{"id":859,"date":"2019-10-07T02:13:16","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T02:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.glitterandgraceteens.com\/?p=859"},"modified":"2019-10-07T02:13:16","modified_gmt":"2019-10-07T02:13:16","slug":"mind-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/?p=859","title":{"rendered":"mind games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Anxiety has become an epidemic that is spreading every day. It\u2019s\nas if the entire world has forgotten what it\u2019s like to be at peace, calm,\ncomfortable with their surroundings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you are walking down the aisle at a store and someone\nstarts to slow down to speak to you, do you look down and avoid eye contact or\ndo you greet them with a smile? When you are standing in line, do you make conversation\nwith those around you, or do you lose yourself in your phone to avoid\nawkwardness? What are you afraid of? Are you being Christ to others by\nsecluding yourself from the world around you? How can we expect to share Jesus\nwith others if we can\u2019t even share a smile?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety is a tool that the devil uses to control our minds\nand keep us preoccupied and distant from our Lord and Savior. It can come in\nmany forms, be seen in different ways, and affect those around you without you\neven knowing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrust in the Lord\nwith all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways\nacknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Be not wise in your own\neyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.\u201d Proverbs 3:5-7<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Eve was first tempted in the garden to take of the forbidden\nfruit, Satan asked her, \u201cwhy would God not want you to have wisdom like Him?\u201d\nIn a split second, she started to doubt God. Shortly afterwards, she took of a\nbite of the fruit and gave some to her husband as well. Sin and death entered\nthe world the minute Eve let her mind, filled with a Satan\u2019s deception, talk\nher into to taking the fruit she was told not to touch by God Himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow the serpent was craftier\nthan any other beast of the field that the Lord had made. He said to the woman,\n\u201cDid God actually say, \u2018You shall not eat of any tree of the garden.\u201d Genesis\n3:1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c..the serpent said, \u2018You\nwill not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be\nopened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw\nthat the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and the\ntree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she\nalso gave some to her husband.\u201d Genesis 3:4-7<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a split second, your mind can ruin your life and the\nlives of others around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The signs of anxiety are not always clear, but I can\nguarantee you that someone you know is suffering on the inside from this unruly\nepidemic. Someone you know is controlled by the worried thoughts of their mind\nand searching for a way out of the cage they have created for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone that suffers from anxiety is most often described as\na person that worries about almost everything, but there are so many other\nsigns that are overlooked and left unnoticed in today\u2019s society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An anxious person struggles to accept that God is in control\nand tries to handle everything on their own.  They don\u2019t even realize that they are trying\nto be \u2018more powerful\u2019 than God, but every day that they choose to try to handle\nthings themselves without God, they are basically telling God they don\u2019t need\nHim. They like to fix things, people included. They are often leaders and\nstrong willed in their opinions. You would never know that they are struggling\nbecause they look like they have it all together every time you see them. They\nare usually extroverted and outgoing just to cover up that their inner worries.\nThe outgoing person sitting beside you is broken on the inside. Can you see it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo not be anxious\nabout anything, but in everything prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let\nyour requests be known to the Lord.\u201d Philippians 4:6<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The silent student in class, at work, or even sitting beside\nyou at your house, that person could be screaming on the inside. Do you really\nknow what is going on in their head? What are their thoughts? Where do they\ncome from? Are they begging you talk to them in their heads but too afraid to\neven say hello? What holds us back from speaking to these people? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince we have such\nhope, we are very bold.\u201d 2 Corinthians 3:12<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor I am not ashamed\nof the gospel, for it the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes\u2026\u201d\nRomans 1:16<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one with dark circles under their eyes, sleep deprived\nand always drinking coffee to try to stay awake; have you ever tried to talk to\nthem? As you walk by them, you notice their Starbucks coffee and maybe even\ncringe at the price the cost, but did you notice the hurt in the person\u2019s eyes?\nCould you see more than just a cool coffee cup with a big price tag?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have said these\nthings to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have\ntribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.\u201d John 16:33<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a business man gets out of his nice new car with a\nbriefcase and perfectly pressed suit deep in a conversation on his high dollar\nphone; can you tell that his finances are the only family he has? Can you see\nthat he is overwhelmed with debt, working overtime every chance he gets just to\nget by, and completely alone when he walks in the door at night? His greed\ndrove his family away, and he is alone, tired, and just trying to get through\neach day. On the outside his success shines and causes others to covet everything\nabout him, but in reality he stays busy just to avoid the loneliness he feels\ninside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the love of money\nis the root of all evil\u2026\u201d 1 Timothy 6:10<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTherefore I tell you,\ndo not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,\nnor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the\nbody more than clothing?\u201d Matthew 6:25<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The party girl that posts pictures all over social media of\nher nights out and life of luxury will never tell you that every smile in her\npictures is only there because of alcohol. She seems happy and looks like she\nis living the dream, but she uses alcohol to cover up the fact that she is\nterrified of slowing down, afraid to give up her lifestyle and move on as a\nsingle young mother. She fears reality and avoids it by \u201clooking like\u201d she has\nit all together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the extroverts,\nthe control freaks, the ones that can handle it all, seek the Lord for your\npeace, let Him be your guide.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou will seek Me and\nyou will find Me, when you seek with all of your heart.\u201d Jeremiah 29:13<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd the peace of God,\nwhich surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in\nChrist Jesus.\u201d Philippians 4:7<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the tired and\nexhausted, you can find rest in the arms of Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome to Me, all who\nlabor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest.\u201d Matthew 11:28<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the successful,\nthe wealthy, and the lonely, God can give you all that you need.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026My grace is\nsufficient for you, for My power, is made perfect in weakness\u2026\u201d 2 Corinthians\n12:9<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the party girl\nthat lives for the day and survives by masking her anxieties with alcohol and\nadrenaline, remember that you are not promised tomorrow.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll flesh is like\ngrass and its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass withers and the\nflower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.\u201d 1 Peter 1:24-25<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCast all your cares\non Him, because He cares for you.\u201d 1 Peter 5:7<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the worriers, the\neveryday fake smilers, and the anti-social avoiders of society, it\u2019s time to\nstep up, look away from your phones, and feel the meaning of living like Christ.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Lord is my Light\nand my Salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of\nwhom shall I be afraid?\u201d Psalm 27:1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The signs of anxiety may not always be clear, but the devil\nwill do whatever it takes to gain control over your thoughts, take away your\npeace, your calm, and your joy in life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fill your mind with Christ and He will filter the things of\nthis world that are constantly bringing you down. Let go of yourself and give\nyour whole self, mind, body, and soul to the One that loves you most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy son, do not forget\nmy teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and\nyears of life they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness\nforsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your\nheart.\u201d Proverbs 3:1-3<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSet your mind on\nthings above, not on things of this earth.\u201d Colossians 3:2<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinally, brothers and\nsisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is\npure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable \u2013 if anything is excellent and\npraiseworthy \u2013 think about such things.\u201d Philippians 4:8<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May God bless you and show you His grace every day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anxiety has become an epidemic that is spreading every day. It\u2019s as if the entire world has forgotten what it\u2019s like to be at peace, calm, comfortable with their surroundings. When you are walking down the aisle at a store and someone starts to slow down to speak to you, do you look down and … Continue reading mind games<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-devotions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":861,"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859\/revisions\/861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.empoweredjesusgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}