
(From totalexec.com, Depression despair)
Did you know that the Bible tells us to not be anxious or to not be afraid in more than 200 versus. Yet, I believe that satan’s biggest weapon in most Christian’s lives is to promote anxiety and we all fall prey to it.
Never does a week go bye that I do not receive calls from persons panicking regarding some aspect of their divorces that seem unsettled. Fear has set in and they are “basket cases” determined they are headed to total disaster. Most often their anxieties are regarding housing, finances, and the children. Upon asking if they are believers and feel secure regarding their eternity with God because of Christ’s sacrifice, they usually answer, “yes”.
Dallas Willard, in The Divine Conspiracy says, “Isn’t it interesting that folks can trust our Father to save us from damnation but do not believe that He can take care of our shelter and financial needs.” The former seems so much harder than the latter. And yet, we panic over daily needs.
I have been facilitating divorce groups for 20 years and have never had a trusting believer end up homeless or starved. I have witnessed homes that had to be sold, finances greatly reduced, health problems heightened and children needing counseling. This is to be expected in any crisis. All of these concerns are the reason that we need a Savior! He wants to solve them for us if we would just follow His directives and trust Him for solutions.
Worry is nothing more than unbelief. Joseph Stowell in his book, The Upside of Down says …”it is the prerogative of God to rearrange, reconstruct, reinterpret, and realign [any] situation to bring glory and praise to His name.” God wants to use these situations to illustrate His love and provisions for us. Yet, we get so nearsighted, only thinking about ourselves and the need for instant gratification, that we miss His hand in our solutions and the lessons He wants us to learn. He has a reason for allowing hard times.
Donald Miller wrote a book entitled, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. He says, “Every life is a story and we are characters in God’s story.” We are created for God’s purpose to glorify Him in his story. He wants us to have the personality and attributes and gifts that we have. Throughout the story, however, He wants to present challenges and events that will require us to grow and mature in order to make us more interesting in the story. These challenges will usually not be easy or a natural gift or they would not be challenges nor provide growth…But God knows the whole story. He knows we change over time with experience. [Miller, paraphrase]
In conclusion, Rev. Charles Stanley says, “There is absolutely nothing that will happen to you today that your loving Father doesn’t already know about. He’s allowed it and He’s already active in the solution.”
Just trust in God’s word as He says, “Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need.” (Phil 4:6)
I am certain that God lead me to your support group. There I was, at the bottom of a deep pit and with God’s help you pulled me out. Within weeks of joining your group, I knew that God was using my pain to strengthen me for His glory. I hope that all who come to your ministry will open their hearts and hear Gods encouraging words.
I keep going to that deep pit where I’m hurting my soon to be ex-wife. I’ve been to a couple of meetings of DivorceCare and it helped me, although I came in at the end of their 13 week session. I did turn to God and even though I have felt good at times, the anger and blame come back and I say and do horrible things (though I’ve never laid a hand on her). I hope this, as well as my friends and family can help me through this and come out a better man.
So true yet hard to live by during those difficult times. Thanks for the reminder.
This is so true! The enemy feasts on our wounds and causes infection. However, It is often when we are at our most vulnerable that we finally surrender all to God. We we look back we think why did I wait so long and allow the enemy to mess with me. We have a good and loving Father who wants us to trust and depend fully on Him. I am living testimony to this fact.
Thank you Sandy for your wonderful ministry, and for pointing the way to the Father in times when his children can’t see clearly.
Very good, Sandy!
Thanks Sandy!!! I appreciated reading your blog on Divorce and Anxiety, and more then that your heart in stepping out and seeking to reach the masses with your life/blog/book with the messages God is scripting in your life. Thankful! Tarry on…
Connie
I’m pretty recent in the process of Separation. It’s been 3 1/2 months and I just recently came back to God. I lost faith with all the bad goings on in the Catholic Church, which I have been involved with since I was born. I went to a couple of Divorce Support Group sessions and I immediately felt better, thinking that I was quickly getting over the Separation, no doubt leading to Divorce. Then I relapsed. Even though I’ve been asking God to show me the way to becoming happy again; to letting go of the anger, blame, feeling of uncertainty, I went and did major damage to my soon to be ex-wife. I feel like I’m self-sabotaging. I will continue to pray and hopefully I will see some light at the end of the tunnel.