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

Resource to help you be an overcomer:

►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 your mind, 30 days to a betteryou,” to learn how to overcome a negative, defeated thought life.

Book Review of Author Hannah Wilkison's "The Moor and the Maiden"

Riveting, compelling, and intriguing historical fiction Christian novel!

I highly recommend this novel, especially if you need an escape. You will get so involved in this book that you will forget your worries! Great book to take on a vacation or to read on a snow or rain day. The Moor and the Maiden would make a great book for a book club or a small group at church as you could discuss the characters, settings, and God’s redemptive plan for reconciliation.

From page one of Author Hannah Joy Wilkinson’s novel you are captivated by the way she brilliantly and creatively describes each character as if you knew them personally. Each character is fully developed, and you are able to gain an in-depth understanding and appreciation for each one of the characters. As you start reading this novel you want to continue, you are drawn and pulled into the character’s lives wanting more and desiring to know their fates.

The Moor and the Maiden explores tough themes such as religious persecution, prejudice, fear and hatred and intertwines them with topics such as redemption, reconciliation and love. Throughout the book you will be moved with an array of emotions as the author is able to portray each character and setting with such dynamic accounts. You will not be disappointed in the finally outcome of the main character.

I look forward to reading more from author Hannah Wilkinson!

Review: The Moor and the Maiden

The Moor and the Maiden by Hannah Joy Wilkinson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Riveting, compelling, and intriguing historical fiction Christian novel!

I highly recommend this novel, especially if you need an escape. You will get so involved in this book that you will forget your worries! Great book to take on a vacation or to read on a snow or rain day. The Moor and the Maiden would make a great book for a book club or a small group at church as you could discuss the characters, settings, and God’s redemptive plan for reconciliation.

From page one of Author Joy Hannah Wilkinson’s novel you are captivated by the way she brilliantly and creatively describes each character as if you knew them personally. Each character is fully developed, and you are able to gain an in-depth understanding and appreciation for each one of the characters. As you start reading this novel you want to continue, you are drawn and pulled into the character’s lives wanting more and desiring to know their fates.

The Moor and the Maiden explores tough themes such as religious persecution, prejudice, fear and hatred and intertwines them with topics such as redemption, reconciliation and love. Throughout the book you will be moved with an array of emotions as the author is able to portray each character and setting with such dynamic accounts. You will not be disappointed in the finally outcome of the main character.

I look forward to reading more from author Hannah Wilkinson!






View all my reviews

Counselor's Corner: How to Walk in Freedom from Your Concerns

Have you had trouble experiencing joy? Perhaps the reason is that your concerns are weighing you down.

I was feeling a little sluggish this week and just not able to experience joy. It felt as if something was pressing on me or weighing me down. In my time with God this morning, He revealed to me that I was concerned over many matters and that was causing me to feel the way I was.

→How do you know you are overly concerned about a situation?

You repeatedly think about or talk about that situation. God had showed me that I have been daily thinking about the same concerns. It is not all bad to have concerns but when they become repetitious in manner than we can lose our joy and our peace.

When we hold onto the same concerns after we have prayed about them and refuse to surrender the outcomes to God, a heaviness can come upon us. We are not built to carry our concerns. If we carry our concerns daily we cannot experience enjoyment of life.

As women it can be especially challenging not to think about our concerns. A woman’s brain is compared to spaghetti, meaning experiences and thoughts all run-together. The problem is when you can’t turn the switch off in your brain for the situations you are concerned about.

→How can you walk in freedom from your concerns?

1.      Write out what you are concerned about, be aware of those concerns you repeatedly think about (those are the ones that cause heaviness and robs you of joy and peace).

2.      Look over your list of concerns and ask yourself the following questions over each one: Have you prayed about that concern? Are you trusting God with the outcome of your prayers? Which concerns do you repeatedly think about? Get to the “root” of why you repeatedly think about those concerns. Are your concerns rooted in fear?

3.      Are you trying to figure out the outcomes of your concerns?

4.      Become aware of the concerns you are repeatedly thinking about. Submit the concern immediately to Christ and move on. Remind yourself that you have prayed about those concerns, and God has heard you and He will answer you. If you are repeatedly thinking about the same concerns most likely fear is involved and you are in bondage to whatever is controlling your thoughts. Fear does not come from God, so it must be broken by the name of Jesus.

5.      Obsessive thoughts about concerns can be broken by discipling your mind. When a reoccurring obsessive thought comes to your mind, don’t entertain, dwell, or analyze that thought. Stop thinking about that thought by replacing the thought with a scripture and/or a faith-filled response. You may need to do this often before the obsessive thought is broken.

→Information on my latest book release and needed book reviewers:

►Disciplining your thoughts takes time and effort, but it can be done. You can have freedom from what concerns you. For additional practical help, check out my latest book, “Discipliningyour mind 30 days to a better you!”. You can find my book on Amazon and on this blog.

►If you are a subscriber to my blog, or a book reviewer and would like to do a book review for Amazon and Good reads for my book, send me a message and I will send you a physical, signed copy of my book for you to review.

Word of Encouragement: God Will Send You Encouragement When You Ask

Have you ever had one of those days that you needed an extra dose of encouragement, but the encouragement that you needed just was not coming your way?

The opposite of encouragement is discouragement. You can get discouraged if you are not making progress as you would like, or your prayers are not being answered as you would like. Discouragement comes when you entertain self-defeating thoughts such as, “No one cares about what I am are doing,” or “What I am doing is not impacting anyone’s life.” Discouragement robs you of fulfilling your purpose and believing that God does hear your payers.

Reflect: Don’t wallow in the discouragement. Recognize the inner voice that is speaking to you, it could be your own self-defeating thoughts, or it could be the voice of the enemy sent to stop you in your tracks from making any progress. Stop and ask God to send you the encouragement that you need. Ask God specifically for what kind of encouragement that you need, and expect that He will bring the exact kind of encouragement to you. God is a creative God and can bring about encouragement to you in various forms.

Meditate:

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had. Romans 15:5, NIV

Counselor's Corner: Take the Limitations Off of Yourself and Believe That You Can Have Success!

What do you believe about yourself? Do you entertain thoughts like,” I can’t do that,” or “I will never be able to_______________ (fill in the blank).”

What you think and believe about yourself will affect your success more than how much education you have. The most successful people believe that they can accomplish their goals with hard-work, dedication and commitment. People who entertain self-defeating thoughts will not be able to achieve what they desire.

When you compare your accomplishments or how successful someone else may in relation to your achievements, this can lead to defeat and discouragement. Never compare your success with someone else’s. Your road to success will not look identically like anyone else. Learning from other’s can serve as a great tool, but comparing the success of another’s to yours can be sabotaging.

Take the limitations off of yourself! Believe that you have what it takes to succeed.

·         Stop comparing your accomplishments to others.

·         Be mindful of what you think and believe about yourself. Stop self-defeating thoughts that sabotage your success such as, “I can’t.”

·         Believe that God will connect you to the right resources and people.

·         Dress for success! Speak, dress and act successful.

·         Failure only happens when you quit! Stop saying, ‘This is not working,” or “this is too hard.”

·         Build your confidence by believing the best about yourself and more importantly believe that you are a child of God that is resourceful, equipped, gifted, talented, and creative.

·         Stay in your own lane! You are unique, do what you are chosen to do and not what someone else is doing. Learn from people but do not try and copy their achievements. Be you!

·         See failures and roadblocks as just another way to achieving your success.

·         Stand tall! That’s right, standing tall or showing good posture will boost your confidence. More people will pay attention to you if you stand tall verses slouching over with your head low.

·         Make good eye contact! The most confident people make great eye contact, and also is a sign of respect to most cultures.

·         Learn to plan. Successful people plan ahead!

·         You must study your craft and become proficient in it.

·         Believe in yourself, even if the odds are against you and no one else believes in you. If you don’t believe in yourself, chances are others won’t as well!

→For additional information on how to discipline your mind to help with taking the limitations off of yourself and believing that you can succeed, see my latest book, “Disciplining your mind 30 days to a better you!”

amazon.com/Stephanie-R.-Reck/B07885C5QM

Word of Encouragement Devotional: What Does it Mean to Quiet Your Soul?

Our minds can get cluttered and contaminated with worries, frustrations, and stressors. When our minds become disturbed with the negative and what all is wrong or could go wrong, we become anxious and fearful. An anxious and fearful mind leads to unrest or a feeling of uneasiness.

With all the negative clatter that comes to us through people, circumstances, and even the news; we need time to quiet our souls. Our minds were not created to deal with the constant stress and negativity that is all around, we were meant to live in peace and harmony. Sometimes in life our peace can be affected if we don’t take the time to align ourselves with stillness. Stillness can be a foreign concept to our busy and fast-paced way of living, but stillness before the Lord is not only soothing to our souls but it quiets our alarming thoughts.

Reflect: →Quieting your soul is especially important if you have been feeling the stress and strains of life and feel that you are more irritable, aggravated, or tense.

→Quieting your soul allows you to breathe and be at rest properly. Being tense or easily upset over matters causes your breathing to be labored, but being quiet and still will cause you to breathe normally.

→Your soul and spirit are connected but they are not the same. Oftentimes, our souls are so anxious and disturbed that we have difficulty hearing God in our spirit. What is in your soul can be released and turned over to the care of the Lord during your quiet times.

There are benefits to having quietness before the Lord:

1.      Peace washes over you as you focus your attention on God alone rather than your problems. Quietness is a gateway for calmness and tranquility.

2.      Quieting your soul can allow God to give you direction and clarity.

3.      Quietness relaxes your body, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and promotes creativity.

How will you quiet your soul?