Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Kyle Idleman from his book, Don't Give Up (p. 101). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Wow, that’s a good thing to think about, isn’t it? Kyle says, “Have you ever tried to pray about your anxiety, then, a few minutes in, you feel the anxiety increase? You think to yourself, This isn’t working . “That’s because in our prayers we often tell God about our anxieties but never get around to telling our anxieties about God. When our prayers are filled with thanksgiving, we are telling our anxieties what we have to be thankful for. Anxiety has a way of blinding us to God’s blessings, but thanksgiving opens our eyes. It’s a proactive way of attacking anxieties. “When our prayers are filled with supplication, meaning that we make our requests known to God, we are telling our anxieties that God is on our side and can carry the weight.” Kyle goes on, “David models this for us in his ...

A thought by Kyle Idleman from his book, Don't Give Up (p. 91). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Anxiety has the potential to cause us to give up and what ifs can be a major cause of our anxiety can't they? “Kyle says, “ What if there’s another terrorist attack? What if there’s a shooting at my child’s school? What if the economy collapses? What if I never find someone to spend my life with? What if I can’t get pregnant? What if I do get pregnant? What if our marriage doesn’t make it? What if I don’t get accepted?” Kyle goes on, “Sören Kierkegaard wrote a small book called The Concept of Anxiety . There’s one line in there that always pops up in psychology and philosophy classroom discussions: ‘Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.’ “For the record, he’s not talking about the kind of freedom we mean when we talk about our freedom in Christ—freedom from guilt and sin doesn’t ma...

A thought by Kyle Idleman from his book, Don't Give Up (p. 76). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I’m glad you stopped.   This is important to see. Kyle says, “In his book David and Goliath , Malcolm Gladwell shares… stories of multitudes of people who chose to overcome. He writes about what he calls ‘desirable difficulties,’ postulating that having to face horrible circumstances is actually an opportunity rather than an obstacle. People who have to overcome adversity are forced to learn more and work harder, and actually, have an advantage over those who have had it easier. The few, the chosen—the strugglers.” Kyle goes on, “He suggests that the unbelievable number of people who have overcome disability or disadvantage didn’t succeed in spite of their circumstances but because of them. Not that difficulties served up greatness to them on a silver platter. Instead, they chose to use ...