Anxiety and Worry

Anxiety and Worry are both attacks on the mind intended to distract us from serving the Lord. The enemy also uses both of these torments to press our faith down, so it cannot rise up and help us live in victory. Some people have such a problem with worry that it might even be an addiction. If they do not have something of their own to worry about, they'll worry over someone else's situation. If you constantly worry about something, you'll never enjoy the peace that Jesus died for you to have. It is absolutely impossible to worry and live in peace at the same time. Peace is not something that can be put on a person; it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and fruit is the result of abiding in the vine (John 15:4). Abiding relates to entering the "rest of God" spoken of in Hebrews 4 as well as other places in the bible. There are several words in the Bible that refer to worry, depending on what translation you are reading: words like "fret not", "take no thought", "be careful for nothing", "cast all your cares"..etc. Webster's dictionary defines worry as: to feel uneasy or troubled, to cause to feel anxious, distressed, a source of nagging concern, to torment oneself with disturbing thoughts. One definition that really hit home for me: to seize by the throat with teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another, or to harass by repeated biting and snapping!!! Now, this is definitely an attack from Satan upon the mind. There are certain things the believer is instructed to do with the mind, and the enemy wants to make sure that they are never done. So the intention is to keep the mental arena busy enough with the wrong kinds of thinking so that the mind never gets around to being used for the purpose for which God designed it. Worry certainly never makes anything better, so why not give it up? When worry comes, speak the Word of God out of your mouth. It is a two-edged sword that must be wielded against the enemy (Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17). God has given us His word, use it! Counter the enemy's attacks with the same weapon that Jesus used: THE WORD!

Atmosphere

As women, we ought to be diligent in maintaining a life of holiness and righteousness. We will not be perfect, but we can give 110% towards it. In everything we think, say or do; we need to be led by the Holy Spirit. We need to be careful that we do not create an atmosphere that will cause us to fall into any form of temptation. Temptation is defined as the act of tempting; enticement or allurement; something that tempts, entices, or allures; the fact or state of being tempted, especially to evil; a cause or occassion of enticement. Temptation comes to distract you, and to cause you to fall off. If we choose to entertain it, it'll destroy us. It'll change everything, get you off course, and move you further and further away from your destiny. The bible tells us in Luke 4:13 that after the devil tempted Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. That tells me that the devil is not capable of creating a temptous situation for us, but he is however waiting and hoping that we will, so he can in fact tempt us. The enemy does not have any power over us. He can only tap into a condition that he is allowed into. Righteousness is a way of life, a choice in living, a decision for your lifestyle. If you decide to do it, you'll continue to strive towards it!

Writing as a skill

As a writer, I often go through periods where I don't write anything. Sometimes I want to write, but I lack the inspiration. Sometimes I have nothing to write about, so I do a lot of reading instead. And then, sometimes I feel hopeless because I have not written anything in a little while. BUT, then I remind myself that these are all regular emotional ups and downs of any writer. I have found though (with age, I guess), that writing all the time does not validate you as a writer. It certainly is a plus, but not THE plus! On the contrary, the "dry spells" that we experience are a part of the creative process. Of course when you start writing, it is exciting to keep doing it but the test is when you cannot or when you will not or when you do not want to write. Writing is a lifetime skill. Once a writer, I believe, is always a writer. How often you do it, will depend on where you are (emotionally), what you see (physically/spiritually), and your state of mind (mentally).

Dealing with a LET-GO

Have you ever been faced with a situation where you had to make a difficult decision that was going to affect you/your family/your loved ones and/or your future? Have you ever had to let someone go OR have you found yourself a result or the product of a let-go? I've been there a few times but I just had another revisit. I just recently had to face a very tough decision like that (of letting someone go) and although it was hard, it was well needed. In fact, I felt a huge burden released off my shoulder because without my knowledge, I had been emotionally abused by this for years and had been completely blind to it (in this particular situation, that is). It took me until maybe a few weeks ago to see that this abuse had been a huge stronghold in my life. I had no idea that there was still some of that going on in me. But I thank God that He is faithful to bring it to the surface and graceful to show me an exit plan. Letting someone go or being a product of a let go is just not something that is tackled in the natural. You also NEED to apply a spiritual seal to your natural decision. Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The spiritual seal is not to physically remove you from that situation/person but it is to emotionally seperate you from its effects and dangers. It also prepares you for the natural encounter with the person involved or the conditions around it. Know that every battle you face is not yours, but the Lord's. You are not alone in this. If you try to conquer what I like to call mulitple tiny demons, by yourself, it'll eat you up and make your physically and emotionally sick. Realize that you are a spiritual being, working with the Holy Spirit inside of you; therefore, let God fight your battles. Let your daddy handle it! Letting a negative person/situation go is a healthy process but go a step further and put on your spiritual armor so you can be ready for the natural encounter! Pray for me, as I pray for you on this one...cos you know its not gonna be easy! :)

Walking in Alignment

Purpose: Our conduct being pleasing to the Lord Observation: Watching for distractions, obstacles and assaults Balance: Going forward with discernment and determination Action: Step by step, decision by decision, choice by choice DEFINITION: What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? It is walking spiritually with purpose, observation, balance and action. It is keeping our eyes upward and winning the tug of war to be led by the Holy Spirit rather than allowing our soul to rule over our choices and decision. It is a process of our souls learning to relinquish control and let God take charge of our lives. Always remembering, that we are His work in process! Some things that may cause our souls to want to rule over our choices and decisions are:

• Desperation
• Discouragement
• Fear
• Pride
• Being in the wrong relationship
• Being in covenant with a person that is unequally yolked
• Our own insecurities
• Control
• Having someone else think for us
• etc....

REASON: Why do we walk in the Spirit? It allows us to experience intimacy with the Lord, which releases His power in our lives so that we can fulfil our destiny in Christ - Jeremiah 29:11. There are certain things that can deprive us from this:

• Fear
• Self
• Comparison i.e. we compare ourselves with others
• Pride
• The lack of .....
• etc...

APPLICATION: How do we walk in the Spirit? We walk daily, watchful and vigilant, step by step, listening for His voice with purpose and thanksgiving; therefore, choosing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of the desires of our flesh. Some choices that we have to make in order to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit are:

• Restraining ourselves
• Self-Control
• Choosing to overcome

Ladies, know that each step we take and make are small beginnings to greater things in life. If we choose to make the step, God will meet our feet. _____________________________________ RSVP to arighteouswoman@ymail.com if you'll be joining us for the May 8th outing. More information to follow.

Bank Account

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. ‘I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. ‘Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied. ‘Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away… Just for this time in my life.’ Getting older is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank as I am still depositing. 'Remember these five simple rules to staying happy:1) Free your heart from hatred, 2) Free your mind from worries, 3) Live simply 4) Give more, 5) Expect less..

Get Ready!!

This morning (Monday, April 5th) I woke up well before the time I set on my alarm, from a vision the Lord showed of me preaching a message of salvation. A message I honestly wish I had this past weekend! There was this fire in me as I laid there waking from my sleep, still seeing myself before a crowd and at my co-workers desks with the message "Where will you spend eternity?", tied in with a theme related to life insurance. Nothing fancy, but every word and scripture just dropped from my mouth with a confidence, passion, power and sense of urgency to those before me. Something changed in my faith and confidence this weekend. Perhaps what began in me over the last month with Helen and now my grandfather passing, met a breaking point through serving this weekend to GET READY! An opportunity I believe was a set up from God, from the moment I said "sure I'll help" when asked by Pastor Patrick, my first Sunday back after Helen's passing. Never realizing that God was up to something until last Wednesday when Pastor David asked me to share with his class about the play... since I was participating in "a big role". Big role? Me? No, I'm just "helping out" is what I was thinking (apparently my comfort zone word). Yes, my mind did emerge from the fog when initially asked to realize it was an important role, but BIG...wow, a change in words put it in perspective. Salvation is BIG! Leading people to Christ is why we live. I don't have to feel you in on the details! But you trusting me, supporting me, stretching me, pouring into me, being patient with me, praying for me, believing in me, encouraging me, all did something in me. There's a healing taking place in me that I can't even put my finger on. There's a boldness rising in me, preparing me to be ready at all times. There's a new level of personal commitment to Christ that I received from this weekends Beautiful Cross Ministry. The anointing from the play was so great! I don't know how many people where saved, healed, recommitted or delivered this weekend. But I do know this...by the grace of God and His power in me and you, many more will be! Through Shiloh and the commitment I woke up to this morning. I believe He has released a grace for me to touch the nations in a powerful way with the gospel of Jesus Christ; starting now, in my everyday life. I pray His message of triumph will resonate boldly through my life, my faith, my words and my deeds. Thank you! Posted by RW - Treva

Be Suspicious of Suspicion

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person – 1 Corinthians 13:7 I can honestly say that obedience to this Scripture has always been a challenge for me. I was brought up to be suspicious. I was actually taught to distrust everyone, especially if they pretended to be nice, because they must want something. In addition to being taught to be suspicious of others and their motives, I had several very disappointing experiences with people, not only before I became an active Christian, but afterwards as well. Meditating on the components of love and realizing that love always believes the best has helped me greatly to develop a new mindset. When your mind has been poisoned, or when Satan has gained strongholds in your mind, it has to be renewed according to God’s Word. This is done by learning the Word and meditating (pondering, muttering to yourself, thinking on it) We have the wonderful Holy Spirit in us to remind us when our thoughts are going in the wrong direction. God does this for me when I am having suspicious thoughts instead of loving thoughts. The natural man thinks, “If I trust people, I’ll be taken advantage of.” Perhaps, but the benefits will far outweigh any negative experiences. Trust and faith bring joy to life and help relationships grow to their maximum potential. Suspicion cripples an entire relationship and usually destroys it The bottom line is this – God’s ways work; man’s ways don’t. God condemns judgment, criticism and suspicion, and so should we. Love what God loves and hate what He hates. Allow what He allows and disallow what He disallows. A balanced attitude is always the best policy. That doesn’t mean that we are not to use wisdom and discernment in our dealings with others. We don’t have to throw open our life to everyone we meet, giving every person we encounter a chance to crush us. On the other hand, we don’t have to look at everyone with a negative, suspicious eye, always expecting to be taken advantage of by others. Trust God completely and man discreetly! Extracts from “Battlefield of the mind” by Joyce Meyer

Sometimes I wonder

Sometimes it’s hard to say how you feel And then it’s tough to explain what you really feel Is just plain simple But there comes a time when all you can do is say it; just how it is The dangers of being this open is that the other person sees you for whom you truly are The benefit of the matter is that you are released off the burden What’s more important anyway? Your honesty or their state of shock! Both play an important role and it’s necessary to experience both The way I see it There is a strength and a weakness in both Thought brings forth action Action brings forth fruit Just as long as the thought process is sorted out and the activity of the issue is practically practical It is a rollercoaster ride, I’ve heard some say It swirls & turns & twists & spins The kind of ride that makes your insides turn The kind of ride that brings forth freedom!