Counselor's Corner: Stop Trying to Figure Things Out and Trust God

I am an analytical person by nature and I have a need to know how things will turn out. I feel more at ease when I know what is going to happen next. I try to be two steps ahead, and use deductive reasoning to solve the “unsolvable” problems in my life. I can come up with solutions and even draw conclusions to matters that I really don’t have any idea of they will turn out. I would be considered an over-thinker.

What is the root of trying to figure things out? Fear and a lack of trust that God will come through the way we would like.

The result of trying to figure everything out? Anxiety, worry, fear and feeling overwhelmed.

The first step to not figuring out everything is trusting God; however, this is not always as easy some may want you to think it is. Hearing,” Trust in God,” when you are faced with disturbing and difficult circumstances does not come easily for the one facing these circumstances.

When we lean on and trust God for the outcome to situations we then can enter into His peace, joy, and strength. Trusting God means knowing God. Develop a daily intimate time with you and God, and get to know God through His Word and His Spirit.

What does it mean to trust God? To believe His Word and obey Him, to look to Him and hope in His promises even when we can’t see how His plan will unfold for our lives and when everything around us would tell us to not trust Him.

Worry and trusting God do not go together. Make a decision that you will trust God even when the situations in your life spiral out of control or circumstances in your life seem unmovable. Make a decision ahead of time that you will not try and figure out the outcomes to situations that you have no idea how they may turn out. Take it one day at a time, and keep your focus on the day at hand not projecting days, weeks, and months ahead.

Learn to rest in God when troubles come. Resting in God means that you trust God while you are waiting for healing, breakthrough, or answered prayers.

Take time every day and ask God to direct your day and submit your requests and give over your concerns to Him, then go on with your day trusting God has heard you and He is intervening and leading you. If during the day troubling thoughts come to you, stop and tell yourself you have already discussed this with the Lord and He is taking care of your concern.

Reflect:

“To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust Him in the dark-that is faith.” Charles Spurgeon

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5-7

Counselor's Corner: What Does it Mean to Cast Your Care on the Lord?

What are you holding onto that is causing stress, tension, and worry? A wayward child, troubles in the family, or job difficulties?

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.

Daily Encouragement: Counselor’s Corner

January 24, 2017

by: Stephanie R. Reck, LMSW, LBT, BCCC

Take It One Day 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

Most of What We Worry About Never Happens

I read somewhere years ago that 85% of what we worry about never happens! And what does happen you will be able to handle better than expected.

When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened. Winston Churchill

Worry is feeling uneasy or being overly concerned about a situation. Excessive worry puts your mind in overdrive and you constantly focus on what may happen. Excessive worriers react intensely to stressful triggers, and even thinking about the situation can lead to great anxiety. When we are worrying, we are in the midst of repetitive thinking that is non-productive. People who are analytical tend to worry more because they are trying to figure out a solution to their problem.

Everyone has normal stress and demands, but when worries and anxieties become chronic; the stress response can be triggered. The stress response is known as “flight or fight,” and causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These stress hormones can trigger health problems such as dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, irritability, headaches, shortness of breath, and muscle tension. The outpouring of stress hormones can lead to a suppressed immune system, short-term memory loss, and heart attack. When we worry our bodies respond the same way it would react to physical danger. Your body will tense up as you prepare for danger and this can turn into aches and pains such as headaches and back pain.

Worry is a waste of time, and it drains us of energy. Why do we worry then? We believe that all our worrying will help somehow. We believe that if we worry enough we might prevent bad things from happening.

If we are worrying, we are not trusting God.

Worry leads to anxiety and anxiety leads to fear. Worry can also make you more prone to depression. Worry disturbs your peace and it becomes more difficult to concentrate when worried.

You can rewire your brain to stop worrying by focusing on the following:

1.      When a worrisome thought enters your mind, immediately take that thought captive to Christ. Ask God to help you to stop repeatedly thinking about the problem and ask for His wisdom. Trust God and take your concerns to Him instead of worrying. It is okay to have concerns about things, but take them to God instead of mulling over them in your mind.

Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

2.      Become thankful. Be thankful for the things that you do have, and do not dwell on circumstances out of your control. Think on the good things in your life.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8

3.      Focus on one day at a time. Stop projecting what may happen tomorrow. God’s grace is sufficient for the day, He does not give us grace for days and weeks ahead. Remember most of what we worry about never happens.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious or itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34

4.      Trust God with your life and with your loved ones, even when you do not understand all what has taken place in your life.

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 before you. Proverbs 3:5-6

Worry in not productive and it can trigger many health ailments, including depression. There is always something to worry about, but worry does not change anything for the good. The energy that is expended on worrying could be used for more productive things. It is okay to be concerned over things in our lives, but when we begin to obsessively think about the issues; we are worrying-talk to God instead about your concerns and leave the worries with the One who can do something about them.

Are you a chronic worrier? What action steps can you take today to reduce your worrying?

Proven Antidotes for Stress, Anxiety and Fear

Are there things in your life that seem to constantly cause you stress, anxiety or fear?

Are you overwhelmed at times and find it difficult to sleep at night?

90% of what we worry about never really happens, so then why do we worry, stress and plagued by daunting fears? The enemy magnifies those difficult or trying circumstances in our lives, and when we take our eyes off of Jesus and onto these nagging problems we lose perspective. When our eyes are off the Helper, we can easily slip into stress, anxiety and fear. The enemy shows us worst-case scenarios and we begin speaking out what those scenarios look like, but watch out when you begin agreeing with what the enemy says about your circumstances. A lot of the times, the enemy throws one circumstance after another at us, hoping we will take the bait of at least one of them. There is a “wearing-out” the enemy deploys upon us. You may have felt super strong with the first, second, and maybe even the third difficult circumstance, but when they keep coming you better run to the throne of God quickly. When you feel yourself weakening and getting spiritually fatigued, it’s time to run quickly (even and especially if you don’t feel like it) to the feet of Jesus. These schemes diverted at you are not to be taken lightly or not taken seriously. We are never to fear our enemy, but we must know when we are beginning to get attacked.

Another way to know the enemy is trying to get you stirred-up is that you lose your peace and joy and you become restless, even stressed, anxious and fearful.

Random thoughts pop into your mind. You try and take every thought captive but there are so many thoughts coming you find it more and more difficult to gain a hold on the thoughts. When this happens recognize this is a scheme and a plan from the enemy and you must begin to cry out to God for His help.

There are some antidotes I use when I feel attacked, stressed, anxious and fearful. The prescription does not come in a bottle or pill but through the following:

______________________________________________________________________________

Antidotes for Stress:

Stop what you’re doing and go to the throne of God; don’t wait!

Trust God even if it looks big and out of control and your feelings say something else.

Rest in God alone and His help; don’t try and figure out the outcomes!

Evaluate if you are tired, hungry, or sick? If you are, you need to take care of those needs.

Sing, worship the Lord. You will feel a lift in your spirit and the enemy will have to flee!

Surrender all fear, worries, anxieties, and concerns to God; do not hold on to them!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Antidote for Anxiety:

Admit and confess you have been worrying and you don’t have all the answers.

Never give the enemy a foothold by speaking out what he shows you.

X-amine the reasons you are anxious and speak the truth over every anxious thought.

Identify the lies of the enemy concerning every anxious thought and replace immediately with the truth of God’s word.

Evaluate if all your anxiety and worrying is helping and changing things or making you sick, tired, and weak?

Turn your anxieties to God and give them to Him. Do not hold on to them!

Yearn to have a different life! You do not have to live with anxiety!

Antidotes for Fear:

Filter out all fears immediately. When fears come, pull them down, stop them, and replace with faith-filled statements, such as, “I will not live in fear.”

Entertain thoughts are lovely, of a good report, and praiseworthy.

Accept that you have a real enemy and you will have to be aggressive in your thought life.

Run to Jesus! Do not let the enemy terrorize you and cause you to have what-if fears.

To have peace and the joy of the Lord sometimes you have to fight, other times you have to be still until the attack has passed. Ask Jesus to show you what to do, but ask! If you are feeling those nagging thoughts of stress, anxiety or fear, take these antidotes and begin to apply them.

Live in the Moment

How many of us live in the regrets of the past, or in the future we are projecting? Imagine living in the moment, not going back and not going forward. Just enjoying each moment as it comes, and not allowing the unknown of the future to steal our own joy today. I believe if we can live in the moment, we could experience peace, calmness, joy, and find contentment.

Excerpts taken from my book, “Wilderness Mentality, Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin,” Chapter 7: Don’t look back, keep going forward: One day at a time.

           

God tells us not to worry about anything. Today is ALL you have. The things that you go through are temporary. It is how you react to them that can cause you to lose your joy and peace.

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly, things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you have learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:4-9, MSG

God wants us to come to Him with our worries and struggles. We are not to try and figure things out, analyze everything or worry. God wants us to enjoy right where we are. Don’t worry about the past or future, take hold of today. Embrace today; take it one day at a time. If something in your life has not worked out, then God has a new plan. Don’t waste any more time regretting the past or what lies ahead. That kind of thinking will lead to anxiousness and fear. Living one day at a time, and one moment at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry. Choose to give your anxieties to God, choose to pray specifically for things instead of worrying.

When we begin to think about tomorrow and the “what if’s,” we can lose our grace for today. God gives us His “manna” daily, not weekly or monthly. Don’t be consumed with yesterday’s junk and tomorrow’s what ifs. Don’t dwell on yesterday. Dwelling means focusing on what you should have done, what you could have done and what you ought to have done. Take it one step at a time, one day at t a time.

Sometimes we think we need to see the end of our path, maybe so we can be reassured it’s a good path. But God’s guidance is step by step. We can rest and trust God will light our path, one step at a time. Whatever comes your way, know you can handle it, one day at a time. Don’t “stockpile” tomorrow’s provisions for your life. Face your challenges one day at a time. Looking too far down the road tends to overwhelm us in our thinking. Trusting God requires we believe He gives us our “daily bread.”

Live in peace and not anxiousness and fear of the unknown. Do you really know what is going to happen? I mean really? We can formulate what we think will happen, but that is called worry. Yesterday may have been troubling, but shake it off today. Remember today is a brand new day.

Enjoy your journey as it unfolds, and take life as it comes. Don’t project what you think may happen, and don’t stay bound to your past. Stay present in the moment.

·        To order a copy of my book, “Wilderness Mentality, Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ go to www.createspace.com/4036785

Keep Your Thoughts on Jesus Not Your Circumstances

What have you been thinking about lately? Are your thoughts centered on the goodness of God, or the cares and concerns of this world? It is easy to think about all that is wrong with us, the world, or those around us. If we are not careful, we can get consumed in our negative thinking. This type of thinking will almost certainly make us feel discouraged and possibly even depressed. So, why do we tend to think of our problems more than focusing on the greatness of God? One theory is that it makes us feel better, or so we think that it does. In reality, those thoughts that we have that reflect our difficult circumstances can actually make us feel worse. Keeping our eyes focused on what is wrong instead of what is right in our lives, is surely a scheme and trap from the enemy. If the enemy can get you to focus on what he is showing you, you will live in defeat and not the victory that is yours in Jesus Christ. You may be saying, “Yeah, but you don’t know my problems.” True, I don’t, but nothing is too big for Jesus to solve or to handle. Instead of worrying, fretting, analyzing, or fearing the worst case scenario, how about instead praising God that He will work all things out for the good of those that love Him Romans 8:28).

Changing our thinking and perspective to focus on the power of Jesus instead of our problems, can seem strange at first, especially if you have had a habit of negativity. Start by acknowledging that your way is not working, and confess to Jesus that your mind has been a mess and you need His help to overcome this area in your life. God desires that you live in peace, this will not come by keeping your eyes on all that is wrong. Even if everything seems wrong in your life, and there is much difficulty surrounding you; there is always something to be thankful for. Challenge yourself this week to reflect on things that you can be thankful for. Don’t let the enemy bog you down with his lies that there is nothing good in your life. Even if some of your prayers have gone unanswered, keep believing that God’s ways are better and His timing is perfect. Settle in your mind that you do not have to have everything figured out or even perfect to enjoy life. God wants you to start enjoying life, but that cannot happen until you begin to focus your thoughts on things above.

If a thought enters your mind that is unwholesome or not praise worthy, cast it down! Don’t dwell or ponder on negative reports or thoughts that are not aligned with the Word of God. God is good, the enemy and his plans are not. God is the author of all that is good, the enemy is the creator of all that is evil.

Do your thoughts need an overhaul? Do you need to repent for your thoughts? If a situation arises that is most difficult to you, STOP first=Stop and pray, Trust that God will intercede for you, Oppose the enemy at his onset, and Praise the Lord for the victory that shall come. Remember when a stressful and difficult situation arises, don’t resort back to taking your eyes off Jesus, but STOP! This little acronym can keep your eyes focused on Jesus and cause you to live in peace, joy, and constant victory. Keeping your eyes on the problem will keep you defeated every time.

Share with me ways that you keep your eyes focused on Jesus instead of your problems. I would love to hear from you! Blessings of the Lord be upon you.

Live in the Moment

How many of us live in the regrets of the past, or in the future we are projecting? Imagine living in the moment, not going back and not going forward. Just enjoying each moment as it comes, and not allowing the unknown of the future to steal our own joy today. I believe if we can live in the moment, we could experience peace, calmness, joy, and find contentment.

Excerpts taken from my book, “Wilderness Mentality, Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin,” Chapter 7: Don’t look back, keep going forward: One day at a time.

           

God tells us not to worry about anything. Today is ALL you have. The things that you go through are temporary. It is how you react to them that can cause you to lose your joy and peace.

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly, things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you have learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:4-9, MSG

God wants us to come to Him with our worries and struggles. We are not to try and figure things out, analyze everything or worry. God wants us to enjoy right where we are. Don’t worry about the past or future, take hold of today. Embrace today; take it one day at a time. If something in your life has not worked out, then God has a new plan. Don’t waste any more time regretting the past or what lies ahead. That kind of thinking will lead to anxiousness and fear. Living one day at a time, and one moment at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry. Choose to give your anxieties to God, choose to pray specifically for things instead of worrying.

When we begin to think about tomorrow and the “what if’s,” we can lose our grace for today. God gives us His “manna” daily, not weekly or monthly. Don’t be consumed with yesterday’s junk and tomorrow’s what ifs. Don’t dwell on yesterday. Dwelling means focusing on what you should have done, what you could have done and what you ought to have done. Take it one step at a time, one day at t a time.

Sometimes we think we need to see the end of our path, maybe so we can be reassured it’s a good path. But God’s guidance is step by step. We can rest and trust God will light our path, one step at a time. Whatever comes your way, know you can handle it, one day at a time. Don’t “stockpile” tomorrow’s provisions for your life. Face your challenges one day at a time. Looking too far down the road tends to overwhelm us in our thinking. Trusting God requires we believe He gives us our “daily bread.”

Live in peace and not anxiousness and fear of the unknown. Do you really know what is going to happen? I mean really? We can formulate what we think will happen, but that is called worry. Yesterday may have been troubling, but shake it off today. Remember today is a brand new day.

Enjoy your journey as it unfolds, and take life as it comes. Don’t project what you think may happen, and don’t stay bound to your past. Stay present in the moment.

·      To order a copy of my book, “Wilderness Mentality, Stop Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ go to: www.createspace.com/4036785

Overcoming Fear

God tells us in the Bible over 100 times, “Do not be afraid.” Yet, we can be paralyzed and overcome with fear. There is a lot of things we can fear, the unknown, the future, change, people, failure, and rejection. If we allow fear to rule in our lives, we can become overtaken by it; and live by fear instead of faith.

 

God says, "Do not be afraid."

It takes trust in God not to let fear rise up. We do not always see what is happening, and as humans we can become gripped by the unknowns and what ifs. We can hear the enemy whispering to us, “What if…?” We can then start o be preoccupied by the scenarios that the enemy shows us. We can get in agreement with the lies of the enemy, and believe what the enemy shows us is factual. The enemy always magnifies our circumstances, and makes them appear impossible to overcome and to find a solution to. Fear overwhelms and is rooted with worry and anxiety. If the enemy can get us to live in fear, then he knows we cannot possibly live by faith.

In this fallen world and the times and seasons we live in, there can be a lot to fear. Our only real security is in Christ. We must understand that fear is not implemented by God, and the enemy is the source of all fear. We will all experience fear in our lives, but God does not want us debilitated by them.

You can overcome fear by believing what the Bible says, and meditating on these truths daily, as well as reading Psalm 91. You can also overcome fear by not agreeing with what the enemy says, but instead trust God and His faithfulness. You can overcome fear by believing that God is with you, and He will strengthen you. Believing that fear is not of God, you can take the authority that Christ gives His true believers, and tell that spirit of fear to leave you in the name of Jesus Christ. It is not God’s will that His children live fearful, weak, and intimidated by the enemy. God wants us to be strong and courageous, and not to be afraid.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

“Peace I leave you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Cast your care on the Lord and He will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Believe what the Word says!

Life Lessons on Contentment

This article is based on years of what the Lord has given the author about the subject of contentment. The author has accumulated several journals over the years on contentment. What the author writes in this article are the life lessons the author has learned about contentment.

Have you ever wanted the "White-Picket Fence?"

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to be abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11-13

You can be content in no matter what state you are in, with Christ who strengthens you. It may not be easy or comfortable to go through difficult circumstances, but you can truly learn to be content in them. Contentment is accepting God’s control over all your circumstances.

We can rejoice too, when we run into trials, for we know that they are good for us-they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.

Romans 5:3-4

Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything.

Philippines 4:6

Give all your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Psalm 55:22

But in my distress I cried out to the Lord…He heard me from His sanctuary; my cry reaches His ears.

2 Samuel 22:7

Speaking God’s Word over your circumstances is medicine to your soul. Apply these scriptures and any additional ones that the Lord gives you on contentment. Then wait for the Lord to act on your behalf in confident expectation. Don’t get discouraged if your life is not changing in the manner you would like, or your circumstances are seemingly not changing. God is at work, but sometimes there are life lessons we have to learn along the way.

Key Life Lessons on Contentment:

·        Be joyful today, not when your circumstances are prefect. Enjoy your life now.

·        Start doing things bring you enjoyment.

·        Trust God with all your heart and do not lean on Your Understanding of things.

·        Take it one day a time. Don’t focus on tomorrow or dwell on yesterday.

·        Do not be moved or react by your circumstances. Be stable in all your ways.

·        Give God all your desires of your heart and trust that His timing and plans are perfect for your life.

·        Stop dwelling on what you don’t have.

·        Don’t force anything to happen on your time.

·        Never complain about your circumstances.

·        Apply grace to yourself and to others. Don’t have unrealistic expectations for yourself and others.

·        Stop comparing yourself to others.

·        Don’t take life so serious. Things will pass.

·        You are not responsible for everyone’s happiness or contentment.

Contentment comes when we accept our lot in life, and not running ahead of God’s timetable. Take the account of Abraham and Sarah who went ahead of God’s timetable and took matters into their own hands. Countless people get tired of waiting, become discontented and take matters into their own hands.

The most important things to remember about contentment is waiting for God to fulfill His promises to you, and while your are waiting not to enter into complaining. This is not always easy to do, but when you ask God to line your desires with His desires; He will.

Discontentment will cause you to have stinkin’ thinkin’. Most of us are content when circumstances are going well, but God wants you to have contentment in all things and in all seasons of your lives. God teaches, molds, and trains us through our circumstances. Surrender all to God and release all control to our Savior. Do not compare you situations to others or what they have, God has a unique plan for each of us. Contentment means wanting nothing more than what God has given you. So ask yourself, how content are you really? Are you satisfied with what God’s provisions for your life have been? It is okay to have desires, but when we make things we desire “idols,” (things that we put above God) then you risk living discontented. Instead of talking how big your problems are, start thanking and parsing Him instead. Change your perspective. Get your mind off of what you don’t have, start daily counting the blessings that you do have. [i]

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[i] Insert taken from author’s book, Wilderness Mentality, Stop your Stinkin’ Thinkin.’ Order copies from www.createspace.com/4036785

Cast your Care on Jesus during this Holiday Season

Casting our cares on Jesus means more than just superficially saying we are casting our cares upon Him, it means we are actively trading our worries, anxieties and fears into prayers. It also means we are taking those disturbing, faith-less thoughts captive and continually renewing our minds with the truth in God’s word.

Sometimes we can get overwhelmed, especially during the holiday season. With so much to do, so many friends and family to visit, and so many gifts to buy with a limited budget. It can get overwhelming if we have difficult or even dysfunctional relatives or maybe even a prodigal child. Our burdens and concerns can make us feel heavy and as if weights were put upon our shoulders. We may even try to meet the demands and expectations of everyone, this can be especially difficult coming from a divorced or even step-family. We may be overwhelmed with consumerism that comes with the holidays, and feel we have to keep up with everyone else. Some may go into debt this holiday season or take on an extra job just to have the income to buy gifts that soon will be thrown to the waste-side!

Some will begin to drink more heavily or use drugs just to get through the demands and burdens of the holidays. Others will sink into a pit of despair and depression because they either cannot keep up with the demands and expectations, or some feel heartache from the many losses that they may have endured. Christmas should be one of the most joyous occasions but often we fall into the trap of pleasing others, trying to meet unrealistic expectations, and forgetting the only reason for the Christmas season is the celebration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We are so busy during the holiday season that we do not take the time to rest with God. We must pull away from the hustle and bustle and business of the holiday season, and unplug our phones, iPad, laptops, and other electronic devices and plug into the source of our strength. We are not stopping long enough to get refilled and refreshed by Jesus. It is not about trying to please everyone, even your family, it is about Jesus and your relationship with Him.

These are some practical steps that you can take this holiday season to help with the stress that often accompanies this time:

• Organize, write down a “To-Do” list, and plan when possible.

•  Have limits (budget) on your spending before you spend.

•  Get creative and make homemade gifts. People will appreciate the           thoughtfulness.

• Limit time with unhealthy, toxic, or negative family members.

• Say, “No.” You can’t be at every event, party and at every family function for the holidays.

• Rest when you can. Take time to rest because the holidays can be quite taxing physically and mentally.

• Do fun things and enjoy time with people who are enjoyable.

• Balance your eating during the holidays with fresh fruit and vegetables and drink green tea for immunity. Be sure to get some form of  exercise.

• Carve out frequent time to spend with the Lord. Sit in His presence and let your soul be still before Him. Don’t go and run from place to  place, but be still.

• Take long, warm bubble baths and sit back and let the warm water relax your tired muscles.

• Cast all your cares, anxieties, fears, and worries unto the Lord. Casting your cares means replacing your worries, burdens, and anxieties with prayer and taking every thought captive and renewing your mind with the truth of God’s word.

 

• Take it one day at a time. Focus on the day you have been given only.

• If you are lonely, depressed, find a good, Bible-believing church and attend and give back to others who are in difficult circumstances. Talk to someone, tell them how you feel, let someone pray with you. Don’t suffer alone.

CAST ALL YOUR CARES on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7, NIV

CAST YOUR CARES on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.

Psalm 55:22, NIV

GIVE YOUR BURDENS TO THE LORD, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the Godly to slip and fall.

Psalm 55:22, NLT