Never Forget That Jesus Wins!
This week in the Dispatch:
In Quick Hits: Top 3s
The Power of Habit in Books
“Trust” on the AM Podcast
Insights: “The Journey: The Big Three”
“Jesus wins!” In this week’s Challenge
“A Way Out” in Final Thoughts
This Week’s Quick Hits:
Awesome Marriage’s 10 year Anniversary Celebration is coming in November!
The 3 top rated Pumpkin Spice Lattes are:
Starbucks
Peet’s Coffee and Tea
Panera Bread
In Looking at the Top Ten 2020 children’s Trick or Treat costumes, here are my 3 favorites in no particular order:
Wonder Woman
Black Panther
Health Care Worker
Book
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Why do habits exist? Can they be changed? Why do some companies and individuals struggle even though they are trying hard while others seem to be overnight successes? How do habits work and where do they live in our brains? Duhigg shows us how right habits are crucial to success using Michael Phelps, Howard Schultz, and Martin Luther King, Jr. as examples. There are also fascinating stories behind successes at Target, the NFL, and the nation’s largest hospitals. Habits that help us become who God created us to be are truly life changing.
Awesome Marriage Podcast
This week Christina and I talk about trust and why it is so essential to a marriage. What are the different areas of trust in marriage? If trust is broken, can it be rebuilt? How do we continue to build trust? Don’t miss this one!
Insights
Last week I invited you to join me on a journey. We looked at the differences between focusing on the temporary and focusing on the eternal. The Bible says that our lives are brief and the question for us is how do we make the most of this brief life?
The words anxiety, depression, and fear have been a part of our language for a very long time. It just seems that we are using them a lot more today. Think about what those three things do to us. Anxiety keeps us on edge and prevents us from embracing the life that is in front of us each day. Depression robs us of a full life and casts a black cloud over our days. Fear freezes us. It can pull us back and keep us from moving forward. As a counselor, I know that all of the “Big Three” are real. Here is my counsel for you. Since we have established that our lives on this earth are brief, don’t let any of the Big Three keep you from living the life that God created especially for you to live because I have seen their damage in precious lives over and over again. The good news is that we do not have to continue in anxiety, depression, and fear. There is a way out.
First, fight your enemy. Each of us has a common enemy: Satan. He lies to us, trying every way imaginable to keep us captive to the Big Three. He is never for us and always against us. The Bible says that he wants to destroy us. Are you going to sit there and take that? I hope not. We are warriors and we are equipped to fight this enemy. We have the power of the Creator of the universe within reach. It is as simple as uttering the name, “Jesus.” With all the power that our enemy has, he never has nor never will have power over Jesus. Because you follow Jesus, that same power is yours. Never forget that! The eternal bottomline is this: Satan loses; Jesus wins!
Second, If your anxiety and/or depression persists, take the next step. Make an appointment with a Christian Counselor and with your medical doctor. Counseling can help. Making sure there is nothing else going in your body helps too. In fact, the combination of counseling and medication (if needed), works well together for most people.
Third, make a list. List everything that contributes to your anxiety, depression, and fear. Now take them one at a time. Let’s say your first item is the election. Ask yourself two important questions: (1) What can I do about this? (2) What can I not do? With the coming election, you can vote, you can campaign, you can pray. You cannot control the outcome. Do what you can and put it all in God’s hands. Now let’s say your second item is COVID-19. What can you do? You can wear a face mask, wash your hands a lot, and social distance. You can also be wise as to where you go and who you are around and of course, you can pray. You cannot stop it but you can do your part. Worry will not find the next best treatment or the vaccine that really works. Worry will perpetuate your anxiety, depression, and fear. Go through this process with each thing on your list. With everything in your life that contributes to your anxiety, depression, and anxiety, there are things you can do and things you cannot do. The distinction between the two can literally be life and death. If not physical death, death to the fully alive life God has for you to live.
That’s where this journey took us this week. Next week, I want us to look at the word “joy.” What is it? Can you have it? Will it really make a difference in your life?
Challenge:
Of anxiety, depression, and fear, which one do you battle the most? How, when, and why?
What do the words “Jesus wins” mean to you?
Final Thought
If one of the Big Three is part of your life, commit to the three steps Dr. Kim talks about today.
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