The Answer To Your Indecision

You’re so focused on this decision that it’s started to consume you. It’s constantly on your mind.  You spend much of your days and nights weighing the pros and cons of your options and still end up unsure.  Maybe your emotions are heavily involved and dictating the choice you’re leaning towards.  Or maybe you’d rather not make a decision at all because it’s just too hard.  Lord knows that I have been in both of these scenarios and when it comes to big decision making, the answer is this, change your focus.

You’re too caught up, too overwhelmed and too consumed by the choices in front of you to make a sound decision. So, rather than continue to focus on the situation and your options, focus on God.  He is the only one that truly knows the best choice for you. Stop trying to figure it out on your own when you have access to the spirit and Word of God that can and will guide you to making the right choice.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  All of the contemplating that you’re doing is the sheer essence of leaning on your own understanding. Stop! Instead, bring the situation to God in prayer and focus on His Word.  The more you get His Word on the inside of you the more clearly you will hear that still small voice guiding you in the direction that you should go.

Decision making encourages our growth in Christ. But in order to take advantage of those opportunities for growth we have to first realize that the decisions we face are not there for us to make them alone. They are there for us to utilize the readily available help that we have access to in Jesus Christ.  I’m not saying that it’s easy.  But as difficult as some of our choices may be we’d rather suffer through the decision making than trust and submit to the will of God. But why? Fear. We’re afraid that what we want for ourselves may not be God’s will for us.  It’s a trick of the enemy. DO NOT be afraid. God wants to give you His best, let Him. Submit to His will.   If you don’t get what you want it’s because He has something better.

Bottom line is this, change your focus. Stop stressing, worrying, and losing sleep about this decision you have to make. Take it to God. Tell Him that you’re trusting in Him to guide you in the direction you should go. And tell Him that despite what you may want, staying in His will is what’s most important because you know that the best life you can have only comes in lining up with His will.  Then, get in His Word, keep your focus there and watch what happens.

Joshua 1:8 – Mediate on the Word night and day. Then you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success.

5 Tips On Managing Stress

There are some days when we become so completely overwhelmed that we just want to go and hide until the day is over.  I think we have all felt like this at some point. Life just gets to be a bit too much and we long for a break from our own thoughts. 

Stress is the culprit. No doubt that the enemy loves this one. Nothing good happens when we’re stressed. We make bad decisions, our bodies suffer and so do the people around us. Here are a few things I try to do to help manage the onset of stress.

1. Change focus: Stress often activates in our minds when we focus on something we’re concerned about non stop. So, when I find that something in particular is weighing me down I do my best to change my focus to Holy Spirit. In the presence of Holy Spirit there is peace. 

2. Get some fresh air: Getting outside of any four walls can also help.  When you feel like you’re trapped in your thoughts and inside in general it can become overwhelming. Going for a walk or run outside in the fresh air can be very helpful.

3. Pray about it: Some people like to talk about their problems with friends or family. That can be beneficial but at some point, sooner rather than later, it’s best to take it to God in prayer. Tell Him how you’re feeling and what’s bothering you. Ask Him to guide you in your actions and trust Him. 

4. Change perspectives: Sometimes we get so caught up in our emotions we don’t stop to think that what we’re going through is providing a great opportunity for us to grow in Christ.  It may not seem ideal to us but, we learn to trust God on different levels with the trials we go through.  Constantly remind yourself that this is an opportunity to see God move in an amazing way. 

5. Laugh: My husband is a big help in this area for me. Sometimes I become so consumed that I just cry. Crying can be really good for the soul so don’t be afraid to let it out if you need to. But, while I’m crying he’ll hold me and break down what’s bothering me into little pieces. Suddenly it all becomes so trivial and we just start to laugh about it.  A good ole comedy could help put you in a good place too.

At the end of the day we are human! We’re going to get a little stressed every once in a while. Knowing that we are not alone no matter how alone we may sometimes feel is key.  It’s ok to have a moment but what we can’t do is allow that moment to turn into our every day.  What are some other things you like to do to help manage stress?

Tick Tock, Stop Looking At The Clock!

It’s so easy for us to get caught up in time.  We often feel like we have some much to accomplish in our time here on earth that sometimes we begin to obsess over the time we do or don’t have. We think about that degree we wanted to get but how much time it’s going to take away from our lives.  We think about that fact that we are getting a bit older and feel like we’re running out of time to get married or have children, or maybe we feel that we’re just too young to make those type of commitments. Time. We worry entirely too much about the tick tock of a clock we don’t control.

All of the time we spend worrying about time are ill focused energies.  We start the year off with these ill focused thoughts and energies saying things like, “If I don’t have get married or have a baby this year then it’s just not going to happen” not realizing that we’re speaking directly against our potential blessing.  It’s funny because although we know that God is almighty, for some reason we seem to think that we can put Him on a clock.  The blessings of God aren’t based on desires or needs, but on faith and obedience.

We have to stop spending so much of our energies focused on time and refocus those energies on Christ. That is where we will grow in patience, endurance and love gaining the spiritual maturity God wants us to have to truly embrace and appreciate the blessings he has for us.