Tag: worry

Strive For Joy!

At the time of this post the Presidential election is still not called. Regardless of who you voted for, I think it’s safe to assume that most of us are very ANXIOUS to know who will be leading our country for the next 4 years.

But I was reminded this morning of a directive & encouraging promise that God offers us.

“Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

We must pray with urgency and gratitude to God our Father. Then, his unexplainable PEACE will get us through this season, and the next, and the next….

Remember, God already knows who wins this election. May God bless our President, and may God bless America.

Stay safe, be healthy, be kind.

Advertisement

How Worry Distracts Us, And What To Do About It

Are you feeling anxious today? If you’re like me, a more accurate question is ‘When am I NOT anxious?’
worry 2
I regularly worry about our ability to pay the bills, my health, retirement, etc, etc, etc.
‘Do not be anxious about your life’ (Mt. 6:25)… this is literally talking about not worrying about tomorrow. The clothing, food, shelter, etc. When we worry about tomorrow we display how weak our faith is (v. 30).
worry 1
We have a real enemy, and I’m not going to flatter him by even mentioning his name. worry 3One of his most effective attacks on you and I is to misguide our focus. He wants us to worry about tomorrow and all the what-ifs. Because we make ourselves more vulnerable to his attacks when our faith is weak. He knows that our faith will remain strong when we remain highly focused on all the ways God is blessing, providing, protecting, and using us in our current moment…TODAY.
You know what I really love about God’s Word? That for everything it instructs us NOT to do, it provides a healthy alternative TO DO. Check out verse 33.
‘But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.’
‘All these things will be added to you’ – God promises to provide all the things that we worry about if we only focus our concerns on today, and specifically Kingdom issues. The things that God is concerned about. Why? Because Kingdom issues are always things that are bigger than us. They take our eyes off of ourselves and onto a larger, more important purpose.
owrry 4The vast majority of our anxiety is rooted in worrying about the things that God promises to provide for us. So what is it that causes us to doubt him, to lose faith? What does this look like for you?

 

Join the discussion and LEAVE A COMMENT below.

Subscribe to the blog Here and never miss a post.

You can also connect with me on Twitter and Instagram!

3 Hours On The Road With God In Wyoming

Have you ever experienced God in a completely opposite way than you were expecting?

Recently, my wife, daughter and I were relocating to Yakima, WA from Colorado Springs. As with any significant road trip involving three full days of travel and a 26 ft. moving truck, day 1 plagued me with anxiousness. I prefer not to travel after dark (which we were), and once we crossed over into Wyoming the weather turned on us. Not with snow and ice as you might assume in this region in November. No, mother nature decided to expose us to a bit of WIND. Specifically, 65+ MPH sustained winds!

Here’s a picture of the exact message we encountered as we approached the first town in Wyoming…

wyoming wind

At first, I was drawn to the ’65+MPH wind’ part of the sign. Soon thereafter, I experienced the frightening reality that I was indeed traveling in a ‘light high profile vehicle.’ I wanted to stop for the night, but the forecast for the next day predicted even worse winds. I had no real choice in the situation. We had to just push through. So, I continued on…one mile at a time at just 45 MPH. Any faster and the wind would have flipped the truck on it’s side!

Needless to say, we managed to get through Wyoming safely. But not on our own ability. During the worst 3 hours of the trip I prayed. It started off with me pleading with God to protect myself, all of our belongings, and my wife and daughter traveling behind me in the car.

What happened next was simply incredible! 

God transformed my heart. I was still white-knuckled and concerned the whole way, but He gave me the ability and heart to start praying for others. That’s right, I was praying over dozens of other people I know in the midst of my own fearful moments. Let me clarify, this is NOT a pat on the back for me. This was entirely a supernatural intervention.

This quote sums up my time with God nicely.

Yancey.001

More specifically, God was keeping company with me on this journey. As we neared our stopping point that night I felt as if God was saying to me “This was good. Let’s do this more often.” Personally, I have come a long way in my practice of prayer and general pursuit of God in the past 5 years. But I have so much more to learn and grow toward.

“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” – 1 Chronicles 16:11 

 

Subscribe to the blog HERE.

Comments, prayer requests, and questions are welcome below.

You can also connect with me on Twitter and Instagram!