Tag: Anxiety

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Feeling Anxious? Beat Anxiety with 3 Biblical Steps

Life is filled with all kinds of reasons to be afraid and anxious. War. Disease. Politics. Poverty. Death. Failure. Rejection. Clowns.

Some fears are specific and reasonable. Others are generic and unfounded.

We don’t have to read the bible very long to notice fear cropping up. Repeatedly the characters in the Old and New Testaments are commanded not to fear. When the phrase “Do not fear” so often appears, we get the idea that God doesn’t want us to be afraid.

But in the context of our world filled with so much anxiety and fear, does the bible give anything more than simply a command not to fear?

Yes, it very much does!

Although scripture doesn’t often provide step-by-step instructions in the form of a “How-To” guide, this is one case where it does. And it’s one of my favorites.

It’s right there in the letter Paul wrote to the Philippians — a veritable recipe for beating anxiety!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” Philippians 4:6-7

Let’s break it down into three easy steps: the Command, the Action, and the Promise.

The Command: Do Not Be Anxious

If this command was a stand-alone, then I would be out of the game before even getting started. Because I can’t just manufacture peace and calm on my own! Thankfully, Paul gave the command but he didn’t just leave it there. He gave a “what” (do not be anxious) and then he gave the “how” that follows.

The Action: Present Your Requests to God

If you’re thinking that presenting requests to God is like presenting a wish list to Santa at Christmas, then you’re a bit off track. We first need a relationship with God in order to earn the right to start a conversation with him. And that comes through Jesus.

By prayer”¦.

Once we believe in Jesus as the one who saves us, God becomes our Father. And our relationship with him happens through prayer. Prayer is simply a conversation with God.

Often our prayers are one-way—we ask him for stuff. But prayer ideally goes both ways. One synonym for prayer is “devotion”. Take time during prayer to declare your devotion to God and praise him just because he is.

And petition”¦.

Here’s where the asking part comes in. Petitioning is asking God for something. In this case, ask God to meet a specific need that is causing anxiety. Ask him to help you trust him to provide. Ask him to remind you that he loves us and will not leave you alone. Ask him to take your anxiety away.

It’s absolutely okay to ask God for help. He knows that we need him and he is happy to hear us connect with that.

With thanksgiving”¦.

When someone asks you for something and you give it to them, how does it make you feel if they don’t thank you? Remember, God also likes to be thanked for the good things that he give, generally and specifically. If you’re not feeling like there’s much to be thankful for, look around and find something. Life. Breath. Sunshine. Rain. Grass. Your job. A carrot. Whatever. Be thankful.

When we take a posture of gratefulness, we avoid repeatedly coming to God as spoiled children. He doesn’t mind that we are needy. But he does mind if we are ungrateful.

The Promise: Peace

Once you’ve walked through praying, asking and thinking, it’s time for peace.

Even if the world around you doesn’t make sense and your friends tell you that you should be panicking, you have this promise:

The Peace of God

which Transcends All Understanding

will Guard your Heart and your Mind

in Christ Jesus.

 

This means that your family might not get it or your financial advisor might be telling you the ends just won’t meet. But if you’ve walked with God in prayer, petition and thanksgiving then you’ll receive his peace.

At first, you might experience peace for just a moment until you need to take a deep breath and start the whole process over again. Sort of like the “Lather. Rinse Repeat” instructions listed on your shampoo. But it will get easier and become more natural. The action of taking everything to Jesus is critical in order to receive peace.

Anxious thoughts popping up? Pray with petition and thanksgiving. Peace doesn’t last very long? Pray again.

Pray. Receive Peace. Repeat.

It’s really rather simple. Because with as many times as the Bible is confusing, Paul gave clear instructions on where to find peace.

Pray. Receive Peace. Repeat.

Not sure if you believe it? Try it out. Maintain a continual dialogue with God that includes prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. See what happens.

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If You Want to Make Enemies, Try to Change Something: 17 Inspiring Change Quotes to Live By

"God supplies everything you need for successful change, and when you make changes with his help, it says changed." - Unknown
If you want to make enemies, try to change something.  Change, no matter what scale it is on, can be a source of stress and anxiety for many. However, it’s common for change management practitioners to view resistance to change as an irrational barrier to progress. Another school of thought is that resistance to change is a social process that can strengthen changes and help to eliminate undesirable change.
The fact remains that change is necessary in all organizations. But, it is the way change is initiated which can so greatly vary. It can be forced upon companies by outside forces or just come from a realization that the company may be falling behind the times. In this way, change management might be quite beneficial to an organization. Organizations that have learned how to transform themselves through effective leadership and strategic control are more likely to survive and prosper. The dilemma is that most people hate change and love it at the same time and what they really want is for things to remain the same but get better.
The good news is that God has a plan for your life to prosper.    If we trust in God and allow the change to grow us to become more like Jesus Christ in how we respond and act, then we are promised that all things will work together for good for those who love Him and keep His commandments!
The following thought-provoking quotes relate to change management including resistance to change, acceptance and change strategy.
  1. “One of the reasons so many celebrities keep going in and out of rehab is that they leave out the critical element to lasting change: God.” – Unknown
  2. “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” — Niccolo Machiavelli
  3. “Change has its enemies.” — Robert Kennedy
  4. “He who rejects change is the architect of decay.” — Harold Wilson
  5. “Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better.” — Samuel Johnson
  6. “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” — Charles Kettering
  7. “God supplies everything you need for successful change, and when you make changes with his help, it says changed.” – Unknown
  8. “It is always easier to talk about change than to make it.” — Alvin Toffler
  9. “It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out nor more doubtful of success nor more dangerous to handle than to initiate a new order of things.” — Machiavelli
  10. “The path of least resistance is the path of the loser.” — H. G. Wells
  11. “When you feel weak in the face of change, God is omnipotent, or all-powerful. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” the Bible says. (Romans 8:31, NIV) Knowing the invincible God is on your side gives you tremendous confidence.” – Unknown
  12. “Paralyze resistance with persistence.” — Woody Hayes
  13. “Culture does not change because we desire to change it. Culture changes when the organization is transformed – the culture reflects the realities of people working together every day.” — Frances Hesselbein
  14. “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence – it is to act with yesterday’s logic – Peter Drucker
  15. “The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition in most industries will probably speed up even more in the next few decades.” — John P. Kotter
  16. “Your success in life isn’t based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.” — Mark Sanborn
  17. “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” — Woodrow Wilson

Don’t make change harder than it has to be. Do it the right way. Ask God for help.

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3 Empowering Truths For Living

3 Empowering Truths For Living

Scriptures are filled with motivational truths. Here are 3 empowering truths for living.

1. In Christ is a bright and secure future.

Jesus came so that we may have life and that we may have life abundantly. Through Christ, the trusting soul receives the assurance of a new and permanent relationship with God and a sure home in heaven with Him someday. Through Christ, the yielded Christian receives grace for daily sustenance. Through Christ, we have high hopes for each day we get out of our beds. The past is always forgiven. The present always starts on a clean slate. Godly efforts have lasting results. Failures and mistakes can never hold us back.

2. In being still, we find God.

In Psalm 46:10 God speaks, “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew root word for still is raphah. It means to abandon, hang limp, collapse, and become helpless. Many can share that it is in the hardest moments of their lives that they’ve gone deeper in knowing and experiencing the truth and reality of God in their lives. In stillness, we let go of our efforts and let God work things out. In stillness, we let go of our self-reliance and let Him move on our behalf. In stillness, we realize the sovereignty of God and yield to His wisdom. In stillness, our eyes are opened to the greatness of God. We perceive all that He is accomplishing for the good of our lives.

3. In being weak, we find strength.

Man is dependent upon his strength for everything. To some, strength is everything. They equate it with life or quality of life. To be strong is to be able, to be useful. It is not uncommon to find aging people having bouts of depression. Studies reveal that some who reach the age of retirement suffer from depression and anxiety. Because as one ages, he or she may fear a loss of purpose or usefulness. One may fear the inability to self-sustain.

While the pressures of being accepted in society naturally causes people to hide or mourn their weaknesses, Scriptures tell us that we need not be ashamed; we need not lose joy. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 is one insightful and empowering passage. In being weak, we learn as Paul did that:

  1. God’s grace is sufficient for us.
  2. His power is made perfect in weakness.
  3. We don’t have to be ashamed of our weakness.
  4. It is in our moments of weakness that Christ’s power rests on us.
  5. When we are weak, then we are strong.

Philippians 4:13 says how we can handle weakness; it is by being grounded and intimate with our God. “I can do all things when I am in the One who gives me strength.” Remember that He will not allow us to go through things we are unable to handle. What He allows, He will be there to show Himself strong on our behalf.   2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the LORD searches throughout the earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is fully devoted to him.” God is the strength of our heart and He will never fail us.

 

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