Jesus Wants You To Know...
"It’s easy to trust Me for a while - especially when things are going well in your life. But I want you to trust Me always, no matter what is happening. I know that’s a difficult thing to ask, and I know that sometimes you’ll mess it up. But I still love you perfectly, even then. And I still want you close to Me. When you make a mistake, tell Me - and let My Love pull you back to trusting Me."
Catch Your Breath
Standing on the edge of the pool, I looked over at my sister, who was maybe 4 or 5 years old at the time. She was splashing on the steps of the shallow end.
I’m done with the shallow end, I thought. I’m 9 years old - old enough to jump into the deep end.
So I jumped. The cold water enveloped me. My body fell until my toes touched the bottom, and I pushed myself back above water. It was exhilarating.
One day, it occurred to me I could take my sister with me. I could let her get on my back and half-walk, half-bounce down that slope between the shallow and the deep.
Surprisingly, she was hesitant when I unveiled my plan to her. It took great convincing on my part and lots of promises not to go any farther than where she felt safe.
Finally, she got on my back and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I walked slowly to the slope. One baby step down. Two steps. Three.
At the third step, I slipped.
We both went under. My sister’s hands slipped from my shoulders to my throat. It felt as if she believed the only way she could be saved was to hold my throat with increasingly intense strength. My mind got foggy. And I couldn’t figure out which way to go to find safety. The only thing I felt sure of was that I was drowning.
As crazy as it may sound, I can’t remember how we were saved. Maybe it’s because we made it to the shallows, and it wasn’t as dramatic to everyone else as I remember it. But that moment is one I think about often. And every time I think about that panic or feel it rising up in me over something I’m facing, I try to remember panic usually doesn’t save anyone. Signaling we need help can be lifesaving. But most of the time, panic hinders rather than helps.
Relax In Every Circumstance
My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27
As an operating room nurse, I worked alongside a team that ensured that sterile surgical procedures took place. Before each procedure began, we searched for, identified and eliminated even the smallest impurities that could contaminate the sterile field.
This care and intention minimizes the risk of infection for the patient, protects the surgical staff from exposure to potential illness, and reduces complications so that patients can heal and recover quickly. But these techniques also make me wonder what it would look like if we applied the same attention to detail to keeping stress and worry from contaminating our lives.
Could we scrub away our stress more effectively if we immediately called out to God (Psalm 118:5)?
What if we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, sharing our pains and heartaches with the “team” of people in our lives so we could carry each other’s burdens instead of suffering alone (Galatians 6:2)?
What would happen if we searched for, identified and eliminated the chaotic, negative and untrue thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5) that could contaminate our days before we even rise from our beds each morning?
How much faster would we heal and recover from our worries and fears if we cast all our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7)?
In John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” God’s Word reminds us that no matter what we are facing, we can relax in Him in every circumstance.
God is fully aware of your stresses and challenges, and He has gifted you perfect peace — a sense of spiritual serenity that isn’t fleeting or dependent upon external factors and that cannot be taken away by worldly circumstances.
When stress, anxiety, burdens and fear attempt to contaminate your life, you can cry out to God, cast every care upon Him, and then relax, knowing He cares for you. Your hope and reassurance in Christ go beyond what this world can offer.
Today, fix your mind on Jesus, regularly communicating with God through prayer and meditation, surrendering to Him and relying on His power to navigate you through every situation. With His help, you can cultivate and experience perfect peace and enjoy God’s loving presence in your life.
Psalm 42:11
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11
Head Protection
A friend of mine recently told me a story about her struggle with anxiety. She said it feels like her mind is under attack. All of these untrue, destructive thoughts just pop into her mind over and over again. Like Satan is throwing fiery darts of lies at her head. Have you ever experienced this?
The fact is, we are under
attack. But Ephesians
6:12 says
that our battle is not physical. It is spiritual. There is a war going on and
we need to defend ourselves and fight back. And much of this battle takes place
in the mind.
In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul reminds us that God has not left us defenseless against the enemy. He says to stand firm and put on the whole armor of God. He lists out several pieces of armor. When we get to today’s verses, Paul assures us that the shield of faith can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one - the lies the enemy throws at us. Your faith in God can protect you so Satan’s lies are not able to penetrate your mind. Your faith shield also has the power to put out the fire!
The helmet of salvation is also key in defeating destructive thoughts. Satan’s lies may be trying to get you to doubt that God will save you. Don’t let Satan mess with your head. Put your helmet on! Remember that your salvation is secure in Christ and that there is nothing Satan can do to change that.
In addition to our defensive suit of armor, God gave us an offensive weapon. The sword of the Spirit is His Word. How are we supposed to wield it? 2 Corinthians 10:5 says: “We destroy arguments, and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” With God’s Word, we can demolish the deceitful arguments and faulty opinions that mess with our minds and with the minds of others. When we speak the Word of God, we speak the truth and destroy the enemy's attempt to deceive us.
Finally, God has given us one more way to protect ourselves from the lies of the enemy and that is prayer. Prayer helps us guard our minds because it shifts our focus from our circumstances and our destructive thoughts to God. When we pray, we meditate on who God is, what He’s done for us, and what He is capable of doing. And when we do that, we experience the peace of God. Isaiah 26:3 promises: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Every day we have to put on the whole armor of God. We especially can’t forget our head protection! It has always been Satan’s strategy to use deceit to mess with our minds, trip us up, and wreak havoc in our spiritual lives. But God gave us what we need to defend ourselves and overcome. Use your shield of faith to block and extinguish the enemy’s fiery darts, put on your helmet of salvation and remember Who has saved you, wield your sword of the Spirit and speak His truth out loud. And pray, pray, pray. In Him, you can have victory over destructive thoughts.