Stress & Anxiety

Imagine what it would be like with no problems, no difficulties, and no troubles. You're probably thinking of how peaceful and easy your life would be, but others, the rest of us, would see a weak person with nothing to offer, nothing of substance, and nothing of interest. The things we hold most valuable in people are born out of adversity, not ease. Imagine watching a movie that only detailed how easy everyone had it, with nothing to overcome, nothing to triumph over, and nothing to strive for. You would be bored stiff. If nothing every bad happened to the good guys, if they didn't have to struggle,...

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I believe there are 4 basic reasons why bad things happen to people-good or bad. Here they are: 1. God tests people 2. Satan attacks people 3. Murphy's Law - That which can go wrong, will go wrong 4. Consequences of our own actions The World View that says, "Bad things only happen to bad people," will be a very disappointing one for you, because bad things can happen to anyone, and for all sorts of different reasons. IMPORTANT: I don't think it is possible to judge why another person has experienced something negative in their life. Since any one person can fall victim to any of the four...

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As Christians we do have certain obligations and requirements. Like anything else of privilege, it comes with responsibility. Here are the top 3 priorities for any Christian. There are more priorities than the ones listed here. But these three are the number one priority in each of the three areas listed below. Forgive the bluntness of the following statement, but it would be unchristian to do anything less than these three duties. How can we, as Christians, claim that title (of being Christ like) if we are not doing the very things that make us Christ like? How can we claim we love God if we are unwilling...

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The humanist religion, and I believe it is a religion, is based almost completely on the idea of following your own heart. It has pervaded almost every level of society from movies to politics and even religion. The idea is that our own conscious, our own heart, is the best judge of right and wrong in the world, that no authority can actually dictate to you what is right and what is wrong. The lyrics of one rock song say, "how can it be so wrong when it feels so good!". This is nothing but the core of the humanist religion. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:26 "He that trusteth in his own heart...

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If someone were to ask me what I thought the single most important factor was to gain happiness, I would have to say that it was purpose or vision. You can have a lot of money, be popular, have decent relationships, possess power, have friends, even have a walk with God and find yourself unhappy. The reason for that, is that none of these things have full value until you have purpose behind them. Having a spiritual walk with God brings protection and peace, but without reason or purpose it'll grow old and stagnate. You could marry the kindest, gentlest man in the whole world, but if your...

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In the years that I have been a Pastor, the strongest regrets I have encountered are those from people who lost a loved one to death. I hear comments like, 'I wish', 'if only', 'it's not fair', 'why?', and so many others. These regrets can consume a person to the point where he or she becomes paralyzed by them, living in guilt and frustration. Most of us have regrets. We regret a missed opportunity or a wrong committed sometime in the past. These are sometimes strong regrets and sometimes minor ones. No matter the case, dealing with regrets is something that each of us has to do. REGRETS...

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The greatest problem with a bad past is not that you made mistakes or did things wrong. It is that you can't go back and undo it. That is the most frustrating part about guilt and regrets. We are hands on people. We want to fix mistakes and right wrongs. But once the moment has slipped into the past, what's done is done. We can't go back and undo or even redo it. That is the problem. So the key to letting your past go is dependent on some sort of action that we can take. This article will assist with that action. GOD DOESN'T DEAL WITH YOU ACCORDING TO YOUR PAST - JUST YOUR PRESENT I'm...

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STEP #1 - CONFESSION (OR EXPOSURE OF THE WOUND) I talk about this at length in other places. But no healing of emotional injuries can take place without it. The first step to any emotional healing is revealing of the wound itself. Much like a child who scrapes his arm and hides it with his hand and bringing the wound as close to the body as possible, so do we have a tendency to do the same thing. Our instincts are to hide the pain as deeply as possible. We ignore what happened, we pretend it never happened, and we try to bury it under a flurry of activity and self deception. James 5:16...

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Guilt always haunts us more than anything else. In the Bible, the word 'iniquity' is typically used to describe our modern day notion of 'feeling guilty'. Observe: Psalms 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalms 119:133 - Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Proverbs 16:6 - By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Iniquity is many things, but one thing it most certainly is, is guilt. Guilt is the result of one of two things, or a combination of both: 1. Something...

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Loss of sleep, an ache deep in the bit of your stomach, frequent tears, a heart seems to get heavier as the days go on, depression, and feelings of isolation and abandonment are all signs of a broken heart. How, if possible, do you heal from a broken heart? There is no quick fix. If you are looking for a magic wand, some spoofal dust, or something like that you won't find it. Healing from a broken heart is a process, very similar, actually, to that of grieving for a loved one that has died. The grieving process takes time. It isn't something that you can just wave away or flip a light switch...

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