I make lists of things so I won't forget what I need to do each day. I then spend 20 minutes searching for my list. How is that helpful, I ask you my sisters? I now clip them to the side of my refrigerator so I can make a one-stop list checking spot. Now if I can just remember to put them there once I am done writing my list......
I need to do these little things to make sure I do not waste time or get frustrated with myself. When I get frustrated with myself, I then start to go down that road where I start to beat myself up over my inadequacies. If you do not break that cycle early in your minds conversation with yourself, you can get in a funk real fast.
So when that happens, I would encourage you to first ask the Lord to make you aware of when you are going down that road and to do it fairly early so those internal boxing matches don't find root in your heart and travel up to your brain and stay there as part of your belief system about yourself.
I used to do this many years ago when I would start to mutter under my breath about something, or someone, I was not happy with. It does no good to tear down your partner or kids, even if they can't hear it! But it will start feelings that are unhealthy and not helpful to your mental health. When I realized how this was affecting my relationship with my husband (he didn't even know I was doing this!) I asked the Lord make me aware of this and then I made myself say 3-4 things that I was grateful for about my husband. Made a world of difference in how I viewed him on a daily basis. The Lord still catches me doing this sometimes but with His help, it is pretty rare. I thank Him everyday for showing up in my life and not letting me settle for a mediocre life in Him!
Next I would have those verses about fear printed out and handy (clipped to your refrigerator?) so you can read GOD'S TRUTH immediately. If it is easily available, you will use it more and the TRUTH will be able to get in your heart much quicker then if you spend time looking it up. Satan will use something to distract you from seeking out that TRUTH every time. So have it at your fingertips. Remember, a soldier is never separated from his gun during battle so you should never be separated from the words that will stop Satan dead in his tracks when he is trying to make you live in fear.
I know that some of you have lived with fear and panic so long that you feel like you have been through a war. There is relief in the rest of faith. Ask God to restore your trust in Him if this is lacking. He will do as He has promised. He wants you to believe in Him and trust Him. He waits patiently for you to ask because He just delights in blowing us away when He shows us how He restores us.
So let HIM!!!!
Last, but not at all the very least, pray. Get on those knees and talk to God. Lay it out. Get dirty and dusty and feel free by putting this on His lap. He knows the weight and the burdens you have carried but He wants you to give them to HIM. We were never meant to carry such things. But we hold onto them sometimes because we fear what it looks like on the other side. Fear we know, freedom, maybe not so much. Trust me when I say this.....Freedom is unbelievably awesome!
Carry 10 pounds around with you one day and see how good it feels to lay it down at night! That is what God wants you to do with that fear or concern. Let. Him. Have. It.
Here is the prayer that Beth said at the conference that started this whole No Fear Friday idea. I would encourage you to replace all of the pronouns with YOUR NAME. I do this when I pray scripture. I either insert my own name or the person I am praying for. If you are having trust issues with the Lord, I think it will help you realize how personally He loves you.
All powerful, All glorious God,
Creator and sustainer of Heaven and Earth
The One who loves, us, calls us, and graces us
He who can do no wrong
And for whom NOTHING is impossible With everything in me this day
I intercede for my sister
This, Your beloved daughter
Set Your love so steadfastly upon her that she feels the beautiful weightiness of it. Stir up in her an unexplainable hunger for Your Presence and Your Word.
Be her prized portion, Lord Jesus.
Awaken anything that has died an unnecessary death in her.
Grant her tenderness toward You and compassion toward others.
Pluck out by the deepest roots anything in her life that YOU did not plant. Make Yourself noticeable TO her and make Yourself noticeable THROUGH her.
Build her into a REMARKABLE servant That impacts her entire family line. When Your ways are hidden from her, Flood her with the supernatural comfort Of her absolute unhiddenness with You.
Convince her to quit hiding the things that need the most healing. Be her stunning strength in weakness.
Lend her rapturous moments of exulting and dancing
Even in much tribulation.
Be the best thing that ever happened to her relationships Lord. Give her favor with You and with man. Miraculously birth within her a love for her enemies
And after her sacrificial love has come to full bloom, miraculously cause her enemies to be at peace with her.
Right now, Lord, even RIGHT NOW go to the depths of the darkness within her and dispel any hatred buried there.
Bring her dramatically into agreement with You
Over all her resentment and bitterness
And all claims to entitlement
And for whom NOTHING is impossible With everything in me this day
I intercede for my sister
This, Your beloved daughter
Set Your love so steadfastly upon her that she feels the beautiful weightiness of it. Stir up in her an unexplainable hunger for Your Presence and Your Word.
Be her prized portion, Lord Jesus.
Awaken anything that has died an unnecessary death in her.
Grant her tenderness toward You and compassion toward others.
Pluck out by the deepest roots anything in her life that YOU did not plant. Make Yourself noticeable TO her and make Yourself noticeable THROUGH her.
Build her into a REMARKABLE servant That impacts her entire family line. When Your ways are hidden from her, Flood her with the supernatural comfort Of her absolute unhiddenness with You.
Convince her to quit hiding the things that need the most healing. Be her stunning strength in weakness.
Lend her rapturous moments of exulting and dancing
Even in much tribulation.
Be the best thing that ever happened to her relationships Lord. Give her favor with You and with man. Miraculously birth within her a love for her enemies
And after her sacrificial love has come to full bloom, miraculously cause her enemies to be at peace with her.
Right now, Lord, even RIGHT NOW go to the depths of the darkness within her and dispel any hatred buried there.
Bring her dramatically into agreement with You
Over all her resentment and bitterness
And all claims to entitlement
Empower her to forsake her unforgiveness
and to forsake every grudge and destructive self-comfort. Fire her up in her a fury of spiritual giftedness
and enable her to do what is verifiably impossible for her.
Grant her great delight and true humility in serving others Slay every prejudice and fleshly partiality.
Whether or not she is gifted to speak or teach
Grant her the supernatural unction to clearly communicate Christ Touch her lips with coals from Your altar
And sanctify her to carry the Gospel into her sphere of influence. Give her eyes to see the invisible and the sacred in the simple.
Infuse her with a strong sense of purpose and
an undaunted appreciation of adventure. Make her intolerant of any area of personal bondage and urgent about her freedom.
Be her ever-loving Defender and Deliverer.
If she’s in a desert, bloom something stunning and obvious there.
If she’s drowning, plant the soles of her feet on the surface of the water. If she’s coldhearted, crack the shell around her heart and set her free to love. Reveal to her the root of her fears
Give her courage to forsake it
Then astonish her with a freedom that is not of this world.
Jesus, make her living proof.
Blow her faith wide open.
In closing, Lord, I speak Your all-glorious Name over her In all the weight and authority it carries.
I speak Jesus over her Spirit.
I speak Jesus over her heart.
I speak Jesus over her mind.
I speak Jesus over her physical body.
In obedience to Your Word, I have prayed by faith
and my willing sister has received by faith.
As You accomplish these divine works according to Your will and to Your purposeful timing,
Make her acutely aware that it is YOU.
Cause her to make her boasts in You alone.
And cause her with much amazement to behold the miracle within And say, “Who is this You are making me? Who is in this body of mine??” In Jesus’ wonder-working Name and matchless authority,
Amen and So Be It.
and to forsake every grudge and destructive self-comfort. Fire her up in her a fury of spiritual giftedness
and enable her to do what is verifiably impossible for her.
Grant her great delight and true humility in serving others Slay every prejudice and fleshly partiality.
Whether or not she is gifted to speak or teach
Grant her the supernatural unction to clearly communicate Christ Touch her lips with coals from Your altar
And sanctify her to carry the Gospel into her sphere of influence. Give her eyes to see the invisible and the sacred in the simple.
Infuse her with a strong sense of purpose and
an undaunted appreciation of adventure. Make her intolerant of any area of personal bondage and urgent about her freedom.
Be her ever-loving Defender and Deliverer.
If she’s in a desert, bloom something stunning and obvious there.
If she’s drowning, plant the soles of her feet on the surface of the water. If she’s coldhearted, crack the shell around her heart and set her free to love. Reveal to her the root of her fears
Give her courage to forsake it
Then astonish her with a freedom that is not of this world.
Jesus, make her living proof.
Blow her faith wide open.
In closing, Lord, I speak Your all-glorious Name over her In all the weight and authority it carries.
I speak Jesus over her Spirit.
I speak Jesus over her heart.
I speak Jesus over her mind.
I speak Jesus over her physical body.
In obedience to Your Word, I have prayed by faith
and my willing sister has received by faith.
As You accomplish these divine works according to Your will and to Your purposeful timing,
Make her acutely aware that it is YOU.
Cause her to make her boasts in You alone.
And cause her with much amazement to behold the miracle within And say, “Who is this You are making me? Who is in this body of mine??” In Jesus’ wonder-working Name and matchless authority,
Amen and So Be It.
© Beth Moore 2012
You must counteract the ways of the world with the ways of the Lord if you wish to overcome anything in your life. So I would also encourage you to head over to visit Karen at Bargain-ista because she is making the most beautiful printables of these verses and you will want to hang them everywhere.
You must counteract the ways of the world with the ways of the Lord if you wish to overcome anything in your life. So I would also encourage you to head over to visit Karen at Bargain-ista because she is making the most beautiful printables of these verses and you will want to hang them everywhere.
Always being renewed,
Please see the link party page to see where I link arms with those blissfully beautiful bloggers that host every week. So gracious they are along with these other sweet ladies!
Wow. I LOVE this post! I love that you say 3 or 4 positive things to counteract the one negative one. And Beth Moore's prayer brought me to tears. I love it and receive it for myself and for a friend was recently betrayed and who's suffering through unforgiveness now. I'm sending this link to her...and pray God's healing power in her life.
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