An Unexpected Guest

The other morning I was having my quiet time when my chihuahua walked in. She knows I won't pick her up until I'm finished with my prayer time, but sometimes she likes to test me. When I ignored her paws on my pajama leg, I assumed she'd leave;  however, she began sniffing around the room. She stopped in front of my chest-of-drawers and began to growl. It was low, menacing, and long (when you're sitting in a room by yourself and it's early morning and really quiet, you don't want to hear a growl like that).

I glanced over and she was staring underneath the chest-of-drawers. Not really wanting to, I carefully rose praying it wasn't a snake or something. Then I had to bend down, which I did slowly. After a quick sweep with my eyes, I saw the shadowy head of a lizard raise up from the floor. Yikes! I ran to the kitchen for an empty coffee can. When I came back, the lizard had moved out from under the chest-of-drawers and was hanging onto the floor molding. Thankfully, I was able to capture it and toss it outside. I felt quite proud of myself. My little dog got an extra hug and treat after that. :)

The Spirit of the Lord is Life and Peace

When I have anxiety attacks, I feel that I am all alone and fighting the attacks all alone. I feel as though the attacks are designed to make me believe Jesus doesn't love me. But that's not true. One of my favorite verses to repeat when I'm feeling down is this: Isaiah 59:19 "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." (KJV) I know I have the Holy Spirit in me because I've received Jesus as my Lord and Savior and because I sense His Spirit in me. I can't explain it. I just KNOW. It's a different reigning attitude in me--not the dark, melancholy thinking I've been used to all my life before Jesus stepped in and saved me. Sometimes, He fills me with such joy, I don't know what to do with myself. Usually, it's after I've spent time all alone with Him in prayer and Bible study and after my own personal songs of worship.

And sometimes, He fills me with such gratitude, all I can do is say, "thank you" over and over through my tears. Just today, after walking on my treadmill, the verse came to me, "I consider our present sufferings not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us." Ro. 8:18. I thought how wonderful God's plan of salvation for us. Nothing we go through is for nothing. It's all to draw us to Jesus. To help us lean on and rely on Him instead of ourselves because He loves us so much and is our Champion. He is so much stronger than we are. We cannot fight our battles in the mind and in the world without Him. He alone has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He alone is Victor and makes us victorious. The power for forgiveness of sins is in His blood and He ever lives to intercede for believers. (that's in Hebrews). We fight the good fight of faith with His Spirit in us equipping us to fight and to serve and worship and love our Lord. And one day the greater glory will come into view, as Travis Cottrell sings in Thanks Be To Our God. Keeping my eyes on Jesus, my greater glory, is what makes me victorious, no matter how many anxiety attacks I have. And when I take on this attitude, I have less attacks. No coincidence there. "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace". (Ro. 8:6)

God Never Changes

"Believe God is always the God you know Him to be when you are nearest to Him." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Believing that statement keeps worry at bay for me and encourages me to continue on my pilgrimage to know God even more. "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn, and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth." Hosea 6:3 (NASB

Life Between Your Ears

I've heard it said "you live your life between your ears". In other words, what's going on in your mind is your reality. I tend to agree. When I had panic attacks, it never occurred to me that no one else was experiencing the fear I was experiencing. But it was my reality alone because of what had been going on between my ears. Medication helps deal with the physical aspects of panic and anxiety attacks, but it takes renewing your mind--your thought-life--to change your perceptions of what is real and what is true: in other words, to change your life between your ears.

That's what God and His Word did for me and continues to do for me on a daily basis. After telling us not be to anxious and to pray about everything, Paul said in Phil. 4:8 "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, THINK ON THESE THINGS." (emphasis mine) So thinking on these things will help keep our minds occupied in a healthy way instead of with anxiety.

I find all THESE THINGS first in my relationship with Jesus and God's Word. That's what renews my mind and transforms my reality. So if I seem a bit obssessed with my relationship with God through my Lord Jesus and God's Word, now you know why. This obssession has exchanged a mind filled with fears into a mind filled with faith on most days. Sometimes I have difficult seasons, and my nervous system balks, but God's grace gets me through. Glory to His Name!

 

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You.Trust in the LORD forever for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock eternal." Isa. 26:3-4 NKJV

 

Another favorite of mine: "The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." Ro. 8:6b I keep this one in my kitchen. :)

He Cares for You

Found this posted on http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/category/fear/  ---

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Not only will He never leave you...but He cares for you. He is not just there with you. He cares for you. His care is constant—not occasional or sporadic. His care is total—even the very hairs of your head are numbered. His care is sovereign—nothing can touch you that He does not allow. His care is infinitely wise and good so that again in the words of John Newton, ‘If it were possible for me to alter any part of his plan, I could only spoil it.’”

—Jerry Bridges, Trusting God, p.199.

Coming to God just like we are is easier if we will remember that our Lord cares for us. Even when we screw up, even when we fail of faith, He still cares for us.  I love the verse in Romans 8 that tells us nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. His steadfast love is what I depend on.

I spent some time today on my patio swing and meditated on God and me. I told Him how I wanted more faith, how I wanted to be all He created me to be, and how I wanted to know Him more. He is my Rock, my safe place, my hiding place, the Source of my mind's peace. All my scrambling comes to an end when I get alone with God and rest in His love for me. How could He love someone like me? I am so flawed. I am so weak. But He has made it clear to me in His Word and I have His testimony in my heart that He "does" love me, He "does" care about me and for me. There is no God like my God. How I long to live a life worthy of His love and faithfulness to me. I asked Him to help me do that today.

Redirecting Our Anxious/Negative Thoughts

I’ve been re-reading Who Switched Off My Brain?: Controlling toxic thoughts and emotions by Dr. Caroline Leaf, and ran across some really great information. I also found similar information by Dr. Archibald Hart. Both Dr. Leaf and Dr. Hart agree that people who suffer from anxiety need to pay attention to their thoughts. An excerpt from Dr. Leaf’s book says: “What you do and say on the outside must reflect what you think on the inside. A lack of congruence causes stress and affects the way information is processed and memory is built. Framing your world with your words involves replacing negative thinking and words through a right attitude shift. You do this by: acknowledging that an issue exists, reflecting on what is wrong with it, considering how you can cope with it, asking whether you can do it alone or if you need help.”

Dr. Hart says: “Daily write in a small notebook every bothersome thought, event, or person that comes to mind. Ask yourself, “Which of these can I take care of right now? Is there anything I can change? Then take that action immediately and cross that thought off your list. Take the rest of your list—things you cannot take care of there and then and pray about them. Commit them to God. Then close your notebook. Doing this at the end of each day or whenever a bothersome thought occurs will help transfer it from your mind to paper.” If your mind keeps harping on an issue, write it down as often as you think of it. Pray about it. Then move on to other things.  

Dr. Hart also suggests writing down several good events that have happened in your life that bring you pleasure when you remember them. (Phil. 4:8) Write them on a card to keep with you throughout your day. For each event write down two or three specific things that happened that makes the event pleasurable for you. Keep this card with you at all times. Every hour or two review one of the memories on your card. Re-live it, savor it. Meditate on it for four or five minutes. Then return the card to its safe place and continue about your business. In this way you’re redirecting your thoughts away from anxious ones.

You can do this with pictures, too. Not long ago I found an old picture of my husband and me when we were celebrating his birthday in his parents' backyard. We were dating at the time—still teenagers. It made me smile to remember us back then. I’ve looked at it several times this past week and smile every time as I relived those wonderful days of getting to know each other and just being together. My children’s pictures bring wonderful memories to mind as well.

And there is always Scripture meditation—both Dr. Leaf and Dr. Hart speak of the importance of meditating on Scripture.  I’ve been reaping the benefits of that--as you know.

The more we concentrate on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praise-worthy in our lives (Phil. 4:8), the more positive thoughts and memories we’ll have to fill our minds and hearts. We'll then be more congruent--positive on the inside and on the outside. Faith-filled on the inside and acting in faith on the outside.

 

More Verses to Battle Fear

Beth Moore has put together a booklet of verses for battling the stronghold of fear and anxiety. It's entitled, Fear and Courage, The Great Forsake and Take. The title comes from the fact that we need to "forsake" fear and "take" courage.

Here's the link: http://blog.lproof.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/The-Great-Forsake-and-Take-Final.pdf

I already printed mine out! :)

May God richly bless you as you continue believing Him for freedom from all your fears. He is able! Oh, yes, He is able!