Faithful Friday

This week has been extremely stressful for me. It has been one of those that has been packed with entirely too much for one person to do. Have you ever been there? I even started to get sick at one point as my body sent a pretty clear message that the stress meter has been on overload for a little too long.

The worst part is that once I realized how stressed I was, I started to stress about how to eliminate the stress! Sheesh! Hopefully I’m not the only one who has ever felt that way.

Once I finally reached the end of my rope, there was noting left to do but give it all to God to sort out. They funny thing about that is as soon as I did the stress started to slip away. It is amazing how when we surrender our stress and leave the sorting out and priority setting to the Lord, how quickly he responds. Sure, there were still many things to be done, but he was able to give me just the amount of clarity of mind and direction to put the joy back into my tasks.

Maybe you’re not feeling at all stressed or anxious right now, but chances are that one day you may. Here are a few verses to focus on during those times when you need peace and direction:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27 (NLT)

Prayer for Stress and Anxiety:

Lord~

I cannot do all of this all right now. I’m overwhelmed and feel unequipped to face the current stresses of life. I’m coming to you now to lay down my burdens and take upon me, your yoke, for I know that it is gentle and that it will provide relief for my tired mind and heart.

Thank you Jesus for calming my fears and stress filled mind. I trust that you are big enough to handle everything that is going on right now for there is nothing that is too difficult for you.

Amen.

Many blessings to you this week my friends. I pray that the Lord will keep you all in His perfect peace today.

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~Psalm 55:22~

Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

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Last Friday we talked about where our thoughts are and how God has given us the power to reign in those things that should not be in our minds. The Casting Crowns video above speaks to the slow fade that the world can so easily pull us into if we are not standing guard, and this can happen in so many different areas of our lives.

Unfortunately, we live in a world today that is eager to draw out attention away from all things good and pure. This is true for each and every one of us, men and women. As long as we are in this life, we have an enemy that seeks to destroy those gifts from God that are precious to us.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:12: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall. If there is a moment when our enemy knows that we are most vulnerable, it is when we feel strong in our own power. Those “I can handle it” and “I know what I’m doing” thoughts can be quite dangerous and should be something we all examine our hearts for. Just like we don’t have it in our own power to forgive ourselves or to even forgive others, unfortunately we do not have it in our own power to resist the constant pull of the world.

I’m so thankful that we don’t have to do this life alone; that we have a gracious and loving savior that understands each step we take.

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Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
~Philippians 4:8

Do you know that your mind is a literal battlefield between good and evil? This is one area that I have personally struggled with for many years. There have been times in my life when I’ve gotten lazy and have let thoughts flow in and out of my mind without regard for if they are right, pure, or even true. This disregard for taking thoughts captive can be very damaging and sometimes without us even realizing it.

I’m so thankful today that God has given us the power to reign in those thoughts that should not be in our mind. I’m thankful that He has already won the battle for us and has given us authority with which we can shut down negative thoughts immediately.  

Sometimes we need to stop telling God how big our troubles are and start telling our troubles (or our thoughts in this case) how BIG our GOD is!

Where are your thoughts today?

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He said:

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

~Matthew 5:2-12

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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.
~John 14:27

There is no peace like the peace provided to us by Christ.

Have you ever had one of those unexplainable moments when things aren’t going right at all, but for short time you become overwhelmed with peace and joy? For me, that is the best feeling in the world and it is one that I know can only come from one place.

There is no person, no place, and no object that can calm a troubled heart like the love of God can. I am so thankful today that He cares just that much about each one of us to give us little sacred moments of hope to let us know He is near.

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