Anxiety

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." « John 8:36

Anxiety can be extremely painful.  While going through tough-times anxiety can end up being your morning coffee and your evening tea. It attaches itself to every decision, every opportunity, every interaction, everything you do— it can overwhelm your life.

Even during favorable times anxiety can make us uneasy about how things will turnout; the uncertainty of “what’s next” pains the heart and clouds the mind.

Jesus can break those chains and free you of the burdensome yoke of anxiety in your life.  This month’s calendar will empower you with scriptures to hold fast to Christ and experience true freedom.

"Father, I thank you for our freedom from anxiety.  I confess that I live a worry-free, stress-free life for You have given us life-dominating peace and joy, even in times of trouble. Your peace guards our heart and mind, provides strength to resist the emotional attacks of the devil –he is defeated.  Thank you Lord for leading us to a place of peace and rest.  In Jesus' name I pray, amen!"

Are you or anyone you know dealing with anxiety? Send us a prayer request by replying to this email or email us at pray@iprayallday.com and we will stand with you in prayer.

God Bless you,

Eric Thomas, The Hip Hop Preacher

Meditate On This

	Meditate On In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10 Not Your Love But His Love The sum total of the law is to love God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind (Matthew 22:37–40). But let me ask you this: Has anybody ever been able to love the Lord with all his heart, all his soul and all his mind? The answer is obvious. Not a single person has been able to do that. And God knew all the while that under the law, no one could love Him that perfectly. So do you know what He did? He sent His Son Jesus. When He did that, He was effectively saying this to us: “I know that you can’t love Me perfectly, so watch Me now. I will love you with all My heart, all My soul, all My mind and all My strength.” And He stretched His arms wide and died for us! My friend, take time to get this into your heart today: The cross is not a demonstration of our perfect love and devotion to God. The cross is God’s demonstration of His perfect love and His perfect grace (unmerited favor) toward us. Let me give you the Bible’s definition of love to make this even clearer for you: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” That’s the emphasis of the new covenant of grace (unmerited favor)—His love for us, not our love for Him. And when we focus on His love for us, we end up loving Him and others effortlessly!

Understanding the Root of Your Fruit

by Joyce Meyer
Nehemiah 8:10 is an encouraging scripture that says, “…Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (AMP). God wants us to stay joyful no matter what difficulties we face in life, because His joy is our strength. Simply put, it’s the fruit of joy that strengthens us to go through whatever we have to deal with and make it to the end result. That’s why, as Christians, joy should be our normal mood.
Paul was determined to enjoy the journey no matter how many potholes were in the road. In Colossians 1:11, he wrote, “[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy” (AMP). Our joy is a weapon. It gives us the ability to not only endure difficulties, but to enjoy life in the midst of them.

Obstacles to Joy

But what happens when you wake up in the morning feeling low, irritated, discouraged or frustrated—and you don’t know exactly why? There has to be a reason. Well, for every “fruit” there is a root. And if you don’t get to the root of a bad mood, you just start blaming everything and everybody for making you feel bad, and focusing only on all the things that are wrong rather than the good God is doing in your life.
It’s amazing how our minds automatically lean toward the negative. That’s our old, unregenerate nature at work. But God’s Word says we are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). And Ephesians 4:24 tells us to “put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness” (AMP). This means we have to deliberately put on Christ’s love, mercy and patience—it’s a choice we make.
Before you start thinking, “But Joyce, you don’t understand how bad things have been and how much I’m hurting,” I want to remind you of an encouraging truth. God never tells us to do something He doesn’t give us the ability to do. Philippians 4:13 (AMP) says, “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].” The key is to always lean on Jesus for the ability and strength you need to do what you need to do.

Figure Out Why You Feel Bad

If you’re frustrated by a bad attitude and not sure how to begin to overcome it, you need to discover the root of the fruit. Sometimes there are obvious reasons we feel lousy. It may be a bad habit, like not eating right or staying up too late at night. I always feel bad the next day when I eat too much sugar and carbohydrates. The simple solution is to eat healthier and go to bed at a decent time.
On a spiritual level, maybe you care too much about what people think about you to the point you are letting them control you. As a result you always say “yes” to people when you really want to say, “no.” Or you wake up feeling bad because you did something wrong the day before and haven’t repented of it yet. Now you’re reaping the consequences. But 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NKJV).

Is Your Spiritual Gas Tank Empty?

When I do a conference, I give it my all, and I’m glad to do it. But when I go home, if I don’t take time to get back in the Word, spend quiet time with God and get “filled up” spiritually, I’m bound to get a bad mood and start grumbling and complaining. When I run on empty, I’m a mess!
You must spend daily time in God’s presence if you’re going to live with the joy of the Lord. The more intimate your personal relationship with Him becomes, the better your fruit will be. Isaiah 40:31 (AMP) confirms it:
“Those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.”
If you’re not living with the joy of the Lord, examine the root of your fruit. Spend time with God, study the Word, do what He tells you to do by His grace, and soon your joy will return.

What's behind suicide?

In researching this website, I came across some interesting studies and comments about what drives people to suicide. I thought it might be helpful to share this information so people can understand better what might be lying behind how they are feeling.
Research in the UK and in the US seems consistent in identifying the principal factors that contribute to someone committing suicide. According to the American Association of Suicidology¹, major depression is the psychiatric diagnosis most commonly associated with suicide. The risk of suicide in people with major depression is about 20 times that of the general population. About two thirds of people who complete suicide are depressed at the time of their deaths. That's a very high percentage.
The risk of someone suffering from an untreated major depressive disorder trying to commit suicide is around 1 in 5 (20%). However, the suicide risk among treated patients is around 1 in 1,000 (0.1%). That would point to treatment for depression substantially reducing the risk of suicide, so maybe there is hope for feeling better. See Help me.
Research studies^2,3,4 would point to the following being major factors triggering people to attempt to kill themselves. Note that more than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have the top two risk factors:

• Depression (especially if exhibiting extreme hopelessness, lack of interest in activities that were previously pleasurable, heightened anxiety and/or panic attacks) and other mental disorders
  
• An alcohol or substance-abuse disorder (often in combination with other mental disorders)
  
• Relationship difficulties (either with an existing partner, or due to divorce, being widowed or a relationship break-up)
  
• Prior suicide attempt (one study⁵ indicated that anyone who has previously attempted suicide is 100 times more likely to make a successful attempt compared to the suicide rate of the general population)
  
• Family history of mental disorder or substance abuse
  
• Family history of suicide, or exposure to the suicidal behaviour of family members, peers, or media figures
  
• Family violence, including physical or sexual abuse (especially for young people)
  
• Firearms in the home, the method used in more than half of US suicides
  
• Being in prison
  
• Unemployment
  
• Issues with studies (a major problem for those at university/college)
  
• Financial problems
  
• Legal problems
  
• Social deprivation
  
• Social isolation
  

However, suicide and suicidal behaviour are not normal responses to the factors mentioned above; many people have these risk factors, but are not suicidal. Research also shows that the risk for suicide is associated with changes in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, including serotonin. Decreased levels of serotonin have been found in people with depression, impulsive disorders, a history of suicide attempts, and in the brains of suicide victims.
Depression, like other mental illnesses, is probably caused by a combination of biological, environmental, and social factors, but the exact causes are not yet known. For years, scientists thought that low levels of certain neurotransmitters (such as serotonin, dopamine, or norepinephrine) in the brain caused depression.
However, scientists now believe that the interplay of factors leading to depression is much more complex. Genetic causes have been suggested from family studies that have shown that between 20 and 50 percent of children and adolescents with depression have a family history of depression, and that children of depressed parents are more than three times as likely as children with non-depressed parents to experience a depressive disorder⁶.
In some people, there can be underlying physical reasons for severe depression. For instance, those diagnosed with a terminal illness, or those living with a long term physical disability, especially if accompanied by pain that is never likely to go away. It can be much harder to treat depression for people in this category, as the underlying causes are physical issues that cannot be cured. That isn't to say though that even people such as this can't find a motivating reason for living. See Help me.
For more information on the factors that lead to someone feeling suicidal, see Risk factors for suicide.

Sources

1. American Association of Suicidology, Factsheet: Some Facts About Suicide and Depression, 2009, from www.suicidology.org.
   
2. US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) factsheet: Suicide in the US: Statistics and Prevention, 2009 on www.nimh.nih.gov.
   
3. Hawton, K, Fagg, J, Simkin, S, Bale, E and Bond, A, (unpublished) "Attempted Suicide in Oxford 1995", University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford.
   
4. K Hawton, D Casey, E Bale, A Shepherd, H Bergen and S Simkin, Deliberate Self-Harm in Oxford 2007. University of Oxford Centre for Suicide Research (from http://cebmh.warne.ox.ac.uk/csr/monpubs.html).
   
5. Hawton, K, "Suicide and attempted suicide", in Handbook of Affective Disorders.
   
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2000. Mental health: A report of the surgeon general. Retrieved December 27, 2005, from www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec5.html.
   

Whom God Loves, He Chastens

Whom God Loves, He Chastens

by Joyce Meyer - posted July 20, 2015

For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.
- Hebrews 12:6
When we need correction—and there are times when we all need it—I believe it is the Lord's first desire to correct us Himself. Whom the Lord loves, He chastens. God's correction or chastisement is not a bad thing; it is always and ultimately only for our good.
The fact that it works toward our good does not mean it always feels good or that it is something we enjoy immediately: For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. (Hebrews 12:11)
Correction is probably one of the most difficult things for most of us to receive, especially when it comes through another person. Even if we have problems, we don't want others to know we have them. I believe God prefers to correct us privately; but if we won't accept His correction or if we don't know how to allow Him to correct us privately, He will correct us publicly, using whatever source He needs to use. We may not always like the source God chooses to use, but it is wisdom to accept correction in order to avoid "going around the mountain one more time" (see Deuteronomy 2:3).

Wrestling Worry Down

Wrestling Worry Down

Tamara Star | July 20, 2015 | Living

Oh honey, hold on to your hat because the new energy coming is a game changer.
And thank goodness, because if you’re like me (and most of my friends and clients), you might be finding yourself wide-awake in the middle of the night wondering: What am I doing? Where am I going? And Where the heck is my future heading?   
Something’s going on in the ethers and everyone seems to be feeling it.
Major change and major advancement in our emotional evolution are happening!
They say it has to hurt a bit more before it can get better, but I think we’ve all been hurting enough, don’t you? It’s time to c h a n g e.
Laying in bed in the middle of the night worrying is probably the most painful and non-productive thing we can possibly do AND it does nothing for us.

Faith and fear are both parts of the same hand. The only difference between them is which side we flip up and decide to spend time looking at.

We’re not going to be able to escape our fear, but we CAN learn to manage it, instead of letting it manage us.
I was reminded this morning that when we worry, we’re living in the past. We’re tapping into old situations and old things we were taught, instead of living in the now.
In the now moment worry doesn’t exist.
It’s when we think about what could be or what might be, that we’re in the possible future.  
It’s when we think about what once happened or what we were told could happen, we’re in the past.  
So this morning, I woke up filled with angst and worry, and when I realized I was starting my day this way, I got pissed. I realized I was spinning out in my own head and if I didn’t make a major change immediately, I was going to ruin the whole day (and probably my night’s sleep too).
So I changed my state. Motivational Speaker and teacher Tony Robbins has talked about this for years. Our state is how we feel, how we walk, what we’re doing and how we’re thinking.
Instead of trudging up the stairs to make my bed and get ready for the day, I made myself run up the stairs and jump in the shower as though I was on a schedule.
Just the burst of new energy involved with running up my stairs with purpose rather than moseying up to start the day, had me feeling different.
Jumping in the shower with a purpose as though I had an appointment, made me feel different.
I was shocked. This stuff works! I teach it, but like all of us, I forget to listen to my own teaching!
Since I was on a roll, I took my dog for a walk, noticed the beauty all around me and counted my gratitude for what was working in my life, and returned home with a COMPLETELY different state of mind.

So what’s my point this week? Well, I have a few:

The energy of change is upon us and it’s fertile.
This means it’s an excellent time to plant a new seed, turn the page on a new chapter and DECIDE you’re not going to keep slugging along and letting yourself live in fear or worry.
When you find yourself in worry or fear, stop and REALIZE you’re either living in the past or thinking about the future.
You’re not here in the NOW when you’re in fear or worry. Nothing you’re worrying about or fearing is actually TRUE right now in this moment. Take a look around and reality check yourself. Count your gratitude and notice what’s GREAT in your life. Then take action on what you CAN control.
Change your state.
Suddenly walk faster than you need to, burst up the stairs, take a shower, go for a walk, start breathing deeply, or stand up straight and smile.
This stuff works. Trust me.

Faith and fear live on the same hand. The only difference is a flip of the palm.
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