Anxious for Nothing

"Don't Worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. 

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. "

 ~Philippians 4:6~

Im sitting on my couch and I begin thinking of all the things I need to figure out, all the uncertainties, and all of the unmade decisions. Honestly, it becomes just a tornado of thoughts and emotions. As my thoughts are spiraling a song comes on my spotify called 

"Mighty God"

-Verse 1

Mighty God

I will follow you

You keep me safe

In the palm of your hand

You guide me up the mountain

You lead me in your will

My Father you are the fountain

There's power when I am still

-Chours

Mighty God

I will follow you

Soverieng God

I will follow you

All power is in your name

-Verse 2

Mighty God

I will follow you 

You made a way for my soul to stand

You crowned my head with glory

You tore apart the veil

You brought me into your mystery

You're bringing me deeper still

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God begins to remind me that He isn't worried, He is never anxious, and in Him there is never uncertainty.  So why am I anxious? I heard once that "The thing you find yourself worrying about the most is the exact place where you trust God the least". And oh how much truth this statement holds. 

My current job can be very dangerous and I must be able to trust the people leading me. If a situation is heightened and my leader isn't worried then I know we are good. Why? Because I can trust they know what they are doing and know the direction we should take. This should be even more so with Jesus right? He never sleeps or slumbers, He sees all and knows all, and He always has my best in mind. So if my leader, my shepherd, my God is my protector, defender and guide , I have nothing to fear or be anxious about because I can trust in his character and intention. 

Lets look at Psalms 25

Psalms 25: 1-5

"O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God! Do not let my be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trust in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you."

One thing I love about David is he gets honest with God. No matter what is going on in his life, whether he did wrong or others did, time and time again He comes back to his God who sees and hears his every word and cries out the promises of God. This is my prayer. My heart cries Lord here I am, take all of me, help me to trust you Jesus in every aspect of my life. You will point out the path for me to follow and you will lead me in truth and teach me as I journey... David says all day long I put my hope in you. No matter what is going on is my hope staying firm in God?

Psalms 25: 6-10

"Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord. The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands."

You know what, God is faithful. In small group today we touched on how faithful and good God is even in our unfaithfulness. Thank you Jesus that He keeps his promises despite my attitude. It is so good that when the Father looks at me, He sees his son Jesus and the perfect sacrifice that was in place for me. David cries out, that Gods love is unfailing and consistent all throughout the ages. 

Psalms 25: 11-15

"For the honor of your name, O Lord, forgive my many, many sins. Who are those who fear the Lord? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land. The Lord is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant. My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies"

David isn't just asking God to forgive him and redeem him for is own sake but for the Lord. Why? Because the Lords character is revealed and displayed for all to see. That he is a righteous, forgiving, compassionate God who takes seriously the path of his children. 

Psalms 25: 16-22

"Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins. See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced for in you I will take refuge. May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you. O God, ransom Israel form all its troubles"

Sometimes life and circumstances can feel a bit overwhelming. And when those times come, to whom do you set your eyes? To whom do you trust? To whom do you cry out? Where does your hope lie?  The answer should be Jesus. The One who will be your refuge, the one who is your hope and salvation. The God who sees all, hears all, knows all and acts always on time. 

My question is then today that I ask myself, where are the places that I I am worried and stressed? Then I am telling myself, take those same places and surrender it to God. Jesus can handle every burden and uncertainty. Rest in his truth. Connect to his presence and trust that He will never forsake me. 

Get alone, talk to God and take a listen to what He is telling you and asking you to surrender today:

Mighty God

Thank you Jesus for being always for me, never against me. Help me to follow you Lord wherever you lead me. Forgive me Lord when I allow my anxious thoughts to dwell in mind. Help me Holy Spirit to surrender the areas of my life I feel I need to control and hang on to the most. Your goodness and mercy will follow me all of my days, Help me to trust and obey. You are Holy and True. AMEN

Life's Broken Eggs

Sometimes life has broken eggs moments. You know the times where things just seem to shatter all at once and all you can do is just stare for a second and give out a long sigh.  You may wonder, did I purposefully break an egg for this post? Haha nope, I had a quite literal broken egg moment at the beginning of the week and I did just have to give a long sigh. But before I cleaned it up, I felt like I needed to take a picture because I thought it may become a blog topic. And sure enough, here I am at the end of the week (the start of a new week), drawing from this moment. 

As a Christian, there are times where I feel like a David. Asking God where are you, I am struggling , I am frustrated and tired. And it feels like I hear crickets in the night. It may not always feel like the living God who gave breath to you is in your midst, in the middle of your storm, your desert, or your dark night.  And the devil will use these times to feed doubt into your mind, feed lies that you aren't wanted, God doesn't hear you, you are being left to figure things out on your own. All of these lies are a tactic to keep you stuck in your thoughts, to keep your eyes on yourself and your situation rather than Jesus. Why? Because taking your eyes off of Jesus is taking your eyes off your anchor and hope. And what happens when you don't have an anchor and hope? Without an anchor you begin to drift , you begin to be swayed by the worries and cares of the world because you don't have anything keeping you grounded in truth and what is steady (Mark 4:19). Without hope you begin to feel hopeless and don't see purpose in your circumstances. 

I had a rough last week, well more so I had a rough couple days. I found myself asking God "why do I care so much"? And this question wasn't because I felt like I was doing too much good or anything. On the contrary, I felt like "why do I want to obey you Lord so much, because it's not always easy. It would be easier if I didn't care". Yes go ahead get all the gasps and shocking expressions out the way. I am just being honest because life isn't always flowers and rainbows and when we as Christians try to put on a front that life is that way we do more damage than good. 

Anyways, I felt stuck this week, and what happens when I feel stuck, I quickly find myself in pit with no way out. So I am feeling this way at work, and I know I need worship music playing because if I don't my mind will continue to wonder into all the what ifs...Side note: You know music transforms the atmosphere. If you know me, I am always playing music and I do this because it just sets the rhythm of space you are in...So back to my story, in the midst of my questioning God this song  Clean Heart comes on and it brought me to tears. I had to stop what I was doing go to a quiet place get on my knees, pray and repent. I was leaning into fear rather than faith and God was so good to gently guide my eyes back to his Word. His goodness and kindness leads his children to repentance. He isn't scolding because you doubt or question, his arms are open to bring comfort and healing. It was at this moment a divine peace came over me. I felt it in my body the heaviness I was feeling most of the day dissipated, I felt like I could think and breath again. The next song that came on was Set My Eyes . You see,the Lord first drew me close to Him through repentance then He opened my eyes to remind me that He is in my midst, He has never left and all I need to do is gaze upon Him and the storm won't seem so grand because He is bigger than the waves.  I mean at this point all I could be is thankful, God was telling me I am with you always, keep focused on Me. 

God had turned my day around in two songs. How? By pointing me back to Himself, and off of the situation around me, off of my feelings and back to truth.  Psalm 51: 10 is a cry from David of repentance. David knew who he could turn to for forgiveness and restoration. That is what Christians must remember, that they can turn to the living God who doesn't shame them for their doubt, questions, or frustrations but rather He opens his arms even wider saying "I see you still come to me, I am big enough for all of your thoughts, questions and frustrations. Trust me with them".   Hebrew 12 reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, don't give up. It is a reminder that God's discipline and correction to His children is out of Love, to bring them even closer to Himself.

You see I knew the answer to my question to God "why do I care so much" I was asking this out of frustration, I was leaning into fear. Why do I care so much? Because I love God so much, He loves me so much. He only ever wants what is good for me and I only ever want to please Him and bring honor to His name. Jesus died for me, He gave his life  and was resurrected from the dead so that I don't have to fear death (John 3:16-21). I can come boldly to the throne room of God and dwell in his presence (Hebrews 4:16). I have an everlasting hope whose name is Jesus (1 Peter 1: 3-9).

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God hears. God sees. God loves, listens and answers.  

Thank you Lord for your goodness, thank you Lord for you kindness and steadfastness. Thank you Holy Spirit for your comforting voice and hand in my life. I will sing praises to you Jesus all the days of my life. You are my strong tower, the one I find hope, my anchor and source of joy. Let your love abound in my life and in my mind. You are holy and worthy of all honor and praise. Let my life be a living sacrifice for you. In Jesus Name AMEN

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Psalm 51:2 "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me" 

Hebrews 12:1-2a "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

Psalm 73:26 "My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever."

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If you didn't already listen to the songs above I am inviting you to take a listen. Take some time out your day and just sit in the goodness of God. Be reminded of his Love for you. Repent if you need to. Draw near to Him, He isn't ashamed of you, He wants to hear your heart and He wants you to hear his heart for you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHo9xiOHs-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q567j0xC2T4