How to Stand Firm in the Armor of God Right Now
God equips us with spiritual armor to stand firm in the spiritual battles we face. Explore the meaning of the armor of God in this meditation on Ephesians 6:10-18 that shows why we need to put on the armor of God and how to do it.
As I scroll social media feeds, I am burdened to learn of deep losses of many friends. I know I am not the only one facing hard things, grieved by loss in my life and darkening days around the globe. In the shadow of loss, I feel small, weary, and vulnerable. Maybe you do too.
In my quiet time, I sense the Spirit speak to my soul, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
Today I declare God’s Word rather than give into fear or get lost in grief.
I choose to look beyond appearances. God has both promised and commanded us to trust in his strength and might. I could use more strength and might right now. How about you?
The word might stops me in my tracks. I feel powerless to fix broken lives around me and uncertainty of the future feels scary. Might is God’s ability to do, to manifest his full power and strength. Because he has the power and might to defeat evil, we don’t have to have all the answers or battle it out alone. Our best response is to grab hold of God’s strength by faith and not let go.
God’s strength becomes ours through receiving and trusting.
How counter-intuitive this is to our human instinct to depend on ourselves. We want rush in and do big things that lead to amazing victories. And wrap it all up by dinner time.
When our strategies fail, we say, “Well, there’s nothing left to do now but pray.”
To fight first and resort to prayer if nothing else works is not God’s way. This is not how we experience victory in our spiritual battles and it certainly doesn’t help us put on the armor of God.
The Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18.
As I meditate on Ephesians 6:10-18, the passage the Lord brought to mind, the words seem to come to life.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints. . . (Ephesians 6:10-18 NASB).
What is the armor of God?
Spiritual warfare is part of every-day living this side of heaven.
At times, spiritual warfare comes in ordinary thoughts, misperceptions, irritations, conflicts, and disappointments. But there are times when spiritual attack blasts in hard and heavy. Unexpected trauma knocks us off our feet, leaving us dazed and disoriented. Our souls want to buckle beneath the burdens we bear. How we respond to the darts and arrows of the Enemy makes a powerful difference.
The armor of God is a lifestyle rather than a checklist. #armorofgod #standfirminfaith Share on X
In the book The Invisible War, Chip Ingram reminds us “the armor is a description of how we are to live out a dynamic relationship with Jesus. This is a lifestyle, not a checklist. These pieces of protection aren’t things that we can mechanically pray onto ourselves each morning in a step-by-step routine. It is a visual aid to help us understand how to live out a relationship with the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is, of course, important to understand what these things are and how to apply them, but there’s nothing ritualistic about them. Putting them on doesn’t happen merely through a brief morning prayer time. It’s a lifestyle issue – the product of weeks, months, and years of practice and cultivation. This is something we do, not a formula we recite” (84).
Ho there, I’m busted. Um. . . I’ve prayed the armor of God that way. . .a lot.
How many times have I recited the armor of God like a mantra, a good luck charm against evil that might invade my day? There is faith in this kind of armoring up, but it is a quick and get on with it kind of thing.
Today is different. I’ve seen the Enemy march in to kill, steal, and destroy those I love. Repeated bad news has become a deep call to intercessory prayer. The battles are real and the stakes are high.
- Debilitating disease and death claimed my sister as well as two other family members in the past few months.
- Broken relationships have ripped apart two marriages of family members we love deeply.
- Families have fractured and the fall out grieves my soul.
- My heart already misses my daughter who packs her suitcase for her return to her home in Canada.
- Our world cringes in horror at this week’s headlines as war breaks out between Russian and the Ukraine.
Spiritual warfare is real. Really real.
Maybe you sense the spirit of heaviness in the onslaught of strife that rips through our nation. Maybe you are one of the many who have poured your hurt, grief, need, or loss into the echoing chambers of social media feeds. If this is you, friend, you are in my prayers.
Next Post: A Prayer to Put on the Armor of God + Free Printable
It’s time to stand firm in the armor of God.
I pray through the next phrase in this passage, listening for anything God wants to say.
The call to pray in faith resounds as Father draws my attention to words “Put on the FULL armor OF GOD.”
1. Put on the armor of God.
It’s time to put on the armor of God. Right now. Today. Not tomorrow or some other day when it is more convenient or we feel more spiritual.
The FULL armor- this means that there is nothing lacking, nothing that falls short. In this complete protection, we are fully covered…. when we put it on.
Isn’t it easy to leave these spiritual weapons dusty and unused in the pages of our Bibles?
2. Who’s armor is it?
OF GOD.
This is His armor, this protection and equipping God provides. As I mull over this passage, the Spirit reveals that this armor is a gift of grace that protects and empowers. I don’t think I have thought much about what a gift from God this armor is. These days, I need God’s covering like my lungs need air.
3. The action of taking up God’s armor.
God reminds me to armor up in the protection He has provided. To “take up” the full armor of God is translated in the KJV as “take unto you” which means to raise, to take up a thing, to use it, to receive, and to take up, in, or unto. There’s something intensely personal about putting on the armor of God.
We take up our gear with faithful intention through prayer and perseverance.
Prayer is the sacred space where the spiritual meets our reality. Prayer transforms experience, truth becomes knowing, as the power of God is released.
Stand firm in the battle.
Easy to say, right? On our good days when all is right with the world, the deception of the Enemy seems a distant rumble. Standing firm seems a given for the believer. No big deal.
And yet, Ephesians 6 calls us to the priority of standing firm in our daily battles big and small. Putting on the complete armor of God coupled with consistent prayer in the Spirit empowers us to stand firm in the strength of Christ.
Using our armor for defense and offense is the Spirit-empowered condition where spiritual battles are waged and won. In these days, taking up the full armor of God empowers us to stand firm against the “the schemes of the devil”.
When battles for souls rage, living in the full armor of God is the path to victory. #armorofgod #spiritualwarfare Share on X
As I reflect on this power-packed passage, strength rises in my soul. I feel faith increase with a renewed energy and resolve.
Conviction pulses through my veins with the power of God.
- Stand on the truth of God’s Word no matter where the winds of culture blow.
- Stand in the power of the Gospel when faced with the reality of sin.
- Stand with the grit and tenacity of a bulldog with a bone in his mouth.
- Stand with a soul-deep refusal to doubt the sovereignty of God or the presence of Christ in the fray.
- Stand firm and don’t relinquish ground to the Enemy.
Standing firm in the full armor of God is our anthem, our deep desire, and our fervent prayer.
Today and every day, “stand firm.” Don’t give an inch of territory to the Devil.
Not today.
What helps you to stand firm in the armor of God? Leave a comment and let me know!
Many spiritual battles begin with our thoughts.
Get this free ebook with 50 strategies and verses to combat negative thoughts. Sign up here or below.
Related posts to deepen your faith.
- When Bad News Becomes a Call to Intercession
- Is Your Soul Talk Strengthening Your Faith?
- Be Still to Discover Your Strong
- How to Find the Strength You Need to Overcome Your Challenge
Posts with Free Printable Lists
- 5 Simple Ways Silence Can Deepen Your Faith
- 10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart From Fear
- How to Stay Focused in Prayer
- 10 Bible Verses to Encourage Moms When They Need It Most
- 15 Simple Ways to Overcome Distraction to Focus Your Attention on God
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on this blog. I would never recommend a product I don’t use or love myself!
10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart from Fear of Failure
Do you need help to trust God more fully when fear of failure drags you down? We are tempted to put time with God aside when we feel stressed to succeed in all the tasks before us. When fear of failure presses in, listening to God can change our perspective.
Meditation on God’s Word and prayerful journaling are a powerful combination. They are spiritual disciplines that open space for us to meet with God. Rather than a formula to follow or a skill to practice, listening to God develops as we bring our concerns and questions to Him. In today’s post, I share from a journal entry I’ve come back to again and again. Be encouraged with valuable perspective shifts that can strengthen you to trust God more fully and overcome fear of failure.
Is Fear of Failure Pulling You Down?
I sat in my favorite chair, taking that first sip of coffee that tastes so good. In the middle of writing my first book, the weight of deadlines and expectations felt heavy. Intimidating. And more than a bit overwhelming.
My work called out for my time and attention, but I knew I needed time with God before rushing into the day. In my quiet time, I began to talk with God about the worries that were pulling me down.
Recognizing when fear is at the root of our concerns enables us to have an honest conversation with God. Share on X
Do I have enough words to finish this manuscript?
Is my work good enough?
What if nobody reads my book?
These were a few of the fears that replayed in my thoughts. The pressures that Christian authors face are very real. I’ve faced these same questions too many times to count.
Prayer Creates Space to Share Our Fears with God
Maybe for some, confidence comes easy. For me, confidence is a winding path on uneven terrain. Coming to God with my fears and frustrations, I longed to receive encouragement as I picked up with my daily Bible reading plan. With an exhale of breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, I prayed.
Lord, You know my concerns and that all too familiar fear of not being enough. As I read, open my ears to receive what You want to talk about today. Draw my attention to the words You want to ensure I don’t gloss over. Help me to know what You want me to understand about my fear.
Meditating on God’s Word Helps Us Listen to God
Bible meditation is a spiritual discipline that helps me to hear God more clearly.
Here is my highlight of what I read in 2 Corinthians 2:
But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. . . For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ, in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
I realized that my concerns of finishing the book and the many tasks that go along with publishing triggered the old patterns of my flesh.
The old fear-of-failure flesh pattern had surfaced again.
The patterns that elevate good performance as the definer of worth and value were alive and flourishing. Maybe you have struggled with the pressure of a performance mentality a time or two as well–I’m pretty sure this issue shows up in all of our lives at some point. If not daily. . .
Slowing down to reflect on what a passage actually says is a powerful way of listening to God, giving attention for the Spirit to speak.
Slowly I mulled over these truths:
God leads us in His triumph in Christ.
God manifests through us the knowledge of Christ.
Our goal is to respond to what God manifests in us with sincerity.
Relying of Christ, we share what God has taught us.
Sensing God had more to show me, I wrote the thoughts that came to mind. Prayer and meditating on Scripture create a sacred space for listening to God. I share these insights as they have encouraged me many times. I hope these thoughts will prove helpful in your own struggles to let go of the fear of failure.
Listening to God Expands Our Understanding
Shift your perspective.
These are three simple but powerful words.
To shift perspective is to look at something differently.
To think differently.
To respond differently.
It is to see a fuller picture than the flat-sided, one dimensional view of our current position. Perspective is also “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.” When the fear of failure gets in the way of answering God’s call, we need to shift our perspective.
10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart from Fear of Failure
Replace worry with gratitude. Be thankful for what God is doing rather than be anxious about how you well are doing.
Focus on following God over fretting about failure. Trust God to lead you. You’re not in this alone and it doesn’t all depend on your ability.
Don’t let the fear of failure ignite discouragement. Shift your heart from seeking personal success to rejoicing in the triumph of Christ as you bring every discouragement to Him.
Don’t compare and compete. Culture is rife with temptation to measure yourself against others. These toxic sisters never lead us to God’s perspective.
Keep your focus on God’s glory rather than bowing to the pressure to succeed. You have nothing to prove. In Christ you are deeply loved and valued; you are already worthy. Trusting God in the process is the path to success that carries eternal weight.
Ask God to speak through you, “Lord, please manifest Your words through me today.”
Shift your outlook from obsessing over outcomes to sharing God’s Word with sincerity as you follow Christ.
Be confident in Christ. Be competent through Christ because your adequacy is from Him.
Stop giving into the condemnation of your fears. Pressure to prove yourself drains life from your soul.
Enjoy God’s presence and trust Him to lead you to the path of life rather than the quick route to momentary success.
*Click here to print list below.
In the sanctuary of my soul, God reminded me that it is His Spirit that gives life and liberty. His Words are the words that matter and His leadership is faithful and sure. Today as I come back to this journal entry, I am strengthened once again to let go of fear as I trust in God’s guidance and provision.
And just maybe, God is expressing Himself to you as I share what He has been teaching me. Would you let me know if these freeing perspective shifts are empowering for you?
Whether we succeed or fail, the real win comes when our perspective shifts to glorifying God over personal gain. Share on X
Which one of these perspective shifts helps free you from fear of failure today?
Need Help for Processing Fear and Worry With God?
Are you looking for a practical way to process vulnerable emotions like fear and worry in a way that draws you deeper with God? It’s so easy for fear to prompt us to pull in, to isolate ourselves. God can feel very distant as we struggle with emotions we’d rather not experience. If this is you, I have a couple of resources to help.
Flourish: An Emotional Health Workbook is a printable resource in my Subscriber Library. In this workbook, you’ll find tips and exercises to work through emotions with God. You can sign up here to get access to the Library.
Be sure to check out the thoughts and feelings chapters in my book, Holy in the Moment. These two chapters are packed with concepts from my own journey in healing from anxiety.
Related Posts
When You Catch Yourself Seeking Worth in Your Work
Simple Ways to Meditate on God’s Word
How to Stay Focused in Prayer
How to Silence the Not Enough Voices in Your Head
Help for Moments When Worry and Anxiety Get the Best of You
Five Powerful Choices to Free Your Heart from Fear
4 Ways to Make Time for God in a Busy Life
*This post may contain affiliate links at no cost to you.
10 Biblical Ways to Show Love
These 10 biblical ways to show love help us build good relationships and share the love of God. When we love others, we demonstrate what the love of God looks like. Bible verses on love teach us many practical ways to love one another well. This post features an excerpt on loving one another from my award-winning book, Holy in the Moment.
My daughter loved to draw when she was little. With fingers curled around chunky crayons, she drew pictures of houses, flowers, and sunshine. Her favorite thing to draw was the people in our family giving each one of us big eyes, wide smiles, and stick-drawn arms. At times, one person was as big as the house, with fingers touching the sun peeking out of the top of the page. Assuming the big person was Daddy, I asked, “Who’s this?”
With the candor of a four-year-old, she announced, “Me!”
A perfectly natural way to see the world for a child, but every now and then, I revert back to my child-self, loving others as if I’m the sky-reaching, cloud-catching person who fills the whole picture.
Understanding how easy it is to love from self rather than the nature of Christ within, the apostle Paul instructed the Philippians: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
Our new identity loves others with patience, kindness, and forgiveness, but we must unlearn the old tendencies to react with the flesh—impatience, pride, selfishness, and resentment.
Learning to love with the fullness of agape is the un-selfing of our souls.
Love Is How Holiness Builds Relationships
Reach for holiness and express agape through your thoughts, words, and actions. Choose to love in the nitty-gritty minutes of your day. When your husband forgets to take out the trash, choose patience. Frustrated with the kids? Self-control can harness irritation. When a friend seems to have the perfect family, refuse to be envious. When love is difficult, hold on to hope and keep praying.
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
Simple doesn’t always equal easy.
Choose to receive this agape-love of Christ and let it flow out to those around you in the choices you make. Abiding and resting in Christ enables you to make the most of your life by sharing what you’ve been given.
Filling up with God’s love energizes the words you say and how you spend your time. What will happen when you take it one moment at a time, depending on Jesus to empower you to give your very best self in loving others? How will your relationships be different?
“Every moment is an opportunity to practice a gesture of love.”—John Ortberg, The Me I Want to Be
What can happen when we set aside our petty differences, the things that don’t matter but divide? Forgiving one another is one of the love-one-another ways God matures and completes (perfects) us.
Power ignites when we give what we have received—the needed blessing of acceptance healing to the soul—accept one another. When we overcome selfishness to serve one another, we demonstrate the love of God to a world that doesn’t know God.
10 Biblical Ways to Show Love
Here are a few of the many passages that teach us how to show Christian love. When we love others, we demonstrate what the love of God looks like. The Bible shows us many practical ways to love others. Which one of these actions of love do you most need to give in your relationships right now?
- Be devoted and give preference to one another (Romans 12:10).
- Build up one another (Romans 14:19).
- Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25).
- Serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
- Bear one another’s burden. (Galatians 6:2).
- Be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving with one another (Ephesians 4:32).
- Regard others as more important (Philippians 2:3).
- Bear with and forgive complaints against others (Colossians 3:13).
- Encourage and esteem one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11-14).
Don’t we love it when other people do these things for us? I can hear you thinking, I’d love to do these things, but I can’t keep up with my life as it is. How do I find time?
God will give many opportunities in the midst of our day to encourage others. So as you go, love one another in practical ways fitting the moment.
Love in one simple way at a time.
Small daily acts of intentionality turn bad days around, and as we express the love of Christ, loving one another is a powerful way God turns lives around. Share on X
Don’t miss the moment, for when we listen to Jesus, living out of our true identity—in Christ, holy hearts say yes to loving one another. And as we do, our view of others increases as our focus on self decreases in the light of love.
What is one simple way you can make a difference in someone’s life with a simple act of love?
Holy in the Moment
Holy in the Moment is a powerful encouragement for anyone who struggles to overcome anxiety, perfectionism, insecurity, or other mindsets that hold us back. Grow in holiness without the pressure to have everything “just right.” Through gentle encouragement, biblical insights, and applicable ideas you can experience a deeper life of freedom in Christ. Transparently sharing my own struggles, I want to help you live from the reality of hope, healing, and holiness. Learn more here or grab a copy here. (Affiliate link at no cost to you). Download a free Journal and Discussion Guide for the book here.
Printable Quotes on Love
Check out this free collection of printable quotes on love. Free with sign up for my newsletter, you can download this PDF from my Subscriber Library. Click here to sign up.
More Posts for Stronger Relationships
- Holy Moments Are for Loving One Another
- 25 Good Habits for the Art of Friendship
- Will I Love My Neighbor?
- Live Love This Valentine’s Day
- 16 Ways to Love People Better
*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
Does Your Soul Talk Strengthen Your Faith?
We all face honest questions that come from the gritty places where experience rubs like sandpaper against the grain of truth and faith. In Psalm 103: 1-4, David demonstrates the role our self talk can play in strengthening our faith. Let your soul talk encourage you to hold fast to what is true about God despite the challenges you face. Remembering the benefits and goodness of God is a powerful part of worship that blesses the Lord and strengthens our faith.
How Do You Speak to Your Soul?
Soul Talk that Strengthens Your Faith
“Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.”–Psalm 103:1
- He coaches his heart to worship God in the midst of life as it is.
- He reminds himself to put his attention on God’s holy presence and benefit.
- He rehearses the goodness of God even in difficult times.
Soul Talk that Blesses God
Benefits of God to Talk to Your Soul About
“Who pardons all your guilt,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with favor and compassion…”–Psalm 103:3-4
Soul Talk When You’re Stuck in the Pit
Redemption is God’s Work
The Journey from Pit to Crown
How Do You Speak to Your Soul?
Get Access to the Deeper Life Collection
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What to Do When Bad News Becomes a Call to Intercession
When bad news shakes your heart, learn how to pray with faith, rest in God’s care, and trust His strength through uncertainty, fear, and hard seasons.
No matter the moment, what it looks like, what it feels like, what it brings—this is your moment to pray.
When bad news impacts those you love, prayer becomes a vital source of strength. Trials have a way of creating a call to intercede, as we turn to God on behalf of others. Holding onto faith in the midst of the struggles of family and friends, prayer becomes a powerful part of God’s work in their lives.
It also opens the door to growing in prayer as the Holy Spirit helps us to pray as the situation needs. Trials teach us to pray from the deep, vulnerable places of our heart as we bring our needs to God. Is this a time you need to pray fiercely?
Praying When Life is Hard
The last five months have been a season of many hard things happening in our world and in my extended family. Many days, my heart is heavy, as I trust Jesus for wisdom to encourage and support those I love.
I’ve been in the secret place with my Father. I can’t help but run to Father in prayer. He draws me deeper into intercession by virtue of the pain of loss and the struggle of uncertain times. With every distressing text or phone call I receive, I call out to Christ. I feel the pain of broken relationships and hurting hearts on one side of the family. At the same time I wrestle fears for my sister facing a devastating diagnosis.
I cannot help but pray throughout the day. Even as I fall asleep I talk with Jesus with prayers that slip down my cheeks onto the pillow. However much and however long it takes I will trust Father and keep praying. This season is a call to intercession. Not because I think it would be nice to learn more about prayer, but because someone must stand in the gap and plead for the intervention of the only One who can restore peace and heal broken lives. The only One who can give strength to face hard days with wisdom, grace, patience, and faith.
Love Calls Us to Intercede in Prayer
In answering the call to intercede, I have entered into a time of instruction, training, and strengthening as Jesus teaches me to stand firm and pray boldly. This is what trusting looks like in my life lately.
As I turn to Christ with my heavy heart, He reminds me that He carries the weight when I remember to trust him with the people I care about. He frequently reminds me of this vital truth because my emotions are vulnerable to fear and worry.
God Meets Us As We Pray for Others
As we pour out out concerns for others, God often meets us in a special way. This kind of prayer strengthens our own hearts as well as becomes a channel of blessing those we pray for.
As I prayed one morning, Holy Spirit slipped a picture of Jesus into my mind. Our Good Shepherd was carrying my sister close to His heart where she could hear his heartbeat. He reminded me she is loved, protected, and safe in His care. The Spirit not only calmed my anxious heart, but He also gave me a vivid image to pray for her as well. Maybe this mental image will comfort you today as you let these verses strengthen your heart.
Hear the sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I raise my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. . .Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart triumphs,
And with my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is their strength,
And He is a refuge of salvation to His anointed.
9 Save Your people and bless Your inheritance;
Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever. —Psalm 28:2, 6-9 NASB
Problems, Pain, and Prayer
My younger sister has been weakening since February. Muscles withering, she now struggles to stand, move. her legs, and even sit up. She fights to take even a single step. Growing weaker almost by the day, she recently received a medical diagnosis of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This image of Christ carrying her splits me wide open. Problems like this cause great pain to our hearts and draw us to our knees in prayer.
This disease is unthinkable, yet it is happening.
My soul recoils as fearful thoughts drive me to my knees like never before. This prayer picture soothes the ache in my heart with the vivid illustration of the compassion of Christ. Our shield of strength, refuge, and salvation, our Good Shepherd carries us. He hears our cries and provides help. I am undone by the tenderness and power of Christ. I sense these words in my spirit:
Pray fiercely but rest in faith.
Believe My word and trust My heart.
And when it all feels too much, remember I will carry you.
Pray Boldly in the Tension Between Need and Faith
There is a tension between desperate need for prayer and the abiding place of resting faith. Need and faith are parallel tracks of prayer leading us to a deeper experience of God’s presence. Share on X This is what mercy and grace look like right in the midst of our trials.
Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.—Hebrews 4:16
In every problem, every issue, every need, every desperate lament of our hearts and need of our souls, Jesus makes the way for us to come confidently to God.
What an incredible promise of mercy and grace to help in the problems of this day. Not because we prayed the right prayer but because we turn to God rather than counterfeit sources of help . We refuse to let our problems distract us from the care and compassion of Christ.
We hold fast to our confession that we trust in Jesus, our perfect High Priest. His sacrifice for our sin saves us in the midst of spiraling pathologies and problems of this fallen world.
Experiencing God’s Presence in Our Problems
Let your worries shape your prayers rather than allow your problems pull you away from trusting God.
Let your need draw you closer to God.
And when you can’t seem to get there yourself, trust Him to carry you.
Don’t let heartbreak or fear rob you of the strength found in bringing your needs to God.
Understanding our weakness, Jesus faced and overcame all the temptations we experience. This is why we can pray and receive grace in the very throne room of God.
Yes, pray fiercely. Boldly. Pray confidently with heart and hands open and ready to receive precious grace.
Intercessory Prayer is Work and Worship
In this season, prayer is my work, my honor, and my worship. Prayer is an unseen expression of faith and trust.
Is God drawing you deeper in prayer during these days? Do you sense the call to intercession? Is God calling you to deeper faith as you pray for needs that feel overwhelming? Do you need to trust in Christ like never before?
You are not alone. Your Savior strengthens and carries you. He’s made a way for you to come boldly to God in prayer.
In the conflict and the strife.
Pray with faith.
In the confusion, every decision that seems to have no good answer.
Trust His heart.
In the diagnosis that devastates and threatens to steal a life.
Pray in the Spirit.
In the shadow of the pandemic and the countless losses of many kinds.
Pray with the sword of the Spirit in your hand and your shield of faith raised high.
Do you hear Abba’s call? Can you sense the love of Christ strengthening you?
Pray fiercely and rest in faith.
This is your moment to trust in Jesus.
Benefits of Grow Christian Blog Course
Ladyboss Blogger’s Grow Christian Blog Course is impressively comprehensive, packed with information, instructions, ideas, recommendations, and templates on every aspect of blogging. Wowza, I wish I had known this information the first few years of blogging! I’m excited to up-level my blog with what I’ve learned. I don’t write a lot of reviews, but I love to share great resources.
These days you can find an online course for practically any subject under the sun. After 2020, online courses have exploded. Scrolling through social media, it only takes a moment to find an ad for the latest opportunity to grow skills. Inundated with ads, It can be hard to decide whether or not to take a course. Then there is the issue of which one’s are worth the investment.
Content Creators Need to Continually Learn New Skills
In the social media and blogging arena, trends are continually changing. The expectation of publishers to have a strong online platform increases every year. New technology adds to the need for content creators to continue to learn and grow. It can feel overwhelming to decide which courses to invest time and money.
I’ve recently completed a couple of blogging courses as part of a major website update earlier this year. I committed to make the most of my investment in a new website by making time to learn the skills to take my blog to the next level. I wanted to grow in both foundational and advanced skills in this ever-changing field of online content creation. I’ve come a long way since I began blogging in 2009, but there is always new information to learn.
If you promise not to laugh too hard, I’ll share this with you. When I started blogging I didn’t even know how to email a photo. Seriously–you promised not to laugh!
Even the most basic aspects of working with a website were a slow learn. My brain seemed to scramble, making the technology curve a challenge. I’ll forever be grateful to friends who took time to teach me the basics. In fact, my college roommate built and designed my first website. I was terrified I was going to do something to break it and make the site crash! I wish I’d had access to LadyBoss Blogger’s courses from the beginning.
Grow Christian Blog is an Easy-to-Use Course
Being a bit of a techno-phobe (is that a real word? Not sure.), the first thing I loved about the course is Elaine Rau’s ability to present information in an easy-to-understand manner. Not once did I feel lost when lessons covered more technical aspects of blogging. In my book, that’s a huge win!
The LadyBoss Grow Christian Blog course features is impressively comprehensive, packed with information, instructions, ideas, recommendations, and templates on every aspect of blogging. Wowza, I wish I had known this information the first few years of blogging!
What a benefit to fast-track by having so much information in one place. Designed to equip Christian bloggers to grow. this blogging course is developed by, Elaine Rau. With God at the center of the course, Elaine addresses mindset and purpose before diving into technical content. She has a pretty amazing story if you want to read it here.
Featured on Forbes, the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and 500+ media sites, Elaine shares that her mission is to “help Christian bloggers and influencers market and monetize their content so we can start to see more uplifting Christian content in the media. God gave you a voice, use it for His glory.”
A Quality Course for Christian Bloggers
I loved the breakdown of how to focus your time on the many aspects of successful blogging. Organization and time management are areas of blogging that I have struggled with over the years. I was surprised that content creation, the actual blogging, is only 10%. That is probably what I’ve been doing, but for years, I’ve felt like I was somehow failing or not doing enough that I wasn’t able to spend more time writing.
Pshew! Goodbye to guilt and hello to a more realistic plan/expectation to use my time wisely in sharing the messages God gives me to write!
The Foundations section gives a realistic and simple overview to plan, produce, and manage your time and effort. This comprehensive view ties all the tasks together with purpose, which I found very helpful: purpose 10%, content 10 %, income 20%, strategy 20%, email 20%, and traffic 20%. Understanding the valuable and needed role of each component helps me make the best use of my time. The modules on editorial calendars and writing for SEO are making a big difference in my traffic and the growth of my email list! Tangible results make investing in education well worth the effort!
Ready, Set, Grow!
LadyBoss Blogger teaches students how to avoid or fix common mistakes bloggers make. Oops…been doing a couple of those, but I’ve got them fixed now. That feels like a major accomplishment. Overcoming issues makes implementing new skills far more productive.
The lessons I found most helpful covered how to maximize the power of email in growing my blog. Three modules covering different aspects of email included traffic, set up, strategy, opt-ins, landing pages, and crafting effective email series. So helpful! One thing I particularly appreciate is how often Elaine includes screen shots and clear how-to instructions. For the non-techie crowd (like me), good instructions, examples, and templates make this course well worth the investment.
The two modules on Pinterest were also extremely helpful. Traffic, creation, optimization, rich pins, ranking, algorithms, design, video/story pins, are some of the Pinterest topics covered in the course. Again, lots of examples and ideas make moving from information to application a breeze. Rau shares the power of Tailwind for automation and growth for your pin account. There’s even viral pin templates to load into Canva to make creating effective pins a breeze. I use Canva and Tailwind nearly every day, so I’m glad she included these powerful tools in the course.
The final modules of the course offer an overview of monetization and bonus lists, links, and templates. The monetization is enough to get you started, but Rau offers more extensive learning in three additional monetization courses including Make Money Blogging, Make Money as an Influencer, and Monetize Your Blog and Instagram.
I’m excited to take my blog to the next level with all that I’ve learned from the Grow Christian Blog course! I haven’t had time to apply everything I’ve learned yet, but I’m thrilled to see my traffic and email list growing significantly with just the changes I’ve made thus far. Here’s a screen shot of my google analytics showing growth in the since I started the course.
This course is well worth the investment if you are going to apply all the great content Elaine teaches. I’m not saying this course includes everything you will every need to know for a successful blog, but it covers a ton of things that will help your blog grow. If you’re just getting started, the Launch Christian Blog is the course to get you going.
At the end of the day, the greatest content in the world will not make an impact if you don’t apply what we learn. I’m scheduling time on my calendar to continue to apply what I’ve learned.
I look forward to learning more from LadyBossBlogger!
Get a Discount on Grow Christian Blog Course
The Grow Christian Blog course is $197. If you’re interested in checking out Grow Christian Blog, enjoy a 20% discount when you use this promo code at check out: 238290_qnre2les! That brings the price down to $157 when you use my affiliate link and promo code.
Have you taken a great blogging course? Who have you learned from lately? Leave a comment and ask a question or share a resources. I love to hear from you!
*This post includes affiliate links at no cost to you. This means I earn a commission on any sales at no cost to you. I received access to this course free of charge in exchange for my honest review.
10 Bible Verses for a Healthy Soul
What does it mean to have a prospering soul? If your physical health was in the same condition that your spiritual health is, how healthy would you be? Vibrant health includes more than the physical condition of our bodies. Are you neglecting the health of your soul in your pursuit of your best life? 3 John 2 shows that as we grow in faith, spiritual blessings overflow into other areas of life. In this post you will find 10 Bible Verses for a healthy soul.
“… In all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”–3 John 2–NASB
How often I get this backwards; I work on increasing health and the practicalities of life, paying attention to my soul only if there is time left over. You know the drill: finish the work, loose the weight, clean the house, make the meal…
We tend to get overly focused on the outward things, skewing our priorities. Maybe it’s a health issue, a broken relationship, or an unmet goal. We do all the doing and then wonder why discontent or weariness buzzes like white noise in the background of our thoughts.
[tweetthis]If your physical health was in the same condition as your spiritual health, how healthy would you be?[/tweetthis]
As I read this tucked-away verse, my breath catches on the phrase, “as your soul prospers.”
Soul prospers.
Dead stop, my attention is on full alert as I sense that God has something to show me.
Taking time to investigate meaning brings the word prosper to life as I savor the nuances that hide between the letters. In this context, prosper has to do with the success of a good journey, as well as to thrive, grow, and increase. Growing in a deeper life with God nurtures a healthy soul.
Yes, this is what we are longing for: to live well, grow, and thrive in the whole of life.
If we only attend to soul matters if there is leftover time, we quickly trip over this truth: time doesn’t come in left-overs.
Nurturing our soul is an intentional choice.
Friend, you are the only one who can make the decision to care for your soul. Others can poke and prod, should and ought, or encourage and nudge, but no one can take care of your interior world but you.
After all, as Dr. Suess says, “”Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”
[tweetthis]Nourish your gifts, thoughts, emotions, dreams, and beliefs through the power of the Holy Spirit.[/tweetthis]
I don’t know about you, in the schedule of the day, this is an easy truth to forget. Soul care gets buried under the pile constantly calling for our attention.
A prospering soul doesn’t happen in a single moment.
The language in this verse points to a journey, step by step as we walk out what it means to believe God.
We navigate the joys and challenges of life with a heart that chooses to love God
in spite of…
instead of…
in light of…
because of…
Each choice becomes a step that moves us either closer or farther away from God. Which direction are you moving these days?
Razor-sharp perception pierces: as the soul prospers, other areas of life increase. This is not the plastic promise of a prosperity gospel. The soul prospering is happening, and John is praying that now health and “all respects” might prosper as well. His prayer is a request for blessing.
[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#spiritualgrowth”]The soul that prospers is the soul satisfied in God.[/tweetthis]
The prosperous soul is learning to live out of the fullness of God’s Spirit, rather than out of the strivings of the flesh, a self-focused heart.
- The flesh will leave me spent and weary with my soul withering.
- Seeking to enjoy spiritual blessings without trusting in Christ leaves my soul working to prosper, rather than resting to prosper.
- In quiet trust, my soul lays down its self-work, self-ambition, and self-solutions and waits to be filled to all the fullness of Christ.
A prospering soul is the end of encouragement. John Piper writes, “God is most glorified when we are. most satisfied in Him.” This quote points us to the core of a healthy, prospering soul.
This life-giving energy strengthens me—not to solve every issue of life—but to know in greater measure the fullness of Christ. Spiritual growth feeds our soul in a powerful way.
What is the condition of your soul life today?
Are you increasing in soul health? If not, join me as I follow the advice of the One who put the stars in place:
10 Bible Verses to Nurture a Healthy Soul
- “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”–Matthew 6:33 NASB
- “The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”–Psalm 19:7 NASB
- “The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul…”–Psalm 23:1-3 NASB
- “Who is the person who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. His soul will dwell in prosperity…”–Psalm 25:12-13 NASB
- “Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”–Psalm 37:3-5 NASB - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.–Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB
- “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”–Proverbs 16:24
- “And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”–Matthew 22:37 NASB
- “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.–Hebrews 4:12 NASB
- “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”– 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB
What can you do today to thrive in your soul How healthy is your soul?
Get free resources to nurture a healthy soul and a deeper faith in God in my Subscriber Library!
More Posts to Nurture a Healthy Soul
- 5 Ways to Restore Your Soul This Summer
- Seek First: One Simple Way to Settle Your Soul
- 5 Godly Ways to Care for Your Soul
- 22 Ways to Care for Your Soul
- How to Care for Your Soul: Best Tips from 13 Christian Bloggers
Thrive in Your Soul with Holy Choices
A powerful encouragement for anyone who struggles to overcome anxiety, perfectionism, insecurity, or other mindsets that hold us back. Grow in holiness without the pressure of having everything “just right.” Through gentle encouragement, biblical insights, and applicable ideas you can experience a deeper life of freedom in Christ. Transparently sharing my own struggles, I want to help you live from the reality of hope, healing, and holiness.
*Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link at no cost to you.
Linking with these communities: Inspire Me Monday
25 Good Habits for the Art of Friendship
Friendship is an art built on good habits of relationships. Learn to be the friend you long to have with 25 ideas for strong relationships. We don’t come into this world know how to be a good friend. If we look for the perfect friend, we won’t find one. We will never be the perfect friend either. Friendship isn’t about perfection; it is about connection–and love, and joy, and giving, and being real, and letting others be themselves.
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The Joy of Friendship
Toes splash in the water as three girls play, sharing hearts and enjoying the day. The joy of friendship radiates from their smiles and rings in their laughter. In this moment, friendship seems an easy gift on a warm summer day.
Though some friendships come easily, most relationships are built over time. I remember days when my girls were small. With a tear-stained face, one asked me, “Why doesn’t Annie like me?”
How do I answer that? I don’t remember what I said exactly, but this little slip of a girl already understood that friendship isn’t always an easy thing.
The Importance of Learning to Be a Good Friend
We don’t enter this world knowing how to be a good friend. A big part of growing up involves learning to be a good friend. Remember all those times you had to tell your kids to share and play nice?
[tweetthis]And in reality, aren’t we all still learning the art of friendship?[/tweetthis]
On our hard days, we may be tempted to focus on disappointments in friendship. The friend that ignored our request, the one who betrayed our trust, or the one who left us out. We’ve all experienced a time when a friend didn’t act like a friend, and that is hard, sometimes heartbreaking. The rejection or betrayal of a trusted friend can wound and isolate us if we let it.
Sometimes those disappointments are what they seem, but others we may not have the whole story. When we shift our focus to being the friend we’d like to have, we begin to love others with our best self. The one that is secure in Jesus and ready to share his love with others. Which one of these ways of friendship creates a deep gladness in your soul? What is one thing you can to do today to be a good friend?
25 Practical Ways to Be a Good Friend
Build strong friendships with these helpful ideas for mastering the art of friendship.
- Take the initiative to invite friends to do things rather than wait for someone else.
- Be an encourager. Develop the habit of cheering for others and celebrating friends.
- Never underestimate the power of laughter and silly fun.
- Reciprocate—good friendship is a two-way thing. It can be hurtful to invest in a relationship and not have it reciprocated.
- Be reliable—show up and value being on time. Try your best not to disappoint friends who are counting on you.
- Follow through. Avoid vague comments, “Let’s get together soon.” Make a specific plan and follow through.
- Schedule time for friendship. It is an important part of life and not just a luxury. Stop feeling guilty about spending time with friends. Seriously, stop it!
- Be intentional. Don’t let busyness crowd out friendship. The busier you are, the more important it is to plan ahead for time with friends.
- Refuse to gossip and find a graceful way to squelch rumors when you hear them.
- Keep confidences. When a friend asks you not to repeat information, honor that request.
- Share the load. Volunteer to help, to listen, or to console when it is needed.
- Be real. Be brave about sharing your needs and struggles when appropriate.
- Give the grace-gift of belonging. Welcome newcomers and include others. You may have a set group of friends, but be willing to make room for more.
- Sit beside someone you don’t know well rather than always sitting with friends.
- Ask good questions that draw others into meaningful conversation. Small talk has it’s place, but sharing our real stories draws people together.
- Don’t monopolize conversations or only talk about yourself. Give the gift of a listening ear.
- Be thankful—a cherished friend is a gift from God.
- Give a thoughtful gift or send a note of encouragement. Texting is great, but old-fashioned snail mail never gets old.
- Don’t hide or excuse your mistakes and weaknesses. We all have them.
- Avoid the trap of comparison and envy. Recognize these destructive thoughts and get rid of them.
- Be careful with expectations. Many feelings get hurt due to unrealistic or unmet expectations. Sometimes we don’t even realize we have them.
- Be quick to give and ask for forgiveness. Treat others the way you want to be treated in this difficult area of relationships.
- Let go of judgment, comparison, and criticism. Assume good will, giving others the benefit of the doubt.
- Pray for your friends and invite Jesus into your relationship. He knows how to be the best friend of all.
- Give your friend the biggest piece of cake.(I learned this one from my mama.) And don’t hog the last piece of chocolate…
We may not be able to do all of these things at the same time or keep it up all the time, but we can all do some of these things more often. Friendship is an art built on good habits of relationships. Let this list of practical ideas spark your own list of best practices for building strong relationships.
Which one of these habits has made a difference in your friendships? Which one do you want to work on? Let’s encourage each other through leaving comments today.
Free Resources for a Deeper Life from Ginger
Enjoy all the goodies in my Subscriber Library when you join my email list. Nurture your soul and deepen your faith with practical ebooks! Sign up here or click to button below.
I’m honored that this post was featured at For Every Mom! I hope you enjoyed this updated version of one of my articles with the highest traffic over the years. For more content on friendship, check out the friendship chapter of my book, Holy in the Moment, or enjoy one of the related posts below. *This is an affiliate link at no cost to you.
More posts on friendship:
- Are You Well-Dressed for Friendship?
- Three Kinds of Friends You Don’t Want to Do Without
- Do You Have the Gift of Girlfriend?
- I Give You Permission to Spend Time with Friends
Help for Moments When Anxiety and Worry Get the Best of You
Anxiety and worry can feel overwhelming. This post includes tips to overcome anxiety and worry that have helped me deal with these difficult emotions. We all need encouragement and help when powerful emotions, fearful thoughts, and difficult circumstances get the best of us. Spiritual wisdom, biblical truth, and practical strategies are keys to deepen faith and peace to respond rather than react when anxiety strikes. Be sure to get your free Emotional Health Workbook for processing your emotions.
I roll over in bed and a fearful thought rises to the surface of my consciousness. My heart speeds up and the friction of stress moves from head to my gut. Breathing shallow in the space between sleep and wakefulness, I try to squelch the fear that spirals with every what if my vulnerable mind conceives.
In full on worry-mode, my thoughts turn to problem solving. How to fix, how to make it better, how to make it through. With a heavy heart, I think about a loved one experiencing hard times and uncertain circumstances.
As I become more aware of my thoughts and feelings, I pray, “Lord, help me to trust You. I know You are good, faithful, merciful, and kind.”
Then the next fearful thought bombards my mind and the anxiety hits again.
I’ve learned to get out of bed to break the pattern and change the environment when anxiety surfaces in the night hours. I go downstairs to sit in my favorite chair and read my Bible. From this position, I am more able to release my concerns, hold fast to faith, and calm my frazzled emotions.
In the quiet, Jesus reminds me that worry doesn’t solve anything, bringing a passage from Matthew 6 to my attention.
What Jesus Teaches about Worry and Anxiety
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Mt. 6:25-34).
Our energy is much better spent on seeking and trusting God. This is easy to say, but so hard to do. To not let anxiety get the best of you takes practice. It requires trust, courage, and perseverance. But most of all, peace is found by releasing of our anxieties into the loving hands of our Father.
We Will Have Reasons to Worry
Our days do have trouble, some far more than others. Jesus teaches us that our provision comes from God who knows what we need. God isn’t caught unaware or unprepared. He hasn’t overlooked or missed our pain. Truth can seem disconnected to our troubles when we face the fears that keep us awake at night.
The size and scope of our problems do not negate the faithfulness and power of God. When I worry, I slip into the old habit of verifying the faithfulness of God based on my experience. It is a coping pattern of my flesh that I learned early in life. Anxiousness is like a default setting in my brain–I go there so quickly.
I used to believe that standing firm in faith meant I’d never struggle with anxiousness, as if worry was the blight of spiritual immaturity and weak faith. I lectured and shamed myself for letting anxiety get the best of me.
I thought greater faith would keep me from waking in the night with fear and the worst-case scenarios winding me up tight. So I determined to outgrow anxiety, to shed it like a snake sheds the skin it no longer needs. Someday I will, but not this side of heaven.
I longed for faith to protect me from problems and pain. It simply doesn’t work that way.“Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Mt. 6:34). This statement acknowledges the reality that we will have trouble.
Anxiety steals peace in our hard and painful moments. How does worry impact you? #overcomeanxiety Share on X
Worry and Anxiety are Like a Tennis Match
Over time, and way too much experience with anxious emotions, I’m learning to turn my thoughts and prayers to Father rather than dwell on the what if’s, the unknowns, and the scary possibilities. I wish I could say that it is a once-and-done process, but more often it is more like a tennis match.
Anxious thoughts are like a tennis ball bouncing back and forth over the net, from fear to faith, from worry to trust. Sometimes the enemy lops the ball high and it drops hard. Other times, he serves a fast ball spinning full force.
The more we put our attention on God’s goodness, lovingkindness, faithfulness, and provision, the sooner fear settles down. This power of choosing holy in our anxious moments. When we do, we win the point, but there may come another volley until the match /situation is fully entrusted to God.
Our human bodies are wired with emotions. We will experience the emotions of fear and worry, but growing in faith teaches how to stand firm. Growing in faith helps us to stay in the present as we turn our attention to Christ rather than be overwhelmed by circumstances.
Faith Decisions that Help with Anxiety and Worry:
Anxiety and worry feed off our fear of loss and our desire for control. Let anxiety intensify your dependence on God. Each of these decisions are ways of seeking God, ways of running to Father.
Trust God wholeheartedly rather than try to figure it out on your own. (Pro. 3:5-6)
Pray about concerns with gratitude rather than worry (Phil 4:6-7).
Seek Him first and believe that He will provide. (Mt. 6:33-34)
Set our mind on things eternal. (Col. 3:2)
Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and completer of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
Cast our anxieties on God who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)
These actions of faith help us deal with anxiety and worry. Friend, if you are anxious about difficult circumstances, a fearful diagnosis, mounting problems, or financial need, I pray these reflections help. Today I simply, and openly, share the conversation of my soul with my God through His word.
Steps to Overcome Anxiety and Worry
Let’s break this down to specific steps that bring God into the negative as we respond in faith rather than react in fear. These strategies help us carry out our decisions of faith.
Notice and process your emotions. Learn from the messages your emotions reveal about what you are believing in this moment.
Feel what you feel without judging, lecturing, or criticizing yourself. If you stuff, discount, or deny your emotions, they will find a way to leak out in ways impact our experience, beliefs, behavior, relationships, and health. Feel it but don’t get stuck in your emotions.
Make the conscious choice to not let your feelings shape what you believe. Hold fast to the truths of God. Experience your emotions, but believe what is true, not what you feel. Look at your situation from the lens of God’s truth rather than look at God from the lens of your experience.
Ask the Holy Spirit to give you peace as you release your concerns to God in prayer. Purpose to look for blessings and practice gratitude (Phil. 4:7). It often feels counterintuitive to thank God in the midst of anxiety, but gratitude interrupts the negative thinking that keeps us in anxious patterns. Thanksgiving reminds of of tangible examples of God’s goodness, which can settle our hearts as we release our concerns in prayer.
Speak God’s truth to your soul—read it, say it, declare it, sing it, write it, share it, embrace it, believe it. And then say it again. And again. As many times as it takes.
Be kind to yourself. Understand we all feel anxious at times. Refuse to engage in negative self-talk. Remember that fear is a favorite strategy in the enemy’s spiritual warfare.
Talk through your feelings with a trusted friend or counselor. Talking about concerns can weaken the power of anxious thoughts as we share them aloud with a compassionate listener.
Helpful Questions for Working Through Anxiety, Worry, and Fear
In the emotions chapter of Holy in the Moment, I shared questions that help me work through emotions and stand against anxiety and fear. These processing questions can also help you work through other feelings and thoughts including disappointment, anger, frustration, impatience, discontent, and doubt. When your emotions overwhelm, work through these questions with God. Pray, listen, trust, as you reflect on the following:
In this situation, what am I really thinking/believing?
What need is attached to this feeling? (Our deep needs include love, value, worth, acceptance, and security).
What is true?
Lord, what is this really about? What do you want me to understand?
What do You want me to know about You, Lord? In what area am I not trusting You?
In what way do You want to change me, Lord? What attitude or behavior of my flesh am I choosing instead of You?
Is there a right I need to surrender? A person I need to forgive?
How should I embrace truth in this situation?
These are practical steps to choosing faith over fear and staying present with God in the now rather than worrying about the future. Be encouraged by this loving instruction and promise of God:
‘Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10 NASB 1995)
With holy imagination, sense your heavenly Father whispering: You don’t have to be afraid. Stop anxiously looking for answers but look to Me. Remember I am your God. Remember I am with you. Believe that I will help you when your faith gives way to fear. I will hold you up. I am here. (based on Isaiah 41:10)
Hold fast to this beautiful promise of fighting for faith over fear. Make the holy choice to trust God one more time. If music helps settle your emotions, you may enjoy the song, Run to the Father from Cody Barnes.
What does it look like for you to trust God in this moment? Do you know someone that would be helped by this post? Please share on social media and send them a personal note of encouragement as you share this article. We need to support each other when we struggle in the hard times of life.
Would you join me in praying for my loved one? How can I pray for you?
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Want more help for dealing with worry and anxiety? Grab my free Emotional Health Workbook for more help processing your emotions. Get access to my Subscriber Library, free with newsletter sign up. Read the story of my battle with anxiety in the first chapter of Holy in the Moment on the book page. (You’ll find it halfway down under Free Downloadable Resources (no email needed).
Read More Posts on Dealing with Worry and Anxiety:
How Trusting God Helped Me Overcome Worry
How Holy Choices Can Help When You Feel Anxious and Stressed
Why You Should Stop Discounting Your Anxiety
How to Cope with Worry, Anxiety, and Fear
