Anxious?

If you deal with depression, anxiety or anger issues, I encourage you to do the strenuous work of retraining your brain and thought life. It’s a gradual process that can take a long time but it’s worth it. I struggled with severe anxiety and depression from the age of about 6 on up to my mid 30's. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how much my thought life had changed over the past 10+ years. The process started when I began going to a women’s Bible Study where I learned that you can’t just tell yourself to stop thinking of the negative thoughts, because by doing that you are solely focused on the very thoughts you are trying to rid yourself of. Instead, you must replace those thoughts with a corresponding scripture that you can truly relate with. Search google for one, you'd be surprised how many choices you'll have. So I began keeping index cards and would write scriptures on them, scriptures that related to the particular situation I was struggling with. I kept those cards with me so when I was anxious or feeling hopeless, I could grab those cards and begin reading them (aloud when possible). I was amazed at the peace I began to have during those times. It began to strengthen my faith helping me to truly trust that Gods Word had power. For some reason bedtime was always the most difficult time, the fear and aloneness became so overwhelming, that I couldn’t concentrate on scripture. So I would simply whisper the name of Jesus, curl up in bed and hold my Bible like it was a teddy bear. After a short time, His peace began to wash over me and I would drift off to a peaceful sleep. Now, years later, I have come to realize that I truly had replaced negative thoughts with scripture. I just realized recently that my thought life now, is mixed with all kinds of scriptures. I've found that scripture that I hadn't really tried to memorize, now just comes flowing out. Most of my thoughts are tied to a specific scripture, which is why I share Gods Word so much. They breath new life into me and I want to share that Life giving power with everyone. I am simply amazed at how God and His Word works! Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” And 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” So I encourage you to give it a try…give God and His Word a try. I promise, you will be amazed at the transforming power they have!