Author: Prayer for Anxiety

Prayer for uncertainty | a clear perspective

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When you are doubting or confused you can pray this prayer in those uncertain moments. God makes us holy and keeps us safe. His peace alone removes all blame and condemnation.

Let your faith in Christ cast away all uncertainty in your heart.

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Prayer for uncertainty

May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

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PRAYER FOR UNCERTAINTY

Dear merciful Lord,

Things seem unclear. I’m not sure where I stand, or if the decisions I make are correct. Too many thoughts swirl around and confuse me.

The enemy brings uncertainty and fear to my heart.

Stand up for me Lord. Fight for me. Cast away the darkness.

Show me your will. Bring me clarity and peace.

Even if I cannot have all the answers, I know the one who does.

Your Spirit created the universe. Your Spirit brought Jesus back from the dead.

Let your Spirit, Lord, bring me certainty. The certainty that you will never leave me, you will always lead me, and that I belong to you.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Prayer for peace in my heart

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Here’s a prayer you can pray to bring peace to your heart.

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“Prayer for peace in my heart” is partially based on Ephesians 2:13-18 which speaks about how Jesus is our only true peace. He makes peace between you and God by ending all conflict and hostility. But beyond just an end to disagreement, true peace is a unified heart.

Pray for peace in your heart and God will give it to you.

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I worry about my kids too much. What should I do?

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I worry about my kids too much

Let love free you from worry.

Germs, accidents, college, drugs, sex… the list of worries for a parent these days seems to never end. It’s normal to want to nurture and protect your child. But if you worry about your kids too much, you could be doing more harm than good.

The Real World

Let’s face it, the world is a dangerous place. Kids get sick and hurt every day. The dangers our children face can sometimes take on life-threatening, or at least life-changing, consequences. But how do you cope with this in a healthy way?

Examine Your Past

If you feel like you worry too much, it’s worth taking a look at your past for an explanation. For example, if your parents were divorced, this could be part of the reason you worry so much today. On the other hand, if your parents were overprotective, you might be imitating their behavior. A toxic family environment may also have programmed worry into your personality.

Any type of trauma, abuse or neglect in your past has a profound impact on how you see the world today. If you felt threatened all the time, then worry is a natural reaction. Identifying the source of your fears helps you manage them in a healthier way.

Responsibility

As a parent, you’re responsible for the safety of your child. But does excessive worry help you? Exaggerated worry may lead your child to be paralyzed with anxiety now or later as an adult.

Whose suffering do you want to prevent?

You don’t want to see them suffer, right? But at what cost? If your kid decided to be an attorney, would you buy a fake diploma to avoid the suffering that comes with law school? Of course not, but life is the same way. In the school of life we grow when we learn how to navigate our trials.

The more challenging question might be: Is my desire to avoid my kid’s suffering actually a desire to avoid my own suffering?

Unnecessary suffering should be avoided, but when we don’t allow our kids to grow up, they end up suffering much more later. This problem can even get handed down to our children’s children.

Money Matters

One common example is to constantly meet the financial needs of your child. You might think, “Well, once they get on their feet, then I won’t have to support them anymore.” We must accompany our kids as they learn to fend for themselves, but sometimes we end up supporting them too much.

A young bird never expected to leave the nest will never appreciate the value – and joy – of flight. If children never learn the value of work and money, they’ll have a distorted view of the world for the rest of their lives.

But what if they get hooked on drugs or get (someone) pregnant?

Again, risk and danger are real. So accept them. No amount of worry will eliminate these possibilities. But dialog with your kids can help reduce them. If you come at them with exaggerated fear, they’ll either copy your worry habits or simply tune you out. But if you attempt to engage with them at their level, as well as with sincerity about yourself, then they just might think twice.

When bad things happen

Sooner or later, your kid will get sick or hurt. That’s the nature of life, and 100% prevention is impossible. Some use this as fuel to increase their worry efforts even more. But maybe it’s better to look at things from the perspective of those who have lost their children to accident or illness.

These parents obviously suffer tremendously. But after going through the process of grief, some eventually come to a stage of acceptance. Those most at peace with their loss understand a profound truth that all parents should know: Your child has belonged to God from the beginning.

How prayer helps

When you pray for your kids, let out all your worries to God without watering it down. Let him know exactly how much you worry. And as you continue in prayer, he’ll help you to cope with your fears in a mature way. He shows you that his plan for their lives is not under your control. You certainly have a role to play, but it’s not the main role.

Also, ask to be healed of your past hurt that might be affecting how you see your child. Let God’s love heal old wounds that interfere with having a healthy relationship with your son or daughter.

The most excellent way

The best way to understand and deal with suffering is through love, not control. This is the lesson Jesus revealed to us on the cross. Worry will never get rid of suffering, but love will conquer fear. Fear makes us think and act irrationally.

Let God cast out your fears. Let him set you free to see clearly. Then you can understand your true role in your child’s life – a protective and guiding servant, privileged to walk with them for part of their beautiful life.

Here’s a prayer for your daughter or your son.

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Prayer for acceptance

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Here’s a prayer you can pray to help you accept difficult situations or persons. Maybe you don’t like what’s happening, but you might have no choice. Sometimes the only thing left to do is to ask God for a change of heart.

If you go to the Lord, he will reveal a deeper meaning. Trust in him to provide you with spiritual maturity and strength. Remember, your peace does not depend on people or circumstances. Instead, find true rest in God’s presence.

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Prayer for acceptance

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4

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For help in difficult times…

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PRAYER FOR ACCEPTANCE

Dear loving God,

Sometimes things are Just too hard to take. Must I accept it all?

My life, my situations, my loved ones, even myself. It’s not how I hoped and dreamed things would be.

Show me the way, oh Lord ,to accept. What must I do?

First, I look to your Son, so innocent and full of grace.

He took it all upon him for me.

Can I accept this? Can I accept this gift from heaven?

If so, then I can accept anything.

For your Spirit lets me see with the eyes of Christ. Eyes full of patience, full of mercy, and full of love.

He knew you alone Lord, can change everything, All things are yours.

Let me be like Jesus, Lord. Let me be like your Son.

In his holy name,

Amen.

Should I Take Medication For Anxiety?

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Should I take medication for anxiety

Where are you putting your faith?

Your heart races or you’ve got a knot in your stomach. Or your mind gets clogged with worry. You feel nervous, powerless and afraid. These are common symptoms of anxiety. Should you take medications for this problem?

Causes and Treatments

There are many potential causes of anxiety such as traumatic life events, health problems or economic hardship. Chronic stress can also lead to anxiety. Many times, however, the cause might not be so clear. Mainstream healthcare often overlooks potential spiritual causes of anxiety.

There’s a whole host of treatment options available including psychotherapy, relaxation techniques and alternative or herbal remedies. Medications are also commonly used – but should you resort to pills or not?

Do they really work?

Billions of dollars are spent every year for the treatment of anxiety, and a large portion of this goes towards medications. Many studies support the use of these drugs. The problem occurs when the medications are used by doctors as a band-aid without addressing the source of your worry.

Frequently anti-anxiety meds (or anxiolytics) are prescribed without a solid diagnosis. Or there is no accompanying counseling to help you understand your fears. Another confusing factor is that it might not be the medication that helps you at all, but a placebo effect instead. Simply going to see a doctor can bring you relief, and sometimes just taking a sugar pill makes you feel better.

Unfortunately, in our busy world, patients and doctors rush to find a convenient solution. The huge profits made from the sale of anxiolytics adds even more pressure to prescribe.

What to do

First of all it’s important to understand that anxiety is not “all in your head.” Mental health issues are serious and real. If your worry is excessive you should seek help, but choose wisely. Make sure you team up with someone who is a good listener that doesn’t just prescribe or adjust meds. In some cases, after careful consideration, anxiolytics might be indicated – but they should not be thought of as a cure.

If you don’t feel that your current care provider is willing to work with you then look for another practitioner. Also, your church should have resources to help you even if it’s just someone to talk to.

Bigger issues

The most important question might not be whether or not to take drugs, but instead, where are you putting your faith?

If you rely on pills alone you could delay a deeper, more important healing process. This affects how you react to the world around you. While medication might relieve some of your symptoms, it might also delay emotional growth. Sometimes this means you can never get off the drug.

These larger issues must be addressed for you to be healthy and strong. It could also mean that you can be drug free.

The role of prayer

One mistake Christians often make is to rely on prayer alone. While it might be the cornerstone of how we face our fears, prayer should never be used as a form of isolation. We need to talk, share, cry and be hugged once in a while too.

But there’s no question about the power of prayer to free you and heal you.

When you pray, God often reveals things to you that you might never discover through psychotherapy alone. He can show you aspects about your character that might be hidden.

For example, you might have been hurt by a person or situation in the past. Now you associate other uncertainties with a bad past experience, even if they are not really related. Or maybe you have an issue with vanity or pride which manifests itself as fear. These complex emotions can sometimes only be untangled in God’s presence.

Do the work

Jesus repeated over and over, “Fear not!” He was 100% human so he knew all about fear. But he also knew the best antidote to any fear was faith. Even though it’s important to get professional help for severe anxiety problems, don’t rely on worldly solutions alone.

If you look for easy answers, you’ll end up disappointed. Anxiety problems take time to resolve. And you always have a choice. You can spend your time paralyzed with worry, running around seeing doctors or in the presence of a God that forgives you and loves you just as you are.

Jesus Christ is the Great Physician. Go to him frequently. It takes an effort, but the rewards will go far beyond anything you can imagine.

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Prayer for my family

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If there’s anything we pray for, it’s for our family. No other place brings as much joy and pain to us. What are the reasons behind this?

First of all, the family is the source of life. We all have a mother and father. If you were brought up by relatives or adopted parents, they also provided for you. Even in the most difficult families, there is life.

Still, we often hurt the one’s we care for the most. Maybe it’s because we are tired, and we let our guard down. Or maybe it’s because we trust in our loved ones. We feel that they will still love us even when we don’t behave so well. We trust in love.

The family can be an abundant source of love. When you are sick or in need, family shows up. In the toughest moments, families often come together. In many families, the abundance of generosity and love is astounding.

Still, we can also observe great hurt and betrayal within families. It would be unrealistic to think that any family is perfect, and some live with much pain.

And many times, the greatest acts of forgiveness occur in families.  This is the message of Jesus — forgive and be forgiven.

Pray for your family in the tough times

If we think about Christ on the cross, it helps us to understand our family struggles. That moment of great pain and suffering was also the doorway to salvation. When we suffer and serve our family, the greatness of God’s love shines through. Remember this in the trials your family faces.

Seek God’s promises for your family. Ask the Lord to reveal them to you. Pray upon his promises. Get strength and peace from them. It may take days, months or years — but even a lifetime is worth the life and love that comes from your family.


Prayer for my family

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Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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PRAYER FOR MY FAMILY

Oh loving Lord,

Do you see my family? Do you see how we have struggled? Do you see how we have hurt? Even each other. Pain going back, for generations.

So right here, right now, in your presence, I claim the promises you set forth for me and my family. Not a perfect family, that never suffers, that never bleeds – but a family united in LOVE, in Spirit and in Truth.

This can only come by your grace. Oh loving Lord, pour yourself out upon us. Wash us clean again. Reach down. Restore us.

Through your mercy, through your love.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Everything is going wrong. Now what?

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Everything goes wrong

When even small things ruin your day where do you turn?

Have you ever had one of those days when it seems like everything goes wrong? Some people experience weeks, months or even years in this kind of situation. The advice “just think positive” doesn’t always work. So what should you do?

The little things pile up

Many times it’s not one big problem but many little things instead. Or maybe a certain stumbling block just won’t go away. Even minor issues can take up a lot of your time (ever try to change cable service?). In these moments, every new misfortune takes on monstrous proportions. It’s like having a big load in your arms, and someone asks you to carry an egg – so you have to stick it in your mouth.

Some techniques

Being overwhelmed is real – it’s not all in your head. You might experience a string of inconveniences or even outright disasters. However, your reaction to negative events makes a big difference. If you’ve had a breakdown just because someone spilled some milk, then you know how stress can affect everything.

It’s easier to navigate a crisis when you have clarity and peace. Here are some methods you can try to maintain a healthy outlook:

  • Remember that problems usually don’t last forever
  • Try to focus on one problem at a time
  • Resolve the most nagging issues first
  • Recognize what’s going right in your life
  • Visualize a future where the problems are solved
  • Accept the things that you are powerless to change
  • Be aware that trials produce patience and character
  • Go for walks to clear your head
  • Don’t add anything to your schedule (just say “no”)
  • Ask for help

Even though these methods are useful, some of them echo the “just think positive” advice that oftentimes doesn’t work. And what about the problems that do last forever?

The Threat

Many times, faith lives at the limits of psychology. For some Christians when things go wrong, Satan is blamed for these attacks. While this might – or might not – be true, the Devil certainly enjoys seeing us stressed out or paralyzed in despair.

In chapter 20 of Jeremiah, the prophet hears “many whispering ‘Terror on every side!’” And that’s exactly what it is; the enemy trying to convince you that your life is a disaster. Many fall into this temptation, and once they start believing Satan’s lies, things get worse.

Stand up and fight

Jeremiah goes on to say, “the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.” Who are your persecutors? Pessimism and the lack of hope. These are the things that keep you from invoking the “mighty warrior” that is our Living God.

When you feel like everything is going wrong there can be a palpable resistance to prayer. You feel like you have to do something, anything, besides pray. It seems like a waste of time or you’re just too exasperated. But know this: God fights for you fiercely. He’s a mighty warrior that will rise up to cast out evil and doubt. Cry out to him and things will change.

Remove your doubt

You might think that prayer isn’t practical, but have you tried it? Begin by sitting quietly and saying, “God I’m here. Speak to me.” If your mind begins to race, just let it. Let your thoughts unwind naturally, but stay aware that you are in God’s presence. As your mind begins to clear, praise God and ask him for help. You can use simple phrases like:

  • I praise you Lord.
  • Fight for me God, I need you now.
  • Dear Jesus, I trust in you.

These words have a tremendous power to put things in order. Just talk to God as you would a close friend. As your prayer continues you will experience something incredible – you will begin to think clearly and realistically. God won’t always take problems away, but he will give you the right mind to face your challenges. This is the Holy Spirit making a concrete difference in your life. And difficulties will be resolved in ways you never imagined.

Spiritual Combat

One thing is clear, Satan certainly does not want you to seek God’s presence. Evil wants you to remain emotionally isolated and convinced that your life is a series of failures. Sometimes you have to nearly force yourself to pray. And when you do, the truth comes out. What is the truth? The truth is that you are loved by a great God who forgives you and places you upon a throne with his Son. Satan does everything in his power to hide this truth from you. But a simple prayer and a moment of grace can dispel the darkness.

No way out?

Some situations do not end. Illness, death and loss exist, and sometimes no amount of faith can prevent this. God does not always offer solutions that fit our vision of the world. Instead he lets us see things from the perspective of his Kingdom where things like mercy, forgiveness and love rule. In God’s plan, you can overcome even the most difficult situations since the Spirit gives you the strength to stand up and keep going.

We know God hears our suffering and showed it in the most profound way. He sent his Son to suffer with us and for us, even to the point of taking away all the badness that we so easily bring upon ourselves and the world. When Christ’s truth sinks in, a spirit of humility grows in your heart. And perhaps Jesus’ greatest way to deal with adversity was his humility.

Glory

For Jesus it seemed like everything was going wrong too. His friend betrayed him and his disciples left him. One of his most loyal apostles denied him. Then Jesus was sentenced to death even though his innocence was unquestionable. But in every moment, Jesus looked to his Father – he gave it all up to God and the end result was glorious.

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Stuck in a dead end job? Then do this.

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Stuck in a dead end job

The way out is through Christ

A lot of people lead stressful lives. Sometimes the worst form of stress is when you feel like you are stuck in a dead end job. The reason for your anxiety may be that you feel like you have no control over the situation. Let’s look at how to approach this in a healthy, faith-based way.

Don’t water it down

Maybe your job is monotonous and seems like it has no meaning. Perhaps you have a terrible boss as well. You also have bills to pay and mouths to feed. It doesn’t hurt to look at things realistically – that way you can see solutions clearly.

Look at your options

You might hear some say that you should quit your job and start over. While this certainly is an option, maybe it isn’t the right thing for you. It’s not easy to change jobs, and not everyone is capable of starting their own successful business.

And if you have no options and you really are stuck – what then?

It’s like prison

There are some situations that can feel very much like a prison sentence. So in this case, what can we turn to? The example of real-life prisoners. When someone is incarcerated they certainly can say they feel like their life is at a dead end.

Some inmates get into intense physical fitness programs while others take up a new hobby. People have even gone on to get masters and doctorate degrees during their time spent behind bars. Your situation might be different, but options like going to school at night or taking courses online might provide you with opportunities that you thought were impossible.

Also, there are countless prisoners who have found true freedom on the Gospel message. Many of the most amazing testimonies are from those who met Jesus while in prison. Remember, Jesus was a prisoner too.

Look at Paul

In the Acts of the Apostles, when Paul was imprisoned, what did he do? He prayed and sang hymns (Acts 16).  When Paul was in what appeared to be a dead end, he raised up his voice to God because he knew the secret to true freedom.

Your freedom is found in Jesus

No matter what your situation, true freedom is interior. There are many that appear to be free and successful but live in a prison of emptiness. A deep relationship with God is so powerful that nothing can stop it. You can move about with incredible freedom in the space we call faith.

Many disabled or even bed-ridden believers are completely free as they soar on the wings of prayer to our living God. These people offer their suffering for God’s glory. You can also lift up what appears meaningless and make it glorious in the eyes of the heavenly Father. Do it for him until he calls you to do something different.

Intercession is the work of saints

If you feel that your job is at a dead end, then take on a second job: prayer. Pray intensely for those you love and care for. Pray for zones of conflict, disaster and disease, and pray for our religious leaders as pastors need the protection of our prayers. Pray for those you work for – even that terrible boss – and see how they begin to change.

This activity goes completely unnoticed by the world, but God looks upon this work with great interest. Praying in anonymity for others is a great act of faith. And if anything is ever going to impress God, it is great faith.

Your key to freedom

This doesn’t mean that you can’t ask God to change your situation, but the greater victory will be your transformation. Your life that seemed like a prison will take on a richer and deeper meaning. As your relationship with Christ grows in importance you will see that things around you begin to change.

Never give up hope. The secret to developing lasting hope is found in your trials. Paul outlined this in Romans Chapter 5 when he wrote, “because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit…”

Recognizing Jesus Christ in your life puts this Spirit into your heart. So when you face a dead end, as Paul did in prison, lift up your voice and praise God. Then watch the prison gates fly open to set you free.

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