Feelings Follow Our Thoughts

Feelings follow our thoughts

    like ducks follow their mother.  

                               - unknown

Feelings are not necessarily facts.  

Faith is not a feeling. 

Beware of SHANGER

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and

anger, brawling and slander,

along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another,

forgiving each other, just as in Christ

God forgave you.

                            ~ Ephesians 4:31-32

For the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword,

it penetrates even to dividing

soul and spirit, joints and marrow;

it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Nothing in all creation

is hidden from God's sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare

before the eyes of Him

to whom we must give account.

                            ~ Hebrews 4:12-13

Anger may become the go-to response 

  in reaction to the slightest arousal 

    of shame or thoughts and 

      feelings that might trigger it. 

This substitution of rage for shame 

  can became a habit 

    so that anytime one feels 

      humiliated, embarrassed, 

        or ridiculed 

      and their self-esteem takes a drop, 

    they use rage to cut off 

        these bad feelings.

Anger pushes away shame.

                        ~ Beverly Engel

The DO NOTS of the Bible

DO NOT fear

DO NOT be dismayed

DO NOT be terrified

DO NOT be discouraged

DO NOT be anxious about anything

DO NOT fret

DO NOT worry about tomorrow

DO NOT let your hearts be troubled

DO NOT be afraid

           ~Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:9, 

                 Philippians 4:6, Psalm 37:8,

                    Matthew 6:34, John 14:27

Glimmers of Grace

Glimmer:  a small moment of joy

Glimmers are small moments of joy or peace that arise from appreciating simple things.

A glimmer is a brief, everyday moment that can bring feelings of happiness, gratitude, or calm. Glimmers can be found in simple activities like observing nature. 

Glimmers are those tiny, seemingly insignificant moments when you feel a sense of joy, pleasure, peace, and gratitude. They're often catalyzed by simple, daily things.

Looking for glimmers is a mindfulness practice that encourages you to notice the good all around you. 

Keeping your eyes and mind open to find glimmers also helps you to stay in the present moment rather than worrying about the future or fretting over the past.

                                  - Newport Institute 

Life is made up of a million little glimmers -- small, seemingly ordinary glimpses of goodness that bring light into our everyday lives.

Glimmers are always there. They are gifts of grace.

These moments, small as they may seem, can help us feel safer and more grounded.

Psalm 34:8 -  "taste and see that the Lord is good" -- because when we do, we find refuge in the One who loves us and will never leave us. God is present in it all, beckoning us to experience goodness in everyday glimpses of grace.

Glimmers remind us that though the world may grow dark, we are safe and held in the loving arms of Christ.

The briefest glimmer can act as nudges to the depth of your soul that you are safe. That you are seen. And that you are loved -- right here, right now.

Inhale: Help me see You  

Exhale: In and around me

May glimmers light your path, helping you notice and name even the tiniest reflections of God's goodness in the days ahead.

                             - Kayla Craig

Focus Is The Only Thing We Can Control

Let your eyes look straight ahead,

    fix your gaze directly before you.

Make level paths for your feet

    and take only ways that are firm.

Do not swerve to the right or the left;

    keep your foot from evil.

                                - Proverbs 4:25-27

I will lead the blind by ways 

           they have not known, 

    along unfamiliar paths 

        I will guide them; 

I will turn the darkness into light

        before them

    and make the rough 

        places smooth. 

These are the things I will do; 

    I will not forsake them.

                                - Isaiah 42:16

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, 

    O God my Father

There is no shadow of 

    turning with Thee

Thou changest not, 

    Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been, 

    Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning 

    new mercies I see

All I have needed 

    Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, 

    Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and 

    springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars 

    in their courses above

Join with all nature 

    in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, 

    mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning 

    new mercies I see

All I have needed 

    Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, 

    Lord, unto me

Pardon for sin 

    and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence 

    to cheer and to guide

Strength for today and 

    bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine 

    with ten thousand beside

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning 

    new mercies I see

All I have needed 

    Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, 

    Lord, unto me

                           - William M. Runyan, 

                             Thomas O Chisholm

                             Eric Allyn Schrotenboer

Our Confidence is in The Lord

Our confidence is in the Lord,  

  the source of our salvation.  

Rest is found in him alone,  

  the author of creation.  

We will not fear the evil day,  

  because we have a refuge;  

in every circumstance we say,  

  'Our hope is built on Jesus.'

He is our fortress, 

  we will never be shaken;  

he is our fortress, 

  we will never be shaken.  

He is our fortress, 

  we will never be shaken;  

he is our fortress, 

  we will never be shaken.

We will put our trust in God.  

We will put our trust in God.

                               - Noel Richards

Following the Shepherd

Today is mine.

Tomorrow is none of my business.

If I peer anxiously into 

    the fog of the future,

I will strain my spiritual eyes

    so I will not see clearly

        what is required of me now.

                             - Elisabeth Elliot

We may bring any difficult situation

    to our Heavenly Father,

laying it before His eyes,

    and asking not for instant escape

but for strength to sustain 

    the burden and to do 

        what we ought to do.

                             - Elisabeth Elliot

It is not for the flock of sheep to know 

    the pasture the Shepherd 

        has in mind. 

It is for them to simply 

    follow Him.

                             - Elisabeth Elliot

The Burden of Tomorrow

Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear

The burden of to-morrow?

Sufficient for to-day, its care,

Its evil and its sorrow;

God imparteth by the way

Strength sufficient for the day.

                                 - J. E. Saxby

No person ever sank 

  under the burden of the day. 

It is when tomorrow’s burden 

  is added to the burden of today

    that the weight is more 

       than a person can bear. 

Never load yourselves so, my friends. 

  if you find yourselves so loaded,

    at least remember this: 

      it is your own doing, not God’s. 

He begs you to leave 

    the future to Him,

       and mind the present. 

                                  - George MacDonald

Many things about tomorrow,

I don't seem to understand;

But I know Who hold tomorrow,

And I know Who holds my hand.

                             - Ira Forest Stanphill

To take on the burdens of tomorrow 

    is to sap the strength needed 

to carry out the work 

    assigned for today.

                              - Elisabeth Elliot 

Duties To God

If content and thankfulness, 

  if the patient bearing of evil, 

    be duties to God, 

they are the duties of every day,

  and in every circumstance 

    of our life. 

If we are to follow Christ, 

  it must be in our common way 

    of spending every day.

                                  ~ William Law

Where Is Your Focus?

Focus is the only thing we can control.

                         - Scott Turansky

Many believers gaze at their problems and

        glance at the Lord. 

We need to gaze at the Lord and 

       glance at our problems.

                 - quoted by Joni Earekson Tada

When we are blind-sided: 

* Focus on the cause of the anxiety 

    (becomes a magnet) 

            or 

* Focus on God 

    (when you take your focus off God, 

        you will be thrown off balance) 

                         - Charles Stanley

Embracing God’s Peace Through Life’s Storms

Even in the mundane details 

    of life,

God is actively working 

    on our behalf. 

Learning to trust and rest 

  in God's promises in stormy seasons

    is a continual process.

It's not a one-time decision, 

  but a daily practice of 

    shifting our focus from 

      our problems to His promises. 

Life is full of twists and turns, 

  and our initial reactions might be 

    fear or anxiety.

Conversation with God

*

Regularly talking to God 

  about our concerns and desires 

helps shift our focus from 

  our problems to His provision.

Open, honest communication 

  with God allows us to 

lay our burdens at His feet 

  and trust in His plan.

Scripture Meditation

*

Holding onto Scriptures 

  provides a pathway to 

    peace and trust. 

Meditating on His promises 

  helps to realign our thoughts 

    with God's truth.

Rest in His Presence

*

Practicing stillness 

  and acknowledging God's 

    complete control 

helps to cultivate a peaceful mindset 

  despite troubling circumstances. 

Psalm 46:10 

  "Be still, and know that I am God."

This truth helps us center our hearts 

  and minds on God's sovereignty.

When we remember 

  His past faithfulness, 

it strengthens our faith 

  for present and future challenges.

 

                            - Esther Hephzibah

Beware the Crosses of Anxious Foreboding

Fenelon 1651-1715

The crosses of the present moment always bring their own special grace and consequent comfort with them; we see the hand of God in them when it is laid upon us. 

But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen out of the dispensation of God. We see them without the grace to bear them; we see them indeed through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. So, everything in them is bitter and unendurable; all seems dark and helpless. 

Let us throw self aside. Tolerate no more self-interest, and then God's will, unfolding in every moment in everything, will console us also every moment for all that He shall do around us, or within us, for our discipline.

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The crosses which we make for ourselves by a restless anxiety as to the future, are not crosses which come from God. We show want of faith in Him by our false wisdom, wishing to forestall His arrangements, and struggling to supplement His Providence by our own providence. The future is not yet ours; perhaps it never will be. If it comes, it may come wholly different from what we have foreseen. Let us shut our eyes, then, to that which God hides from us, and keeps in reserve in the treasures of His deep counsels. Let us worship without seeing; let us be silent; let us abide in peace.

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Let us then think only of the present, and not even permit our minds to wander with curiosity into the future. This future is not yet ours; perhaps it will never be. It is exposing ourselves to temptation to wish to anticipate God, and to prepare ourselves for things which He may not destine for us. If such things should come to pass, He will give us light and strength according to the need. Why should we desire to meet difficulties prematurely, when we have neither strength or light as yet provided for them? Let us give heed to the present, whose duties are pressing. It is fidelity to the present which prepares us for fidelity in the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Henrietta Louisa Sidney Lear

Offer Up Your Thoughts 

A constant anticipation of evil which perhaps never will come, a foreboding which takes away life and energy from the present, will simply hinder and cloud the soul, and make it timid and sad. 

If troublous thoughts as to the future will press, darkening a bright present, or hurrying on coming clouds, the safest thing is to offer them continually as they arise to God, offering too the future which they contemplate, and asking for grace to concentrate our energies on the immediate duties surrounding us. 

Many have dreaded troubles which they thought must come; and while they went on ever expecting to make the turn in their path which was to open out fully to the evil, lo!, they found that they had reached the journey's end and were at the haven where they would be.

The DO NOTs of the Bible

DO NOT fear
DO NOT be dismayed
DO NOT be terrified
DO NOT be discouraged
DO NOT be anxious about anything
DO NOT fret
DO NOT worry about tomorrow
DO NOT let your hearts be troubled
DO NOT be afraid

       ~ Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:9, Philippians 4:6,  
               Psalm 37:8, Matthew 6:34, John 14:27 
 

The Invisible Hand

If you don’t see the hand of God 

   even in the smallest setbacks 

       and inconveniences,

you will be blind to the meaning 

   that God wants you to find

       in your deeper suffering.

                                  - Elisabeth Elliot

Even Through This?

Will you still Follow Me

    even through this?

Will you still Trust Me

    even through this?

Will you still Love Me

    even through this?  

ISAIAH 42:16

“I will lead the blind 

    by ways they have not known,

    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them

    and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do;

    I will not forsake them.”

Sovereign

Sovereign in the mountain air  

Sovereign on the ocean floor  

With me in the calm  

With me in the storm  

Sovereign in my greatest joy  

Sovereign in my deepest cry  

With me in the dark  

With me at the dawn  

  

In your everlasting arms  

All the pieces of my life  

From beginning to the end  

I can trust you  

In your never failing love  

You work everything for good  

God whatever comes my way  

I will trust you

                                   - Chris Tomlin

Where Is Your Focus?

When You are Blindsided:

Focus on the cause 

    of the anxiety

                            (becomes a magnet)

               OR

Focus on God

     (when you take your focus off God,

          you will be thrown off balance)

1.  Recognize your dependency 

            upon God

2.  Develop a strong prayer life

3.  Have faith in God

4.  Focus your attention upon God 

           and not the anxiety

We are not made to be adequate.

Anxiety is the enemy of 

    the peace of God.

We can’t have unshakable peace

    until we are tested and tested.

                                       – Charles Stanley

Gateway To Joy

Every experience in life,
    even the most unpleasant, 

        if offered to Jesus,

            can become a 

                Gateway to Joy.

                                     - Elisabeth Elliot 

Every experience that God 

    allows to happen to us, 

that God gives to us 

    as the bountiful gifts 

      of his love and his mercy 

         and his grace;

Every single experience 

    without exception

         can be a Gateway to Joy

IF we Accept it from His hands,

    Thank Him for it,

         and Offer it Back to Him.

                                     - Elisabeth Elliot 

When a thing cuts across

    our natural desires,

        see in it A Chance to Die. 

                                 - Amy Carmichael

Calm My Anxious Heart

Out Part

Do not be anxious about anything,

  but in every situation, by 

    prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, 

present your requests to God.

God’s Part

And the peace of God, 

which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds 

in Christ Jesus.

                                   - Philippians 4:6-7

Free From The Cords

The LORD is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.

                                   - Psalm 129:4

Gratitude and Acceptance

Gratitude springs from acceptance

  of the gifts, the conditions

    and the circumstances

      that God gives us.

                             - Elisabeth Elliott

Give thanks in all circumstances, 

  for this is God’s will for you 

    in Christ Jesus.

                        - 1 Thessalonians  5:18

Mud Or Stars?

Two people looked

    through prison bars;

One saw mud,

    the other saw stars.

 

                               - Unknown 

Focus is the only thing 

    you can control.

                              - Scott Turansky

The Sure Foundation Even To The End

He will be the sure foundation 

    for your times. 

                                           - Isaiah 33:6

This God is our God 

    forever and ever;

He will be our guide

    even to the end.

                                           - Psalm 48:14

Have Thine Own Way Lord

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!   

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.   

Mold me and make me after thy will,   

while I am waiting, yielded and still. 

  

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!   

Search me and try me, Savior today!   

Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now,   

as in thy presence humbly I bow. 

Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!   

Wounded and weary, help me I pray!   

Power, all power, surely is thine!   

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine! 

                       - Adelaide A. Pollard