Psalms 147:11, “The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”
Fear for Christians is usually a negative word. Fear in this instance is respect. It comes from the root of the word. If you fear something you respect its ability to harm you, for instance a fire. Did you fear one or both of your parents when you were young? There is a healthy level of fear. One that keeps us safe from harm. But also, is giving honor to someone in control.
God is to be feared. He deserves our honor. We respect Him as our King, Our Lord and Master. The Lord delights in your placing Him in this esteemed place in your heart. Looking to Him for guidance. Unlike the fire, God has unfailing love. We cannot trust fire to keep us safe. God we can trust because He loves with no end. His unfailing love will keep us close, safe and will never let you down. Fear equals respect and God equals love.
It is storming outside, and your child is frightened. What do you say to calm their nerves at that moment? I know I would say, it’s okay mommy is here. Those words soothe those little hearts with big fears. Essentially, those words symbolize-I got you!
Isaiah 41:10, “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 right hand.”
Can you picture it? Climbing up in your Abba Father’s lap and hearing these words. Adulting is no fun. It is nice to be able to have someone bigger than you say-I got you! When the storms of life hit. Let God soothe your little heart with big fears. He will never be too busy. He will never push you away. He has you!
1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
This was written for the woman who feels like she has been in this place of suffering for far too long and may remain here forever. Girl, I get it! I have been in that very place. It is hard to be encouraged by anything. This verse was written for you.
God is a God of grace. You may wonder why He does not stop your suffering right now. I do not have that answer. What I do know is your pain is not in vain. You will not remain in this place if you put your trust in Jesus. I also know there is a reason. God is very purposeful in everything He does. He does not inflict the pain but will allow it for a while to create in us a refined version of who we were created to be.
This verse gives hope that it will not be forever. In a moment, God will say, that is enough. I love this part; He will restore you Himself. The God of the universe who loves you like no other, will snatch you from that pit and hold you close, restoring your soul. He will make the broken places fuse but leave the cracks. This is not because He lacks completion but instead knows your beauty will shine through your scars. Remember His do too.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12.
Have you been there? Have you ever wanted something so bad that every day without it felt like forever? I can remember when I was trying for a baby. I had bad baby fever. I knew it would take time. I knew it would come in God’s time. I also knew that for some they cannot get pregnant on their own so that thought loomed in the back of my mind as well. Each month, I would look for signs, get myself so skyed up and when my body did not produce results I sank in despair. I surprised myself how upset I could get after a brief encounter of hope.
I have shared this experience with promises of God. I did have faith. I put my whole being into the hope God’s promise gave. If anything popped up that made me think it would not happen then defeat overwhelmed me. It was exhausting. In time I learned that when God promises, He says it as it will happen today. To God time is irrelevant.
Abraham was so caught up in this cycle that after being told he would be a father at the ripe age of 86, he fell for a scheme his wife conjured up. God does not need our help. God will never forget His promise. It will happen. If tempted to make it happen on your own you might experience a mess like Abraham.
I learned to tuck these promises in my heart. I believe it will happen, but I let God be the one who works on it not me. I stay out of His way. I will live my life. I will wait for Him to bring the promise. Things are sweeter that way. I am no longer running myself ragged in the cycle of chasing defeat. I trust God.
Life happens. Crisis happens. Not it, but when it does happen, remember who you belong to. After the bottom falls out, it is time to reassess and get a battle plan together. A friend of mine had a great mantra for times just like this, “Jesus is still on the throne.” It was perfect for those defeating times. Remember, no matter what, Jesus is still King, and we belong to Him.
We have an enemy, one set out to destroy us. It can feel like you will never get ahead when you have someone constantly after you. If you relate to what I am saying then you, my dear, are doing something right. The enemy is hot on the tail of those who serve Jesus. The pew dwellers do not excite our enemy. He knows they will still be in the pew the next time he looks. It’s those Christians who are on fire for God that make the enemy shiver.
“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. He lies waiting for movement just like a predator in the wild. One of my favorite verses is, “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; for when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, Jesus will be my light.” Micah 7:8. This verse ignites a fire in my belly. It’s an anthem for those times of perceived defeat. As Christians we are never defeated! This verse is one to put in your toolbox for times such as these. No matter what this life throws at me-I SHALL RISE!!!
A counselor knows what he/she is doing so they will not judge you or ridicule your thought process.
You can be honest without concern for hurting others.
Talk therapy is part of the process. Counselors can offer other coping skills of which you might not have thought.
You may benefit from a few sessions or on-going for a while.
What you have learned can help with future problems.
Counselors can provide perspective our friends and family might not see.
Counseling is not for everyone. But it can be extremely helpful for most. Counseling gets a bad rap. The common misconception is “why do I want to tell a stranger my problems?” The truth is, a qualified stranger is a great choice for your problems.
When is a good time to seek counseling? If you have been advised from friends, family, or another profession, then it is a good time to consider. Other reasons you might consult a counselor would be:
Consuming thoughts that make it hard to concentrate or sleep.
If daily tasks are hard to manage due to your change in mood.
Feelings of anxiety, depression or guilt that will not go away.
Coping skills that are no longer working.
Work life or relationships are suffering due to your challenges to cope.
Compound or complicated grief.
Do not be afraid of counseling. It is not a label. We all need help from time to time. Counseling is a positive part of a good plan for better mental health.
Do you ever feel like you just cannot measure up? If you focus on the perfection of God, you can feel like you’re never good enough. Does God expect perfection from you?
He is a good, good father. As a father, He loves first and always. God looks at you through the eyes of a loving, caring and involved father. He leads by example. He accepts your imperfections and gives grace for the learning curve.
God provides clear boundaries and consistent discipline. You can rely on His standards to lead. And a soft place to fall when you fail. What does God expect of you?
God expects you to be honest. Love is most important. If you love God, you will make time for Him. If you love Him, you will respect. If you love Him, you will obey. Obedience is better than sacrifice in God’s eyes.
God does not expect perfection. Yet, He expects you to show up and share the love He has for you.
Trauma happens. Trauma is a “deeply distressing or disturbing experience”, according to Oxford Dictionary. What makes an experience traumatic is dependent on how the individual views the event. Examples of trauma are abandonment, abuse, neglect, accidents, death to name a few.
Below is a list of symptoms of trauma (list is not exhaustive):
Difficulty sleeping
Flashbacks
Anxiety
Overeating/eating disorders
Substance abuse
Poor decision making
Relationship issues
Poor job attendance
If you have unresolved issues from your past that are affecting you today, you may need to work through your trauma. Acknowledging the symptoms are related is a great start. It is not an excuse for bad behavior but is a reason for distorted mind sets that can cause negative results.
If you find yourself in these scenarios you might benefit from counseling.
Counseling can identify the cause or root of the issue. Symptoms may resolve within a few sessions or many depending on the severity.
A good counseling relationship will be one that you feel some relief after sessions. You will need to be honest and willing to try new things. The counselor should be someone you trust who has experience in trauma.
Sessions can be a mixture of talk therapy, activities, and suggestions for changing the mindset and healing. The goal in counseling is healing.
If you are interested in counseling Tara Powell Ministries offers reduced rate counseling or can refer you to someone.
Change your tomorrow today by contacting us at www.tarapowellministries.com.
A good Godly marriage involves three people. You read that right. You, your spouse, and the Lord. Marriage is a serious, lifelong commitment. I believe that couples who marry, intend for it to be a forever deal. Marriage is hard. The Lord is the glue that will not allow for separation even when the going gets tough.
Marriage is the combining of two imperfect people bringing all their baggage to the relationship. God can be the buffer. I would love to share with you a few valuable things I have learned the hard way I.
Commitment, the ties that bind, the vows you spoke to agree to stay together no matter what. These aren’t just words. They are actions…so commit yourself anew to them.
After the death of our son, we knew that the statistics increased exponentially that our marriage would not make it. For that reason, we set rules and dug our heels in.
The rules were put in place so that in the heat of the moment we would fight to stay together, not fight each other. When we fought, no one left. No one name called. No one threatened to leave. With these rules in place, there was respect even in the argument. No saying things you did not mean. And even when you were mad, you knew the goal was to resolve.
There is no teasing or alluding of flirting with others. We safeguard our marriage by not having relationships that require alone time with opposite sex. As innocent as it may start, we value our commitment enough not to get close.
Another thing we did was speaking truth and life into the marriage. Matthew 19:6, “What God has joined together let no man put asunder.” In addition, I would pray that I give my husband what he needs and that he would know what I needed. I asked God to intervene. To help us to love each other. I still pray that my husband feels loved and appreciated.
Let God be the tie breaker. Sometimes you can agree to disagree. I mean who cares if the toilet paper roll is over or under. On important matters, we will pray on it. If my husband wants to move forward with something, and I am uncomfortable, I ask him to pray about it. This transforms the situation into a matter of prayer instead of me against him. Our marriage is sacred, and we treat it that way.
