Need a Reminder?

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, But of those who have faith and preserve their souls. Hebrews 10:39

Although this verse may not be something you can relate to, it’s a reality and a promise that the writer of Hebrews is peaking into our lives. I tend to draw a comparison to the things of God that we experience in our daily life, but when it comes to the idea of preserving I draw a blank. After all what is there that we preserve that compares to the principle of “preserve our soul”? I suppose we all have things that are dear to us that we try to keep like our health, our possessions or even our relationships, but sooner or later all will be gone.

The idea of preserving our souls is one of investing into something that’s everlasting. The key ingredient to preserving the things that are everlasting is faith, it’s the one thing we have to insure that we don’t “shrink back”. To shrink back or fall away is a condition of those that lose faith or have weak faith. The purpose of a healthy devotional life and fellowship with believers is to serve as a reminder of what is true and encourage us not to be disheartened by the circumstances in life that appear to be bigger than the God we belong to.

It’s a good thing to stay healthy, maintain our personal belongings and have good relationships but if our foundations are built on these things and they are taken away we are in danger of backsliding or we go into default and return to the things of destruction for a quick fix. Paul tells us in 2^nd Corinthians 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day”. He goes on to say that “As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal”. So we are told that it’s what we can’t see that we should be aware of to strengthen us. In the 11^th chapter of Hebrews we’re told “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible”.

So when the burdens you are carrying seem too heavy and life becomes weary and you feel like you’re shrinking back, be reminded today that we serve a God who is “faithful” and deserving of our trust, He is the One who Ephesians 3:20 tells us, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Rob Russomano graduated from the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can email him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 72-73; Acts 26

Think About This: All the preaching in the world cannot make a man see the truth so long as his eyes are blinded. —C.H. Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Message 21: Stephen PART ONE

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.”  Acts 6:8 (ESV)

There is no doubt in my mind that, at times, there is a need to tell it like it is. Now in my own personal past I have let that need turn into catastrophe but I’m getting better at (I think). But there was one such fellow who’s “telling it like it is” mentality got him stoned to death (talk about a catastrophe) and that fellows name is Stephen. We meet Stephen in the 6^th chapter of The Book of Acts. He is picked to serve as one of the early churches first deacons and within no time in the chapter (vv9) he was debating on behalf of the recently crucified Savior we all know as Jesus Christ.  

Now we all remember Caiaphas, the high priest who prophetically condemned Jesus with his statement, “Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” (John 11:50) Whether Caiaphas liked it or not, it wasn’t the end nor was it going to be the end of “The Way”…it was just getting started and it was building up enough steam to drive an engine of faith that scared the father of lies himself, Satan. So what’s an evil boy to do but to try and twist fate?

Witness Lee would write “that Judaism had fallen into the hands of God’s enemy, Satan, and was being used by him to frustrate God’s move in His New Testament economy for the carrying out of His eternal purpose.” Now before we get all outta sorts with this let’s examine this. Jesus was making it clear that with all the legalism Judaism was practicing, its leader had become rather white-washed in His eyes.  Now I think the key word to bring up here is “vanity”. The religious leaders of that time thought themselves more highly then they ought to and when Jesus poked at it, it hurt (the next key word to bring up here) their “pride”.  And an overwhelming sense of “How dare you say that to me” welled up inside of them…especially Caiaphas.

So now here’s Stephen, closer to being an Apostle more than a deacon, going around doing good stuff for people (as Jesus would instruct all of us to do) and gaining a reputation for it. He is confronted by a bunch of guys who are from the Synagogue of the Freedmen and they can’t crack Stephen’s wisdom or cope with the Spirit that he was able to speak in. So what’s an evil group of wanna-be’s to do but to drag Stephen off to face…Caiaphas. Then an interesting parallel occurs. People are brought before the “Council” to give false witness against Stephen, just like what was done to Jesus. I can almost see Caiaphas roll his eyes in disgust that he has to seemingly deal with this again.

So what was Caiaphas really dealing with then? Was it crazy people who wanted to rebel against The Temple? NO!! Was a small group of people who just wanted attention (like our celebrities do today)? NO!! Was it The Romans? Eh…that’s a stretch but NO!! Caiaphas was dealing with something that only the Old Testament servants were chosen to receive and that was The Holy Spirit. Had Caiaphas given the words of Jesus Christ the chance to pierce his heart he would have understand how to guide a hurting people back to YHVH but his undealt with vanity, pride and jealousy kept his eyes rolling in disgust as Stephen reminded him of Israel’s folly and falling away.

Watchmen Nee wrote, “When the Holy Spirit falls upon God’s people there will be some things which the world cannot account for. There will be supernatural accompaniments of some kind though it be no more than an overwhelming sense of the divine Presence. We cannot and we must not stipulate what particular form such outward expressions will take in any given case, but one thing is sure, that each one upon whom the Spirit of God falls will unfailingly knew it.” Stephen had it…Caiaphas didn’t.

I hope you take a moment to study through the Acts of the Apostles because I think it is time that the 21^st century church take a look at its 1^st century roots and see what normal Christian living was all about. “And what was it all about Chris?” you might be asking. It was about Holy Spirit living, something I feel that my own life, at times, fails in portraying. Does yours? I pray we all get on our knees and receive that which Jesus freely gives…The Spirit Outpoured. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 70-71; Acts 24

Think About This: “By the time the average Christian gets his temperature up to normal, everybody thinks he has a fever.”—Watchmen Nee

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

To Stay Sharp, Let God Have His Way; And Live For Jesus Everyday

John 14:15; Proverbs 23:26; Deuteronomy 5:29; Luke 9:23-26

There is no grace in performance. We will never be able to perform enough good works to receive God’s love before we were saved or after we are saved (Romans 4:5). But IF we love Jesus we can express it by obeying His Commands (John 14:15).

A key danger of performance Christianity is a failure to nurture our inner self; we are always on. Part of this is due to the fear others would perceive us as ashamed to bear the cross or the bragging rights of how much we deny ourselves. This leads to measuring our spirituality by success, time on site, program participation, the praise of men, and, of course, prosperity and cash.

There is another side in Jesus statement to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him. To take up our cross carries with it the idea at some point we lay our cross down.

Why do we lay our cross down? Since the way of Jesus is the way of suffering, shame and even death, it requires renewal of commitment daily. To deny ourselves is not just about giving up things, it is about relinquishing personal control of our lives to God. To take up our cross is a considered daily choice to face rejection and even death. Consider the Coptic Christians recently slaughtered. To follow Jesus is to join the disciples world wide in fulfilling the great commission.

What do we do in the downtime? We approach our Strength (Psalm 59:17) asking for guidance as we consider our choice. Some of the questions we might ask are: Who is in control? In what ways have I experienced the heavy burden of trying to remain in control of my life? Which areas of my life am I reluctant to surrender to God?

We remember what Jesus said, “Simply put, if you are not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people and kiss it goodbye, you can’t be my disciple” (Luke 14:26MSG).

Will you join me taking up your cross as I take up mine today?

Today’s Affirmation:

I’ll Stay Sharp, I’ll Express My Love By Obeying Jesus Everyday As I Live The Way – Pastor Bob Wood is a disciple-maker and lover of Jesus. You can email him at Dgtbob@aol.com

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 68-69; Acts 24

Think About This: Future guidance always comes in terms of present obedience. George Murray

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Who is Qualified to Counsel?

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. (James 3:1)

The Greek word for teacher here is instructor, and counseling or counselors will instruct in some sort or fashion. This is strong language from James, of course inspired by the Holy Spirit. I’m convicted even as I write this post, however, challenging myself in God’s Word is worth more than looking like a good Christian.

It is obvious that James goes on and speaks so passionately about the controlling of the tongue and the behaviors of the saints through his book. God is calling me/you to be a doer, not just a hearer or like I say; repeaters of the Word. And that’s one of the first qualifications of the counselor, live a life that matches the counsel we offer.

But let me rewind the tape to what I believe is one of the most important qualification. A person must know personally, not academically, Jesus Christ as the Wonderful Counselor for himself or herself. We are simply people in need of Christ, serving people in need of Christ. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8) Let the love God have its way through us.

Many people love God, so should all of them be counselor? “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) A fellow colony grad would quote this verse to me frequently and I think it’s applicable here. A counselor, no matter what level your own, should handle the Word of God properly. Selah!

With knowing the truth, we must convey in such way that is pleasing to God. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15) As believers, as a whole, we are charged to communicate the gospel in a way that glorifies God and proves beneficial to others.

There are many other values and requirements that can be helpful for counselors, but I probably need to start with these few. Whether we like it or not we are all counselors, of some level, in the kingdom of God. God Bless! – Juan Mendez graduated from the Colony of Mercy and serves there as a Chaplain. You can email Juan at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 66-67; Acts 23:16-35

Think About This: The church is not a career path. It’s a place you go to give your life away. —Dave Harvey

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Anxiety Busters Part 2

Last week we started a dialog about anxiety and I am thankful for the men who wrote to share that they have been struggling in this area.

One thing that I learned in dealing with my anxiety is that you have to reprogram how you think.

Have you ever had a toothache? Did you notice that when you have a toothache and you start thinking about it, it will get’s worse. The pain even seems to intensify.

Proverbs 23:7 says that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he,” and that is so true. With anxiety the more you think about it, the more intense it gets.

My pastor/counselor/friend, shared with me that when I begin to have anxious thoughts, I need to immediately replace those thoughts with other thoughts – think about something different. For some of you, it may mean actually talking out loud with different thoughts.

The best thought busters are verses from God’s Word. So here are some more anxiety busters to add to your arsenal. When the anxiety comes, speak these out-loud and take those anxious thoughts captive:

I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comfort delights my soul. Psalm 94:19

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10 When you are anxious call on His name!

The Lord your God is in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Now may the Lord of peace HIMSELF give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

You won’t believe how this exercise will help you reprogram those anxious thoughts and give you peace. Allow the Lord to move you from fear to faith today.

How has the Lord helped you with your anxiety? I’d love to hear from you. – Bill Welte is President/CEO

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 63-65; Acts 23:1-15

Think About This: Over-thinking ruins you. Ruins the situation, twists things around, makes you worry, and just makes everything worse than it actually is.

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Therefore I will look to the Lord;I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Micah 7:7

Resting in Our New Past in Him

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. ~paul, Least of The Apostles, in Galatians

Oh beloved, it is true. We seem to have memories of our past that are true. But nothing could be further from the truth. We remember ourselves as better than we thought we were… We remember our failures like they disqualify us… We remember the ways we tried to do the right thing… We remember how badly we failed… We remember the times that so many things happened.

So much of what we did hurt so many people. Oh G_d. We raged against the machine of eternity. We were at enmity with the One who made that place as His habitation. Nothing we did worked. We only ruined and smashed things. And then we made the past even worse by believing it to be something better than we had made it. We minimized our sin. We glorified ourselves.

This fool of a writer has let so many people down in the past, that I am often surprised at the grace extended to me by anyone who knew me before The Truth set me free. Everything. Every. Little. Thing… Was about my comfort and setting other people up to make sure they behaved in such a way as to assure the same. However, to try and keep my sanity, I re-wrote the stories over and over again until I was somehow able to keep my stomach from flipping over the sickening truth. I was a failure.

Oh, I believed (in my astounding hubris) that I loved people. But really, I did not care whether anyone lived or died – as long as I could get the things into my eyes or ears or body that would take away the restless and bitter pain of my existence. Even my ex-wife and kids suffered as servants to my happiness.

And over the years, another sickness manifested itself in me. I would continually revamp the history (read my side of the story) to smooth over the past. And even into my years of freedom, the shadows of my rewrite tend to overshadow the reality of the pain i truly caused to others. Oh no, i was not a monster… Not any worse than any of you who are reading this entry actually.

I was the dad who had the good job and the nice house and the beautiful family. I sincerely wanted to be a good christian. I wanted to do my devotions every day, and take my family to church every weekend. I wanted to vote properly and stand against the rising tide of OTHERS failures within my society. Does this man sound familiar to you?

Obviously, all of this fell apart. Lies and liars always do. And simply wanting something is not ever enough to get it. Rather, the true master of my life (me) tore me apart, and left me bleeding out and dying in the mountains of Arizona some years ago.

But back to the truth of the matter now… None of the above happened to me. Oh yes, it really did occur. But the man who experienced all of this failure and caused all of this hurt on others – is now dead.

Really.

Can we see it? Look at the passage. The lies of the father of lies, and the lies of my now-dead old man (flesh) scream to try to both condemn the new man i am in Christ, and try to validate the self-driven, rule-bound efforts of my flesh in the past. All of this is a toxic brew designed to keep the new me from making any progress on the new path G_d has set before me.

However, there is a deeper Truth to all of this. i (and you, believer) no longer have a past. You and i know Him – now. And to know Him, is to be eternal. The old man has died. We no longer rage against eternity in some time-shackled struggle. The new man we are simply lives now, and in Love with Him.

But once we know this. Once we rest in our new past in Christ. Something happens. Everything begins to move in the right direction. There is no limitation of only the horrible past and angst about an unknown future. There is simply living and moving and having our being in Him. We live right now. And right now is the only place where things can get done. Right now is the only place where we can actually Love others with the Love with which He has forever Loved us.

So, are you struggling with your past? Do you know Him? If no, then call out to Jesus! Let Him set you free! If yes though, stop struggling. There is no past. There is only now. Walk free, right now, in Him. Tonight is your night beloved. Time to know that you live outside of time and in eternity with Him. – Makala Doulos is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is now serving as a teacher in China. You can email him at Makala@ps1611.org

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 54-56; Acts 21:1-17

Think About This: You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. ~Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10

Bygones be Bygones?

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.” Hebrews 10:35

It seems to me that it’s easier to preach what I believe when faced with adversity. It’s when someone draws a drastic contrast to what I believe that propels me in a defensive mode to stand for what I believe to be truth. I like that, I think the writer of Hebrews is telling his audience when the things of the Lord are being compromised we are to remain confident in what we believe in, take a stand for Truth.

The book of Hebrews is a letter to Hebrews who at one point made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ but have caved in to the peer pressure of not forsaking their traditions. It’s as if a default to a past way of life or what is being portrayed as freedom is the better way of thinking.

In verse 36 of chapter 10 we’re told “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise”. Endurance is another word for steadfast or patient, having faith that what is true is worth the wait. In a society where we get what we want even if we can’t afford it is an erosion of values that has creeped into our lives that serves to undermine the principle of earning a reward. We know that salvation is free but to experience the promises of God that comes to us through the Holy Spirit it take faith ahead of the promise. It’s not until I step out and as my buddy Keith says “get comfortable being uncomfortable” that I enter in to the benefits of what only God can give.

Do you want peace? Trust in God. Do you desire acceptance? Believe in His promises. Is it deliverance you are looking for? Step out of the mire and stand on the Rock. It doesn’t just happen, it comes with a confident faith that our God is sufficient to meet our needs. The writer goes on to say​“For yet a little while and He who is coming will come and will not tarry, now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him”. Wow, strong words, but words that should propel us to walk in such a way that when adversity hits, we stand for our God and His ways with confidence knowing that He who promises is faithful. So let bygones be bygones, move forward and blaze a trail of glory. Besides, I read the end of the book, WE WIN!!!  — Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can email him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 51-53; Acts 20:17-38

Think About This: Beware of no man more than yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.” Charles Spurgeon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10

ON THE OUTBREAK OF JOY

Mark 10:14; Matthew 18:2-5; Luke 18:16,17; Hebrews 12:3-17

Two-year-olds are the custodians of spontaneous joy. I work with two year old children in a group called MOPS.

We had a great time! We started off with a concert from the little hymnal called: “Oh Happy Day!” It is my view, if you have a captive audience, you should always sing to them! I have to admit the band was a little heavy on percussion!

Next we had a workshop on “Creating Your Own Bubbles Or A Bubble Is Not Just For Wall Street Any More”

This was followed by a reading of that famous horror story: Humpty Dumpty. There was a lesson to be learned. When you fall and become a broken egg let God transform you into an omelet.

Children need to know where the boundaries are. It makes them feel secure. Going over the boundary leads to the discipline of a timeout. But even the timeout needs to have within it the opportunity for choice. Each person is responsible for their emotions and how they use them. We tell the child: “When you feel you can play without fighting, you can get off the chair.” Sometimes the decision is short and sometimes it takes a while :-). The children need to see God as holy, loving and correcting because he loves them.

We then had a time of parallel play and a snack and then clean up. It made me laugh out loud when I was reminded little children are literal thinkers. I told them to “pile up the big blocks along the wall”. They heard “pile up the blocks” The result was a free-form art piece.

We Church members and parents need to make sure we provide spiritual training for our children. They need to receive Jesus and who will tell them if not us? It is too easy to let the spiritual be crowded out during the week, we must be intentional in this God-given responsibility.  We must equip our children because they are the future of the church.

I love those children, they are an investment in the future and I look forward to sharing joy with them.

Today’s  Affirmation: I’ll let the children see Jesus by my words and actions so they may come to Him. – Pastor Bob Wood is a lover of Jesus and has a prayer and discipling ministry. You can email him at Dgtbob@aol.com

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 49-50; Acts 20:1-16

Think About This: Jesus had every reason to be proud yet he was humble, and we have every reason to be humble yet we’re proud. —Burk Parsons

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10

Is Counseling a Ministry?

Have you ever had a situation where you were empty of sound advice, have you ever been in a place where you continued to use the same stable scriptures for counseling? Whether you are a counselor, layman or life coach, mentor etc, ask yourself is counseling a ministry?

One definition of ministry revolves around meeting people at the point of need. Obviously it gets confusing and conflicting to what people really need, what they think need, or even in this case, what the counselor’s assumptions of what they need. Counseling, in its basic form, helps individuals to find meaning and joy in life, as they become well mentally, emotionally, Spiritually; the Bible deals with physical wellness as well.

A counselor can provide advice; they can encourage, unpack past hurts, redefine their identity and the like. True Biblical counseling will challenge individuals to see their disobedience, and recognize what’s the true meaning of loving God. Jesus said if you love Me you will keep His commands.

This is how the Lexicon defines Isaiah 9:6 as Jesus; the Wonderful Counselor.

Counselor ya`ats  (yaw-ats’)

To advise; reflexively, to deliberate or resolve — advertise, take advice, advise (well),

consult, (give, take) counsel (-lor), determine, devise, guide, purpose. In addition, the Bible expresses the value of wise counsel and wise counselors all through the Old Testament.

The Holy Spirit is also our advocate, as He is the Counselor. “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. (Psalm 119:24) Jesus came to provide life and love, so in turn, people could live, serve, and love one another, this is eternal living, and counseling is about improving quality of life, while meeting the various essentials for the body, soul, and spirit.

“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2

Whether we believe or not, counseling is a ministry. I believe a question we will address next week is who is qualified to counsel. – Chaplain Juan Mendez serves at the Colony of Mercy as a full-time chaplain. He is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. You can email Juan at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 46 -48; Acts 19:21-41

Think About This: “We who believe have to wake up to the fact that the ministry to us of the Father and the Son through the Spirit has turned us into different people from what we were by nature. Our present task is, as it is sometimes put, to be what we are—to live out what God has wrought (worked) in us, expressing in action the new life (new vision, motivation, devotion, and sense of direction) that has now become ours. Or as Paul puts it, ‘Live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Eph. 4:1).

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10

Anxiety Busters

In the last several months, I have had numerous conversations with friends and family who are going through tough battles with anxiety. If you have never had to battle this in your life, you really don’t under the struggle that some brothers and sisters face.

There was a period in my life for about 12 years that I did battle with serious anxiety issues that led to panic attacks. It was a horrible time for me, first of all because at that time there really wasn’t much help available. The other issue was that many Christians were judgmental about anxiety so I ended up suffering alone.

My wife was a trooper through the whole process. My anxiety/panic attacks were so crippling at times, that I had a hard time driving alone. Jan had to spend many hours driving with me and coaching me through it.

I am very thankful that the Lord has helped me through this battle and for the past 18 years, I have been panic attack free. I have learned many lessons in the process, but the one major lesson that has helped the most is that when you are in the midst of this battle, you need to reprogram your mind.

A Christian counselor/friend shared with me that when you feel anxious or a panic attack coming on – immediately stop thinking about it and think about something else. Or better yet, start quoting Scripture to stop your anxious thoughts from running wild.

The Bible is filled with some powerful anxiety busters that you can use if you are struggling with anxiety or with panic attacks. Here are just a few that have helped me:

“For though we walk according to the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB)

“Be anxious for NOTHING, but in EVERTHING by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace that SURPASSES all comprehension, shall guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)

“Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (NASB)

“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the One who goes before you. He will not fail or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NASB)

“And the Lord, He it is that doth go before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you; fear not neither be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NASB)

Why not write these on a 3X5 card and carry them with you. Start memorizing them. When the anxious thoughts come – pull out your anxiety busters and declare the truth! You will be amazed at how this will help you.

I will talk more about this next week. If you would like to dialog with me about this, write me at bwelte@americaskeswick.org. – Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 43-45; Acts 19:1-20

Think About This: The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access. —Tim Keller

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10