This came this morning in my email and I wanted to share it with you:
"Be ready in the morning, and then come up, Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain."
Exodus 34:2
The morning is a critically important time of the day. Never face the day until you have faced God, nor look in to the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious, if you begin your day in your own strength alone.
Begin each new day with prayer, quiet moments between your heart and God. Meet with the companion of your life, Jesus Christ. Then face the ordinary, and the unique responsibilities of each day with the renewed influence of His Spirit over all your actions.
Begin the day with God!
The Psalms also speak of meeting with God in the morning. Check out Ps. 5:3-4a; 143:8.
Whatever time I wake up, I head to my meeting place with God. I desperately need His encouragement before I face whatever lies ahead.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Encouraging Words
I make notes whenever I come across something that encourages me in my faith. I keep them in a basket on my desk and also in a file folder inside my desk. I recently went through these 3x5 cards and scraps of paper and thought I’d share a bit.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
Psalm 119:102 “I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.” “They are well taught whom God teaches. What we learn from the Lord we never forget. God’s instruction has a practical effect—we follow His way when He teaches us; and it has an abiding effect—we do not depart from holiness.” Exposition of Psalm 119:97-104 by Charles H. Spurgeon (http://www.eternallifeministries.org/psalm119m.htm). Cited: September 28, 2010
“Abba, I surrender my will and my life to you today without reservation and with humble confidence.... Set me free from self-consciousness, from anxiety about tomorrow, and from the tyranny of the approval and disapproval of others, that I may find joy and delight simply and solely in pleasing you.” Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust: the Ragamuffin’s Path to God, (New York, HarperCollins, July 2, 2002) p. 192.
Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” “Christ as our stronghold does not mean life will be easy or trouble free….God’s purposes may lead us to the path of suffering, but wherever He leads, we know He protects. He may protect from suffering or through suffering, but the more we know Him, the less we need to fear. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will sustain us—He is our hope.” Beth Moore, Living Free, (Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway Christian Resources, 2002) p. 111.
“You are a walking Civil War—flesh against the Spirit. The flesh must be beaten down. You must let the Holy Spirit work in you. The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of the abundant life.” Joyce Meyer, The Battlefield of the Mind, (New York, New York, Warner Books Edition, 2002) p. 288.
“Understand the concept of biblical progression—a life of growth—from being obedient in small things to larger things. Be persistent. Keep your eyes on God. Keep God’s perspective.” (From one of my pastor’s sermons)
“During idle moments, we should meditate on God’s promises and provisions; His wonders and His Word….” Elizabeth George, Loving God with All Your Mind, (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House Publishers, 2005) p. 304
“If Christ Himself saw prayer as a primary strategy against the schemes of the enemy, you and I should never do less.” Jennifer Rothschild, Me, Myself, and Lies, (Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway Christian Resources, 2009) p. 157.
“I love the practice of daily coming to the line with Christ and naming my sins. Then I like to discuss with God why it doesn’t agree with His Word. That kind of repentance begins to get those precepts down into my soul." Beth Moore, Jesus, the One and Only, (Nashville, Tennessee, B&H Publishing Group, 2002) p. 352.
“No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the power of Christ in me; from life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.” Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, In Christ Alone (2001, Kingsway, Thank You Music)
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
Psalm 119:102 “I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.” “They are well taught whom God teaches. What we learn from the Lord we never forget. God’s instruction has a practical effect—we follow His way when He teaches us; and it has an abiding effect—we do not depart from holiness.” Exposition of Psalm 119:97-104 by Charles H. Spurgeon (http://www.eternallifeministries.org/psalm119m.htm). Cited: September 28, 2010
“Abba, I surrender my will and my life to you today without reservation and with humble confidence.... Set me free from self-consciousness, from anxiety about tomorrow, and from the tyranny of the approval and disapproval of others, that I may find joy and delight simply and solely in pleasing you.” Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust: the Ragamuffin’s Path to God, (New York, HarperCollins, July 2, 2002) p. 192.
Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” “Christ as our stronghold does not mean life will be easy or trouble free….God’s purposes may lead us to the path of suffering, but wherever He leads, we know He protects. He may protect from suffering or through suffering, but the more we know Him, the less we need to fear. He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will sustain us—He is our hope.” Beth Moore, Living Free, (Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway Christian Resources, 2002) p. 111.
“You are a walking Civil War—flesh against the Spirit. The flesh must be beaten down. You must let the Holy Spirit work in you. The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of the abundant life.” Joyce Meyer, The Battlefield of the Mind, (New York, New York, Warner Books Edition, 2002) p. 288.
“Understand the concept of biblical progression—a life of growth—from being obedient in small things to larger things. Be persistent. Keep your eyes on God. Keep God’s perspective.” (From one of my pastor’s sermons)
“During idle moments, we should meditate on God’s promises and provisions; His wonders and His Word….” Elizabeth George, Loving God with All Your Mind, (Eugene, Oregon, Harvest House Publishers, 2005) p. 304
“If Christ Himself saw prayer as a primary strategy against the schemes of the enemy, you and I should never do less.” Jennifer Rothschild, Me, Myself, and Lies, (Nashville, Tennessee, Lifeway Christian Resources, 2009) p. 157.
“I love the practice of daily coming to the line with Christ and naming my sins. Then I like to discuss with God why it doesn’t agree with His Word. That kind of repentance begins to get those precepts down into my soul." Beth Moore, Jesus, the One and Only, (Nashville, Tennessee, B&H Publishing Group, 2002) p. 352.
“No guilt in life, no fear in death; this is the power of Christ in me; from life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.” Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, In Christ Alone (2001, Kingsway, Thank You Music)
Monday, August 2, 2010
How the Bible Speaks to Panic
Someone from another website asked me which Bible verses speak specifically to the kind of fear involving panic disorder.
Panic disorder is an anxiety-related disorder. It comes under the heading of Understanding Anxiety on the Anxiety Disorders Association of America website, www.adaa.org. Part of the definition of panic disorder is the fear of a recurring attack. The Bible speaks both to the fear of physical attacks from enemies, and also to mental attacks such as intense anxiety and fear. Although I feel all the verses I've posted on this blog speak to anxiety and panic, I thought I would post my answer to this question here as well as on the other website.
Mark 14:33 says about Jesus, "He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified…." (Holman Christian Bible) "to be deeply distressed and troubled…" (NIV Bible) A more indepth translation from the Greek dictionary of "to be deeply distressed and troubled" is to be overwhelmed, distressed, alarmed. This is from the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. I have felt deeply distressed, troubled, horrified, alarmed, and overwhelmed during a panic attack. I have been encouraged to know that Jesus struggled in those last hours in the Garden of Gethsemane but after praying to His Father in Heaven, He arose strengthened and resolved to submit to the perfect will of God. Max Lucado talks about His victory in his book, Fearless.
Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father." The Greek word for fear in this verse means terror, dread, terrible; the verb form means to flee or run away from. That's exactly how panic made me feel. I wanted to run and find some place to hide.
Psalm 94:19 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Those of us who have experienced panic know all about anxiety being "great within me". God's consolation when we cry out to Him in prayer (praying His Word) and supplication is His love, peace, and joy.
Isaiah 35:4 "Say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come….He will come to save you." The Hebrew word for fearful and fear in this verse means to be dreadful…terrify…make afraid; the emotion and intellectual anticipation of harm. This definition comes from the Complete Word Study of the Old Testament.There were many days when I walked around feeling something bad was going to happen any minute. I anticipated disaster.
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." The Greek definition for fear in this verse means to shrink for fear. I experienced this kind of fear during my first or second year of panic back in 2002 or 2003. One day my husband tried to coax me out of the bedroom because I had begun to believe the bedroom was my only safe place. I can still remember almost crossing the threshold and then I pulled my hand out of his and told him I could not do it. I could not make myself leave that room no matter how hard I wanted to leave it.
Isaiah 43:1 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." The word fear in this verse is the same Hebrew word as in Isaiah 35:4 above.
Philippians 4:4-6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This verse obviously speaks to anxiety.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Panic disorder is an anxiety-related disorder. It comes under the heading of Understanding Anxiety on the Anxiety Disorders Association of America website, www.adaa.org. Part of the definition of panic disorder is the fear of a recurring attack. The Bible speaks both to the fear of physical attacks from enemies, and also to mental attacks such as intense anxiety and fear. Although I feel all the verses I've posted on this blog speak to anxiety and panic, I thought I would post my answer to this question here as well as on the other website.
Mark 14:33 says about Jesus, "He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified…." (Holman Christian Bible) "to be deeply distressed and troubled…" (NIV Bible) A more indepth translation from the Greek dictionary of "to be deeply distressed and troubled" is to be overwhelmed, distressed, alarmed. This is from the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. I have felt deeply distressed, troubled, horrified, alarmed, and overwhelmed during a panic attack. I have been encouraged to know that Jesus struggled in those last hours in the Garden of Gethsemane but after praying to His Father in Heaven, He arose strengthened and resolved to submit to the perfect will of God. Max Lucado talks about His victory in his book, Fearless.
Romans 8:15 "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father." The Greek word for fear in this verse means terror, dread, terrible; the verb form means to flee or run away from. That's exactly how panic made me feel. I wanted to run and find some place to hide.
Psalm 94:19 "When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." Those of us who have experienced panic know all about anxiety being "great within me". God's consolation when we cry out to Him in prayer (praying His Word) and supplication is His love, peace, and joy.
Isaiah 35:4 "Say to those with fearful hearts, Be strong, do not fear; your God will come….He will come to save you." The Hebrew word for fearful and fear in this verse means to be dreadful…terrify…make afraid; the emotion and intellectual anticipation of harm. This definition comes from the Complete Word Study of the Old Testament.There were many days when I walked around feeling something bad was going to happen any minute. I anticipated disaster.
2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." The Greek definition for fear in this verse means to shrink for fear. I experienced this kind of fear during my first or second year of panic back in 2002 or 2003. One day my husband tried to coax me out of the bedroom because I had begun to believe the bedroom was my only safe place. I can still remember almost crossing the threshold and then I pulled my hand out of his and told him I could not do it. I could not make myself leave that room no matter how hard I wanted to leave it.
Isaiah 43:1 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." The word fear in this verse is the same Hebrew word as in Isaiah 35:4 above.
Philippians 4:4-6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." This verse obviously speaks to anxiety.
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
My Utmost for His Highest
I just found out about this website and thought I'd share it with ya'll.
This particular version of My Utmost for His Highest is the one I've read consistently over the past 5 years. It's like the Bible--I always find something new I didn't see before as I go through it. Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!!
This particular version of My Utmost for His Highest is the one I've read consistently over the past 5 years. It's like the Bible--I always find something new I didn't see before as I go through it. Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Fearless by Max Lucado
Watch a video of Max Lucado talking about fear. So enlightening and encouraging!!!
Town Hall Discussion on Fearless. Part One and Part Two
On the last video portion for Breaking Free Bible study, Beth Moore said something similar to what Max Lucado said in his book, Fearless. She said, "Being free from a stronghold of fear doesn't mean you'll never be afraid." She went on to explain you may still be tempted to fear, but you can press through the fear because of God's presence in you--it (the fear) doesn't hinder you. It no longer has a stronghold over you that keeps you paralysed or unable to do what God has called you to do.
Town Hall Discussion on Fearless. Part One and Part Two
On the last video portion for Breaking Free Bible study, Beth Moore said something similar to what Max Lucado said in his book, Fearless. She said, "Being free from a stronghold of fear doesn't mean you'll never be afraid." She went on to explain you may still be tempted to fear, but you can press through the fear because of God's presence in you--it (the fear) doesn't hinder you. It no longer has a stronghold over you that keeps you paralysed or unable to do what God has called you to do.
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