HOW I OVERCOME ANXIETY

 

HOW I OVERCOME ANXIETY By Joni Eareckson Tada “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8 Do you experience anxiety? You’re not alone! Often, I have laid in bed at night whispering to God, “I can’t believe you are asking me to do this.” These are nights when pain threatens to get the upper hand. As it edges deeper and sharper, I can feel my anxiety building on itself as I fret, thinking, will it get worse? Will I ever get to sleep? My anxious thoughts worsen my pain, which then increases my anxiety for an ever-tightening cycle that leads to no good end. When that happens, I steady my nervous breathing and say to God, “Obviously, you think I can do this…. So, I am going to believe you rather than my anxious feelings. God, show me Jesus in this; show me how to endure, how to carry on without falling apart.”  I then engage pain directly. I study its stern features, arm myself with Bible promises, and with the grace of God, I enter into the pain, unafraid.  Read more about how you, too, can prayerfully release anxiety and hold fast to courage. CLICK HERE. With hope-filled trust in Jesus, Joni Eareckson Tada (NOTE: I recommend clicking the link to read Joni’s article. It’s very good. Used with permission.)

 

LOVE IS DEMANDING

 

LOVE IS DEMANDING Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat that kind of food again. I don't want to cause him to stumble in his faith. 1 Corinthians 8:13 It’s not enough to know that something isn’t wrong, and therefore we have the right to do certain things. If we were the only people in the world, with no one else to consider, it would be easy to decide what we can and can’t do. But other people are always around, and we have to think of them when making decisions. A person might have the right to play loud music in their house every night until midnight. It’s their house, and they can do what they want. But if there’s a neighbor who’s disturbed by the noise, what should they do? That’s when love steps in and tells them to give up their “right” and sacrifice their enjoyment for the sake of someone else. Love is demanding. It asks us to give up our rights, our pride, and our comfort—nothing can stand in its way. Mornings with God by J.R. Miller Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7