Category: Blog

Picture this: you’ve just crawled into bed after what seemed like a great day. You turn off the light, close your eyes, and prepare for a peaceful doze into sleep.

And then the overthinking begins.

What follows is a routine so many of us are all too familiar with. We obsess over everything we said that day and beat ourselves up over everything that we didn’t. We replay conversations over and over again in our minds, agonizing over the smallest of details and analyzing all the ways in which we could’ve been wrongly perceived. We spend hours ruminating on these thoughts, rehashing the past until everything that seemed good at first now becomes nothing more than a place for worry and distress.

Our desire for control over our lives can lead to these thoughts taking over our minds, leaving us in an exhaustive state of anxiety for the days to come. While it may feel impossible to escape the shackles of overthinking, I’m here to tell you that with determination and God on your side, you can put an end to the constant barrage of thoughts.

You see, the wonderful thing about having a relationship with God is that we’re never alone in our struggles. He tells us to come to Him whenever we’re burdened and weary (Matthew 11:28), to cast all our anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7), to not worry about anything but instead rely on Him for strength and peace of mind (Philippians 4:6).

How comforting is that?

The God who created the universe and knows the stars by name cares for you more than you could ever imagine, and is always there for you to depend on. He wants nothing more than for you to surrender your worries, your overthinking, to Him and trust in His control, so that He can finally let you experience His all-encompassing peace that is unlike anything we’ve felt before. Pretty incredible, if you ask me.

So next time you notice yourself spiraling into the overthinking trap, remember these verses and enter into prayer. Ask God to help you let go of the situation and surrender it to Him, to give you the strength to trust in His perfect control. Any time an anxious thought about it enters your mind, imagine crumpling it up and casting it onto God for Him to take care of. Little by little, you’ll start to see that rather than acting as glue for the overthinking thoughts, your mind will be more rubber as you immediately give any thought that enters it over to God, trusting completely in His control.

Now, this is all easier said than done. Wanting to be in control of everything is in our nature, and it takes a pretty high level of faith to truly hand a situation over to God. But faith is a constant journey, and with every prayer and attempt at trust we make, it grows that much deeper and stronger. Always remember that no matter where you’re at in your faith journey or in your struggle with overthinking, God will always be there for you, ready to help you overcome the battle.

I would love to be married. The whole idea and concept of marriage sounds wonderful to me. I want the perfect engagement, beautiful wedding, and amazing marriage that I’ve seen among my friends and family. I know that no marriage is flawless, but even still, I want one!

But here’s the thing – I am very, very single. I just graduated college and while I was there, I tried to flirt with all of these great Christian guys but with no real luck. The best ones were either taken or uninterested. For a while, I fervently prayed to find my future husband but when my final semester rolled around, I had to give in to the fact that I would graduate single.

Don’t get me wrong, I like being single! I’m not desperate by any means and I am (mostly) content to wait for the right guy to come along. This doesn’t mean I’m not still ready to be in a relationship. I am constantly surrounded by people who are in relationships which just makes it that much harder to be patient. For a long time, I’ve needed to cope with singleness far better than I am now.

Recently, I made a purchase that I’m only slightly embarrassed to have made. It’s a book called “Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness and Dating.” There’s a line in the introduction of the book where the author, Marshall Segal, says “I also believe he withheld marriage to draw me closer to himself and to allow me to use my gifts to serve others while I was still single.” This line hit me HARD. If there is one thing that comes with being single, it’s freedom. You never have to run ideas or plans past anyone else and are free to execute them whenever and however you see fit. If I decided to jump at an opportunity to do mission work, I could. If I wanted to spend my days off work volunteering at local nonprofits, I could. My time is for God – no husband in the picture.

In Genesis, Adam was hanging out in the garden of Eden alone for a while, and that was fine, but he was definitely in need of something more – enter Eve! So the Bible literally begins with a story about marriage. God created marriage to be beautiful and holy, and for a husband and wife to work together on their path to righteousness. This doesn’t mean that someone who doesn’t have a spouse can’t do God’s work! Look at Paul – he never married and he wrote thirteen books of the Bible. I say all of this to say that marriage is good but singleness is also good.

I’ve had a hard time coping with being single. I can remind myself of Paul all day long but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish for a husband. However, slowly but surely, I’m coming to terms with the fact that my possibilities right now are endless! As a single person, my challenge to all of the singles out there is to take advantage of the time you have right now. Take chances, go on adventures, and serve God in every way that you can. This is your time to be single – don’t waste it wishing to be married!

Recently I’ve been reading through the book of Isaiah, and boy did God hit me with something to share.

Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and begins to speak to the leaders in warning from God about the outbreak of sin that was occurring throughout the land. It is revealed that God is going to “remove from Jerusalem and from Judah every kind of security” (Isaiah 3:1) in reaction to the people’s rebellion against Him. He says, “The pride of mankind will be brought low, and human loftiness will be humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted on that day” (Isaiah 2:11). Isaiah is explaining this and tells the leaders that after this destruction of the rebellious lands there will be a new Jerusalem, of which the people are turned towards God.

Isaiah recounts a vision of God on His rightful throne being worshipped, this shows him how wrong he and his people are. He is told to go and spread the word of what is coming in the future. So Isaiah goes to Ahaz, the ruler of the time, to tell him that God’s warning will go into action. He states, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9).

Let that sink in because you probably know and have experienced hard times in standing tall in your faith. I know for certain that I have. God lets us know that there will be adversity in this life, but it is not meant to tear us down; it is meant to build us up. We are to stand firm in our faith in Him.

I plan on majoring in Discipleship studies with a minor in Biblical studies, and I am super psyched about it. I’m in my second semester of senior year and everyone always asks “what are you going to study?” and by everyone, I mean absolutely everyone. In my case, this question reveals not only my future career goal being in ministry, but also my “Jesus freak label.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally all in and dedicated to ministry, but sometimes people just don’t expect it and start acting different. Starting off announcing this to people took some getting used to, but now I expect it.

God has unique callings for all of us and in order for us to carry these out, He has blessed us with certain gifts. I know sometimes it’s hard to accept this calling He has placed on you, because it is scary, but He is always walking with us.

As I was writing this I was listening to Cory Asbury’s newest album and the song “Water and Dust” came on. In it he says, “Don’t lose heart, He’s got your hand.” And I just thought “wow,” because He calls us to express these gifts we have been given and it can be daunting, but He is with us, He is always with us. You have to be diligent in your contemplation of your calling to assure you’re following His calling, not just what you desire your calling to be.

You cannot allow your own preferences on comfort to cloud your realization of what He is calling you to do. 2 Peter 1:10 says, “make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.” This is not to say there will not be trials, but there will be no stumbles in identifying your calling if you really concentrate on His will.

Identifying what He is calling you to can be very difficult. The thing is He will reveal it to you when He knows you are ready. For me this has been illustrated through God revealing the world of ministry to me at the age of 5. I was so amazed at a young age of all the amazing things that were being done to spread God’s name.Then as time went on I discovered my own passion for mission work and ministry in general.

When I was trying to decide on what career I wanted to pursue, many people were telling me to just find something that would make a lot of money. But as I kept hearing stories about ministry, it reminded me of how much I love ministry. It brought back that pursuit of a future I was introduced to when I was only 5. Just the timing of how He revealed this calling is absolutely incredible, and I can’t wait to see what He does.

He works through people in all areas of work. He may be calling you to be a teacher, fireman, waitress, or nurse. He may call you to move to another state or to serve in a certain ministry at church. The most important thing is to listen intently to see what His calling for you is and be diligent in following it.

What is the thing that drives you to fear? Maybe it’s the thought of losing your sense of security. That security may be found in your job, your relationships, or your reputation. Really, fear can be found in anything. Any aspect of our lives can be confiscated by fear if we let it. But fear, and the reasons why we might be fearful, may not be rational. They may even be all lies. So where does this fear come from then?

Growing up in church, I’ve often heard the phrase “fear comes from the devil.” And I don’t consider that to be entirely untrue. If our fears are irrational and lies, wouldn’t it be fitting that the father of lies, Satan, has put these things into our lives to cripple us?

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but regarding this current generation and the labels that it bears, the most prominent would be anxiety. We are an anxious generation. We are anxiety ridden. But why? For what reasons? Why are we so anxious, why are we so worried?

I’m not pointing fingers. If anything, this is specifically aimed towards me. I was on anti-anxiety medication for a while. I’m no stranger to anxiety, and I’m no stranger to fear.

Right now, in my life, I’m going through what may be the most difficult thing I’ve had to deal with personally. My sense of security and me trying to control things is abruptly coming to an end. I am twenty years old and am still living at home. I go to a community college in my town and I am a nanny. I knew this part of my life wouldn’t last forever; it was never meant to. Seasons come and go, that’s just a part of life. But soon in the future, I’m transferring to a university. This means moving three and a half hours away from the town I grew up in and leaving behind my parents, my friends, and my job. My whole life right now is planted in my hometown. What is bad about this situation, though, is the control issue I’m having. The sense of fear. I’m moving to a college that my brother has been attending, which is nice, but it’s a bit of a security blanket for me. But that’s all that I’ll have from home. To get back to the life I’m living now would be to prevent any possible growth in my life. It would be stagnant, and I would be settling.

It’s just crazy, and I know this all sounds silly. It seems like it’s really no big deal. But, when you’re a kid, you think about moving away and being an adult. You dream about being in charge and eating ice cream for breakfast. It’s a fantasy that seems so far away. But then one day, you wake up and you’re twenty, and you’re expected to be an adult when you still feel like a kid. You still feel so unqualified and defeated. It’s like you always wanted the day to come where you’d be an adult, but now that it’s finally here, you’d do anything to turn back time.

The thing is, even though my brother will be with me at this college, that’s my only sense of “home” there. He won’t be there forever, he’ll graduate before I do. But this is the thing that God has been showing me: that I haven’t truly been trusting in Him alone. I’ve been trusting in my efforts. I’ve been trusting in my sense of security. It’s time for me to grow up, to be an adult, and to trust God ultimately. Because, even if I was moving to a college where I wouldn’t know anyone or anything there, I would still have God. No matter where I go, I will still have God. The ways of the world can easily take away the temporary things in our lives. We live in a fallen world. But no matter what happens, God can never be taken away from us. The connection and relationship we have with Him cannot be taken from us, no matter how hard anyone tries. In life, God is here. In death, He is there. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. That’s the whole point.

I’ve asked God to give me situations to step out in faith, to grow closer to Him. I’ve concluded that this is it. God is so good at His job. He is so good at showing up. We may resist the opportunities He gives us, but He calls us to obedience. I’ve been learning that even if the grass withers, and the flowers fade, the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8). If I don’t have anything else in this life, I still have God. No matter where I go in this life, I’ll still have Him. My faith will ultimately be made stronger because of this, and God will be glorified. What could be better?

Seasons. We all have the Spring and the Winter of our lives. The storms that break us down, and the sunny hour of life where we are lifted up, and everything is going right. Here’s the thing. Life doesn’t happen with just one or the other. This is where God comes in. He actually promises we will have both of those seasons. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.” Isaiah 43:21. He doesn’t say if, but when. Yet, He ALSO says “The pain that you are experiencing now doesn’t compare to that JOY that is coming”(Romans 8:18).

Sometimes I think we get so far from that season of being faithful because we don’t see the good in the rough times. Even just the mini seasons of Winter like a bad day, can bring out the negative instead of what can come of it.

There’s the season of past (what you’ve been through), the season of present (where you are now), and the season of being faithful (the season we should ALWAYS be in). So what does that even mean? How do you remain faithful during the storms? PATIENCE. You may be in a really difficult place, but guess what? That means something even better is coming your way. It’s His actual promise! Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days.. THREE DAYS! Yet, he still remained faithful. It may be really hard to power through those struggles, but remain faithful because joy is coming your way, and oh will it be even sweeter than anything you could imagine.

“If you want God to move, you also need to move.” I loved this line a pastor once said to the congregation. I expect him to pull me out of a struggle, or to give me something, yet I don’t do anything different about how I am handling myself. One of my all-time favorite worship songs is “Different” by Micah Tyler. One of the lyrics is “I don’t want to gain this world, but lose what matters“, and I think this really applies to how we handle ourselves through ALL types of seasons. Also how cool would it be to show Jesus through letting others see you handle your storms with peace and trust in Him? It’s so hard to always have faith during the tougher seasons, I get that. Yet, I’m understanding that His plan is so much greater than ours, and these seasons are all meant for something.

Whether it’s a season of praise for things working out, or a season of doubt and heartache, it’s bringing you towards something even better. So whatever season you’re in, rejoice…because your Spring is coming 🙂

Before we were even created, Jesus knew everything about us, from the hairs on our head to our overall health, and He loved us. The day we entered the world, our life was surrounded by a positive foundation of endless opportunities. We had the ability to interact with the world while having the presence of Jesus Christ by our side.

As we grew older, we came to the knowledge of learning more about the Lord and his endless love for us. A scripture from Ephesians chapter 3, verses 17-19 helps describe God’s love for us: “And that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you’re being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surprises knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” While we use the time to pray to the Lord, we are actually getting to know Him better, as the same is being known from his perspective.

With each day that passes by in the glimpse of an eye, we are continuously growing our faith closer to God and strengthening the love we share. Jesus loves each and every one of us, equally and abundantly. Remember that.

Raise your hand if you have ever been victimized by anxiety. Ok… so, obviously none of us can see one another’s hands raised right now, however, I have a feeling that if we were in a room together, we would see that most all of us could raise our hands to admit that we have encountered anxiety in some form or way in our lives. Unfortunately, that is right where the devil wants you to be with your worry. He masks you (us) from seeing that you are not alone.

Let me give you an example. Have you ever had to do something uncomfortable that is instantly made less uncomfortable if your friend is doing it with you? For example, say you have to present a project in class… it is WAY less stressful to present a group project than a project one-on-one, am I right? Just like that, anxiety and worry is dealt with so much easier when you share your stress and burdens in prayer and with close friends. Make anxiety your group project. In Matthew 6, the bible says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Whatever your issue is… *SPOILER ALERT* the Lord already knows about it.

Personally (vulnerability moment), a lot of my own anxiety has stemmed from allowing the devil to put thoughts in my head of negative things other people think of me that is not even real.

For Example:

• They think I talk too much, so maybe I should be quieter
• They think I am ugly, so maybe I am
• If I did this better they would like me more
• If I received this recognition they would respect me
• THE LIST GOES ON

From talking to other people and not dealing with my anxiety alone, I have learned that we all do this. The thing is, we may not be doing the sins that most people talk about such as partying, sleeping around, infidelity, etc., but we are still committing sin against God just the same. We are basically telling the Lord, “God, I know you made me in your image but that just isn’t good enough if I can’t fit into a size two at Urban Outfitters. When I fit into a size two, your word will be true – but not just yet”. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” God cares about your heart for Him. God does not care about the number of followers you have, if you’re a size two, if you know how to contour, if you have the newest vans. I challenge you to strip yourself of something that you feel you need to be “enough” and allow God to feel that hole. Maybe that means for you that you don’t spend two hours getting ready in the morning or you don’t check your follower count tomorrow. Maybe your issue with anxiety does not stem from insecurity. Whatever you’re using as a crutch to make yourself comfortable, I challenge you to make yourself uncomfortable and allow God to show you that he’ll give you what you need just as he did the birds in Matthew 6.

Being a freshman in college can be so exciting, nerve wracking, and, at the same time, heartbreaking. For most of us, it is our first taste of true freedom of being completely on our own, but what do we do with that freedom? Do we take advantage of finally being out from under our parents roof so we can go to every party, or do we sometimes go on a late-night pizza run with friends (you know, the place you don’t mind telling your parents you’re at)?

I am from a very small town in Southeastern Kentucky, called Fleming-Neon. I was raised in the Neon First Church of God and the amazing people in that church made me into the person I am today. I come from a big family who is very supportive of me and my church family falls right behind them.

I currently am studying business at Midway University in Kentucky on a soccer scholarship. I am about three hours from home, but it feels like I am on the other side of the planet. I had a daily routine of going to school, going to practice, coming home and sitting down with my four sisters and parents to eat dinner and talk about everyone’s day. When I decided that I was going to Midway, I signed my letter of intent to play soccer. My pastor along with some other members of my church family came to my signing and I was beyond blessed to sign my national letter of intent with them there, alongside of my teammates, coaches, family and friends.

After graduating high school, the church threw the graduates a graduation party where they gave us school supplies. I was so thankful for it. I didn’t have to buy any school supplies for my first Fall semester.

I am very close with everyone in my hometown, so it was very hard for me to leave everything behind, but I knew that I had to go to school. On move in day, I cried like it was my first day of Kindergarten all over again. But, fortunately, I made friends quickly on the soccer team, so I had people to talk to.

When you are in a public college, there is a party every weekend. I happened to be the “mom” of my friend groups because they would ask me to be the DD (designated driver) before and after the parties. I was trying to be a good friend, but I found myself lonely a lot. I didn’t like the same things as them and I didn’t do the things that they did, so I felt like I didn’t belong. Yes, I went to a few parties, but I never found enjoyment in them. I had no desire to be under the influence of anything, so I pretty much was there to take care of my friends.

One day I sat in my room by myself because my friends were participating in things I didn’t agree with. I was in my room for about six hours, and I had never felt more alone. My parents and sisters were three hours away and I didn’t have any friends to talk to. I called my mom and cried because I wanted to go home. I was completely alone and just wanted to be back with my family. But my mom, of course, tells me that God never puts more on us than we can handle so we are never alone. After that phone call, I dried my tears and decided to make new friends. Friends that like the same things I do and want to have a movie night instead of going to a party. After praying for friends that would make my college experience exactly what I wanted it to be, I got them. Praise God.

Don’t get me wrong, I love everyone that came into my life during college, but you never realize how hard it is to be a light for God around people that don’t see things the way you do. As a result, I wrote a poem that was my motto for myself through my first semester. I had many obstacles, from roommate problems to soccer to classes and friends. I knew that God was right there holding my hand though. My poem was called “Be a Daisy in the Desert,” which means it is ok to stand on your own, to stand on what you believe, and it is ok to not have friends beside you, because with God, you are never truly alone. You will feel like there is no one there and there is nothing that could fix this feeling, but there is. College is a very trying time in a Christian’s life, and I encourage all of you to find a group of friends so that your lights will shine together, and everyone will know that together you show the amazing Grace of God.

Be a Daisy in the Desert

be ready to have the wind knock you down and sand in your face. be ready for no one to hand you anything. you will have to be patient and wait. wait upon the Lord. he is your strength. bloom where you are planted, even if the Lord has planted you somewhere you don’t see how you can survive. be willing to have an open mind, be a daisy in the desert with the thrust to survive. never question the Lord even when you have a million questions in mind. Why? Why God? Why am I the one going through this? God has a reason, He is there. He will lead you to the reason if you learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Everything has a reason, even if we don’t understand it. Be a Daisy in the Desert. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. (Proverbs 31:25).