Banishing Anxiety

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. – Philippians 4:6

We live in a fast-paced, stress-inducing, anxiety-filled world that oftentimes seems to shift beneath our feet. Sometimes, trusting God is difficult, especially when we become caught up in the incessant demands and the constant distractions that are woven into the fabric of 21st century life.

When it’s time for sleep, you may still feel stressed by the demands of your day or, more likely, by the negative news you’ve head along the way. If so, your nightmare challenge is simply this: you must return your thoughts to God’s Love, God’s protection, and God’s promises. Then, as you say a prayer at the end of the day, you should turn all of your concerns over to your heavenly Father.

The same God who created the universe will comfort you if you ask Him. Ask Him. And please don’t forget your manners…Thank Him for His blessings and remind yourself that He is your Shepherd. When you do, you can go through your day and later turn off the lights, knowing that earthly problems are temporary, but God’s Love last forever.

Lord, sometimes this world is a difficult place, and as a frail human being, I become anxious. When I am worried, restore my faith. When I am anxious, turn my thoughts to You. When I grieve, touch my heart with Your enduring love. Keep me mindful Lord, that nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible for You. Thank You, Father, for loving me and protecting me, now and forever. Amen.

A Shelter In His Shadow

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” – Psalm91:1

The Bible makes an interesting promise. In Psalm 91, God’s Word promises that today, and every day, we can rest in God’s shadow. If we make up our minds to do so, we can “dwell in the Shelter of the Most High” by asking Him for protection. And that’s an incredible blessing because, whether we realize it or not, we need the Lord’s protection and His guidance.

In a world saturated with misleading messages, God is the ultimate Truth. In a world filled with distractions and frustrations, He is the ultimate armor. In a world where bad news circles the globe before good news has time to circle the block, God restores our confidence and gives us hope.

The quality of our spiritual lives will be in direct proportion to the quality of our prayer life. So today, instead of turning things over in our mind, we are to turn them over to God in prayer. Instead of taking tomorrow’s problems with us through the day, ask God to free us from our worries. Before we talk to ourselves and others, we should talk to our Creator. The Lord is listening, and He wants to hear from us every day…all day!

Today like every other day, our heavenly Father invites us to rest in His shadow. If we’re wise, we will accept His invitation. Let’s go right now.

Heavenly Father, I come to You with a grateful heart right now. You have given me another day of life, and You have offered me the priceless gift of eternal life through Your Son. Because You are with me always, Lord, I can rest in your shadow, knowing that You are my Shepherd and that I am protected. Amen.

Your Internal Compass

"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left". - Isaiah 30:21

We are in a season whereby God is doing something new in our lives. For many of us we are transitioning from one place to another, from one career to another, from one ministry to another or God may be calling us to start our own business or ministry. It’s new and we have not walked this way before. The great unknown, which can bring anxiety or even fear. One thing we need to take comfort in, though we may be afraid, is that if God has spoken, we must know we can trust Him.

It is important for us not to allow fear or anxiety to cause us to move ahead of God or not to move at all. It is important that we continue to seek the face of God for instructions on the direction we should go. Many times, when God speaks, He never give us the complete instruction or show us the full picture. As we obey, then He gives us the instructions for the next step.

One of the things that always impress me with the life of David, is the fact that he inquired of the Lord. David faced many battles, but each time, he will enquire of the Lord. Sometimes, we are tempted to do something a certain way because we faced the same situation in the past. For every decision we are to make we should seek the counsel of the Lord. And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron, 2 Samuel 2:1.

It is imperative to hear and obey the voice of the Lord. We are not to do things because we saw our family or friends do things a certain way. We must seek the face of God for the next step. In Genesis, Abraham at one time in his life faced a famine and went down to Egypt. Isaac also faced a famine, His plan was to go to Egypt, but God told him to go elsewhere. And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; Genesis 26:1-3a.

Our scripture reference says, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. When we seek the Lord, we will hear His voice for He will speak. I encourage you to obey the voice of the Lord. He will not fail you but will lead you in the way that you should go.