Thursday, September 7, 2017

Counselor's Corner: When You Feel Pressure





Pressure means to squeeze out or to apply a weight on something.




There is good pressure and there is bad pressure. Good pressure causes you to move, change, or to grow for the better, such as the pressure you feel when you are in college. Bad pressure usually comes straight from the kingdom of darkness, and causes you to feel like you are going to snap, such as when you are dealing with the burdens of others because they don’t carry their own weight.



Pressure that comes from the enemy will wear you down until you break or give into sin.



Signs that the pressure you are experiencing is from the enemy:

1)      You are not sleeping well, and perhaps having nightmares.

2)      You do not feel at peace, maybe restless even.

3)      Headaches that are unusual and/or fatigue, or feeling unwell.

4)      You have “brain fog” and cannot concentrate or stay focused.

5)      Feeling “off” but can’t put your finger on why.

·         If most of the above symptoms occur with added outside annoyances, distractions, and concerning situations that arise then you can rest be rest assured you are experiencing pressure from the enemy to lose your peace, your joy, and eventually snap.



If you have had one of those days or weeks where you have endured most the above signs and you do lose your cool, don’t condemn yourself but step back and be still with God. Don’t beat yourself up, be aware of the pressure that has tried to get you to break. Forgive yourself and if you did sin ask God to forgive you and He will.


When you feel the kind of pressure that causes you to be on edge, stressed, not able to focus, irritable, annoyed, and frustrated go to the Lord immediately and ask for His protection and deliverance from the pressure tactics the enemy is using to wear you down. The enemy can also use people to cause you to feel pressure as the enemy hopes you will wear down and give into what the enemy wants. This kind of pressure never comes from God. When God leads you to something He will do so gently, you will have peace, and you will not be annoyed or irritated.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Counselor's Corner: Don't Hold onto the "Arrows" That Are Thrown at You





A hunter throws arrows in hopes that his shot will penetrate his victim, and cause a fatal blow. Usually many arrows are thrown by hunters until they achieve their desired outcome, but then there is the skilled bow and arrow hunter and they can make their fatal mark from a long distance away on their first attempt.




Much like the analogy of the hunter, the enemy throws “arrows” or darts in hopes of inflicting wounds that cause deep and sometimes lasting damage to our souls, emotions and minds. Arrows are sharp and when they hit their target they cause deep, penetrating wounds. Arrows that come from the enemy are meant to harm you.



There are small arrows that are thrown to damage, discourage, defeat, derail, frustrate, aggravate, and larger arrows to destroy. Smaller arrows come frequently and usually are the same or similar arrows that hit you before. These small but frequent arrows come to wear you down, to cause you to give up, and to lose hope. The larger arrows are sent to strike one big blow to destroy at the time of penetration of the arrow.



The enemy studies your “blueprint” and knows what arsenal of arrows to hit you with. If an arrow the enemy threw at you before worked, he will throw that same arrow time and time again UNTIL you get wise to the scheme.



As the same arrows are thrown at you as before don’t let them go deep. Remove the arrows immediately by not focusing, dwelling, or worrying about what is thrown at you. Duck from the arrows by keeping yourself hidden in God by keeping silent and in peace, remaining watchful that the Lord is not only fighting on your behalf but will subdue your enemies, worshipping and praising God for the victory that is coming, praying for the arrows not to stick and have no lasting damage to your emotions, mind, or spirit. Wait for the Lord to deliver you from whatever is coming your way to harm you.



An arrow is a weapon, but the Word says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). The arrows will come but stand in faith they cannot succeed against you. Laugh at the enemies feeble, yet pretty predictable arrows that come to you, and don’t focus on the hurt and pain that the arrows inflict. Arrows are sent to STOP YOU, but the Lord wants you to KEEP MOVING.


God will turn what the enemy meant for your harm into good.


Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Counselor's Corner: What Does It mean to Cast Your Care on the Lord?






Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22




Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7



What exactly does it mean to cast your burden on the Lord?



Burdens make you feel heavy, weighted-down, and like you are the one who has to figure out how to solve the problem. When you feel burdened God promises that if you cast your care upon Him; He will sustain you.



→To cast means to throw something forcefully in a specified direction, or to throw off or away.



1.      Talk to God about your concerns. Be open and honest about what is concerning you or causing your anxiety. Don’t pretend you don’t have concerns and that everything is fine. Come before the Lord and tell Him.

2.      Sit quietly before God and allow Him the opportunity to speak to you about what is concerning you.

3.      Visualize yourself handing over to Jesus the person or situation that is concerning you. Ask God to take your concerns as you place them in His hands.

4.      Pray whatever is concerning you that God intervenes and that the plans of the enemy would come to a halt in the name of Jesus.

5.      Speak out loud scriptures daily over your life, and the situations that concern you.

6.      The most difficult part-after you have given your burdens to the Lord it is time to get up and keep moving. Don’t focus all day and night on what burdens you, if you constantly carry your burdens you will end-up physically, mentally and spiritually drained.

7.      Have a set time during the day, preferably first thing in the morning where you cast your burdens on the Lord and then leave it for the day. Sometimes, our burdens do crop up during the day even after giving them to the Lord. When this happens, don’t sit around and entertain all the possibilities of what could go wrong and what could happen. Stop and give your concerns back to the Lord. If you are undergoing difficult circumstances you may have to do this several times a day. The key to leaving your concerns with God is to not dwell, analyze and worry for hours a day. You could have intrusive thoughts that can be common if you have endured traumatic or difficult situations. The more you practice leaving your burdens with Jesus, the less intrusive thoughts you will have.

8.      The most important key in casting your burdens on the Lord is trusting God with His timing and His outcomes for what you are concerned about. Waiting patiently and expectedly that God has heard your cries and He will come through. As you are waiting on God, DON’T STEP IN AND TAKE OVER! If you get impatient as you wait for God to make a way, keep giving Him your burdens. Tell God, “I can’t carry _____________ (whatever your burden is) any longer, please take care of this for me.”

9.      Believe in your heart that God does care about you and your troubling situation. God’s Word says to cast your anxieties on Him because He cares for us.

10.  Humble yourself before God. Admit to God that you are not capable or strong enough to deal with your burdens.

11.  After casting your burdens on the Lord, you will be able to enter His rest and you will feel light and your load will not feel heavy any longer. The key to Divine rest and a light load is to not hold onto what is burdening you and not to doubt that God has heard your cries for help. Allow God to work, STEP OUT AND LET GOD STEP IN! Only then you experience God’s rest. There are some things that you have to let go of and let God take full control. It is okay to daily give your concerns to God until there is complete victory, and thank God for the victory that is coming.



→Be aware when you are feeling overly concerned in any area of your life, stop and pray immediately and ask God to intervene. You will know you are overly concerned when you are thinking constantly about a troubling situation, worrying, fretting, and figuring out what you can do to.



→Casting your burdens on the Lord usually is not a one-time event but can be daily if you have many burdens that you carry. The more you practice casting your burdens on the Lord, you may notice less tension, stress, and anxiety in your life.






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