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Summer is traditionally a time of
sun, fun, and relaxation. But have you noticed problems and anxieties hang on
even through the summer months? What are your greatest anxieties? A hurting
loved one? Finances? Your job? Your health? Your marriage? The welfare of your
children? The future?
Whatever your anxiety, the Bible
says it weighs down your heart. And when your heart is heavy--let's face
it--life isn't as fun. You can't enjoy things to the fullest and you
especially can't minister to others. The good news is, there's a solution. You
need an encouraging word. Psalm 119:114 says, "You are my hiding place
and my shield; I hope in Your word." Sometimes our anxieties make us want
to just pull the covers over our heads and hide, but that's no solution. God
is our hiding place and in His word we can find hope. We can draw
encouragement from scriptures such as Isaiah 26:3-4: You will guard him and
keep him in perfect peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character)
is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes
confidently in You. So trust in the Lord--commit yourself to Him, lean on Him,
hope confidently in Him--forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting rock--the
Rock of ages."
Once we release our anxieties and
cares to the Lord, we are free once again to live up to our full potential as
the person God created us to be. Then we can minister that same hope to
others. As Proverbs 12:25 says, "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it
down, but an encouraging word makes it glad."
© 2003 by Suzanne Leitz |
Power Tools:
Psalm 119:114
Isaiah 26:3-4
Proverbs
12:25
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