That fear, the worry, the anxiety, the hopelessness…none of that is from God. He doesn’t give us a spirit of fear. The enemy is prowling around seeking those he can devour. BUT GOD. God gives us POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND. If we know that fear & worry & anxiety & hopelessness is from the enemy, we’ve got to do battle. I don’t know about you but I’m not going to let the enemy win. I’m not going down without a fight. Better yet, because of the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within me I HAVE VICTORY. I’m not actually going down at all. I know the end of the story. We are overcomers because of the blood of Jesus.
So get up today, friends, and preach the POWER of the gospel to your own heart. Turn this verse into your Scriptural affirmation for today: God has not given me a spirit of fear, but He is giving me POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND. I am claiming His truth and walking in the spirit and standing on the promises of God! Who is with me??!!
Read this portion from the Passion Translation and take heart! Repeat this verse with me today, “With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes.” (verse 11)
“But in the day that I’m afraid, I lay all my fears before you and trust in you with all my heart. What harm could a man bring to me? With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes. The roaring praises of God fill my heart, and I will always triumph as I trust his promises.
“You’ve kept track of all my wandering and my weeping. You’ve stored my many tears in your bottle—not one will be lost. For they are all recorded in your book of remembrance. The very moment I call to you for a father’s help the tide of battle turns and my enemies flee. This one thing I know: God is on my side! I trust in the Lord. And I praise him! I trust in the Word of God. And I praise him! What harm could man do to me? With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes. My heart overflows with praise to God and for his promises. I will always trust in him.”
“If you need a guide for your ongoing relationship with God, read Psalms.”
― Jim George
“The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayers become.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The Psalms have been my prayer book, my hymn book, my conversation with God book for so long. Any time I feel the nudge to slip away and spend time with the Lord, the Psalms is my go-to. If I feel a need to re-focus and get back to my first love, I head to the Psalms. We see the humanity of David. We see the battles fought, the confession and repentance, the worship, the HOPE. We see David crying out to God in the depths of his despair and we see him preaching the gospel to his heart as he reminds himself of where his true hope lies.
Spend a few moments each morning this summer reading one or two Psalms. You can take this deeper and WRITE the Psalms. Pray them. Journal them. Speak them. Choose one verse to meditate on for the day. Make this reading plan your own.
I will not be posting daily on social media, but if you want to follow my STORIES on Instagram or Facebook, that is where I will share the most often. I will periodically share a post in both of those places, too. Join me on Instagram or Facebook. If you decide to share posts as we go along, I would love for you to use the hashtag #summerinthepsalms
I would love for you to join me!
Extra: If you’d like a devotional to use as we read through the Psalms (totally optional!) I love this one by Timothy Keller! The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. (I will follow the number of the Psalm and not the date as I’m reading.)
Print the Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan
Click the graphic or this PDF link to print your own copy!
In a recent conversation with a wise friend it came up that I’m a “worst case” person. I tend to think the worst pretty often. And it’s probably all my fault, too. But in a recent counseling session something she said to me has stayed with me…she said, “Candace, it’s ok to anticipate good. It’s actually a good thing. Our hearts were made for expectation.” Then, the very next day I was at church exercising and I overheard this quote on a tv sermon that was playing, “It is good to expect God to do good things.”
Well then, God. Ok, I’m listening.
Looking back at the faithfulness of God + meditating on His Word + praise = readies our heart to anticipate good. He has been faithful in the past and He’a going to do it again.
Do It Again by Elevation Worship
Walking around these walls
I thought by now they’d fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle’s won
For You have never failed me yet
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet
I know the night won’t last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You’re still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed
Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet
I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
In this world we will have trouble…yes, we live in a broken world…and sometimes we find ourselves in a storm that we aren’t sure is going to let up. Or, we may wonder what the outcome will be. How is this going to end? What if it doesn’t end well?
Yesterday I woke up with this pit of hopelessness about a situation our family finds itself in. I found myself dwelling on the outcome and what it might be.
I realized I had taken my eyes off the prize: Jesus.
Our hope is Jesus. Not in outcomes, circumstances or other people. Jesus, only Jesus.
I’m sharing about a Psalm that I’ve been clinging to this week as well as a song that has become a favorite. I pray it encourages your heart, too!! (scroll down to read Psalm 130.)
You can also see me talk about 3 of the oils I’m using during this storm of my own life.
Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Did you catch that?? With Him is FULL REDEMPTION. The NKJV says “abundant redemption.” Oh those words make me want to cry.
Our God is busy redeeming all things. With Him is ABUNDANT REDEMPTION. I wrote the words “He will redeem…” on a card and have been carrying it with me. He is so faithful, friends!
Morning by morning new mercies I see…
P.S. the study on The Forty Day Word Fast has been postponed.
3 Years Off of Anti-Depressants
I would love for you to read an update now that I have been off all of my anti-depressants for 3 years and am thriving. God has been so good to me. My mindset has changed. My health has changed. We are never truly hopeless if we have Christ. We have the power of the Holy Spirit living within us giving us the power to make the steps necessary to BE TRANSFORMED.
