Category Archives: Problems

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Managing Holiday Anxiety: 10 Tips Staying Calm and Enjoying The Season…

Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

The holiday season, often associated with joy and celebration, can also bring about stress and anxiety for many individuals. With the hustle and bustle of shopping, social gatherings, and expectations, it’s common to feel overwhelmed. However, it’s important to take proactive steps to manage and minimize holiday anxiety to ensure a more enjoyable and peaceful season.

  1. Acknowledge Your Feelings:

Acknowledge that it’s okay to feel anxious or stressed during this time. The pressure to create perfect moments or meet unrealistic expectations can add to these feelings. Recognizing and accepting these emotions is the first step in addressing them.

  1. Set Realistic Expectations:

Avoid setting overly high expectations for yourself, others or the holidays. Understand that perfection is unattainable, and it’s okay if everything doesn’t go exactly as planned. Embrace imperfections and focus on the joy of the moment rather than aiming for flawless celebrations.

  1. Plan and Prioritize:

Create a manageable plan for the holiday season. List the tasks that need to be accomplished and prioritize them based on importance. Breaking down tasks into smaller, achievable steps can help prevent feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the season.

  1. Practice Self-Care:

Amidst the chaos, prioritize self-care. Ensure you get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, read spiritual literature and practice relaxation techniques such as prayer, meditation or deep breathing. Taking care of your spiritual, physical and mental well-being can significantly reduce feelings of anxiety.

  1. Set Boundaries:

Learn to say ‘no’ when necessary. It’s okay to decline invitations or requests that may add unnecessary stress to your life. Setting boundaries protects your mental and emotional health, allowing you to enjoy the holidays more fully.

  1. Focus on Meaningful Moments:

Redirect your focus from material aspects to meaningful experiences. Spend quality time with loved ones, engage in activities that bring joy, and participate in volunteering or acts of kindness. Connecting with others and giving back can add a deeper sense of fulfillment during the holidays.

  1. Budget Wisely:

Financial stress is a common trigger during the holidays. Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Consider alternatives to expensive gifts, such as homemade presents or organizing gift exchanges to reduce financial strain. Remember, it’s the thought that counts!

  1. Seek Support:

Don’t hesitate to seek support from friends, family, or a professional if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes sharing your feelings or seeking guidance can provide valuable perspective and alleviate anxiety. Every now and then, everyone needs to unload their truck!

  1. Reflect and Appreciate:

Take time to reflect on the positives of the holiday season. Practice gratitude for the moments, experiences, and people in your life. Gratitude can shift your focus from stressors to appreciation, fostering a more positive mindset.

  1. Enjoy Yourself!

In conclusion, while holiday anxiety is common, it’s possible to manage it effectively by setting realistic expectations, prioritizing self-care, focusing on meaningful moments, and seeking support when needed. By incorporating these strategies, you can navigate the holiday season with greater calmness, allowing yourself to truly enjoy the festive spirit and the real reason for the season.

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Demons Are Real!

There are demons everywhere, but not everything and everyone that gets accused of being a demon is a demon. And just like there are demons all around, there are also angels. We are surrounded by spiritual warfare that many times we have no idea that is being waged all around us. Many times, we are caught up and right in the middle of it, but we are never alone and God and His power is with us always.

Demons are bullies and their goal is to do anything they can to disrupt your being able to grow and become all that God created you to be. Our best understanding of demons is that they are fallen angles that rebelled against God. They have been defeated, are defeated and will be defeated. They only real power they have is the power that we allow them to have and we don’t have to allow them any power.

If we are spiritual and growing to become all that we can and should be in God and His power, then most demons will not won’t anything to do with us, because yielded to God, we are more trouble to them than we are worth in their estimation. Whenever Jesus was around, the demons just wanted to be left alone, because they knew the authority and power that He had and that He knew how to use it.

33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. -Luke 4:33-35

You are a child of God and God loves you no matter what. Receive God’s forgiveness, love and restoration. Allow His power to flow to and through your life and enjoy the supernatural victory you have been created for…

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Take A Joy Pill And Call Me In The Morning!

We live in some of the most uncertain times that we have ever lived in. We have no idea what the economy is going to do? There is the continual threat of another pandemic and the same ole, same ole, general stress of working hard everyday and paying bills.

It is very easy to get distracted by all that is wrong and miss out on what is right. And if we stop to think about it for just a minute, there is a lot that is right. We need to be careful not to miss the joy of today, because we won’t let go of yesterday or because we are worried about tomorrow.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:4-7

Anxiousness has a way of eating up our minutes and before we know it, we’ve lost hours and then, if we are not careful we have wasted another day. The best way I know to not waste a moment is to be grateful for it. I have found that gratitude creates a space and place where the “joy of the Lord is my strength!”

The Anxiousness Antidote Is Joy!

In Philippians 4:4 we are told to “Rejoice in the Lord always” which means that we are to have joy in the good and the bad, in the ups and the downs of life. We have joy not because everything is going the way we want it to, but because we have a relationship with the One, Who created us and we know that He uses all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

The Scriptures goes on to say: “Again I will say, REJOICE!” It’s Repeated For A Reason and the reason is that we often need reminding to shift gears and pull out of misery and heartbreak and pull into blessing and favor.

We don’t need to deny our feelings. It’s okay to feel your feelings. In fact, I believe it is very necessary to feel them. I think it is very important to feel them and process them, learn from them, grow from them and then move beyond them to the something better that we were created for. We need to process our feelings in light of the relationship we have with God our Creator. In other words: I feel what I feel, but God loves me and has a plan to bless my life, so I have the power to choose what I focus on, so I feel it and move onto the something better I was created for.

There are times when it seems that nothing is working right. We can’t ignore these times and hope they will go away. Instead, we need to acknowledge that circumstances aren’t good, but God is. When we take the time to make this acknowledgement, we are shifting physical, mental and spiritual gears and we cant help but to be filled with hope and blessing over worry and despair!

It really is just as simple as praying about it! When we pray about everything with Thanksgiving and bring our cares, concerns, worries and anxieties to God, we experience His comfort and peace, a peace that transcends all comprehension. We can’t explain it, just experience it, but experience is more than enough.

As a little boy growing up in Church, one of my favorite hymns that we sang was “What A Friend We Have In Jesus!” It went like this:

“What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear.

What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer.

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear.

All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer…”

Give it to God, get your joy and love every minute of it! ><>