I remember my grandmother saying, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket! If the well has muddy water, then that is what you get, if it is clean spring water, then that is what comes up in the bucket.” What’s down in your inner self is what comes out when you are…
Pretending happiness is a tough way to live. It takes a lot of energy to keep up this acting lifestyle. George wanted to clear up the gnawing sense of anxiety and growing unhappiness that plagued him, and hoped to do so before anyone else found out about his condition. So he quietly sought professional counseling.…
Imagine responding to pressure, perplexities, persecution, and destruction with a quiet spirit. To experience quietness and peace is indeed a treasure. Maybe you think you need a quiet secluded place to achieve a quiet spirit. But the Spirit of God also has a quieting effect on the body. Of course you do not have to…
Envy is a self-focused problem. Many people are not satisfied with who they are. When they look into a mirror, they don’t see the real “them,” they see what they want to become. This type of envy is harmful to the soul. Proverbs 14:30 states, “A sound heart is life to the body, but…
Adjusting to God for peace can be difficult for us to understand but it is a wonderful resource available from an abiding relationship with Christ. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,…
Joy does not come from a discouraged soul. Joy requires God’s reservoir of help. Our world needs needs a good dose of these virtues: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Most mental-health workers would agree with that statement. We would, however, sharply disagree on how to generate such virtues. If you…
“Those annoying people did it to me again!” Have you said that lately? There is no doubt there are many annoying people in this world. But why is it that we have to run into them so often? God’s Word gives us some insight in Galatians 5:20-21 which states that “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,…
Do you worry? Is worry an issue for you? Does it give you hang-ups or occupy your time and your mind? Does it keep you from having the peace that you need or from resting when you need to rest? Some people are worried that they might get anxious about something! Christians are not exempt…
Just what are the worst sins a Christian can commit? Would you say it would be to call someone a liar? Maybe it is for a married person to commit adultery. Or, what about deceiving others? Could it be that the worst of all is to murder someone? We know that all sin is an…
The Need for Grace Do you need grace? Have there been times when you needed others to share grace with you? Grace is a gift from someone who give us something we don’t deserve. Mercy withholds from us what we really do deserve. A local newspaper carried an article called “Road Rage” that demonstrated a…