Counselor's Corner: God is Bigger Than the Giants you Are Facing

The problem that is facing you may be large and may seem impossible to overcome, but God is bigger than what you are encountering. The enemy likes to magnify your difficulties, and by doing this your problems appear larger than they really are. When your problems seem larger than they really are, fear, anxiety and worry can overcome you.

Reflect and ponder:

 Do you have any situations in your life that seem impossible to overcome, or perhaps your circumstances seem larger than what God can do?

Counselor’s Corner:

Let’s take a look at the story of David and Goliath for overcoming impossible situations or the “giants” in your life. The Israelite soldiers woke up every morning to hearing the relentless taunting of Goliath. The Israelites focused on Goliath’s size-he was very large, a giant! The Israelites listened to Goliath’s demeaning words and they knew they could not win the battle against him, so they did nothing. However, David spent time in the presence of the Lord, singing praises to Him and he continually spent time with the Lord. When David saw Goliath he did not waste any time in fear, but because he had been with the Father he knew who would be fighting for him. David knew he did not need any special weapons to fight Goliath because he understood that God would fight the battle for him.

Remember the story in the Bible in the book of Numbers where the Israelites were to possess the Promised Land, but when the 12 Israelites spied on their land before entering it and saw the giants…they ran in fear. However, Joshua and Caleb saw something different than the 12 spies. The 12 spies looked at the giants and knew there was no way they could win, but Joshua and Caleb looked at the giants and knew there was no way they could not win!  When facing “giants” in your life, it is important to realize that God can do the impossible and remove that “giant” in your life. Having this kind of confidence that God will fight for you comes only from spending imitate time with the Father. Sitting every day at the feet of Jesus (in His presence) will equip and prepare you for your battles. When you spend quiet time with God, listening to the Holy Spirit there is no need to worry how to fight your battles because in God’s rest and His strength He will battle for you and he will give you strategies to win!

Yes, your “giants” are most likely bigger and stronger than you, but are they bigger and stronger than God?

Who are you focusing on more? The “giants” in your life or the King of Kings? Victory came for David and the Israelites because David had spent time in the presence of the King, and this time prepared David’s heart that with God on his side no giant would be impossible to defeat.

What you focus on, you magnify!

Your problems may not change, but you can stop focusing your gaze upon how big your problems are and instead focus on how big your God is! Instead of focusing on your problems daily, CHOOSE to get up every day like David did and focus on God and His presence.

Guard your alone time with the Father. Distractions will try and steal your time with God. The devil sets you up to get you upset, because he knows that when you get emotional and upset you have a hard time hearing God.

Many times in your life you will face “giants” that seem impossible to conquer, but God promises in His Word that you already have the victory in Jesus Christ. At times God brings giants, storms and challenges so you so that you will grow in your faith.

MEDITATE ON THIS SCRIPTURE:

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Samuel 17:35

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14

►For additional information on how to overcome your “giants” in your life it starts first in your mind and with your thoughts. Check out my book, “Disciplining yourmind, 30 days to a better you,” to learn how to overcome a negative, defeated thought life.

Counselor's Corner: Take Life as it Comes, One Step at a Time

Take it one day a time, one moment at a time. Don’t project too far ahead, and begin guessing what may or could happen in the future. Take life as it comes-one step at a time.

Reflect and ponder: What in your life causes you to jump ahead and start figuring out how possibly things may turn out? Difficulty trusting God, fear that the outcome won’t be what you had hoped for, or perhaps you want to be in control of a situation because it makes you feel more secure. What if God wants you to let go of all your perceived outcomes to situations and to surrender all the unknowns to Him? How would your life be different?

Counselor’s advice: Thinking too far ahead can cause you to be anxious, worried, and even fearful. We were never meant to use up tomorrow’s grace on today-God’s grace is sufficient for the day, not stored up. We feel more in control if we can predict the outcomes of our lives, but the reality is we are not supposed to know every detail of how things will turn out for ourselves. God wants us to fully trust Him with all the unknowns in life, and then we can enter into His rest, care and peace. We can only trust Jesus when we truly understand that He is for us, and He eventually does work out all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).

►FACT: 85% of what we worry about never happens and 15% of what does happen, we can handle better than we thought we could. So, why worry about tomorrow? How do we know what may happen.

MEDITATE ON THESE SCRIPTURES:

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow, God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:34, MSG

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. Proverbs 12:25

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

►For additional help in overcoming worry and learning to discipline your mind, check out my latest book, “Disciplining your mind, 30 days to a better you.”

Counselor's Corner: The Seasons are Changing, Arise to Your New Destiny

What a “season” this has been spiritually. It has been a time for planting for the harvest, a time of refinement, a time of cutting away from the former things of the past. It has been a long and difficult season, and so many people of God are ready for change and transition into their new season. For many Christians there has been a “wilderness” journey that they have been on. The wilderness is lonely, discouraging and at times depressing. The wilderness is a place of change and a place of cutting away those things that have hindered our walk with the Lord.

Before entering into your new destiny you must purge and remove the things of the past completely. Let go of things and relationships that have not worked and caused you great suffering and heartache. Let God bring forth the relationships, ministries and outcomes during this time. Don’t hold on to the things of the past. Let God finish the purging and refining work He has started.

Reflect and Ponder: How would you describe the “season” that you have been in? Do you believe it is time to transition into the “spring season?” The “spring season” brings new life and what was laid dormant in the “winter season” now is spouting up with newness.

Counselor’s Corner: A fresh wind of the Holy Spirit is coming forth to bring life to the hopeless and reveal truth in the midst of darkness. It is a time like no other. A time to be born-again and to enter into His kingdom. Many have prayed for loved ones salvation, the return of prodigals, and the return of loves ones who have walked away from the Lord. They will have to make a choice soon which master they will serve, and you will know very clearly their position.

Time is near for the end of the kingdom here on earth, the kingdom here that is ruled by satan and his cohorts. Preparations are being made for the return of the Messiah. Do you discern the times we are in? Let nothing get in your way of watching and looking for the return of the Messiah. So many Christians are living stressed, burdened, and troubled lives, but look away from those things of the world and focus on His return and preparing for His return. Have you repented from sin and turned away from your sin? Have you forgiven yourself and others? Not all people will accept this way of life. To enter His kingdom is narrow and many will choose the wide path or gate. The wide path seems easier, but it leads to death. His kingdom will have no end and will go on for eternity.

Jesus is preparing a place for all of His believers. The enemy knows his time is short on earth and he has assaulted, distracted, discouraged, destroyed and annihilated a lot of followers of Christ. But arise today, you are part of the chosen generation, a royal priesthood and you will arise to complete the finishing assignments to your life and destiny. Do not be distracted by the ones who call themselves Christians, but follow after their own lustful desires and live continually disobedient to Christ and His word. Do not be deceived by them. The ones that follow Christ will be known by their fruit. Let Jesus do the work in the lives of the ones who are not following Christ, otherwise you will get entangled and trapped in their endless needs, issues, and problems. You will know those who truly follow Christ, they will repent of their sins and turn away from their sins. Turn away means not to repeatedly engage in the sin. Those that live in continual bondage to sin are not true followers of Christ. They may know Christ, they may even know the Word, but they don’t follow Christ. There is a tearing away of the “wheat from the tares.” You may be noticing the tearing away and you may be noticing you are undergoing changes. Hold fast, be unwavering in your convictions for Christ and He will bring you through this time. It is a time like no other. For such a time as this.

Our ultimate destiny is our eternal home with Christ. For true followers of Christ, our destiny is being prepared. Arise, your destiny awaits you. The world will soon be dissolved and we will rule and reign with our Messiah in the New Jerusalem.

The visible proof of being a Christian is right behavior. Many people do good works but don’t have faith in Jesus Christ. Others claim to have faith in Jesus Christ but rarely produce good works. Those who claim to have faith and consistently do what is right are true believers.

Beloved, we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we should be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

1 John 3:2-3

The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Christ. This process will not be complete until we see Christ face to face, but knowing that is our ultimate destiny should motivate us to purify ourselves. To purify means to keep morally straight, free from the corruption of sin.

Counselor's Corner: Why Making New Year's Resolutions Do Not Last

Most Americans at the beginning of each New Year make New Year’s resolutions. Having goals for the upcoming year is a terrific idea, but goals without perseverance through discipline will not last. I have wondered why my new year’s resolutions lasted about 2-3 weeks at best. I have come to understand that making resolutions is the easy part, but the discipline to keep them going through the year is tough! Who does not like to write out or discuss what we want in our lives to be better-that’s the easy part!  However, when it comes to sticking out our resolutions, many will give up by the end of January.

Why making New Year’s resolutions do not last:

1.      Goals need more than to be written out, they have to be pursued daily!

2.      A new habit or breaking an old habit takes anywhere from 21-30 days and usually people give up before then. Some habits will take longer to break, especially if they have been a part of your life for years.

3.   Discipline is the key to a successful outcome. Discipline starts with your thinking.

►For additional tools on how to have a more disciplined thought life, check out my latest resource, “Disciplining your mind,30 days to a new you.”

4.      Some days will seem as though you are not making any progress, those are the days you must develop perseverance. Some days will be lots of hard work and you will not see any real progress-yet! During those times you must stay the course and keep moving towards your goals.

Many people want instant success or progress that does not usually happen but through hard-work, discipline and persevering you can achieve your New Year’s Resolutions. Start by writing out what you want to achieve this New Year and plan on working on your goals daily until success is achieved.

Counselor's Corner: Recharging After the Stress of the Holidays

The holidays are over but you may still feel tired, worn-out, and sluggish from “holiday stress.” You many have noticed that you were more susceptible to colds and viruses during this time.

For almost two months from mid-November to the first week of January we over-indulge ourselves on rich, fatty foods, forge our exercising because we are too busy or too tired, stress over meeting the demands of family, drink way too much, hang out with more people that are not emotionally healthy because “it’s the holidays,” and spend money we don’t have on gifts that are needless. If you had any added stress during the holidays such as a death of a family member or a close friend it will add to the depleted feeling that you already may have. This is what I would refer to as “compounded stress,” which is stress piled on top of more stress. The holidays can be stressful enough but if you mix in there a death or even dealing with a prodigal child it can be multi-layered stress. You won’t just “bounce” back from compounded stress, you will need to do a series of things daily to jumpstart your “batteries” again. Our bodies “crash” after the weeks and months of added stress, and not eating properly. Most people do not feel refreshed after the holidays, in fact a majority feel fatigued and sick.

During the months of November and December I hosted Thanksgiving at my home, had a death in the family and a close family friend die, hosted one of the post-funeral gatherings at my home, celebrated 3 family birthdays (2 of the birthdays were celebrated at my house), celebrated my wedding anniversary, reconnected with my prodigal child, and had my second book released. Needless to say I was feeling worn-out, irritable, and sick. Take time to reevaluate what your schedule was like during the holidays, write it out to see if maybe that is why you may not be feeling all that energetic and stop beating yourself up –recharge!

►How can you recharge from compounded stress after the holidays:

1.      Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Nothing recharges your depleted body and mind like a good night’s sleep. Opt for 8 hours during the week and on your days off sleep an hour longer. Go to bed before 11pm every night.

2.      Start exercising, even if it just a brisk walk. You probably won’t feel like exercising in the beginning but the benefits will eventually be felt such as weight loss from all the food consumption during the holidays and increase in your immunity.

3.      Lay off sodas, junk food, sugary snacks, fried/fatty foods, and cut back on over-eating. Discipline yourself to eat healthy, balanced foods during the week and pick one or two days to indulge (sparingly, of course) with your favorite foods and desserts. Drink lots of green tea, cold or hot, but don’t add sugar. You can put stevia or honey in your green tea if you need it sweetened. Drink lots of water to flush out toxins and rehydrate and energize your body.

4.      Begin each day and end each night in the Word of God. You don’t have to be legalistic how you spend time with God each day. Most likely your time with God was not as frequent during the holidays and now it is time to reconnect to God as the most important disciplines to recharge you. Have time where you sit quietly before the Lord to listen to what He wants to speak to you. During the holidays we often can’t hear God as well because we are too busy running, doing and going. Sit still before the Lord.

5.      Do not put a lot on your schedule for the month of January. You need time to recharge, especially if you have undergone compounded stress. Lighten your load as much as possible for the month of January. Stop trying to force yourself to keep up with everyone else.

6.    Discipline your mind by taking every thought captive and REPLACE with scripture and faith-filled/positive affirmations daily. It is very likely the holidays brought on some disappointments, and possibly depression. Get your mind FOCUED again.

►For additional practical help in how to discipline your mind, check out my latest book release, “DiscipliningYour Mind, 30 Days to a Better You.”

7.      After many weeks of your schedule being haywire, get back to routine and schedule. The holidays often cause havoc on your routines and that can cause problems if you have work to get back to. Organize your morning the night before by laying out your clothes or programming your coffee maker to brew in the AM.

8.      Unplug from your phone and other electronic devices every day, even if it just for an hour.

9.      Declutter your space. Take some time and declutter around you. The more clutter that you have, you will feel that in your mind.

10.  Introverts especially need time alone because of the increased interactions during the holidays. Too much time with people, drains an introvert but time alone recharges the introvert. If you are an introvert, find one or two friends to socialize with, and opt out of the larger group settings until you are recharged. Introverts do crave social interactions, just usually 1:1 interactions that are deep and meaningful. Extroverts, you still need to recharge but maybe not like the introvert.

11.  Do something for yourself that is fun and enjoyable perhaps that is having a movie day in your pj’s or trying a new restaurant.

12.  January is usually dark and cold but sometimes sun does come out in January, and when it does go outdoors. Vitamin D from the sun can boost your mood.

13.  Take warm, Epson salt baths to eliminate toxins and to relax your body.

Be gentle and patient with yourself during the month of January after the post-holiday frenzy. Recharging your body, mind and spirit will not happen overnight but if you begin to implement the above suggestions you can start to feel like yourself in a couple of weeks.