3/25/2014 0 Comments Got Stress? Pray.![]() Can we talk stress? You know what I mean: that roiling inner turmoil, that is blinding being in a confusion-making state that takes over our hearts and minds from time to time. We all have been there or currently experiencing it. The term “stress” is nothing new to modern life. Stress impacts an individual at various level. Stress prevents your ability to perform well at the workplace. It breeds a sense of fear, anxiety and helplessness. It also inhibits an individual’s ability to socialize and form new relationships. Stress has long been associated with increased risk for illness including serious health problems such as heart disease. The reason? Stress, particularly if it is chronic or prolonged, can weaken the immune system. And I was one of those people. As my life became more challenging, I internalized the stress of my circumstances, and it really begin to take a toll on my physical body as well as my spirit. While a certain amount of stress is inevitable and in some instances can be a positive force for motivation, we can manage dangerous levels of stress. One major way I relieved the stress was to pray. You see when I was stressed and full of anxiety I was displaying a lack of trust in God. So I had to do as the scripture says, "…take everything to God in prayer" and then implement some practical solutions. To manage stress it's important that there is some "soul care". Taking care of your soul is bringing an awareness of when you become annoyed or angry at something trivial or unimportant. Then make a conscious choice to become peaceful. Concentrate your thoughts on matters within your control. It's also imperative that there is some "body care". This means renewing the mind as Roman 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Relaxing and breathing exercises can help to manage and lower anxiety. Breathe slowly and deeply, before reacting to the that stressful occurrence. And also making sure that you are feeding your body foods that provide nutrients and balance to it. Hunger and dehydration can make you feel more anxious and stressed. Lastly, perform some "spirit care". The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to pray. Instead of worrying over our problems, further compounding our anxiety and stress, the Bible recommends taking everything to God in prayer. There is a verse in Philippians that offers the comforting promise that as we pray, our minds will be protected by a peace that goes beyond our ability to understand. "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." (Philippians 4:6-7 ) This verse in Philippians offers the comforting promise that as we pray, our minds will be protected by a peace surpasses all understanding. Our faith attaches meaning to events, it will give us hope. It is the ultimate stress reducer. So if You Got stress. Pray! Enter into Prayer Dear Lord,
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3/19/2014 2 Comments Living in God's Will…SingleOriginally posted March 19, 2013 ![]() As a married woman of 10 years I do not understand firsthand the struggle of an unmarried person. However, I was single once and I have many friends that are single. I've had conversations at length about the challenges faced in singleness in our society. In our conversations I can sense their frustration in trying to discern "God's will" for their life concerning marriage. The Bible is clear the will for a married person, it seems self-evident. The Bible instructs him to be a faithful and loving spouse, and to raise his children in godliness. Much of a man's life becomes centered on these activities. Providing for the family, as God directs, becomes his priority. However, for a person who is single, this question seems much more ambiguous. The question of a Christian staying single and what the Bible says about believers never marrying is often misunderstood. Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 7:7-8: “I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.” Notice that he says some have the gift of singleness and some the gift of marriage. Here Paul made a choice to remain single as devoted his entire life to spreading the Word of God. Paul, did not have to worry about the extra problems and stresses that come with marriage and/or family. He devoted his entire life to spreading the Word of God. On the other hand, some people do better as a team, serving God as a couple and a family. This choice is up to the believer to remain single or be married, but both kinds of people are equally important. And if the believer chooses to remain single, it should not be viewed as a curse or an indication that there is “something wrong” with the single man or woman. While most people marry, and while the Bible seems to indicate that it is God’s will for most people to marry, a single Christian is in no sense a “second class” Christian. As 1 Corinthians 7 indicates, singleness is, if anything, a higher calling. But when deciding what your marital status should be, with everything else in life, you should ask God, "What is Your will for my life". We should seek wisdom concerning His plan. Following God’s plan, whether that be marriage or singleness, will result in the productivity and joy that God desires for you. We may try to discern the hidden meaning of Bible passages, or seek direction in prayer and the leading of our heart, but without any clear guidance. We tend to think God has hidden His will for our lives, that it's a great mystery and its up to us to uncover it. Often in our haste to discover His purpose for us we try to formulate a plan and we make the choice to enter into an unordained relationship seeking physical and/or emotional needs. Speaking from the perspective of a married person, you should make sure and be sure that the covenant relationship that you enter into is ordained and is in the will of God for your life. Entering into relationship outside God's plan for you can lead to a life filled with pain, unhappiness, loneliness, abuse and despair which may eventually lead to divorce or death. When we seek a mate we should make sure that it is not just a good choice, but God’s choice. And to find God's choice we should seek Him for the answer. God wants the best for us and that includes having the best mate. If we seek God and ask him to reveal His will concerning our best for marriage, He will respond. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2). ~Yolanda D. Enter into Prayer Unto You, O Lord, do I bring my desire to find a godly spouse. Lord I trust in, lean on, rely on and am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame or be disappointed; let not my enemies, the spirit of rejection, hurt, inferiority, or unworthiness triumph over me. Heavenly Father, it is written, "For I know the thoughts and the plans that I have for you", says the Lord. "thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give me hope and an expected end". Heavenly Father, I am looking for your plan, Your answer for my life. It is my desire to be married. But I must be sure in my decision that I am living as You intend and that I am accepting whatever situation You have put me into. According to Your Word, marriage will bring extra issues and circumstances that I may not need to face at this time in my life. 3/4/2014 0 Comments "Real Esteem is God Esteem"![]() Always seeing yourself as a failure, or less than those around you, being hard on oneself; always beating up on yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, always seeing yourself as worthless or undeserving, or pushing to reach irrational goals just to feel good about yourself. Ashamed of yourself; refusing to forgive yourself from something in your past is defined as low self-esteem. And we see religiously self promoters promising to cure us from all of our ills through doses of self-esteem, self-worth, self-acceptance, and self-love teachings. The self-esteem movement has its most recent roots in clinical psychology. Even though there has been research to make a connection between low self-esteem and problematic behavior, a cause could not be linked. However, more recent studies indicate a definite relationship between violent behavior and high self-esteem. Nevertheless, faith in self-esteem dies hard and yet we continue to work on building high self-esteem. The sad thing is that many are not alert to the dangers. More and more we are subtly being deceived into another gospel: the gospel of self. Human love is mixed with self-love and may be ultimately self-serving. It is knowing who you are in Christ that leads to a proper self-esteem….a God Esteem. What is God–Esteem? If we are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind as Matthew 22:37 states, then all of our esteem must be turned from our selves to Him. God-esteem is self-giving. It is free of self-delusion and self-congratulation. True humility does not involve low-self esteem, nor does it involve high self-esteem or even what we call “healthy self-esteem”, but it involves God-esteem. It is knowing that you are a divine original, that is fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14). You see the man after God's own heart, David was not boasting in who he was, but rather being thankful and rejoicing over the beautiful creation that God made in him! It's vital that we develop this same attitude about what God's given each of us as well. I know personally, that once I develop my relationship and fellowship with Christ and allowed Him to transform my mind, I stopped looking for others to validate or even appreciate who I was in their lives to build my esteem. I became more confident in who He created me to be, with my imperfection and flaws and I now walk in a God-esteem that will not be shaken. Yes, like anyone, I do have days that I doubt my ability and that's when I remind myself that in my weakness, my Heavenly father is shown mighty in my life. And in His divine way, He always send me confirmation that further builds my esteem in Him. How is your God-esteem? What is your level of God-esteem? Think about God and His role in your life. Has the enemy tried to make you think God is against you, everyone is against and no one loves you? If there are negative attitudes the enemy has put in your mind, confess and reject them! Our God-esteem directly affects our ability to rise above the pain of trials and tribulations. And as we grow in the awareness of his love, whatever else people may think of us or say about us, we know God sees us as a beloved member of his family and anticipates the beauty of all He intends to make us through the transforming work of His Spirit. The enemy of our souls wants us to think that God doesn’t love us and if we buy into the lies of the enemy that we are not good enough, worthy enough or smart enough, we will think some destructive things about ourselves and God, and we will have low God-esteem. What you think about God determines your quality of life. He wants only the best for us, and He stands ready to meet every need. Pray with us today that you will develop confidence and a real esteem that is God-esteem so you can be free to be who God called you to be. ~Yolanda D. Intercession TuesdayDear God, I have been told I am unworthy because I am flawed. I am a human being, so I make mistakes. I cannot dispute that I make mistakes. It seems, sometimes, like my entire life is trial and error. The worst part is, sometimes, I make a mistake over again, because I did not learn from it the first time. And it has become easy to judge myself and withhold love when I look at my life. After all, God, am I smart enough? Successful enough? Loving enough? Rich enough? Thin enough? Can I ever be? More importantly, have I given anything to the world that it really needed? Or have I concentrated on what I saw as my flaws and shortcomings that so many have pointed out, including myself, instead of concentrating on my talents? I know how to criticize myself, Lord. I have been very good at it and that keeps me from contributing to the world the beauty in my soul. I humbly ask your forgiveness as well as for your renewing Spirit. |
IntercessionPrayer is the expression of man’s dependence upon God and his confidence in Him. When God answers prayer, He magnifies His faithfulness. Prayer is releasing the energies of God and asking God to do what we cannot do. Prayer is the breathing and panting of the Spirit after God. Prayer is a soul struggle. It is the hardest work God has given His children, but it is their most important work. If you have a Archives
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