Proverbs 20:5
The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. - Proverbs 20:5 Confusion is normal. Especially when life is chaotic, when things don’t feel right, when we face unmet expectations, experiencing some discombobulation in our hearts and minds is common. We are complex beings who exist as integrated bodies and souls. We are physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual, and each of these parts of who we are is tied to all the others. Our minds affect our hearts. Our bodies affect our minds. To complicate things even more,...
Read MoreDealing With Anxiety – Part 4
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. - Psalm 116:5-7 In my first post on dealing with anxiety, I wrote that anxiety is produced when one is faced with an upcoming event surrounded uncertainty and social pressure without an ability to cope with being unable to control life. Anxiety is, at its root, very much based on a sense of powerlessness that leads to anticipation of impending doom. The fear of anxiety comes from our...
Read MoreDealing With Anxiety – Part 3
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. - Psalm 116:5-7 Yesterday, I wrote that dealing with anxiety begins by letting God into the experience of fear, turmoil, and apprehension – not just asking Him to pull you from it. We must not wait for God to remove us from every trial and tribulation, but instead we have to “walk before the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 116:9). Here, in this world –...
Read MoreDealing With Anxiety – Part 2
The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. - Psalm 116:3 Anyone who has suffered the physical and emotional pains of anxiety can recognize his experience in these words of the psalmist. While these are certainly lines of poetry, they contain an acute accuracy nonetheless. I remember talking with a young woman who was going through a painful divorce that had brought on both depression and frequent panic attacks. She went to her doctor, a rather cold and impersonal woman, about the physical manifestations of her depression and...
Read MoreDealing with Anxiety – Part 1
I’ve battled anxiety my entire life. I can remember being in Kindergarten and having severe panic attacks. At some times, the anxiety is minimal, easily manageable and can even be dismissed by giving myself a good, stern talkin’ to. But there are other times when the anxiety is so great it seems to take over and have a life all of its own. “Anxiety is a sin.” I’ve said it myself, to myself and to others. And while I agree that at the root level anxiety and worry are forms of unbelief, I no longer find this to be a helpful thing to say to people. Yes,...
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