Fear be gone!

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." I have written about this verse before and quite frankly, I hope that I still write about it many more times. The impact of this verse on our daily lives is just phenomenal!

I want to start by elaborating on fear. We don't just fear. We fear something, a situation, a person or maybe a future possible event. Fear always has a root that stems from something and that something is almost always a lie. Satan is the great liar, the father of all lies. He plants these lies in our minds (thoughts) and when we dwell on these thoughts, they create emotions and then ultimately we start acting and responding out of fear. (actions) The sequence is always the same thought, emotion and action.

He plants these lies to sow doubt and to break down our faith. Fear thus takes root and all kinds of emotion ensue for eg. anxiety, worry, stress, nervousness and the list goes on. So you might be wondering how all this links back to "perfect love casts out fear"?

Well the Bible says that God is love, He is perfect love and when we keep our eyes focused on His love, we will not fear, because the greatness of His love for us is far bigger than any fear. So if you feel anxious, worried or stressed and fear has gotten the better of you, take some time out and identify the lie, because when we worry, we have started believing somewhere deep down that God isn't all that He says He is.

For example if you worry because you don't know how you will pay your bills then the lie might be "why would your God provide for you, how sure are you that He will come through for you?" If we fall for the lie, then we start believing that God is not the great provider that the Bible proclaims Him to be and fear creeps in. So in our minds we think that God is our provider, but in our hearts we worry that He won’t provide. We need to take the lie captive and submit it to the Word so that our mind and heart can be in agreement. The truth is that nothing can separate us from the love of God and the more we believe it, the more we will know His love and the fear will be cast out.

Obtain a greater revelation of His love! Sit in His presence, read the Word, write down verses, look back at testimonies in your life, do whatever you can to try and comprehend even slightly the amount of love that He has for you. If we can just grasp the tip-of-the-iceberg of His love for us, then we will never fear again and no worry or anxiousness will ever hold us back from living life to the fullest! Let love grow and watch fear disappear!

Picture credit: lthomason

A Tetris moment

So this week I had a Tetris moment. "So what is a Tetris moment?" you might ask and I'll explain it as follows. In a game of Tetris you have blocks of various shapes falling at a certain speed and you have to align all the blocks to fit perfectly. This becomes difficult as you do not know which block will fall next thus making it difficult to plan ahead. Also if you place blocks in awkward positions then you start running out of space until eventually you lose control, your screen overflows with blocks and it is game over.

So I had a Tetris moment in my mind, all these thoughts and ideas started falling at different speeds and I wondered how on earth I'm going to fit them all in in the most effective manner. I felt a bit claustrophobic as the thoughts crept in on me and I realised, I need a time out!

Sometimes we just need a time out to say: "hold on a moment, these thoughts shouldn't control me, I should control them" and then take some time to sit, identify the different thoughts and piece them together. We can so easily get overwhelmed by our multitude of thoughts and emotions just because we do not take a moment to sit and just organise them. It is so worthwhile to take some time out, sit with God and decide how these things all work together. Otherwise the confusion will always lead to anxiety.

Even when you are in a situation where you cannot merely draw up a plan of action, because the variables are unknown, you can still take time out and rest in the truth that God knows which block will be falling next and that He knows how to place them all perfectly and efficiently. He is the ultimate Tetris player, He never makes mistakes and can save any seemly lost game.
 
In Luke 12 Jesus says: "do not be anxious about your life" and "which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" Let's put our trust in God's hands and know by faith that He is looking out for us and that all things will work together for our good. He is in control and always looks out for His children. He has a plan for our lives and even though we don't know what the future holds, He knows and our future is secure in Him.

"And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you." Luke 12:22-31

Listen to this awesome song! - Hillsong United - Oceans


Photo credit: Loyal K.N.G

Pack the problems!

Recently I was having coffee with a friend and we started talking about problems. We all have 'problems' and they are all different. I don't like to call them problems, but rather challenges. It might be issues relating to the past, challenges relating to current circumstances or a fear about the future, but the one thing that challenges do have in common is that they can cause anxiousness, fear or stress. Often we cannot do anything about the challenges we face. We cannot force a family member to forgive us, we cannot mend a broken friendship from one side or change the mood of a depressed friend or maybe you are trusting for finances, a new job or a new home. Often we find ourselves at the place where our hands are tied, we have done all we could do and there are no more options left.

While I was chatting to my friend I received this awesome picture in my mind. There is a shelf called God and we can pack all our challenges on it, like a row of encyclopaedia from A to Z. I imagined those old heavy books. Then the devil comes and he makes us worry about an issue which is out of our control or he makes us feel guilty about something that we cannot change. "Why aren't you thinking about that? Don't you care about your future? Who will do it if you don't carry the load? How is God going to do His part if you do not put in your time and thoughts? Should you not be pulling your weight? You deserve to get justice, why don't you approach that person?" There are millions of questions that he can throw at us to make us feel guilty and to convince us that we have to carry the books ourselves. We then remove the books from the shelf, tie them around our waist and drag them around wherever we go. We complain to people about them, we dwell on them and we reread the pages of each book over and over in our minds until we are so drained that we don't have energy left for anything else and that is exactly where the devil wants you, tired, discouraged, fearful and drained. The devil knows that when we are in that space, we are of no threat to him, because we have no energy left and our focus is on the problems and not on God.

The Bible says: "Come to Me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus says, come, bring your books to me, put them on my shelf, I know you cannot carry them. Take instead my yoke which is light and filled with peace, love, joy and freedom and let me carry your burdens.

Each book on the shelf has a time to be opened and a time to be read. God will show you when it is time to read each book and when you have the strength to do so. He will address the issue and instruct you to take the book and act at the right time. Until then, leave your challenges on His shelf and continue living in joy without dragging every burden behind you. Jesus came to remove our problems so that we can have the abundant life.

It does not mean that we don't take responsibility, it does not mean that we won't face challenging times, it only means that there is a time for everything and that when something is not in our control, it needs to be put in God's hands and not dragged behind us. In this way God can help us deal with each challenge at its time and we can be victorious in everything we do. Pack your problems on God’s shelf today and live free from anxiety and fear.

“The thief (devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

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Busy, busy, busy!

Today I was thinking of everything that I need to do tonight. I was thinking of maybe making a list and then also deciding how much work I should do tonight. This keeps my mind super busy. I keep thinking of this and that, this and that and which task is more important etc. I think I feel tired of just thinking of all the things I need to do!

While I was driving I reminded myself that I actually don't NEED to do all the things, I actually just WANT to do all the things. In the process of thinking, I get drained even before I start and then I feel less motivated to start everything which I didn't need to do, but wanted to do in the first place! Ha ha it's actually quite funny how easily we can overload ourselves in our minds without even doing a single thing!

Also while I was driving I spoke to God about all the things I "need" to do and asked Him to help me. Then I realised that I haven't even asked Him what HE wants me to do tonight? In actual fact I'm just placing pressure on myself. So blind! :) So during the rest of my journey home I decided to chat with Him about what He wants me to do and I immediately felt less pressured and more motivated to do the things He highlighted.

I guess when the Bible says: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.", it doesn't mean that I should do everything I want to do (and more) and then expect Him to tag along and give me strength while I burn myself out. :)

So yes, tonight has been quite relaxing actually, although I've been quite productive with Him. Being relaxed and at peace is a state of mind and is not dependent on the circumstances around you, even if you are super busy. Rather be busy with the things God wants you to do and His peace will be in your hearts and you will be relaxed. He knows which responsibilities you have with regards to work, family, friends etc. and He will lead you to finish all you need to do in His perfect timing. People often don't understand when I say that I'm relaxed at work (because my job is very demanding), but being in a relaxed and peaceful state with God keeps me focussed, friendly and calm through all the stressful situations. 

I have often heard people say that BUSY is short for Being Under Satan’s Yoke. Satan tries to keep us so busy that we burnout and lose all our peace and joy. He convinces us in our minds that everything is critical and that everything needs to be done NOW! I know that sometimes something needs to be treated as urgent and I have spent many nights at work working on deadlines, but in each one of those times God was with me and I did it with joy. I was even able to motivate and inspire others working with me. God has a plan all day and every day and He can even make a late night at work a blessed time. Be aware of Satan’s schemes, your time with God is the first thing which he wants to destroy. Ask that God will show you clearly which tasks to do first and ask Him to show you how to do everything to His glory with peace, love and joy.

Panic!!

Panic sets in when we take a situation, which is more than we can handle, into our own hands and realise that we cannot fix it. Sometimes we can just be overwhelmed by a feeling of fear. It builds and builds and everything becomes difficult and daunting, we lose focus, lose vision and a state of panic creeps in. I have heard someone say that "fear" stands for False Evidence Appearing Real.

In that moment we cannot think straight. Everything is overwhelming and we grab around to every possible solution. We have to fix this and we have to save this now! In our state of panic our issues becomes urgent, immediately, desperately urgent. We feel as if the world is going to fall apart if we don't do something right now! We phone people in a flustered state, we leave work or home in anxiousness. It feels as if you cannot cope with anything and everything sets off your emotions.

 “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep. And they went and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:24-26

“There is no panic in Heaven! God has no problems, only plans.” - Corrie ten Boom

Take a moment to breathe, don't do anything rash and think about what you know and Who you know. Jesus is asleep in your boat and there's no need to fear. You don't have to have your answer right now, it's ok, you'll live and you'll survive. Even repeat the verses to yourself over and over again. He is with you to calm the storm and if He doesn't calm the storm, then He'll calm you. He doesn't have to say a word, because we know that He is with us and that He will calm the storm before the boat sinks. He will direct our steps and we do not need to make our own paths. We do not need to worry constantly about what we are doing and if we are doing the right thing. We just need to keep our eyes on Him and He will open and close the doors for us. He will instruct us and lead us to safety. If He has spoken to you then respond in obedience, if not then wait patiently, thanking and praising Him for who He is.  

Panic is effectively a lack of trust. We stop trusting that God can handle the situation and we take control. If you have areas of panic and fear in your life, lay them down before God. Choose to let the burden of your worries go and trust God that He will see you through. If you do not know how to give your situation to God then just ask Him to show you how to do it and pray in tongues often. He does not want us to live in a state of panic, but in complete peace.

Jesus said: “I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

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Live with vision not discouragment

I am so excited to write this blog today as I feel that the Holy Spirit has really opened my eyes to this truth again this week and I’m so excited to share it with you.

“Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint (or the people are discouraged), but blessed is he who keeps the law.” Proverbs 29:18

Imagine the following: You are traveling through a land and you have special eyes with which you can see far ahead. You can see through mountains and identify where the danger lies and where the fruitful plantations grow. This special vision that you have makes your journey easier as you can see which routes to avoid (desert and danger) and you can see which blessings are on your path (streams and fruitfulness). Even if you choose to climb a mountain, no matter how hard it is, you can see that there are beautiful streams and fruitfulness on the other side.

The Holy Spirit gives us this vision in our daily lives. He enables us to see past the difficult situations (rocky paths and mountains) and reveals the blessings, fruitfulness and gifts which are in store for us. When we keep seeing His vision, we remain in a place of faith, peace, joy and encouragement instead of a space of discouragement.

So often in life worries, fears, lies and anxieties wrap themselves around our heads blurring our vision and we become short-sighted. We lose the bigger picture. We stare into the rocky ground, the mountains and deserts and we become discouraged as we focus on the problems. We become tired of our challenges, anxious, lost, lonely and fearful.

Do not lose your vision as you will become discouraged. You might ask: ”how do I then remove the cloud around my head and regain my vision?”. The verse above says: “blessed is he who keeps the law”. We don’t follow the law of the Old Testament anymore, but the law that is written on our hearts of which loving God and loving our neighbour are the most important elements. When we follow these, we will be blessed.

We remove the cloud by fixing our gaze on God, His love and who He is, instead of the situations we face and where we find ourselves on the road. We focus on the promise and not on the problem and this will enable us to see into the future and give us hope. When we know who He is, the mountain becomes a heap of stones and the journey becomes a joy, because nothing is impossible for God. We were made to be a people with great wisdom, vision and perspective in order to also encourage and lead others to a place of vision and freedom.

So today, stop starring at your feet, leave the pity party, be encouraged and lift your gaze to heaven. Find yourself in His unending love and faithfulness. Get His vision and perspective, see the future and start walking towards it.  

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A desperate place

At times you can reach a desperate place, a place in your life where everything is overwhelming and you have no energy left. The problem is not the amount that needs to be done, but rather the lack of enthusiasm to do it with. You are busy, but bored, around people, but lonely and you are weighed down by cloak of sadness. You ask advice from almost anyone and even scarier, you consider or actually follow advice from people that you normally never would have. My point being, you are desperate.

You might believe in God, you might not, but my advice still remains the same… relax. Just take a moment, just calm down. There are a million voices in your head, opinions, thoughts and fears, just put them aside and just relax for a moment. Currently anxieties, fears, emotions, opinions etc. are forming a cloud around your head making you unable to see ahead or even feel a way out, you have reached your end.

When God looks at you He sees potential, He sees future plans and a destiny. He sees wholeness, not brokenness, peace instead of turmoil and joy instead of sadness. Why, you might ask? Because although the world has told you that you are broken, desperate, sad, alone and a failure, He still believes in you and He sees a prince(ss), He sees a success and child to love. Your challenges are no match for Him as nothing is impossible with God.

Can I challenge you? Humble yourself before God. Go on your knees in whatever desperate place you are in today and bring your troubles to God. Stop listening to the lies, opinions, self-help books and mantras, but bring your heart, in whatever state it is in, to Jesus. Put it in His hands, His love and His peace. I challenge you to ask Him to allow His love into your heart and to allow His love to change you and encourage you. If you do not know Him, ask Him to help you to put your trust in Him and in His love and to show you the way. Ask Him to wipe away your fears and tears, to pick you up from the mud and to put your feet on a solid foundation.

It is Love that brings the change, it brings the joy, peace and the enthusiasm for life. Hold on to the Love that you know and it will help you to cast out all fear and doubt. The Bible says: “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love.” 1 John 4:18 You cannot be afraid of punishment if you know God’s perfect love, we need not fear punishment, because there is no punishment in God’s love.

Let go into His love, it is safe, secure, not judgemental, kind, peaceful, generous and mostly everlasting. Allow yourself to experience this today, to bring calmness to the storms in your mind and the fears in your heart.

“Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.” Matt 8:26

Jesus doesn’t need you to have a lot of faith, all you need to do is come to Him and ask Him to save you from the storm.

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” Rom 10:13

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in Him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
to the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.“ Lamentations 3:22-26

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God, what do you want me to do?



“God, what do you want me to do?” is a question that people often ask and can actually lead to anxiousness at times. Sometimes you may become quite tense about it, thinking that you want to be the best child of God that you can be and you want to do all that God has for you to do etc… etc...

I totally understand where this line of thinking comes from. Meeting Jesus is an incredible experience and it makes you question your career, who you married, where you live, what you are studying or you suddenly feel like selling everything you have and becoming a missionary or something, but this is not what Jesus necessarily asks us to do.

“Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you. Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.” 1 Cor 7:20-24

We cannot just quit our jobs, studies or marriages for that matter. Yes, we have found a God much greater than ourselves and we want to serve Him, but my suggestion at first is just relax. Not very profound hey? So hear me out…

We cannot help but think that we are so amazing that we need to help God plan our lives and what is best for us. When in actual fact, He has it all planned out without our input. Remember He knows you inside and out and He knows what your input and desires would have been and He has already shaped the plan to fit all of those. All that we need to do is walk with Him. Our responsibility is to keep our heart soft and open towards Him and our ears tuned to His voice. We do not need to try and think what He’s thinking and figure it all out. Just be yourself, the best version of yourself that you know you can be at this stage and grow with Jesus. He doesn’t need anything else from you. He will let you know when it’s time to quit your job or maybe move to another area. He will ask you to change degrees or to start something new. He will be the instigator and we just need to stop poking our noses in His business and relax and serve Him faithfully wherever we find ourselves at the moment.

Today I just want to set some people free from that “what do I do next” anxiety. God knows what is next and He’ll let you know when it’s time to move. If you have questions, write them down and ask Him (once) and wait for His answer, He has heard you. Spend time rather focussing on what He is doing around you at this moment and build into that. I used to tell myself often “you are exactly where God wants you to be” and this brought peace to my heart and the desires burning within it.

I have learnt that it is not so much about receiving the direction from God beforehand that is important, but being ready to act when the direction comes. Life is a journey with Him and not a puzzle we need to figure out. When we walk with open hearts towards Him, always desiring His will, He will not leave us alone in the field. He knows us and we know that He will show us the way, He is the shepherd after all. God will always use a willing heart, it's all about the heart, so if you are willing, be sure that He will speak to you and lead you.

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”” Isaiah 6:8

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:21

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-5

Grow love not war

Picture credit: friendburst

“Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:1-9

It is our responsibility to keep our hearts open to God, always ensuring that there is good soil for His words to fall on and take root. The smallest things can hinder us from receiving His words and can make our hearts hard, whether we intend to do it or not. Unforgiveness, resentment, offence, anger, bitterness, anxiousness etc. are examples of seeds which Satan sows and if it takes root in our hearts, can choke the good seeds and steel the good soil. We are the ones who give power to these emotions or weeds as illustrated here and harbouring them is our choice.

I do understand that maybe great injustice has been done to you and forgiving someone for their harsh words or abusive actions might by very difficult, but God does not expect us to do this alone. We can ask Him to help us forgive, even though we struggle, all we need to be is willing to forgive. It is so dangerous to harbour unforgiveness as it breeds hurt, bitterness, contempt and often results in anger.  

When we are angry, the last thing we feel like is being vulnerable or lovable. We put our defences up, harden ourselves and we get ready to fight. Sometimes we just see red and there’s no space for reason. So now you can imagine, God is love. How does He fit into that picture? He doesn’t. When we reach that state, we inadvertently say that I’m here to take revenge and I want justice and someone needs to pay for the way I feel. At that moment we cut God out and our emotions take over and what follows thereafter can only lead to destruction of self and others. Afterwards when our emotions clam down, the last thing we feel is a sense of relief or joy, but rather increased hurt, emptiness and probably remorse.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Eph 4:26-27

When we try and punish someone for the wrong they have done towards us, we end up punishing ourselves more, especially when it involves people close to us. As with all of the lies of the devil, revenge is just another attractive door with a graveyard behind it. Let’s ask God to help us today, to rather choose love and to learn to let go of past things that are dragging us down and keeping our hearts hard. Let’s remove every weed to allow for more space and good soil for God’s words to take root and grow in our hearts and His peace will reign in our hearts.

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col 1:13-14

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Col 3:12-15

The world is wide open - Jason Upton - SUCH a powerful song!

In the wind and the waves



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“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James  1:2-6

This is a harsh message, but there is no space for doubting in the kingdom. This doesn’t mean that we will never doubt and if we doubt, God is still faithful to us, but faith is the power of the kingdom and it is impossible to please God without faith. We cannot have one foot in the faith bucket and one foot in the doubt bucket, there is nothing harder than sitting on the fence.

As James mentions above, we do not want to be waves driven and tossed by the sea and that is what we look like when we doubt in who God is. When trials arrive it can feel as if a carpet has been pulled from underneath us and we panic, our emotions climb on a rollercoaster and they go up and down and all around. We don’t think straight, we grab onto every possible solution and we try and take control and in the process we get more desperate and more disappointed.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Cor 10:5

Instead we should strive to remain calm, to try and immediately restrain our fears and anxieties by taking every thought captive and submitting it to the word and will of God. In this way we can choose not to climb on the rollercoaster and to rather rest in the peace of God, to rest in His word and the promises that He has spoken over us. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and self-control.

May we pause every time a wave comes and without fear face the trial head on, knowing that He who is standing behind us is greater than anything that this world can throw at us.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. “ Heb 11:6

Tick tock, tick tock...

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We all have seasons in our lives where we feel like we are just not getting everything done that we want to do and that there are just not enough hours in a day. We can often be our own worst enemy in this regard by pushing ourselves to take on more and more, biting off more than we can chew.

I particularly remember that I had one of these moments about 4 years ago. I was racing from work to my cell group and it was just a busy day and week and I was thinking something in the line of "why can't there be 48hrs in a day?!" and God replied: "if I gave you 48hours in a day, then you would be rushing 48hrs a day. I gave you exactly enough time to do everything that I have given you to do."

His answer was very simple, but really made me think and has had a lasting effect on my everyday life. I considered this: "What am I filling my day with. What do I know He has asked me to do and what not?" I think that we sometimes so easily say “yes” to things or even feel obligated to do things, even good things like exercise, helping people out and serving. We end up spreading ourselves so thinly over everything, that we can't give our all in anything.

Not even Jesus said “yes” to everything. He knew what His purpose was and He kept His focus on that. I'm sure that there were towns where people wanted Him to stay longer, preach longer or wait for more people to arrive who needs healing, but Jesus knew that He needed to go to Jerusalem, die on the cross before Passover and rise again in order that all of us can have the power in us to preach and heal and so be even more effective than He could be on His own. Imagine the effect on the world if Jesus had to miss His purpose, because He was too busy and felt too guilty to say "no".

Jesus saw the bigger picture, He got perspective from God and He could say “no” without feeling guilty or condemned and “yes” to the things which God called Him to. Ask God today what He has planned for you and what you need to spend your focus, time and energy on in a day. Trust His guidance and He will give you the strength to do everything that you need to do with joy and peace.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:4-7

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Matt 6:27

Stressing out?

Photo credit: pure devotion

It is so easy to get caught up in life, rushing from one point to the next. I realise that everybody is in a different place in their lives and yes there is a time to work and a time to play, but it’s so important to take time and breathe.

God didn’t need to rest on the 7th day, He has all the energy, He is energy, but he chose to rest and enjoy the creation which He has made. Sometimes I wonder why we think that working, rushing and being busy 7 days a week is normal. I think if God didn’t make sleep, then we would probably be busy 24 hours a day! I’m not saying that it’s not good to be busy and I’m not saying that our lives need to be perfectly balanced. I’m just saying that our lives need to be as balanced as God wants them to be. It’s important for us to listen to our bodies and to the Holy Spirit and to be honest with ourselves as to what limits we can or should push ourselves to.

I have been in seasons where I have worked up to 14 hours a day for weeks at a time and at that time I knew it was what God wanted me to do. No one would have said that it was a balanced few weeks, but God pulled me through late nights with great joy and peace and I still see the fruit of those seasons in my life today.

To me resting is not so much physically sitting and relaxing, but a state of mind. Knowing that everything you do is stress free with peace and joy and then there will be a sense of rest in your heart.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

We can live this life stress free and in rest if we learn to enter into His rest and to hand over our burdens to God. This does not mean that we sit around and do nothing, but rather that we continue going about our daily schedule, with perseverance, but without anxiety of what tomorrow might bring.

“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” Luke 12:24-26

“The Lord protects those of childlike faith;
    I was facing death, and he saved me.
Let my soul be at rest again,
    for the Lord has been good to me.” Psalm 116:6-7