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Fall greetings to you wherever you may be today on the last Saturday in September! I have a special guest writer to share with you today on the topic of wrestling through anxiety and fear toward a stronger faith. Please hop on over to the blog for her beautiful piece and encourage her for opening her heart for the purpose of serving us through being faithful to Christ. Here is the link: Wrestling Through Fear and Anxiety Toward Greater Freedom and Faith in God – terriprahl.com
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I know that the topic of anxiety is very nuanced and often a contentious subject among believers. There are many who have biochemical, neurological, or physical sources of anxiety that need to be treated by a physician. If you struggle with deep depression and debilitating mental health issues, please seek medical help. It takes courage to ask, but God wants us to take care of ourselves in every way. There is no shame in struggling with anxiety or fear. Scripture is full of teaching on this topic, because it is common to us all as we live in these frail human bodies in a fallen world. This is why He repeatedly tells His children to not lose heart, to take courage, and be strong in the Lord. Kelly's story is similar to many. Even those in the pages of Scripture wrestled with depression, anxiety, and fear. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, "anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering receive treatment."
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These statistics represent people in our families and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that sit in the pews every Sunday. It's definitely a topic that needs to be covered with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Wherever we are on the anxiety scale in our lives, the truths for overcoming are all throughout Scripture. While empty platitudes don't fix deep rooted fears or medical issues, the truth is that Jesus can give victory as we contend in belief. We need to ask God to help us. We need to ask others to pray for our battle. We need to keep fighting through false thinking to rest in truth. And we need to practice gratitude in our daily lives. Like Kelly experienced, we can receive freedom from things that imprison us. Merely saying this is how God made us is not going to lead to a life of flourishing in our faith. God may not choose to take all of your struggle away, but He will provide a way through it and tools to manage and live at peace with God and ourselves. Don't doubt that God can heal you...keep trusting and pursuing Him in the smallest of ways. Kelly and I have both seen God break strongholds in our minds through wrestling toward the hope of blessing. God will grow you through your wrestling, guaranteed.
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Don't fall prey to the world's thinking that our situations are hopeless and impossible. Let's avoid swinging to one extreme or the other in this situation --- never underestimating the power of God in our lives and never ignoring the human struggle as real for so many. It may require you to stop and pray repeatedly through a situation. It may involve seeking counseling or medical help. But it should always lead us to draw near to God in utter dependence. For it's in our weakness that His strength will be made known. Don't look at the journey of others for a timeline or route of healing. Yours will depend on your willingness to surrender to Christ and keep seeking until. And I will be here praying for the endurance for each of us to run well. I love you, friends. Even if we haven't met.
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May we be an encouragement to one another as we learn and grow together in grace.
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Favorite Things This Month:
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Encouraging Read:
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The women's ministry at my church is teaching through this book, and I am going to be teaching through some of the chapters in a few weeks, so I am doing a deep dive and slow read. Not only is this a beautifully designed book, but it is packed with encouraging and challenging messages on how to:
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- be rooted in truth
- grow in grace
- flourish in faith
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These are all things that I hope to do through my writing ministry as well, so I highly recommend reading this book. It's always refreshing to find people applying the gospel to the every day challenges we have in holding tight to hope and living as people of faith between Sundays.
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New Podcast:
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I stumbled upon this podcast full of interviews with women and men on the value of women according to Scripture. Thought-provoking, inspiring, encouraging, and challenging. As someone who has questioned my usefulness to the kingdom of God because of my gender, this has ministered to me greatly. The amount of women within the pages of our Bibles who were instrumental in the work of God in the world is astounding...and just imagine all the things not recorded in Scripture. God gifts us uniquely and wants to use us all!
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Subscriber Spotlight!
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Kelly Ann Snyder is a Christian writer, teacher, and Founder of Living Perfectly Loved Ministries living in San Diego, CA with her loving husband, teen boy, tween girl, and furry dog. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading God’s Word, non-fiction books, walking/hiking/Pilates, relaxing poolside, and drinking chai tea lattes. She is passionate about encouraging, equipping, and inspiring others to live free from the grip of anxiety and fear in the perfect love of God, having struggled for years with anxiety herself. Her hope and prayer is that through her blog and small group ministry, people will experience more of the perfect love of God deep in their hearts and in their everyday lives.
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Blog: www.livingperfectlyloved.com
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Facebook: @livingperfectlylovedministries
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Instagram: @livingperfectlyloved
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If you would like to be featured in an upcoming newsletter, contact me at terriprahl@gmail.com!
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Moments of Grace:
- Being asked to contribute to a new women's magazine this year!
- My sister finding a friend after a bike accident and helping her through a hard time.
- The kindness of strangers.
- Fall weather here in the Ozarks!
- You! I appreciate you all so much and hope this ministry blesses you.
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Some of my favorite resources to share. For more non-fiction Christian book suggestions, visit my reading list on the blog or my Instagram feed!
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Click here to receive this free two page resource full of biblical encouragement!
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Click here to find the other guest posts for the Wrestling Through Series!
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Encouraging Good Work in the World:
- Donate to help put shoes on the feet of school children in need at One Sole Purpose!
- Knowing that children all over this world are trapped and abused in sex trafficking sickens me and moves me to compassion - to pray and to find ways to help. Consider donating to the Destiny Rescue Ministry as they seek to rescue children from the sex slave industry. Let's be moved with compassion through donating! A part of the proceeds from every copy of Life, Repurposed goes to this ministry.
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If you missed any previous newsletters and want to check them out, you can go to the member archive and view past issues. The archive also holds the Psalm 119 study, Marriage study, 5 Principles for Spiritual Growth printable, and Hebrews 10 lesson. If you find anything here that you think would encourage someone else, please consider sharing and inviting them to subscribe. If you read an article on the blog you want to share, just click the social media icons on the right hand corner! This is a great way to support me and hopefully help others!
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A final note of encouragement:
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"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31
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2021 may have many unknowns, but knowing God is with us gives us the strength to have hope for the future. His plans are good, and we can trust Him with our future.
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If you need prayer, please send me a message, and I will be more than happy to intercede on your behalf.
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