Alexanne

Author: Alexanne

  • The Power in Trusting the Lord

    Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint.

    Trust in God and let him renew your strength. We are not meant to walk alone.

  • Saved by Grace but Bound by Anxiety

    How to practically exchange anxiety for peace.

    In Matthew 6:34 Jesus says, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

    In Philippians 4:6 Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

    The anxiety battle is almost impossible to explain to someone who has never experienced it. They say things like “Oh don’t be anxious” or “You shouldn’t worry about that”. These comments only dismiss the very real struggle to find peace amid the chaos you feel. More often than not, comments like these only make you more anxious. Anxiety is more than being nervous or stressed. It’s deeper than worry. It’s paralyzing and can become a personal prison if you let it. That’s why I love what Paul writes. He expands on Jesus’ teaching of not being anxious. Jesus says why would you be anxious about things you don’t know? This makes so much sense to my brain, but my nervous system and emotions would beg to disagree. When I read what Paul says I feel like I get an idea of how I can fight this consuming battle with anxiety.

    Paul’s Advice to Exchange Anxiety for Peace

    1. Acknowledge the anxiety and decide to fight against it.
    2. Prayer-honest, open, vulnerable prayer. This can look like a dialogue with you and God or simply getting in a quiet room with worship music and your Bible listening for him to speak to you
    3. Supplication and thanksgiving-another word for supplication is petition. This step can look like this-“Lord, I know you have not called me to be anxious. You have not given me a spirit of fear. Please calm my mind and remind me of your goodness and joy. Thank you for who you are. Thank you for all you are doing in my life though it isn’t always clear to me. I love you.”
    4. Give your worries to the Lord-he is good and already knows the outcome. He desires to hear your frustrations, anxieties, and fears
    5. LET your requests be made known to God-I LOVE how Paul puts this. You have already acknowledged the feelings and asked the Lord to take them from you. You have thanked him. Now what does your heart desire instead of the anxiety? This causes you to dig deeper and establish the root of this anxiety. “God, I want to exist around others without worrying about if they like me.” “God, I want assurance that my sick family member will go to heaven if they don’t survive this.” “God, I want to know you are taking care of my wayward child when it is out of my control.” God wants you to turn to him. He wants to give you the desires of your heart. He wants to give you all his goodness has to offer. To receive these things from him, you have to open your heart to him. Let him know what it is you want. Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you
    6. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus-once you complete all of these steps, He gives you his peace. His peace is a peace that makes no sense. How beautiful: In exchange for anxiety that cannot be rationalized or explained, he gives peace that cannot be rationalized or explained. His peace is peace that withstands the midst of chaos because peace is not the lack of chaos, but the calmness and contentment in the midst of it. Only God can give us that.

    Anxiety is a spiritual battle. With any battle, if you sit idly by, you lose. You wither away, imprisoned in your own mind. The only way to fight a spiritual battle is with the Word of God. Paul’s steps are a great place to start and have aided me in my battle with anxiety many times. I have also found that reciting Psalm 23 out loud over and over helps me. I repeat it until my breathing and my heartbeat regulate. It’s allowed me to exchange anxiety for peace. Maybe it isn‘t Matthew 6:34 or Philippians 4:6 that resonate with you. Read the Bible and memorize a verse or passage that speaks to your anxiety. Pray it over your life. Let God give you his peace that passes all understanding.

    What helps ground you during an anxiety attack or panic attack?

  • Embracing Imperfection: The Importance of Community

    Why do we hide our struggles from other believers? Yes, there is a delicate balance between being transparent and over sharing. However, we are called to carry one another’s burdens. When we openly share about our walk and even our struggles we take the shame out of the mistakes. We let God use our weaknesses to reveal his power!

    2 Corinthians 12:9 says his power is made perfect in our weakness. We will mess up and we will sin, let it encourage other believers and even nonbelievers that:

    1. Sinning will happen even after Jesus and it is not the end of the world or the end of God’s gift of grace.

    2. We are meant to follow Jesus together and encourage one another. Just as you share and encourage someone, others will share and encourage you. I can promise you that you are not the only one who has experienced what you’re experiencing.

    3. Being Christian does not equal perfection, but it does provide hope in our imperfection. The very reason we are Christians is because we have acknowledged we need a savior. So if we believe that Christianity equals perfection, we go against the very foundation of our faith.

    4. We are the living proof, the walking example, to nonbelievers. If God can change me for the better, he can change you for the better too. He is greater than anything this earth has to offer. No one is worthy, yet he wants to know each of us and give us his gift of grace.

    So as you pursue the work the Lord has for you, walk with one another. Walk with someone. Allow iron to sharpen iron and live out your faith in Christ so sure of your identity and your hope that nonbelievers will see you and notice the difference in you and the hope in you because of Jesus in you.

    What does the next step of embracing imperfection look like for you?

  • By Grace Through Faith

    Ephesians 2:8-9

    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

    Friend, the battle has been won! Jesus conquered death so that we no longer have to strive to be in relationship with God. Stop sitting in shame and regret when it’s already been forgiven. The gift of God is eternal life and that life starts now! Stop wasting time stressing about who you were or who you will be. Rest in your Father and your creator, let him show you who you are. Love him and let him love you.

  • We are created to love and to be loved.

    Love is found in our creator Christ Jesus. We are loved by Him first. His love for us empowers us to love others as we are loved.