Give God Your Worries - Psalm 139:23

Psalm 139:23 -- "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts"

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I have trouble with anxiety. I have for a while, even before I knew that was how to define it. I worry a lot, about my daughter, my husband, my family, my friends, getting everything done, finances, health...shall I continue?

Most of these are valid concerns, and normal. However, when we worry and become anxious we put our focus on our circumstances and away from God. It is while we are looking at what could go wrong or what is going wrong that we lost track of the one who is stronger than anything we could possibly face.

We can give all of our worries and anxieties to God. Not only is He strong enough to take care of what we worry about, He is also strong enough to take care of us. With God on our side, we can live in faith and peace knowing God has it all under control.

Sometimes we give our worries to God, but then we hold onto them anyway. King David asked God to search his heart and test him so he could be sure he gave his anxious thoughts over to God.

When you harbor anxiety, you will find yourself distant from God. However, when you give your worry to God, you will find yourself closer to Him than you've ever been before.

  

Where is God in Your Day? - Psalm 119:147

Psalm 119:147 -- "I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words."

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So...I'm not a morning person. I rarely ever wake up before the sun. However, I understand the importance of starting the morning off right, whenever the morning starts for you. I try to spend some time in God's Word every morning with a cup of coffee. And I can tell a difference in my day if I do not get this quiet time with God.

God made every person unique and we each have a different way that we connect with God on a daily basis. It doesn't matter how you connect with the Lord, only that you do. I cry out to God in the morning and in the evening as well. For me, it is a time of prayer where I thank Him for all He has done and I ask for help in whatever is coming up.

I try to read at least a couple scriptures everyday. I have a wonderful app, YouVersion, on my phone that has a daily scripture and an option for devotionals and Bible read-through plans. If I don't read anything else, I try to at least read the daily scripture. It is important to read and understand God's Word because He can speak to you through it. I put hope in His Word. By knowing God and His promises for me, I can go through life with faith that God will stand on His Word and provide life and life abundantly (John 10:10).

So the question is - where is God in your day? Do you meet Him in the morning, in the evening or anytime throughout the day? Do you cry out to Him for help? Do you put your hope in His words?

With God all things are possible (Philippians 4:13). When you reach out to Him throughout your day, every day, He will answer. He provides His strength to guide you and His love to protect you.

  

Don't Worry About Tomorrow - Matthew 6:34

Matthew 6:34 -- “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

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Amen and Amen!

I could hear this verse ten times a day every single day and it wouldn't be enough. Worry and fear, those are often my pitfalls. I begin looking at a situation or a choice and obsessing over it, trying to figure out what I can do about it and turn my eyes away from God. It is an easy slip that I didn't notice for a long time.

Do you do that too? Do you get so focused on the circumstances that you forget that God has it all under control? You are not alone!

Matthew 6:34 is one of the verses God gave me to resist that particular temptation. I realized that much of my distraction was simply worry and I was worrying for absolutely no reason. Don’t worry about tomorrow because today’s trouble is enough for today -- that is without a doubt truth.

The thing I finally came to realize is this -- we can only affect the present, this moment, today. We can’t do anything about tomorrow or yesterday, but right now we can do something about. Once I had this revelation, I began to understand.

God is above and beyond time -- he can affect any part of it He wants. However, I am bounded and limited by time. Even if God changed the future, I would never know it until later because all I can see is right now and I would still be worried about the outcome. God is linked to us directly, but only in the present moment. Only in this minute span of time can God touch us and affect us. Instead of worrying about tomorrow, pray for peace today.

Don’t worry about tomorrow because there is enough going on right now that you can actually do something about. Every moment brings a choice, you can worry and doubt God’s ability or you can have faith that God has everything under control and concern yourself only with what you can affect right now, this moment, today.

What is your choice?

  

A Confident Heart: Week 4 - Who I Am

One area of my life that I never feel quite sufficient in is my Bible teaching. I love to write, but when I speak, especially in front of people, my words get tangled up and I try to talk to fast and I feel like I sound like I have no idea what I'm talking about. Often, after teaching or speaking in front of others, I walk away feeling lacking, like I left something important out or that I made my message too complicated. This lacking feeling has been following me for a while, especially since God placed it on my heart to begin to teach.

See, I've always seen myself as a writer, not a speaker. It wasn't until a season of deep dependence on God after my miscarriages did I realize God called me to be more. I wrote about that a couple weeks ago in a post called, "God's Unfailing Love." He gifted me with writing, but now He's asking for more and it makes me afraid. Am I good enough? Will others understand my message? What if they ask me a question I can't answer? What if I forget what to say? What if...? My mind has been full of doubt. However, God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. I have been digging once again for scriptures to erase those doubts and to combat the enemy telling me I am not good enough.

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2 Timothy 1:7 -- "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."
...God gives me power to combat the enemy, love to cover my flaws and self-discipline to finish what I begin.

Philippians 1:6 -- "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
...God began a work in me to share His light with others, He will carry that mission to completion and I will obey His calling.

1 Corinthians 6:17 -- "But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit."
...I am one with the Lord and His Spirit lives in me.

Philippians 4:13 -- "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
...When I am weak He is strong. Wherever He calls me to I will go and His strength will be with me.

Joshua 1:9 -- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
...I will be strong. I will be courageous. I will not be afraid because the Lord is with me always.

Romans 8:28 -- "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
...No matter what happens, good or bad, God has a purpose for it and He can use anything to draw others to Him.

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My prayer for every time I speak, teach or write is that God will show His intent for those receiving His message. I pray that whatever words I stumble over or forget to say God will pour out His love to others through my obedience, not my perfection.

Who I am in the Lord is not my doubt or my fear. It is also not my perfection. Who I am in the Lord is a courageous, confident woman who will be obedient to His calling. Who I am in the Lord is a faith that He will use my imperfections to draw others closer to His mercy and grace. Who I am in the Lord is one who can love others because He first loved me.

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Check out my Daily Devotions:

  

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This inspiration comes from a 

Bible study I am doing through 

Proverbs 31 Ministries on 

"A Confident Heart" 

by Renee Swope.

Christ Is Your Life - Colossians 3:4

Colossians 3:4 -- "And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory."

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As Christians, we think a lot about how Christ saved us from eternal damnation. It is one core belief of Christianity, that when we die we will go and live for eternity with our Heavenly Father. It is important to know this truth, but it doesn't stop there.

Christ did save us, He covered our sins so that we could be clean to enter into a relationship with God. But it doesn't begin when we die. God wants our relationship to begin now, while we are still on earth.

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, when He covers our sins, He also enters our hearts. Colossians 3:11 puts it this way, "Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us." Christ does not only save us in death, He saves us is life. We can have joy and peace. We can be kind and gentle. We can have self-control and goodness even when we can't find it in the world.

"Christ, who is your life," means that no matter where you go or what you do, you have a Savior looking out for you. He protects us when we die, but He also shows us how to live and live to the fullest.

Have you entered into a relationship with Christ that focuses on life and not only on death. Seek out the Savior who will not only help you when trouble happens, but will walk with you daily to fulfill all of your needs. He will grant you not only a life, but a life worth living.