When I think about what it means to love fearlessly, I think of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Many people celebrate St. Patrick’s life and work as a missionary and priest each year on March 17th. He is known as the “Apostle of Ireland” for being among the first to successfully spread the … Continue reading Step 12: Love Fearlessly
Did you know that monarch butterflies have much to teach us about God’s miraculous sustaining power? Amazingly, of all the butterflies God created, the monarch butterfly is the only one that can make bird-like migrations every year, flying some 2,500 miles from north to south for the cold winter months. In an article called, “The … Continue reading Step 11: Renew Your Strength in the Lord
Have you ever been afraid to pray aloud in front of anyone? After uncovering the root cause of this fear and making progress through the steps God used to rescue and restore me in my struggle with anxiety and fear, God gave me another opportunity to confront this fear. My phone rang. It was my … Continue reading Step 10: Let Your Light Shine by Helping Others
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." —Isaiah 43:18–19 When the Lord called Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land, He … Continue reading Step 9: Let Go of Your Past and Embrace Your Purpose Today
God’s Word defines faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). It takes faith to see Jesus when our faith is being tested. With hope-filled eyes of faith fixed on Jesus, though, we will witness God working and moving in ways that cannot yet be … Continue reading Step 8: Prepare for Promotion: Stand Firm Through the Testing of Your Faith
To remain free from anxiety and fear, we need a mature faith. One that will stand through trials and storms. Rock-solid faith built on a sure, eternal foundation. What if we have placed our hope in something that can be burned up, used up, broken, or removed? Or perhaps, our faith is dependent upon our … Continue reading Step 7: Rebuild Your Identity and Secure Your Faith in Christ
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” This is God’s promise to us! Are you believing and trusting in one moment, and in the next doubting and afraid—still easily knocked down by waves of fear? Maybe you’ve experienced a breakthrough from the grip of anxiety and … Continue reading Step 6: Experience Perfect Peace in God’s Presence
Surrender and breakthrough go hand in hand. First we surrender, then we experience breakthrough. But what if you’ve gone through all the steps, surrendered everything you can think of—and yet true freedom feels just out of reach? I know the struggle feels overwhelming, and you’ve been fighting the good fight. You feel the chains of … Continue reading Step 5: Believe—Jesus is Your Chain Breaker
God uses times of testing to reveal to us what we have yet to surrender to Him. Surrender happens when our fleshly desire, or human will, is broken. When we finally come to the end of ourselves, our hearts, minds, and bodies are ready to fully submit to God’s will, to live for God’s glory … Continue reading Step 4: Surrender Your Life and Live for Christ
I stared at the kitchen counter and sink stacked high with last night’s dirty dishes. Peeking into the dishwasher, I breathed a heavy sigh. It was full of dirty dishes, too! Quickly, I walked away to keep myself from becoming irritated by the mess, but there was no escaping my growing frustration. In the family … Continue reading Step 3: Take Captive Every Thought: Fear Is a Liar