Relinquishing Our Hold on This Life

 

We have no need to fear death or to cling to this life. We can relinquish our desires to succeed in this society, because it is only a vapor on a cold winter's day (James 4:14). It quickly dissipates.

Our dependence on earthly advantages leave us insecure at best. As we value our temporal life with less importance and put a higher priority on our spiritual life, our levels of stress, fear, anxiety and depression about our life on this earth diminish.

Satan's lies and negative self-talk, which comes from significant others in our life and fills our mind, attempt to rob us of our confidence in God's love.

It is important for us to reject these negative thoughts and attitudes as they pop up and replace them with God's truth (Philippians 4:8). We agree with what God says about us in His Word. http://vintagelawrence.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ANDERSON_WhoIAmInChrist.pdf

As we develop a habit of prayer, this proves our dependence upon God. It humbles us and glorifies God who holds all power, glory and honor in His hands.

Only as we snuggle in the palm of God's hand are we safe. He prevents life from separating us from His love (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:35-39). We are sealed in Him by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14).

As a child of God, Christ is in us and we are the temple of His Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). There is no need for us to belittle our self or to believe these negative lies. 

God cares about our heartaches and He bears our burdens as we share them with Him (1 Peter 5:7). He helps us in all of our troubles (Psalm 46:1). We go to God with every distress and He keeps our tears in His bottle to revenge in His way and timing (Psalm 56:8).

We can pray in our own words about the real issues which affect our life. Our needs, feelings, wounds and failings are His concern too. We can trust Him to meet all of our needs as we make His Kingdom our priority in this life (Matthew 6:33).

Prayer:

Father God, You are our God, and You save us and preserve our life as we trust in You (Psalm 86:2).  You already know the end of time from the beginning; and Your purpose will stand through it all as You carry out Your pleasure (Isaiah 46:10). As we read accounts of Your goodness throughout Your Word, it builds our faith. We sing joyfully of Your righteous choices in the affairs of our world.

You are compassionate and gracious, a good, good God; and we are loved by You. You are slow to anger and great in loving kindness and You never send judgment without first sending ample warning and time to repent. You are good to all; and we see Your tender mercies through Your works in times past, as well as today (Psalm 145:7-9).

Thought for the Day:

God is the Lord of hosts and is exalted in all the earth, our God who is holy in all of His righteous decisions; and when we pass from this life to Heaven, we go immediately into the presence of God. - Isaiah 5:16

Overcoming Anxiety

Anxiety is a horrifying malady. It strikes when we least expect it and has some sources that are subconscious and not apparent to the conscience mind. The healing process for anxiety often eludes us.

Anxiety may have its roots in unresolved conflicts of our past and is fueled by lies, which Satan planted there. Often our medication taken for medical issues will also trigger unexplained and unfounded panic attacks.

We chastise our self for these feelings, believing that we should be able to overcome them. The exciting truth is that anxiety cannot harm us. We have authority over the attacks in Jesus' name.

Focusing on the anxiety only increases the fears within us. Instead, we can focus on Christian music, fellowship or memorized Bible verses until the attack passes (Isaiah 41:10). Herbal relaxants also calm us.

Human faith is limited, and dependent on our five senses and physical circumstances. Faith in God replaces our fear of life's uncertainties (Isaiah 43:1). This supernatural faith understands what our human senses cannot even perceive (Hebrews 1:11).

God's Spirit is right there in us and with us, protecting us and guiding us through the travesties of life. His fruit replaces our carnal nature with the character of God (Galatians 5:22-23).

Hearing God's Word and standing on Jesus, the firm Rock of our salvation, also increases our faith in God (Romans 10:17). They renew our mind and heal us from past trauma by helping us to expose Satan's lies and to resolve those issues (Proverbs 12:25; www.theophostic.com )

Regardless of our experiences, God strengthens our resolve as we trust ONLY in Him, obey His commandments and believe without a doubt that He is always only a prayer away (Psalm 94:19).

There is no human way that we can control life, regardless of how much we obsess or attempt to keep our self and our loved ones safe. As we trust in God instead of our self, we experience His supernatural peace which exceeds all human comprehension (Psalm 56:3).

Prayer:

Father God, regardless of our experiences, either past or present, or our fears of the future, there is no trial that You will not walk through with us. You carry us through the rocky roads and the fire scorched earth to a place of safety tucked away in the cleft of the Rock of Christ (1 John 4:18).

You teach us that our mind is Satan's battleground, which he uses to take control of our life and to make us ineffectual for Your Kingdom work on the earth. Thank You for strengthening our resolve to deal with, or to turn over to You, the source of any negative thought or emotion in our life, and to put our trust in Your control over our circumstances (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 5:6-7).

Thought for the Day:

The result of sitting quietly in God's presence is a renewed sense of intimacy with Him, spiritual power to take authority over Satan's interference in our life and peace that surpasses human understanding.

 - Philippians 4:6-7; James 4:7-8; John 14:27

Freedom from Negative Thoughts and Emotions

 

Our behavior and emotions are fueled by our thoughts (Proverbs 23:7). We act out what our soul - our mind, will and emotions - is experiencing. However, once we spend time analyzing our thoughts, and coming to a complete understanding of what is really bothering us, then we can go to God for healing.

When negative emotions are controlling us, then we are not totally surrendered to the will of God in our life. Trusting God with our hurt and insecurities will insure that we will gain His perspective on them. He will reveal to us the lie, which Satan planted in our mind and His truth about the issue.    ( www.theophostic.com )

We fight Satan's deception by drawing near to God and then resisting the devil, so that He will have to flee from us (James 4:7). Too often we look at a person's outward behavior and detest them for it, or try to change it, but issues in their inner soul are causing their behavior. Once we denounce Satan's deceptive stronghold in our life, we are set free to see the problem from God's perspective.

Yet, at other times, our thoughts and emotions are based on real problems, such as abuse, neglect, deprivation or a myriad of other concerns. This is when we need to find help from law officers, counselors, our pastor or a caring friend. They will assist us in finding alternate living arrangements to protection us from the behavior, which is killing our soul and our body.

Prayer:

Father God, this evil world is so full of issues, which try our soul. When Satan's deception is added to the mix, our soul is often depressed and overwhelmed. You give us ideas to rearrange our life or our activities, which are fueling these negative thoughts and emotions. Enable our Born Again spirit to rise above these problems and to find our solace in You. Remind us that even if our physical or emotional conditions never change, we still have Christ in us, who is our eternal hope of glory, now in our inner being and also for eternity.

Thought for the Day:

When we sense the battle going on in our soul, we can surrender our thought, emotions and behavior to God's Spirit and He will conform our mind and transform our nature into the mind and divine nature of Christ. - 2 Peter 1:4; Romans 7:15-19, 12:2