I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Peace Beyond Anxiety
Anxiety is an increasingly common experience in our world. Around the world there are rumors of war, or threats to safety and security. We experience high levels of conflict and change across cultures, and in our personal lives. We wonder about our safety, the security of our children, and what the future might look like.
And if we’re not careful, our thoughts can easily lead us into anxiety. We can be swept into the spiral of over-thinking and worry.
God tells us something different. He tells us to submit everything to Him in prayer. To submit something to God in prayer is to recognize that He is the creator and director of history, and He alone has the power to protect us and direct our lives.
If we’re careful to guard our thoughts and submit them to God, God says that He will give us His peace. The peace of God surpasses all of our understanding because it transcends our anxious and changing world.
Having God’s peace doesn’t mean that we won’t have times where we feel anxious. But even in the most anxious of times, we can rest in the assurance that God is with us, and He is more powerful than our anxiety. When we offer God our thoughts and circumstances, we allow Him to step in. We allow Him to transform the ways we think and act. We allow His peace to come and guard our hearts and minds.
The truth is, we don’t have the power to change our thoughts or circumstances—only God does. When we try to take control, we often worsen the spiral of anxiety and worry. But we don’t have to stay in that place. We can bring our concerns to God, and allow Him to give us His peace in return. Over time, we will discover that His peace has empowered us to think and act differently.
Every time you find yourself anxious, take a moment to pause and pray. Be honest with God and tell Him exactly how you’re feeling and thinking in that moment. Remember that God is always in control, and always present with you.
“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out...
God’s Rhythm to Bless Us
Humans have a complicated relationship with rules. Even as small children, we struggle to understand the “why” behind them.
Consider how parents teach children to brush their teeth, reminding them morning and night. That child might only appreciate the chore years later, as they grow into adults and experience expensive and uncomfortable dental work. It’s then that a dull tooth-brushing routine feels valuable. What a shift in perspective!
We weren’t made to serve a strict toothbrushing schedule, but toothbrushing was made to serve us to help maintain healthy teeth.
Jesus brings similar wisdom and perspective to the expectation of taking a regular day of rest (Sabbath). The Jews knew that God was insistent on Sabbath observance, but they almost thought of it as if it were a chore. Jesus reminds them that people weren’t made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was created for people by God to provide much-needed rest.
Sabbath rest is God’s rhythm to ...
