Final ThoughtsThere are three answers God gives to our prayers: yes, no, and not yet. In Paul’s case, he often asked God to relieve him of the thorn in his side. While we don’t know if this was a literal, physical thorn or a metaphor for a mental affliction, we see clearly that God’s response to Paul was “Not yet.”Maybe you can relate to Paul’s frustration. You’ve asked God time and time again to ...  Read More

Fear - GideonGideon had a lot of reasons to be scared: his nation was under constant attack from the neighboring Midianites. They assaulted his people, destroyed their crops, and stole their livestock. Like many Israelites, Gideon lived in hiding, where we find him in Judges 6.When the Lord appears to Gideon and instructs him to rescue Israel from the Midianites, he counters with a long list of re...  Read More

Job 4:7-8“Remember now, who ever perished being innocent?  Or where were the upright destroyed? According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity, And those who sow trouble harvest it.Job 4:17-19Can mankind be just before God?  Can a man be pure before his Maker?  He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error.  How much more those who dwell in houses of clay...  Read More

Anger - CainAccording to Ephesians 4:26, anger itself isn’t a sin. How we deal with our anger can lead us to sin. Aggressive displays of anger are sinful and often cause hurt, sadness, and fear in others.God warned Cain not to let his anger consume him. He says, “sin is crouching at the door, eager to control” him (verse 7). We, too, can fall under anger’s control if we aren’t on the lookout.Sever...  Read More

Grief - NaomiNaomi has just suffered a colossal amount of loss. Her husband and her two sons have just died, leaving her without any support. Her grief so consumes Naomi that she becomes bitter and resentful, completely hopeless for her future. She pushes away her daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to keep from dragging them both into her misery with her.Ruth, however, pushes back. She knows what N...  Read More

Addiction - SolomonIn this passage, we see King Solomon indulging his desire to have many women in his life. He marries 700 women and keeps 300 more on the side. Even after God’s clear instructions not to marry these women, who worshiped false gods, Solomon ignores him. Instead, he follows his immediate wants, almost as if he has a compulsive need for the attention and intimacy of these women. Sol...  Read More

Depression - ElijahElijah was a prophet during an unstable time in Israel’s history. Many had turned away from God to worship Baal, a false god. God sent Elijah to help the Israelites see the error of their ways and return to God, and his efforts resulted in the death of many prophets of Baal. This caused a rift between Elijah and people like Jezebel, who all but guaranteed she would kill him.Elij...  Read More

Anxiety - MarthaWhether you experience occasional stress or suffer from an anxiety disorder, you’re probably no stranger to what Martha felt in Luke 10:38-42. Jesus was coming over to her house, so she wanted to ensure everything was perfect. (Who could blame her?) Martha began to let her concerns about creating a hospitable environment for Jesus escalate to full-blown anxiety.Our anxious thoughts...  Read More

Job 2:11-13Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, they came each one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.  When they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And ea...  Read More

How To Stop The Worry CycleOn Day 2, we learned a lot about worry. So, now that we know, what do we do? We have to recognize when we’re worrying and replace those uninvited thoughts with ones that not only bring a good return but help us live in peace.Pray InsteadIn Philippians 4:6-7, we’re told not to be anxious or worried but to pray instead. Easier said than done, isn’t it? Author Max Lucado sa...  Read More

What Jesus Said About WorryIn Matthew 6, Jesus is continuing His Sermon on the Mount that began in chapter 5 and extends through the end of chapter 7. In this popular teaching, Jesus gives instruction about prayer, anger, adultery, as well as other topics. He’d just finished speaking about money and possessions when He journeys into the topic of worry.No one can serve two masters. For you will hat...  Read More

Why We WorryIf worrying was a professional sport, many of us would be the Most Valuable Player on our team. Can you identify with this? It’s so hard not to worry when troubles loom all around us.The word worry has a few definitions in the dictionary. The one we’ll refer to in this Plan is to torment oneself with cares and anxieties. Every time we worry, we’re tormenting ourselves. No one else is m...  Read More