Got Warts?

Are you an excessive worrier? Do you find yourself worrying about anything and everything?

 

Worry is a habit that has negative consequences, for it affects us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Perhaps you subconsciously think that if you "worry enough" you can prevent bad things from happening. But excessive worrying can lead to anxiety and panic attacks, which cripple you from ...living an abundant life. There's not one good outcome from the habit of worry. Worry will not add one day to your life, but it's sure to shorten it.

 

The habit can be broken with the transforming power of God's Word. Let God replace your worry with His peace and help you to develop your faith and dispel worry once and for all. Ask for His help and follow His guidance.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Live one day at a time. Matthew 6:25-34

 

Father, I pray that You help us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to find peace in our minds as we cast our cares on You and trust You to take care of them and not pick them back up. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Worried?

Sometimes my blogs can be quiet lengthy. Not today. I'm simply sharing one scripture, from the Message Bible. It is worthy of a few 'selah' moments.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,

and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34

 

God bless you and may the Lord grant you PEACE, KNOWING that God is STILL in control and that He is taking care of EVERYTHING.





AFTA related blogs:

Under a Lot of Stress?
No Worries
God Promises Peace
Hindrance to Your Destiny?

Under a Lot of Stress?

God led His people out like sheep, He took His flock SAFELY through the wilderness. God took GOOD CARE of them; they had NOTHING to fear. Psalm 78:52,53

I know ... you’re under a LOT of stress, you’re frustrated, worried, afraid and confused … but FEAR NOT and HOLD ON.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 -30, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.’

Stress tends to visit us when we're tired, when we're sick, when we're driving through a crowded metropolis, when we're late for an important meeting, or if we've taken on too many responsibilities. When circumstances are out of our control, we feel stress. When our basic needs are not being met and our safety is threatened, we tend to get anxious. God promises in His Word that He will care for us. When we come to Him for help, He helps. Sometimes it’s a process that takes place for Him to align us and our schedule with His will. Other times, He seems to swoop in … suddenly.

I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Isaiah 48:3

Don't you worry about a thing. God IS gonna appear on the scene SUDDENLY on your behalf, for HELP IS ON THE WAY.

Have the cares and problems of life burdened you with stress and anxiety, robbing you of peace? Pray the prayer below in faith, believing.

Father, I need You now because I am full of stress and anxiety. Thank You that the promises in Your Word bring comfort. I ask You to come and take My heavy burdens. I take each burden, one by one, and lay them at Your feet. Please carry them for me so that I don't have to. Replace them with Your humble and gentle yoke so that I will find rest for my soul. I receive Your gift of peace of mind and heart. Thank You that I can lie down tonight in peace and sleep. I know that you, Lord, will keep me safe. I am not afraid because You are always with me. Please keep me daily, Lord, in Your perfect peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 




 

Just Say 'No' to Reasoning

With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgment or understanding. Always let Him lead you and He will clear the road for you to follow. Proverbs 3:5,6

The Word doesn't say you have to have everything figured out down to the last little minute detail. You struggling via self-effort and reasoning trying to figure out when God is going to do it, how He is going to do it, which way and why He is going to be leading you a certain way or if He is going to do it is not going to get you anywhere.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8

You are not supposed to know everything. That is one of the reasons why you need God. If you stop trying to figure everything out, you will not be confused. It is okay to think about something to try to determine what to do, but if you start feeling confused, you have gone too far.

You are to trust and have faith that God's ways are better and that He knows what He is doing - He DOES NOT need your help. Pray and ask Him for wisdom and that He help you make right, godly, decisions. Choose to trust the Lord and line up your will with His. Take the steps that He gives you and trust Him to give you the answers that you need for the steps that you have to take.

Father, help us to trust You, with child-like faith ... faith that hasn't been watered down by the disappointments of life. Help us to believe in You and all You do, regardless of what's happened in the past and whether we understand it all or not. Give us peace in our minds. Help us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and not just do whatever we want to. In Jesus' name, amen.

God Promises Peace

 
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me - everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:6-9

What’s weighing on you today? Is there a loved one in need? Bills piling up? Struggling with health issues? Frightened by wars and rumors of wars? Do you have a relationship in trouble? Are you facing a problem with no apparent solution? Do you feel alone? Like a soothing salve to the anxious heart, the above promise from Philippians 4 is for you ... today. 

Anxiety doesn’t come with an off-switch. Anxiety warns us that something is wrong and needs attention. It drives us to our knees in prayer. Yet prayer is often the last thing we think to do. 

The hurt, pain and fear we so often feel run deep, but Christ's love is stronger and more powerful. Through Jesus we have access to the very throne room of heaven. The Spirit intercedes for us there with groaning too deep for words (Romans 8). Even when we don't know how to pray, we aren't hindered. God wouldn't invite us to bring our cares and requests before Him if He didn't plan to act.

God’s promise is not that all our requests will be granted the way that we want them to, but that the peace of Jesus Christ will guard our hearts, despite what we're going through.

Your Friend Jesus is right there with you. Talk to Him. He's listening ... attentively.

Jesus IS our peace.

Father, so much weighs on our minds. Troubles seem to abound, everywhere around us. We need Your peace to cover our minds and our situations, and we pray for that now. In Jesus’ name, amen. 





 

Don't Be Afraid

 

God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. Isaiah 12:2

Frightening circumstances are less troublesome if we trust the hands that control them. If our world and our lives were governed by a thoughtless and indifferent force, we would have good reason to fear.

BUT the hands that control the universe - God’s hands - are wise and compassionate. We can trust them in spite of our circumstances and not be afraid.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’ Isaiah 41:10-13

FEAR NOT … Jesus is holding YOUR hand.

We give so much of our strength and energy to being fearful and worrying about things ... when we should be resting in God's peace knowing that He WILL come through for us. Your current condition does not define God's ultimate intention. Through fire and flood, He is with you and will bring you through. So QUIT fearing and worrying, He has ALREADY taken care of it.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Isaiah 32:18

God is the One in control … so we have NOTHING to fear.

Father, thank You that no harm will come near us or our dwelling. Guard, protect, lead and guide us. Take care of all our needs and all our loved ones as we lay down our worries and fears. I pray for peace in our mind/thoughts/spirit. Quieten the voice of the enemy. Comfort us with the presence of Your supportive hand. I curse worries and fears that try to rob us of our sleep. I pray perfect peace over us when we lay our heads down at night. Bless us, favor us and move on our behalf even as we sleep. I plead the Blood of Jesus over us. In Jesus’ name, amen.



see also: Christ is My Victory (Psalm 91 to pray)

No Worries

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ Romans 8:15

We get SO worked up sometimes over events that are happening in the world today, but NO WORRIES - God is STILL on the throne.

We are facing so many issues in todays times, and they don't seem to be getting any better. Faithful employees being laid off, children are being sold on our streets, children getting pregnant, bills stacking up that are way past due, couples fighting, sickness, death, rejection, betrayal, members of your own household being your worst enemy, people loosing their homes, drugs and alcohol taking over society, physical abuse, prostitution, etc. God's people are suffering. Life hurts. Big time.

But ... MIGHTY is our God, MIGHTY is our King, He is ruler of EVERYTHING. God is our MIGHTY fortress, always ready to help in times of trouble. And so ... we WON'T be afraid.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Psalm 46:1-3

Ways to be free from anxiety:

-  pray and believe
-  cast Your burdens on the Lord
-  know that you are in the hands of God
-  be certain that you are prepared to meet Him face to face
-  spend time fellowshipping with your Savior, for His very presence brings peace because He IS our peace
-  read the Psalms
-  trust Him

Be still AND unafraid AND not worried ... know that HE is God.

Father, in our changing times of uncertainty, there is peace and hope in the fact that You are unchanging. You are the same yesterday, today and forever. I find comfort in Your stability. Thank You for being a strong tower that we can run in to and are safe. I speak PEACE over us ... to our spirit, over our mind and over our thoughts. In Jesus' name, amen.




see also: AFTA Blog Worrying Will Never Change the Outcome
                              What's the World Coming To     

Worrying Will Never Change the Outcome

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have over come the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.] John 16:33







The battles rage within, and only You Lord God can quiten the restlessness, fears, anxieties, and questions.

The things we worry about, stress about and busy ourselves with are just distractions for the enemy to deter us from the Lord's cause to win souls and heal hearts.

Worry will not only NEVER change the outcome, it can cloud our mind so that it's hard to hear the Lord's voice and direction as He tries to help us with what we're facing.

God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Hold on ... with bull dog faith.

And relax, God's taking care of it - - - don't you worry about a thing.

Prayer: Our hope lies in You Lord God, drive our hurts and fears away with Your presence and love. Help us to trust in You and look to You and not let the distractions of the world pull us away from You and Your will for us. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.


 
see also: God Really Does Come Through 

God Listens & Answers

I (the Lord) will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking to Me about their needs,
I will go ahead and answer their prayers. Isaiah 65:26





Father, I come to You through Your Son Jesus ...

I pray for uncommon favor today. Shower us with Your blessings, Lord. Bless our finances, pay our bills, may we have so much that it's an overflow for all those around us.

Pour Your strength into us, refresh us and fill us with Your mighty power. Give us Your peace Lord, that passes understanding, in our hearts and minds. Touch our hearts and remove any heartache or pain, bring healing and restoration. I speak life to the dead areas in our lives ... live in Jesus name. Remove pain and heal our bodies, help them to line up with Your Word, for by Jesus' stripes we're healed and made whole.

I speak restoration to divided relationships ... give unity, peace and healing. I curse the enemy off the institution of the family. Get your hands off our spouses, our children, our parents, our homes - RESTORATION'S coming.

Help us to hold on Lord, because I know that You're a move suddenly God, it's gonna be any day now. Help us to put our hope in You Lord God, cause that's when we won't get hurt and disappointed.

Help us to walk in Your ways Lord God and not our own. Show us the way to go and what to do. Help us to hear Your voice above the crowd, give us discernment Father.

Thanks for imparting wisdom for our situations, help us not to lean on our own understanding. Help us to simply trust You Lord, for trusting is where true rest is found. Thank You Lord God, for the privilege of being able to take it all to You in prayer.

Thank You Lord God, that You hear and answer.

I love You with all my heart heart Father God. In Jesus' name, amen.

God knows your situation. Trust Him. You are His child, He loves you, and He knows exactly what your needs are and is making provisions before you even ask.

God really does listen and answer.

You Want Me to Do What?

Let the Lord's people show Him reverence, for those who
honor Him will have all they need. Those who trust in the
Lord will never lack any good thing. Psalm 34:9,10

Worry reveals that we aren't fully trusting God --- we need to trust God instead of worrying.

When we rely completely on God, we'll stop pleading with Him and begin to thank Him for answering our prayers. The secret to victorious faith is to dwell on the Father's ability to handle our problems. GOD is the Man with the plan, so we need to quit trying to figure everything out.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. Isaiah 55:8

We don't always have to be so strong, you know. It's ok to let our guard down and be ourselves with God. We need to get over ourselves, and if we want God we need to swallow our pride, ask Him for help and receive it. We have to forget all that in our mind like, 'we have to defend ourselves', and 'we have to take care of ourselves, for no one else will' and instead ASK JESUS to do it.

Now that we know what we have - Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin. So let's walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. Hebrews 4:14-16

Every challenge presents an opportunity for the Father to display His faithfulness and love. Instead of yielding to thoughts of fear and failure, we need to make a commitment to trust God, even when we don't know what tomorrow will bring. We may experience failure and life may not always turn out as we planned. But ultimately, God will be glorified and we will be blessed.

The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer. Psalm 6:9

God doesn't just listen, He listens INTENTLY and answers. So we need to just go ahead and believe God from the get go ... for we know that He always turns out to be right anyway.

We are NEVER beyond Abba Father's reach - He can be trusted. Trust Him.

Prayer: Father, I confess my sins. Help me to focus on You, and completely surrender to Your will. As I pray for the needs in my life, help me to live as if my request has been granted. Help me to cast down thoughts of doubt and fear as they come instead of dwelling on them, and help me to speak Your Word in faith Lord God. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Why Can't We Hear? *

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that he will not hear. Is 59:1,2.
Sometimes there is so much "noise" in our lives that God simply can't hear us. But wait a minute. We're talking about the Almighty God, here. What could possibly plug up His ears so that He can't hear?

Sometimes we plug God's ears with our sins. Often we come to Him, expecting Him to hear us and answer our prayers but we aren't willing to let go of the things that are keeping us apart, that are keeping Him from being able to hear us!

And just what are those 'things'? Pretty much any sin will do, but the book of Ezekiel offers further insight: 'Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?' Eze 14:3
Is there something that you put in a higher place than God? Do your priorities always reflect a "God first" attitude? Is there something you just aren't willing to let go of? If so, then it is causing interference, and God simply can't hear you. If it seems God isn't answering your prayers, search your hearts for pet sins and for "other gods".

But what if that sincere heart search comes up empty? What if there aren't any pet sins or "other gods" in your life, and you know God hears you? Why, then, can't you hear His voice?

The reason we often can't hear Him is that there is so much interference in our lives. The interference is sometimes caused by worry and sometimes by stress.

Sometimes it is caused by our personal desires or the fact that we are focusing on our problems instead of on Jesus. But whatever the cause, He hears us and He answers us, but something keeps us from understanding His voice.

So what's the solution? Move closer to the person you're speaking to. Turn your ears towards His mouth, cupp your hand around your ear, and put your full concentration into listening.

What happens? You'll eventually understand what He's trying to tell you!

When you can't hear God's voice, you need to move closer to Him. You need to focus your attention on Him and Him alone. You need to focus your faith on Him, forgetting the problems all around you, ever believing that He will come through with an answer. You need to push aside your personal desires and be willing to let Him lead in your life. Only then will His voice begin to resound, crystal clear.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12:2

Prayer: Father, help us to slow down & listen for Your voice. We choose to lay down things we've put before You. Forgive us for our sins. Speak to our hearts, Lord & help us to understand what You're saying. Help us to be willing & obedient. In Jesus' name, Amen.
* via Lyn Chaffart (except 4 prayer)

God Really Does Come Through

The Lord is my Shepherd {to feed, guide, and shield me},
I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1





The Lord really is our Shepherd. Not the government, our spouse, our job, our paycheck (or lack there of), or our bank account. HE alone supplies all our needs. And, it's up to Him what avenue it comes.

Because He's our Shepherd, we have everything we need. We don't have to be moved by the changing times or economy. The Word says that even in the time of famine, we won't lack anything (Psalm 37:19).

Prayer: Thank You, Lord for Your perfect peace, especially right in the middle of all the turmoil of uncertainty. It's good to know that You're still on the Throne and still in control. I so appreciate the way that You take care of me, and thank You in advance that You always will. Bless us, Lord. And help us to use appropriately what You bless us with. Amen.