Category: Jesus

Jesus

Jesus, Mental Health, Mind, Yourself

How to create space to process

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Pause

When there is just too much on my plate, I need space. Have you ever been in traffic and just wished for space. Too many cars, too much movement, too much input from the billboards, and of course it is pouring rain. What we long for in these cases of overstimulation is space. Room to process. I recently came across a free app that has been really helpful in reminding me to create space for me to process.

The app is called One Minute Pause, it was put out by John Eldridge’s ministry – Wild at Heart. It is a great app that provides verses, phrases, prayers that provide a one minute, as the name suggests. It also allows for three, five or ten minute pauses. It has options that allow you to receive reminders a couple times a day to take a pause. Then you chose which length.

My favorite way to use the app:

I prefer to set my alarms for mid-morning and mid-afternoon. This is because I tend to do well first thing in the morning and last thing at night on my own, but these mid-day reminders are helpful for me. If I have people around, which is most of the time mid-day, I prefer to turn off the sound on the app. I simply look at it and breath deeply while reading it silently.

These pauses have been very helpful to me. They have been helpful as a way to help reset my baseline, in terms of by nervous system. They are also helpful in creating space I need to process when things get a bit overwhelming.

So may I encourage you to give it a try. Take a pause, to give yourself space to process.

Do you have a favorite free app to recommend which you’ve found helpful in creating space? I’d love to hear about it. If you’d like to read things you can do when you feel antsy – I have written a post that you mind find helpful.

Jesus, Mental Health

Keys to Emotional and Mental Health for Christians

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Biblical Meditation
Christian Meditation

Biblical meditation is a key to our mental and emotional health.

It is also a key to our prosperity and success.

Today I listened to this sermon from Bill Johnson. The key text he presents in this message was Joshua 1 which is the account of Joshua taking over after Moses died to lead the Israelites into the Promise Land.

He illustrates that we all know how to meditate, because we have all experienced times where we were kept up all night thinking about something we were concerned about. I can certainly relate to this. This scripture is the key to transforming that way of thinking.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8

Christian meditation – to reflect, to moan, to mutter, to ponder, to quietly repeat. The way this looks is to repeat Scriptures and relate these truths to our lives. At about 22 minutes into this sermon, Bill shares how he uses Psalm 127 to meditate and pray it out. For me, I have used Psalm 23 as a meditative passage in recent months where I breath in “The Lord is my shepherd.” I breath out, “I lack nothing.” I continue on from there, but I choose to make this a slow meditative practice that sows and waters seeds in my heart.

Making Scripture Personal

Another approach to Biblical meditation that I love is making scripture personal. Here is an example:

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

Personalized – this becomes “I have known and I have believed the love God has for me. God is love, and when I abide in love, I abide in God and God in me.”

Bill shares that Christian Biblical meditation is an ongoing encounter with God. Where we harness our thoughts and emotions and submit them to God’s Truth. According to the scripture above it is a key to prospering and having success.

Psalm 1 is a parallel scripture to the Joshua 1:8 admonition.

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Psalm 1

Because Biblical meditation is a key to our mental and emotional health this is one of my go-to tools when I am in distress and as more of a maintenance practice that I do on a regular basis. I’d love to hear what some of your meditation strategies include.

In this post – I shared 10 things Christians can do when they are feeling antsy, which may also be helpful to you.

Jesus, Yourself

Is that Bully in my head, God speaking to me?

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“Not again, this never works out for you.” “They don’t want to hear what you have to say.” “You should just give up.” “You’re such a disappointment.” Do any of these phrases, or similar ones, sound familiar? Do you ever wonder if they are the voice of God speaking to you? After all, if I, an imperfect human have higher expectations for myself, wouldn’t a perfect God expect even more?

Discerning the voice of God is one of the great invitations we Christians have to make our walk fruitful. Sadly many of us have viewed God and His voice as similar to a bully.

Here is a passage from Scripture which illustrates how God’s voice often differs from what we might expect.

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13

God asks questions

It is not the dramatic things like wind, earthquake or fire that was God speaking, but instead the still small voice was God’s. Also God asked Elijah a question. This is something God does often in scripture. God is not the accuser of the brethren – that is something the enemy is (see Revelation 12:10). So if the voice you are hearing is accusative, you can know it is not God. God can and does certainly convict. Conviction is different than accusing. Conviction invites us to repentance. Accusation invites us to shame and condemnation.

I find at times in my life when the voice is loud and demanding, it can overshadow the still small voice of God. But thankfully as I’ve walked with the Lord over the years, I also see him gently whisper his love for me, or his inviting questions.

I’ve heard it said that God never asks questions in order to learn something. Instead He asks questions to invite us to deeper intimacy with Him or to discover what is in our heart.

If you sense the Lord asking you a question today, I encourage you to reject the voice of the bully, and instead enter into the question with Your gentle, loving Father.

Family, Jesus

Lessons We Can Learn from the Season of Fall (or Autumn)

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Seasons - Fall

Scripture tells us …

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1

In this post I want to discuss some of the times in my life that feel like “fall” / “autumn”. For me, this season is marked with both beauty and letting go – which can be messy and difficult. It also feels to me like a time of transition, like a time of “not yet.”

From predictable to wild

The leaves going from green to sometimes intense orange, yellow and red, for me, feels like a change from the consistent, but predictable to the wilder, less predictable. Certainly not all change is good and not all change is bad. In life, sometimes we get bored with the same ole same ole, other times we find sameness to have a steadying effect. I have experienced both. Because life doesn’t always change seasons as predictably as the global seasons, at times I have welcomed seasons of fall, and other times I’ve gone into them kicking and screaming for my sameness.

Impermanence

The falling of the leaves certainly points to impermanence. Once again, this has often been met with resistance for me in my life. I tend to want to hang on to things, people, places, relationships etc. However, once again I can tell you that the idea that things will change, are impermanent can feel good or bad. Do you tend to be a person who clings to things for too long, or do you get bored and wish to move on perhaps prematurely?

In the infant years with my kids, I really struggled with the lack of predictability, but in some ways I embraced impermanence. As I was struggling one day feeling like there was no way I was going to be able to meet all the needs of the day, I felt like God prompted me with a phrase that has served me ever since.

“I may not always be able to ____ [fill in the blank], but today I can.”

This worked for me in so many ways, for example if the thing felt too big for me to keep doing, I would realize it was not going to last forever. Or if the thing felt too important, I would be reminded that today I was getting the gift of getting to do it that day.

A few examples:

  • I may not always be able to spend 4 hours nursing my baby, but today I can.
  • I may not always be able to rock my baby to sleep, but today I can.

May I offer you this phrase today as a way to navigate the impermanence of life. To me it points to both His grace being enough in the moment, not in advance, and not afterwards, but in the moment and the reality that this moment we have all we need.

Our source of strength

There are many scriptures which we can cling to in order to remind us of the strength we have access to that is beyond ourselves. Here is a key example.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

If you are at a place where the thing you are being asked to do today feels overwhelming or too much. May you be reminded of the strength that Jesus offers. Also may we remember that this may just be for a season, a time of “not yet.”

Keep doing the next right thing

Another key aspect of going through a season of fall, is to keep doing the next right thing. Fall is not a time to hide out or hunker down. In time a fall season often means it is a time to work – a time to labor for the harvests on the seeds you have planted or a time to plant new seeds that will germinate throughout the winter months. Dear friend may I encourage you to press on in these seasons that are filled with much unpredictability and change.

Here is a link to a post where I discussed Lessons We Can Learn from the Season of Winter.

Winter
Jesus

Seasons – Winter

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Winter
Season – Winter

One lazy afternoon, I vividly remember God teaching me about seasons. I was looking at a bare tree outside my house one day, and I sensed God asking me what I saw.  I told him it looked like a dead tree.  I sensed him correct me and tell me it was just a tree in winter and that I needed to be careful not to call things dead before He said they were dead.  This taught me that even when I think I see, I need to be sure that I get God’s perspective and not simply rely on my own.

Scripture tells us there is a time for every purpose.

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1

That chapter goes on to list the specifics such as a time to plant, a time to harvest, a time to be born a time to die etc.  Have you ever contemplated that some of the very things you are resisting, could actually be seasons that are needed in order produce the very things you so desire? If we cannot handle giving up our seeds, we will never see the harvests from those seeds.

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”  Genesis 8:22

I see such wisdom in God’s designs for seasons. First, it teaches us the impermanence of things. Hard times don’t last forever, neither do easy times. Next it shows us that the outside appearance of things does not tell the full story. Just as the bare tree that I thought was lifeless was not, God looks on our hearts and knows what season we are in. He does not give up on us simply because we are not in a season that includes lots of blooms.

As I pray for our nation this week and contemplate seasons, I am mindful of this verse.

“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”  Daniel 2:21

In my next post I will write more about times when I’ve learned more about seasons. But for now, I just want to encourage you that God knows what He is doing and that things looking a bit different than they did at some point in the past is perhaps just as it should be, for now.

Jesus, Yourself

Beyond Gifts to Benefits

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This post is sort of a bonus content to go along with my prior writings about Gifts God Gives.

Just to recap here are links to each of my God’s gifts related posts:

The two biggest things God showed me as I did the study of His gifts were

  1. God is a giver – it is His very nature to give.
  2. We have a part to play in being willing to receive. My hesitancy to receive God’s gifts is not a good thing. My trying to earn something He desires to give is not a good thing.

As I’ve reflected on this gifts series, God reminded me of a Psalm that I used to have the first 6 verses memorized in, which I’ve personalized below.

Bless the Lord, my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget any of His benefits. Who pardons all my guilt, who heals all my diseases; who redeems my life from the pit, who crowns me with favor and compassion; who satisfies my years with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. Psalm 103:1-6 personalized

If you’ve worked for an employer who provides benefits, I imagine there are some benefits that you have that you may not become aware of them until you have need of them. For example, I think my employer provided short term disability, but thankfully I have not had need of that benefit, so I really don’t even know how it works and what it provides. This scripture tells us that God does not want us to treat his benefits in that way. “Do not forget any of His benefits.”

Is there a benefit listed here that you are not experiencing in your life. Do you have unresolved guilt? Is there dis-ease at work in your body? Do you feel defeated? Are you experiencing God’s goodness? Are your years filled with good things? How about your youth, is it being renewed? I think much like the gifts that we explored previously, these benefits are things that God provides, but sometimes we have to contend for them.

What I mean by contend is to fight the good fight of faith. It starts with realizing these benefits are available to us, and then sometimes there are steps to receiving them. Those steps can include forgiveness of others, repentance by us if we know we are violating God’s ways, asking God in faith – trusting His Word as true. For me, a key in my contending in this area has been consciously choosing to plant and dwell on the truth of this scripture. Very practically I do this by:

  • Writing out these scriptures where I can see them often.
  • Meditating on these scriptures – this simply means that I go over and over these scriptures in my mind on a regular basis. Every time I am telling myself truths, I am not investing in a lie.
  • Incorporate this scripture in my wake up routine. When I first wake up, I often have a scripture passage that is my focus for a time. It starts my day in a Godly way.

Do you have other suggestions for ways to contend for the benefits God wants us to have?

Jesus, Yourself

Gifts God Gives – Spiritual Gifts

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“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—”  Romans 1:11

Perhaps spiritual gifts are something you instinctively knew was something God gives. Perhaps it is something you would understand as not being earned. Or is it? Have you ever looked at other Christians who seem to be more victorious than you and thought God gave them better gifts than you? This post will hope to point out some of the spiritual gifts and perhaps also point out some of the ways that we can engage with them.

“Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.”  1 Timothy 4:14

This verse stands out to me as something very relatable. Have you ever given a gift that you just know the person has not made use of? I certainly have. This is basically what God is trying to get us not to do – don’t neglect the gift that is in you. Once you’ve received the gift from God, he wants you to make use of it.

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:”  1 Corinthians 12:1

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.”  1 Corinthians 12:4 

“to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,”  1 Corinthians 12:9

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”  1 Corinthians 14:1

“Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”  1 Corinthians 14:12

The above verses let us know that there are varying spiritual gifts, so we don’t have to compare ourselves with others. The final two verses also put it all in context, we want greater gifts in order to express God’s love.

May I encourage us all to receive our spiritual gifts and then to steward them well so that church will be built up.

Jesus, Yourself

Gifts God Gives – Salvation

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In this post I’m going to write about the most important gift you can receive from God! That gift is salvation. I am going to include several scriptures, because it is important to me that you know this is what God says in the Bible, not just a concept I came up with. If after you read this, you have any questions please feel free to comment.

Gift of Salvation – 

“But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.  And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.  For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”  Romans 5:15-18

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”  Ephesians 2:8

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”  Ephesians 4:7

Like I have mentioned in my previous posts, just because God has a gift available for us does not mean we automatically receive it and the benefits of it. A gift requires a receiver. So if you’d like to receive the gift of salvation in can be as simple as praying something like …

God, I know that I have done things against your will and don’t deserve salvation. But I see in these verses that Jesus paid the price to give me salvation. So I ask you to forgive my sins, I choose to make Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, I believe that he died for my sins and that you rose him from the grave. So I receive the gift of salvation that I may have eternal life.

if you prayed that prayer and have any questions, please reach out. In the meantime, I highly encourage you to find a local church and speak with someone about this prayer. Begin reading the Bible and continue praying to God as he cares for you.

Jesus, Yourself

Even More Gifts God Gives

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I am continuing to write about gifts God gives. In my first post on this subject I explained where good gifts come from. Once we know that good gifts come from God. I think there can be two categories of responses.

  1. We begin to realize that God has gifts that He desires to give us and we begin to realize that He is inviting us to receive from Him and so these gifts actually lead to deepening of our relationship.
  2. We begin to realize that God has gifts that He desires to give us and we begin to grasp for the these “things” rather than enjoying our experience with Him. This is sometimes described as seeking the gift instead of the giver. This actually hurts our relationship.

As you can see, both of these responses impact the relationship – one for the better and one for the worse. Can’t we relate to this in our own lives? I know as a parent I have experienced both of these approaches from my kids. Can you remember a time when you were a child and became over-focused on the gift and really didn’t care about the giver? Can you remember a time when a gift was given that deepened your understanding of the giver’s love for you? I certainly can.

Another possible response, and sadly I think this has been my more common response in recent years, is to refuse the gift and insist on earning it on your own. That response also impacts the relationship. So as we continue to see gifts that God gives as stated in the Bible, I want to encourage you to examine yourself and see how often you have tried to earn these things rather than accepting them as gifts from your loving heavenly Father.

Things God gives – Peace, Perseverance, Encouragement

“Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.”  John 14:27

“Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus,”  Romans 15:5

“The glory which You have given Me I also have given to them, so that they may be one, just as We are one;”  John 17:22

Things God gives – all things

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  Romans 8:32

Things God gives – the victory

“but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:57

Things God gives – wisdom

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”  Ephesians 1:17

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  James 1:5

Things God gives – understanding

“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”  2 Timothy 2:7

Things God gives – not fear, but power, love, sound mind

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Things God gives – love

“See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him.”  1 John 3:1

Wow, that was a whole lot of scripture about things God gives or has given. Were there any that surprised you? Let me recap with a quick list:

  • Peace, Perseverance, Encouragement
  • All Things
  • The Victory
  • Wisdom
  • Understanding
  • Power, Love, Sound Mind (not fear)
  • Love

May I encourage you in the days ahead that you look at your own life and see which if these gifts seems to be the most lacking. Then don’t just go to God and ask for it/them, thereby making the gift the focus, but instead that you’d go to God and acknowledge that He has these gifts and repent of looking elsewhere for them. Then within that relationship ask and receive the gifts.

The prayer can be something like this:

Heavenly Father, You are a good Father and I am so thankful to be your child. I see in your Word that you desire to give me peace, perseverance, and encouragement. I am so sorry I have looked to others for these things. I willingly receive the peace, perseverance, and encouragement you are offering as a gift to me and I thank you for them. In Jesus’ name.

For more writings on Gifts God Gives, see the following posts:

Jesus, Yourself

More Gifts God Gifts

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In this post I discussed where good gifts come from. It is so important to understand the source of things. Think about the last time you wanted something, who did you go to? Was it your parents, your spouse, your boss? It certainly isn’t wrong to ask people for things that we want or need, but when I realized that every good and perfect gift comes from God, it has changed how I view where to go first.

In this post I started to list out some of the gifts God specifically speaks of in the Bible. I want to continue that listing, again based on scripture. I pray that this will inspire you to receive more of what God desires to give.

Things God gives – riches and wealth, along with the power to receive blessing from it

“As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19

I think we all know people who have money, who are just not able to enjoy it. I’ve recently, based on this scripture, begun to ask God to help me to rejoice in my labors.

Things God gives – living water

“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” John 4:10

I just have to tell you this scripture, is so packed for me. The opening phrase that Jesus said, “If you knew …” has been so profound for me. How many times do we miss gifts God has for us, simply because it is not packaged the way we expected it to be.

Things God gives – grace

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;”  Romans 12:6

“of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.”  Ephesians 3:7

The above scriptures help me to see that even the gifts that we receive come via grace, so this helps me to allow space for other people’s journeys.

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”    2 Timothy 1:6

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”  1 Peter 4:10

The above two scriptures provoke me to press on and realize that the gift of grace is an empowering gift that helps me to do the things God calls me to.

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””  James 4:6

The above verse so me that there are ways that we can block the gifts God wants to give. Humility opens up the gift of grace from God.

Things God gives – Rest

““Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28

This has been transformative for me. I think I used to see the above verse as ‘go to Jesus and he will make things better.’ But now I see that I can go to God when I am worn out and I can receive a gift of rest.

Things God gives – keys to the kingdom / authority

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.””  Matthew 16:19

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18

““So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  Luke 11:9

Wow are the above verses both empowering and challenging. May we remember that the authority is God’s and we get to execute it through His gifting.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.”  Luke 12:32

This verse is absolutely a new favorite for me. I literally have made it a confession during my daily walks recently. How good does it feel to know that God has chosen to give you the kingdom?

I will continue with more gifts God speaks of in scripture, but for now I want to encourage you to review these things and pray that God would help you to receive the gifts He desires to give. Please reach out if you need prayer, I am happy to pray for you.