Perfect Peace Drives Out Fear

Is it okay to love a piece of furniture?

Say yes.

About a year ago, my husband and I bought a new couch since our old one had some big-time wear and tear.

After a lot of searching, we found the perfect one.

Not only is this couch comfortable, it has a little compartment to keep the remote in, drink holders, and even more importantly, it reclines!!

Woot!

I have to admit I’ve fallen asleep on that couch several times.

A comfy, deep, sleep for up to an hour, interrupted only by our dogs wanting to go outside.

How nice it is to put all of life’s troubles aside, even if just for a little while, while nothing but perfect peace envelops my soul.

The TV noise is on, but I don’t hear it as I drift peacefully off to sleep.

If life were only like that every time troubles keep us awake, right?

It can be.

In the verse above, the prophet Isaiah talked about keeping a steady focus on God.

Steady and focused – like your life depends on it.

The assurance we can get from trusting in what the Lord promises can help bolster our confidence in the trying days ahead.

Perfect peace drives out fear.

There’s nothing wrong with writing that down somewhere where you can see that blessed reminder all the time.

You should see all the sticky notes I have lying around in my office.

Can we have perfect peace in God right now?

If you’re feeling troubled, you’re not alone.

I’ve talked with several girlfriends lately.

We’re all basically saying the same thing.

Catnaps in front of the TV aside, it’s hard to stay asleep overnight with everything that’s going on in the world.

Some friends are having nightmares when they finally do get to sleep.

I’ve had a couple myself.

There’s a lot of fear-promoting on social media/TV, and also outside our doorsteps.

We all have to make sure we have our spiritual armor on over our PJ’s.

Every Christian who is attempting to live righteously is called to this battlefield for his entire life. We are in a spiritual battle. But in grace and mercy, God gives the faithful believer an entire suit of armor for the fight (Ephesians 6:13). ¹ – Got Questions website.

I heard an analogy recently, and it’s a good one.

We have to remember that the symbol for our Christianity is the Cross, not an easy chair.

Amen!

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¹ Courtesy of gotquestions.org, from “Why is following Christ so difficult?” n.d., para. 8. Web. Accessed 17 June, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/following-Christ.html

Our Exceptional God

Negative News Headlines – Don’t Dwell

Can we please take a moment and give a round of applause for “Lazy Bones?”

“Lazy Bones?”

What’s that?

Allow me to help. 🙂

“Lazy Bones” was the name of the first TV remote invented back in 1950 by Zenith Radio Corporation.

Thanks to “Lazy Bones,” and its now more modern counterparts, we can quickly switch off the TV – tout de suite.

The remote sure comes in handy when the negative news headlines (and division-seekers with a microphone) get to be too much.

We have a choice.

Immersing ourselves in the constant gloom and doom messages every single day is not healthy.

So what are the mental health consequences of information overload? It turns out that they may be quite significant and go beyond just a few moments of feeling overwhelmed. Information overload can lead to real feelings of anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and powerless, and mental fatigue. – Drs. Sara and Jack M. Gorman, Psychology Today.¹

Please don’t do that to yourself.

Instead, I encourage you to use that formerly-called “lazy bones” TV remote, and turn it off when you can.

The Lord doesn’t want us to live in fear – that isn’t living.

How can we be effective for the Kingdom if we’re constantly consumed by fear?

We can’t.

Countering the bad with the good from God’s Word affirms our trust in God, not man.

Let’s try and encourage each other more!

Negative News and Mental Health

God isn’t surprised by any of the tragic events going on right now.

In His providential will, He has allowed these things to happen in our country.

We have to trust Him.

I encourage you to take a break from it all when you can.

The day is always a lot brighter when I disconnect from the subtle (and sometimes, not-so-subtle, fear-spreading messages) every time the TV is turned on.

Please, if you have loved ones with a mental illness, they need your voice of calm and a Godly perspective during times like this.

Part of the challenge with social media, and this topic is we are getting inundated with headlines, videos, memes. Some of it is accurate, much of it is purposefully hysterical. You know yourself. You know your loved ones. If scrolling through your Facebook feed is putting a knot in your stomach, it’s time to disconnect. – Dr. Michael L. Birnbaum, Psychology Today.²

You Have Options

When things seem so out of control, it’s nice to know there’s one thing we can control – what we feed our minds every hour of every single day.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. – Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor and author.³

Have you subscribed to PureFlix for television yet?

You might want to consider it, especially now.

I am very grateful that we now have that option for real family-entertainment in our home.

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¹Quotation from Dr. Sara Gorman, Ph.D., MPH, and Dr. Jack M. Gorman, MD. Courtesy of Psychology Today online magazine, “Is Information Overload Hurting Mental Health?” Accessed June 10, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/denying-the-grave/202006/is-information-overload-hurting-mental-health

² Quotation from Dr. Michael L. Birnbaum. Courtesy of Psychology Today online magazine, “Navigating the Coronavirus and Social Media.” Accessed June 10, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-health-our-youth/202003/navigating-the-coronavirus-and-social-media

³ Quotation from Chuck Swindoll, influential Christian pastor and author, courtesy of AZquotes.com.

Our Exceptional God

Cochren and Company Who Can

June 9, 2020 Gracie

Cochren and Company

Cochren and Company “Who Can” – Powerful New Single

A couple of weeks ago, Cochren and Company released a powerful new single called “Who Can.”

After listening to it several times, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the powerful lyrics.

They seem especially relevant, considering the world is in chaos right now with a pandemic and people of every skin color are hurting and broken.

We need the Lord, and His blessed affirmation that He will forgive us if we sincerely repent and seek Him with all of our hearts.

See if the uplifting lyrics to “Who Can” encourage you this way too.

“Only You can hold my head up, only You can help me see,” Michael brings the verse home with, “Only You can break the grip that sin had on me.” – Song lyrics, Genius.com.²

Stylistically, Michael Cochren’s soulful voice never fails to disappoint.

I became a fan of Cochren & Company in October of last year when I first came across their song, One Day, and started listening to their whole catalog.

You can learn more about Cochren & Co here.

Does Your Spiritual Life Feel Like a Mess?

So many worldly distractions – all, at their root, designed to take our minds off of God.

Do we think Satan doesn’t know what our weaknesses are?

Idolatry

No time for God

Fights on social media

Wrongful Pride

Social status

Do any of these sound familiar?

What a mess you are!

No, that’s not what I mean.

What a mess we are.

But, as messy as our lives are sometimes, we have a Sovereign God Who can love us like no other.

I delight in God because, like the song says, “I’m a mess, I confess, but You carry me through.”

Cochren and Company Tour

Cochren and Company is touring again, starting in late June with 18 upcoming concerts.

Here’s a fun idea for you to consider. Their first tour date is aboard the Summer Hits Cruise departing Galveston en route to Cozumel, Mexico. The lineup will be incredible. They’ll be sharing the stage with other top-named acts such as TobyMac, Danny Gokey, and Tauren Wells.

After that, the group returns to the States with stops in Ohio and Texas, to name a few of the venues. You can check out all of your opportunities to see Cochren and Company Live here!

# # #

¹Cochren & Company opening photo, courtesy of cochrenmusic Facebook post., 12 December, 2017. Accessed 8 June, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/cochrenmusic/photos/a.384165171613570/1932707970092608/?type=3&theater.

²Song lyrics, courtesy of Genius.com.

Our Exceptional God

God Can Use Anybody

June 2, 2020 Gracie

Getting Fear Out Of The Way

Have you ever been afraid to try something?

Yeah, me too.

Several years ago, for one of my milestone birthdays, my husband gifted me with the thrill ride of a lifetime – the chance to ride shotgun in a NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway.

Pretty cool, right? (except I’m not a fan of going fast!)

I was scared to death and my knees were buckling afterwards, but in retrospect, I am so glad that I went for it, despite my initial fears.

Here’s a picture from that day.

There I am scared to death, wondering how I could secretly climb out of that small window before we reached speeds of up to 160 miles per hour.

In retrospect, it’s amazing what we can do when we put our minds to something.

If we can just get past those nagging fears, sometimes we can do remarkable things – the memories of which can last for a lifetime.

From a Christian perspective, just think of the great things we might all accomplish for the glory of God – if we can get our fears out of the way.

God can use anybody!

God Can Use You

Have you ever thought you were just a nobody, worthless to the Kingdom?

If you think God can’t use you, please think again.

Ultimately, it’s not who we are, but who God is.

God can use you.

I love this Psalm of David, with the subheading, “A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.”

God can use you

Excuses Don’t Sit Well With God

The Lord knows your fears, but He is bigger than any one of them.

Remember in Exodus 4, Moses initially didn’t think he could do what God was asking of him – warn the Egyptian Pharaoh to let God’s people go.

Every agonizing fear that Moses had about his speech impediment got in the way.

He even asked the Lord to send someone else.

The Lord was angry.

¹¹The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹²Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” – Exodus 4:11-12, (NASB).¹

If you’re on a mission within God’s will, He will guide you.

You may feel like a nobody in your own eyes, but God has something greater for you to do.

If you haven’t discovered what that is, ask God for wisdom.

God can use anyone for His purpose

American Evangelist D.L. Moody couldn’t have said it better.

Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody; forty years learning he was nobody; and forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody. – Evangelist D. L. Moody.²

God can use anyone (or anything) for good, no matter how broken.

I hope this encourages you today.

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² Quotation from influential American evangelist, Dwight L. Moody. Courtesy of AZquotes.com

Our Exceptional God

Is There Good News Today?

May 26, 2020 Gracie

Is There Good News Today in the World?

there is good news

Yes, there is!

Today, and every day.

Even though the world is dominated by negative stories in the mainstream news media, there’s an antidote for that.

But, you have to do some digging.

Online, that means you have to search a little harder for stories that are uplifting and joyful.

Let me start.

Here’s a recent real headline, for example, that made me smile.

A friend mentioned it to my husband the other day and I had to check it out for myself.

Coronavirus outbreak spurs record Bible purchases: ‘People are looking for hope’ – Fox News, April 2, 2020.

By the way, a similar headline was also shared on the Christian Post on April 7^thof this year.

Bible sales have gone up!

More and more people are turning to the Bible during these unsettling times.

People are looking for real answers today, not a temporary Band-Aid.

We can’t put our hope and trust in so-called experts and politicians who send mixed messages every day.

Our hope and trust is in God alone.

We Must Keep Our Eyes On Christ

Remember the Lord’s command to Israel through His servant, Joshua.

He is also with us!

In Isaiah 41:10, the Lord’s command and promise to Israel was not, “do not fear, for I am with you [unless there’s a plague.]”

God is our Sovereign Promise Keeper, from biblical times through today’s virus fears.

“Be Strong and Courageous” – let that be our rallying cry in what is ultimately a spiritual battle unfolding in front of our very eyes.

The tender love of God for His servants makes Him concerned for how they feel inside. He wants them to be courageous. Some people think it is okay for a believer to be vexed with doubts and fears, but God does not think so.

From this text, [Joshua 1:9], it is clear that our Master does not want us entangled with fears. He desires for us to live without fretfulness, doubt, and cowardice. Our Master does not think as lightly of our unbelief as we do. When we are despondent, we are subject to a grievous ailment that is not to be trifled with but instead taken at once to the beloved Physician. – Alistair Begg, Christian pastor and author.²

Time To Dig – There’s Good News Today

Seek out the good news online to get a much-needed break from the bad.

In an earlier post on Delight-in-God, I suggested one option – the website called InspireMore.

There are also some very positive posts on YouTube.

Here’s a sweet video that came up during my searches that I just fell in love with.

I can’t speak the language, but no matter.

This marriage video of a special needs teacher is touching in so many ways.

Here’s a dose of happy for today!

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² Quotation from Alistair Begg, Christian pastor, author, founder of Truth For Life Teaching Ministry. Web. Accessed 20, May, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/truth-for-life/truth-for-life-may-12-2020.html.

Our Exceptional God

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