He is removing obstacles that are in my way and that He is protecting me

3) trust in God that He will tell me what to do

4) when I have done all that I am to do...STAND in peace, be strong and courageous

5) and when I am done standing in peace, then STAND in more peace

We were not created to operate in anxiety, but in peace. Choose to pray and trust Him the next time you get into a situation that normally causes anxiety in your life.

Fear of Rejection

Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the LORD your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NET)

One of my biggest issues in my past was "fear of rejection." I wanted to be liked so much that I would do just about anything for people just so that they would like me and want to be around me. This lead into a whole bunch of other issues, which, thank God, He has worked out in me. Through our lives we will meet people that will like us and people that will reject us, thats reality. Jesus told me one day that there will be people that will reject me, they may reject me because of opinion, my abilities, my looks, etc....I just don't need to fear it! When we are being rejected by people, we need to remember that Jesus loves us and He will stand with us and He will never abandon us! When we get the reality of Jesus inside of us, it will no longer matter if people reject us, because we can rest assured that there is One, THE ONE, who absolutely and unconditionally loves us. Whenver you are feeling rejected by someone, take your eyes off of that someone, and put them on the One who loves you, Jesus...He will always be there and you will never need to fear rejection again!

Buttons

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT)

Sometimes, and usually it is most times, when we get angry, our anger is aimed in the wrong direction. The Apostle Paul said that are weapons are not "wordly" or "flesh and blood" weapons, but they are Godly weapons, used to destroy strongholds of human reasoning. Interesting that the only times the word "warfare" is used it is never in association with the devil, but with the human mind. Our own thoughts and perceptions are what get us out of peace and put us in anger and anxiety. Whenever someone does or says something that we do not like or that offend us, we get upset and angry with that person. But what is really happening is that a "button" was pushed inside of us that caused us to react. This is where the warfare takes place. Whenever someone says something to me that offends or angers me, I have to settle myself down first by saying "Kent, a button just got pushed inside of you so you need to settle down." I then say "Jesus, settle my soul" and I may have to say that 5, 10, 50 times, but He will do it. I then ask God "ok Lord, what just got pushed inside of me, why am I reacting this way to this person." When I do this, it takes the focus off of the anger toward the other person that offended me and puts it on the "button" that got pushed inside of me. At this point God will show me what happened and the healing begins. When we go to God and ask Him why (and not react to the other person), it is then that we can handle the situation in stability and peace.

Adding to what God said

Saul waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul. So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering. Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the army had started to abandon me and that you didn’t come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt obligated to offer the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:8-12 NET)

God, through the prophet Samuel, told Saul to wait for 7 days. Unfortunately Saul got impatient and started to go on his feelings. The 7th day was not completely over, but Saul decided to act on his own. Doing that went against what God said and Saul paid the price for it, which was the loss of his kingship over Israel. How many times does God tell you to do something, and then you decide to add to it? It has happened to me on a couple of occasions. When I started mountain biking God told me He wanted me to do this because it relaxes me. But then my brain took it further and I thought "I'm enjoying this so much I want to show others." One thing led to another and I started leading rides, work groups, etc. I started getting quite tired and over committed. Thing that God wanted me to do to relax me was now making me very tired. When I went to God about it, He said "I never told you to lead anything on the trails, I only told you to ride them." When God tells us to do something, we, as humans, tend to want to add to what God is saying, usually because we think we know better. Saul's story is a good example to do ONLY what God tells you to do. If more needs to be added to it, He will add it!

Its a Trust Thing

Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.] (John 14:27 AMP)

One of the major issues that Christians have is a total trust in Jesus. We trust Him that He has taken care of our salvation and that He died for us on the cross so that we could have a relationship with God. It is beyond that where we have problems. When things don't go our way, when things happen that we don't understand and when things don't happen when we think they should happen. The disciples, when crossing the lake and even after spending time with Jesus, got upset because of a storm, which was happening while the son of God, was sleeping in the back of the boat. They didn't trust Him fully, they lacked belief that He would take care of them. The same it is with us. We get all stirred up, anxious, intimidated, cowardly and disturbed when something doesn't go the way we think it should...and why? Because we choose to behave this way instead of choosing to trust God. It is a choice. Yes, you can choose to be agitated and continue to get the results you are getting, or you can choose to trust God and walk in peace. When you walk in peace, it really doesn't matter what the outcome is, because your total trust is in Him. Next time you find yourself getting upset, stop, breath, and make the choice to trust God with the situation, and then let Him handle it. 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the LORD which will stand. (Proverbs 19:21 NET)

God gave us a brain to use, but through experiences, influences and beliefs, we don't always make the right decisions...and trust me we are constantly making decisions. Now there are decisions that are just plain common sense. For example, if its cold outside, its a good decision to wear a jacket, or if you have a test coming up, it is a good decision to study for it. There are also decisions that we have to make that are not so "common sense," in fact they seem almost impossible to make, and likely will affect other people. These are the times we need to go to God for direction, and when He gives us direction, we need to follow through with it. Sometimes when God gives you the right direction to go, it may not make sense or seem logical, but it will ALWAYS become evident that it was the right decision down the road. It make take days, months, weeks or even years, but you will always, at that point, be able to look back and say "thank you God!" 

Saying Yes and Saying No

Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds, for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans. (Isaiah 55:8-9 NET)

Not so long ago I found I was doing everything, saying yes to everything, leading up work groups on the trails, leading two bands, teaching a college class...the list goes on. Eventually I was wearing out. Finally I had to ask God what is wrong with me. He said "I never told you to do all those things." Then it hit me, I was saying yes to everyone, I was wanting to do everything and be the best at everything. I thought that was what I was suppose to do. But God had other plans. In fact for each of us He has plans, things He wants us to do. I learned that whenever an opportunity comes up, I need to go to Him and ask Him, "is this what I need to be doing?" He sees the big picture, He knows what is best for me. His plans are definitely superior to my plans, and what He wants me to do is definitely better than what I want to do. Now you may have to say "no" to people, in fact I guarantee you will have to say "no" to people at times, and they may not like it. Just remember, they don't have to walk in your shoes, only you do. 

Distractions

...we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith...(Hebrews 12:1-2 NET)

The writer of Hebrews says we need to keep our focus on Jesus. That means that in everything we think and do, Jesus must be the focus. Its when we take our eyes off of Him that we get ourselves into trouble. For everything we do, no matter what we are doing, our eyes and focus should remain on Jesus. For example, when I had to write my last paper for school to complete my counseling degree, I sat down at my computer and started typing...my focus was on that paper. But then the distractions started, I spilled my glass of tea, someone knocked at the door, the dog pooped on the floor...you get the picture. These distractions took their toll, I lost my focus, I got angry and frustrated and it made for a really bad day. In essence I became a miserable person to be around that day. When these emotions start in you, these should be a "red flag" that your focus is no longer on Jesus, but on yourself. So when we experience that, we need to get before Jesus, repent, and meditate on Him, His presence and His word. Doing this will put your focus back on Jesus and bring into a more stable condition.

Acceptance

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT)

For most of my life I have had acceptance issues stemming from not receiving acceptance from my dad as I was growing up. As I entered into adulthood, I tried to get acceptance from people in destructive ways, such as people pleasing, saying "yes" to everything, co-dependency, etc. All of which never did get me the acceptance I was looking to fill that void. The funny thing is that I was already accepted by God, I just didn't know I was accepted by God. God said in His word, that He DECIDED, past tense (that means He already did this), to adopt me into His own family through Jesus. This means that when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, I was adopted or accepted into His family. In verse 4 it also says God loved me and chose me! So for most of my life I was trying to get something I already had! As Judge Judy says..."doesn't make sense!" If you are having acceptance issues, if you feel like you've never fit in with anyone, if you feel like nobody loves you and that you are all alone, don't believe that lie. God accepts you and loves you!

Letting Go of Regret

So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. (1 Corinthians 4:3 NET)

Every one of us have done things in our past that we regret, and it is that regret that keeps us from receiving God's love and forgiveness. The Apostle Paul, who wrote two thirds of the New Testament,  even he did horrible things in his past, but look at his words..."I do not even judge myself." Paul, who killed many Christians before having his encounter with Jesus, who probably could see the faces of each one he killed, had the opportunity to hold on to that regret, but he CHOSE not to judge himself any longer. Why? Because he knew he was forgiven and he knew he was loved by God. Each of those things we are holding on to are weighing us down, and on our own we can not let go. But with the help of Jesus, we can let go, that is our hope! With Jesus' help we can stop judging ourselves because He no longer judges us. Since we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour, He no longer judges us. If you are holding on to regret for things you did in the past, if you think that because of your past God could not love you or He could not forgive you, choose now to let go of the past. Ask Jesus to help you let go of your past and to receive His forgiveness.

Setting Your Limits

I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NET)

We all have physical limitations to us that keep us from doing certain things. For example, being 5 foot 7 inches tall, I can not jump 30 feet in the air. That is a physical impossibility. However most of our limitations come from our mind. When God tells us to do something, we say "I can't" or "It's impossible" or "I don't have the strength." Last July myself and my best friend went to Keystone Ski Area to do some downhill mountain biking. Going up the lift I was intimidated by the mountain and had anxiety about going downhill. The first run we took the green and blue runs (easy to moderate difficulties) and it was great. The second trip up the lift I had no anxiety. We took the black runs (advanced runs) going down the 2nd run. This was my limit, well I should say I was pushing my limit. I was very uncomfortable on the black runs...but I did them. Jesus told me I can do a lot more than what I think I can. My own limits hold me back from allowing Jesus to do what He wants to do in me. I need to let Him set my limits, not myself when it comes to things He wants to do through me. We all can really do more than what we think we can do. The next time God tells you to do something, don't let the limits you've placed in your mind keep you from doing it. He is telling you to do it because He knows it can be done...because He is the one giving you the strength to do it!

Shoes of Peace

And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace. (Ephesians 6:15 AMP)

The apostle Paul wrote Ephesians while in prison, and while he was there he had plenty of time to study the Roman soldier's uniform. Its no wonder why he said we need to put on the shoes of peace. The shoes the Roman soldier wore had spikes on the bottom of them, anywhere from 1/2 inch to 3 to 5 inches in length. These spikes kept them stable and solid when attacked by an enemy. What Paul was saying here is that we need to keep our peace (be emotionally stable), because when we do, we will remain stable, i.e. we will control our emotions and not the other way around. When our emotions control us, we are all over the place (unstable). For example,  if you are having a good day, and then suddenly the dog pees on your carpet and you start yelling and scolding the dog, then your emotions are controlling you. If you have just shoveled snow out of your driveway, and then you turn around and see the city plow just passed by your house and pushed a mound of snow into your driveway and you throw a fit, then your emotions are controlling you. Make a decision today, right now, to start walking in peace, no matter what your circumstances are. If you decide to walk in peace, then you will be able to handle any situation with stability of mind and emotion.

Do It Afraid

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!

Don’t be frightened, for I am your God!

I strengthen you—

yes, I help you—

yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!

(Isaiah 41:10 NET)

There are certain natural fears that are inherent in us that keep us from harm. Some would call this common sense. For example, a fear of putting your hand in fire...it will get burnt, or a fear of jumping off a cliff...you will die. However there are also fears, or what I like to call unnatural fears, that keep us from following God. Some people have a fear of being in front of a group of people. So if God is calling you to speak to a group of people, this could be a problem. Some people have a fear of flying, but if God has called you to help people in other nations, then this could be a problem. Anytime God has called you to do something that you are afraid to do, then what you need to do is TRUST Him. Trust Him that He will help you, trust Him that He will strengthen you, and trust Him that He will uphold you with His saving hand. Even if after trusting Him you still have fear, then (and I’m going to steal a quote from Joyce Meyers) do whatever God is asking you to do afraid, just do it afraid. If you will step out in your fears, trusting that God will do what He says He will do, you will find that your fears will be conquered, and that He will take you to places that you never even dreamed of!

Listening for God's Voice

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Look, the LORD is ready to pass by.” A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12 NET)

God has given us abilities and wisdom to do some things in life. However there are many times that we just don't know what to do. It is these times that we need to seek God and listen for His voice. Unfortunately we hear so many voices we are not sure which one is His. We hear our own voice, we hear the voice of our friends, we hear the voice of "professionals" and it seems that when we are looking for God's voice, it should be the loudest of them all. This is just not the case. In fact, it is the opposite. Elijah found out that God's voice is a soft whisper. God is not going to come crashing in with the loudest voice (much like humans do), but He comes in with that soft whisper that not only brings the answer, but brings peace. I have found the best thing to do when I don't know what to do is to stop what I am doing, get by myself (if I can) to settle myself down and clear my head, then listen for that soft whisper.

The Master Surf Board Keeper

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:3-5 NLT)

Each one of us has baggage that we carry, or that we pick up through life that God needs to "buff" out. God gave me a picture of Jesus working on a surf board, sanding out imperfections on the board. He then said that I am the surf board that Jesus was working on, and the imperfections on the surf board that He was sanding out were imperfections there were from my past, and others were those that developed as I continued through life. So the surf board is always needing attention, inspecting, and maintenance (sanding out new imperfections). A surfboard is meant to stay on top of the water and on top of the waves. The waves are issues in life, and sometimes the wave will topple the board, but the board will always pop back up. Sometimes imperfections in the board will act as a rudder and steer the board off its desired path. But after the imperfection is buffed out, the board will go in its desired direction. So it is with life, issues that come up, the imperfections, that steer us off our desired course, but once they are addressed and we allow Jesus to sand/buff out the imperfection, then we get back on course. Now when Jesus addresses these imperfections in our lives, it is up to us to CHOOSE what to do when He speaks to us about it. We can continue on our way, off course, OR we can work with Him, sometimes enduring pain (sand is an abbrasive and put against the skin it will hurt), but if we continue to work with Him, through the pain, we get back on course. It is a CHOICE!

Let People Go

After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle. (Luke 15:13 NET)

In this story, the younger son, after getting all he wanted from his dad, decided to leave home and do his own thing.  Jesus never said that the dad held on to his son, or even tried to keep him from going. Instead, the dad let his son go. How many times has a loved one, whether it be a family member, friend, or whoever, wanted to walk out of your life (whether it be a good reason or a bad reason), but you tried so hard to hold on to them to keep them from going. I know I have, and it has always ended in disaster with both of us getting angry, resentful, upset, and the end result was that person left anyway. From this parable we can learn that when someone wants to walk out of your life, you have got to let them go, even if you know that what there are doing is going to end in a disaster. If you don't let them go, the harder you try to hold on to that person, the more they are going to want to leave. Yes, it will hurt when you let them go, but God is there to comfort your hurt and in doing so He will bring you peace. And if that person left a void, God will fill that with more of Himself. Remember, if someone wants to walk out of your life, let them go...pray for them, but let them go!

Road Map of Life

And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him. [Judg. 13:24; I Sam. 2:26.] (Luke 2:40 AMP)

Jesus is our perfect example of how to live life. He shows us what we need to do, and that is become strong in spirit and filled with wisdom. This is our "road map" on how to live life. On a road map, there are many highways and many different ways of going to a destination. Most of us, including myself, have looked at a map to see how to get somewhere and chosen the quickest route, but this isn't always the best route. In fact there are times we have to back track and find another route. However, Jesus knows the BEST route. It may not be the shortest, but it will always be the best route. There is only one way we can know which is the best route, and that is to grow strong in spirit and be filled with wisdom, and we do this by spending time with Jesus, learning from Him through His word, not just the written (logos) word, but also through the words He speaks to us specifically (rhema). By doing this He is preparing us for life, ie showing us the best route to take. He is preparing us to handle situations and problems that come up in our life. If you are not taking time each day to spend with the Creator, start now. If you are already spending time with your Creator, take it to the next level! 

God's Bandwagon

When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.” So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:15-16 NET)

Choices are a part of everyday life, both good and bad choices, but they are still part of life. When God tells us to do something, we have a choice to make, much like the shepherds did when the angel told them about Jesus' birth. The shepherds could have said "that's cool, but I have flocks to tend to, I'll go see this miracle later." Thank God they didn't choose that route, but instead they chose to get on God's bandwagon and they hurried to do it! When God tells us to do something, we can either get on His bandwagon and enjoy the ride, or we can let the concerns of what's around us, our own ambitions, our own wants and needs take a higher priority. When we choose ourselves, we miss out on the blessings of God as well as the opportunity to minister to others. When the shepherds got to Mary and Joseph, they told them and everyone aound them about what the angel told them, and everyone was praising God! When we get on God's bandwagon, we not only minister to others, but the end result is praise to God!

When God Speaks...

So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭38‬ NET)

When God spoke to Mary through the angel, He was telling her that she was going to give birth to the Savior of the world. Notice her response. She knew who she was, a servant of The Lord, and she accepted His word without "feedback." How many times does God tell us to do something, but then we give Him every excuse we can think of as to why we can't do what He wants us to do. We think we are so smart that we know better than God and we are trying to tell Him that He is wrong. First, if you are a believer, then you are a servant of God, not the other way around. Second, He sees the big picture. Third, it is Him doing it through you. If He is telling you to do something, He will give you what you need when you need it. So the next time God tells you to do something, your response should be like Mary's...let this happen according to Your word. When you do this, amazing things will happen, things you thought were impossible...remember nothing is impossible with God!

God Hears Your Prayers

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John. (Luke 1:13 NET)

From the moment the words of our prayers leave our lips, they are heard by God. He has heard every word of every prayer that you have uttered to Him, whether it be loudly or just "under your breath." However, due to our impatience or our selfishness, when we don't get the answer right away or we don't get the answer we want, we think God didn't hear us. Luke 1:13 proves that thought to be wrong, because He does hear us and He does answer every prayer. He may not answer in the way we want or in our timing, but we have got to remember that He is God and He sees the big picture. When we pray to God, our job after that is to thank Him for the answer (even before we get the answer), and wait patiently for His answer.

The Take Away: He will answer because He has heard!


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Correcting Your Focus

But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40-42 NET)

Mary knew what was important, and that was Jesus. She knew being in His presence was the thing to do. Yes, I'm sure Mary had things to do, but Jesus was her priority. Most of us, however, are like Martha, we have things to do, and sometimes a lot of things. Overtime those things begin to take the place of Jesus in our lives and they become our focus instead of Jesus. We need to be like Mary and put our focus on Jesus. When we do, we are free to hear what our Lord and Savior has to say to us, and then we see what He deems important.


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Gathering of Believers

And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25 NET)

The writer of Hebrews had a very clear message in these two verses: it is vital to your development as a Christian that you find a body of believers to belong to and gather with. Why? Because this is where you will learn more about God, this is where you will be encouraged in your victories, this is where you will be comforted in your hurts, this is where we help each other live a Godly life by correcting, rebuking and exhorting each other. Some have taken this verse to the extreme by saying you can never miss a gathering. The results of this type of thinking is guilt, condemnation, feelings of inferiority, etc, all of which are not fruits of God. However if you consistently miss gatherings, then you need to check your motives for missing. We were created to be social beings, and God wants us to gather together. He wants us to share His word, His love, His healing and His encouragement with each other. We can't share any of this if we are alone. God's word is clear, we need to find a body of believers that we can meet with on a consistent basis.


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