Start with prayer. 

You might already know that God did not design us for constant stress and anxiety. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for us.” Ask God to help you trust Him and turn away from worry. This past blog has five other Scriptures to help you remember to give your worries to God: https://myhope1007.com/what-to-do-when-you-are-scared-and-worried/

Consider therapy. 

There are many benefits to seeing a counselor or therapist, but one of the major ones is that they can help you identify what’s causing your worry or anxiety and come up with a plan to manage it. Talking through your thoughts and feelings in a safe space can help you see things from another perspective and work through any unresolved issues that may be keeping you stuck in a cycle of worry.

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Thankfulness.

Keep a running list of things you’re thankful for. Worrying can be overwhelming and cause you to lose perspective, so it’s important to take a step back and focus on the things that make you feel grateful. Make a list of all the positive aspects of your life – no matter how small – and review it regularly. You could keep a journal or keep the list on your phone so you always have access to it.

Form healthy habits. 

Worry can cause physical symptoms like muscle tension, fatigue, and insomnia, so it’s important to maintain an active lifestyle. Exercise releases endorphins that can improve your mood and help reduce the physical effects of stress. Take a walk or join a dance class; any kind of physical activity will help you take back control of your emotional state. Also, be sure to get enough sleep. Unhealthy habits stress your body and can aggravate or even be the cause of anxiety.

Look for healthy distractions. 

Worry often comes down to ruminating on things you cannot control or change. It can be hard to just “stop worrying,” so it helps to have something else to focus your attention on. Exercise, hobbies, or even just talking with friends can be a great way to distract yourself and create some distance from the source of your worry.

Practice relaxation techniques. 

One of the best ways to overcome worry is to focus on the present moment. Worrying about what might happen in the future is often a reaction to feeling out of control, so take a step back and try to identify what has you feeling overwhelmed. Once you have identified the source of your worry, envision handing those things over to God. Take a few deep breaths, resting in His presence. Train yourself to stop and do this every time you start feeling worried and you’ll start building new pathways in your brain that make it easier over time.

We hope these ideas help you live a less-worried life. Do you have any go-to anxiety busters? We’d love to hear from you!

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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Trust in God’s Timing

I wonder how you feel about this saying:

“You’ll see why God made you wait.” 

You might feel hurt, you might feel frustration, you might smile and go, “Hey, I’ve been there, done that.” This past weekend, I wrapped up a season in my life associated with an organization that I had been volunteering with for many years, probably almost 10. And I just felt a peace recently from God saying to me, “it’s time to step away.” I don’t want to, and it hurts, but I have to trust Him. And that saying “one day, you’ll see why God made you wait,” I actually am kind of excited and have some anticipation of “what’s next?”

The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? 

Proverbs 20:24 NIV

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Trust in God’s Goodness

There are seasons in your life that will be good times. There’ll be some challenges, some trials. I know it’s difficult during those times- personally, it’s very difficult in the middle of the night, being awake and worrying or stressed out about some stuff. Consider this: it is crazy how a relationship with God can completely change your mood and attitude in an instant. Instead of worry, go to prayer. One worship song, one whispered prayer, one scripture verse can take you from the absolute worst mindset to a place of such peace and joy. There’s nothing like the presence of God. And my prayer for you today is to experience that.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4.6-7 NLT

Trust That God is With You

Today’s a great day to live by faith and not by sight. Sometimes what you see isn’t really the whole story. Faith will fill in all the gaps. I was spending time in the Bible this morning in the book of Luke, and Jesus was talking to the disciples about faith. It got me thinking about how faith is risky. I know sometimes I feel the risk; am I doing the right thing? Trusting God in this decision? Faith looks risky to others, maybe family members who don’t understand what’s going on in your life and how you are making decisions for you and your family. Especially in today’s day and age, where it seems like everyone is looking for proof of things to be true outside of God. 

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now. And don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Matthew 6.34 NLT

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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Here’s an acronym that’s easy to remember: FEAR. FEAR has two meanings: Forget Everything And Run, or, Face Everything And Rise. That’s powerful! The choice? That’s yours.

~Todd Stach

In How To Handle Fear- Part One, we read the parable of the prodigal son and talked about how to run to Jesus. I included the quote from Todd Stach again to refresh you on the acronym that inspired this blog series. This time, we’ll look at what it means when someone tells you to “take it to Jesus” or “lay it at Jesus’ feet.” Let’s start with Scripture! 

What the Bible says about Fear and Worry

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10.28-31 NIV

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11.28-29 NIV

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then, you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4.67 NLT

Laying your burdens at Jesus’ feet is about trust, prayer, and renewing your mind. Worry is part of the human experience that stems from fear and is aggravated by our increasing desire to control every part of our lives. Add on top of that the fact that we can instantaneously find out about scary and troubling things happening all over the world, and it’s a miracle we do anything but worry! But the Bible is very clear on this: “don’t worry about anything…” The Bible tells us not to worry and not to fear many many times. If you ever took a class or a study on how to read the Bible, you probably learned that when something is repeated, it means “pay attention!” and God knew we would really need to hear “don’t worry” pretty often. 

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How To Lay Your Burdens at Jesus’ Feet

1) Trust

If you’re a new Christian, spend time building your relationship with God through Bible study and prayer. By learning who He is, and seeing Him work in your life, trust will begin to grow. If you’re a more experienced believer, being in the Word and in prayer is an important part of trusting as well, but you also have your past experiences to help you. Remind yourself of the things God has brought you through, the prayers He has answered. Remembering how you learned to trust God before will help you trust now.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17.7-8 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Psalm 91.1-6 ESV

2) Prayer

The way you lay your burdens at the feet of Jesus is through prayer. When you’re tempted to worry about something, take it to Him in prayer. “Laying it down at His feet” means handing it over and not picking it back up. It’s hard, because sometimes our minds run away with scenarios and fears before we even realize what’s happening. When you find yourself in that mindspace, just pray immediately and tell the Lord you’re giving it back to Him. Like anything else, it takes discipline and practice, but it is possible to take control over your thoughts and your fear.

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

James 5.13 NIV

3) Renewing Your Mind

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12.2 NIV

Renewing your mind comes from being committed to studying the Bible, prayer, and refusing to allow your thoughts to dictate your belief in the truth. The Bible tells us to “take captive every thought.” You can do this by paying close attention to the thoughts in your mind. Train yourself to catch thoughts that go against the Word of God and replace them with the truth. The brain is a fascinating organ. The thoughts that we have over and over create physical grooves in our gray matter called neural pathways. The more we think certain thoughts, the deeper those pathways get and the easier it is for your brain to automatically run along those lines. The great news is we now know those paths can be changed! Thinking new thoughts weaken the old paths and eventually, the new neural pathways can become the dominant ones. The longer you’ve had certain habits, (like worrying) the longer it will take you to break them, but take heart! The result is so worth the effort!

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10.4-5 NIV

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God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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1. Jesus, thank you for caring about my situation.
   Maybe you’ve wondered if Jesus cares about your situation. The Bible says that Jesus is “the God who Sees” (Genesis 16:13). He also calls us to “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for You” (1 Peter 5:7).
   
   In the middle of any storm, sickness, fear or concern, you are not alone!
2. Jesus, give me eyes to see the eternal.
   Though it is hard for us to see in the moment, there is a purpose in every trial. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” (2 Corinthians 4:17)
   
   God can use every trial as a lesson.
3. Jesus, teach me Your truth.
   Hard times are never fun times, but we know that through them, God is developing our character and helping us become more like Jesus. James 1:2-3 encourages us to:
   
   “Count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:2-3)
4. Jesus, help me live by faith, not by fear.
   Walking in faith does not mean we won’t experience fear. We know that Jesus loves us and ultimately is in control when life feels crazy.
   
   “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
5. Jesus, please heal those who are sick.
   “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.” (Luke 4:40)
   
   While He does not always choose to heal, we believe that He is still our Healer today. Sometimes he works through a doctor, and sometimes through a miracle. We can bring people to Jesus for healing when we pray for them.
6. Jesus, please give our doctors & leaders wisdom to respond well and to find a cure.
   
   God has given them wisdom already in helping us prevent the spread of serious diseases like coronavirus… So, we recommend you trust God through prayer.

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