Articles & Bible based teachings

Take a moment to assess your daily life in general. Where is your focus each and every day? Is it on the dozens of things you have to accomplish for the day? Is it on your problems or needs? Do you play out situations in your head, trying to somehow predict the outcome? I've heard it said that "energy goes where attention flows” and l agree with that statement. Most of us spend tremendous amounts of time and energy trying to make sure everything goes the way we want and expect. But what we often do not see is, we are actually mostly focused on the problem, not the solution.

Have you ever played out in your mind your ideal life and let that get deep into your heart? Or have you, like so many others, lost sleep worried about everything? Worried about what you think could happen. Worried about what illness you think you may contract.

Worry is a product of fear and fear comes from a lack of trust and faith in God. Fear gives Satan something to grab hold of, something to use against you, in an effort to destroy your faith. This is what he did to Job. We read in Job 3:25 that Job himself said, "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me". Do you think it's a coincidence that what Job greatly feared is the exact thing that happened to him? The enemy is not stupid, he knows what buttons to push and how to tear you down; that is...if you let him.

Several years ago I worked with a woman who was diagnosed with cancer. We shared many conversations about her health and life in and I took the opportunity to minister to her during these conversations. But there is one thing about our conversations that I will never forget. She told me that she has always had a great fear of getting cancer. She told me that her grandmother had cancer and that she always felt like she would one day get cancer also. Since childhood, this fear has been in the back of her mind. Every time she would have a pain or feel sick, she wondered if it was cancer. Now this may sound irrational but think about it. The moment you get a runny nose in the winter, someone will undoubtedly say, "you may be coming down with the flu. You had better go to the doctor". Now they could be right or it could just be the cold air causing your nose to run. The point is this; speak what God says not what the world says. God says in Joel 3:10, “Let the weak say, I am strong".

So how do we keep the enemy from using our fears against us? The answer is quite simple. Stop telling everyone that you know you will get the flu this year because you always get the flu this time of the year. Stop confessing that you know you won't have enough money to pay your bills. Stop saying that your headache might be a tumor..."lt's not a tumor!" These are not prophetic statements, they are statements made out of fear.

Instead confess that which is known to be true, that "The name of the Lord is a fortified tower, the righteous run to it and are safe" (Proverbs 18:10). Declare that “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7).  “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2).

Declare that the one that you trust in is Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord will provide - Genesis 22:14). He is Jehovah-Nissi (The Lord my banner - Exodus 17:15). He is Jehovah-Raphe (The Lord my healer - Exodus 15:26). He is Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord my peace - Judges 6:24). He is Jehovah-Raah (The Lord my shepherd - Psalm 23:1). He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu (The Lord my righteousness - Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16). And He is Jehovah-Shammah (The Lord is there - Ezekiel 48:35).

Focus on the Word of God. Focus on His goodness, His strength; His power, and His compassion. Meditate on the promises of God. Picture your life as the perfect fulfillment of God's promises. Picture your life as abundantly prosperous. Envision your body as healthy and strong. Envision your youth being renewed like the eagles. Your life being redeemed from the pit. Being satisfied with good and crowned with steadfast love and mercy. (Psalm 103:1-5).

Fix the eyes of your heart on Jesus as you pray, not on the situation or ‘thing’ are praying for. Picture yourself walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, just you and Him, in a heart-felt conversation. See Him as the ultimate comforter, listener, healer, and provider that He is. See the compassion and empathy on His face as you pour your heart out to Him, knowing that He can and will help you. And then listen for what He has to say.

When you go to a friend of family member, do you talk non-stop and then walk away? Or do you tell them the details of your need and wait for their input? Come to Jesus the same way you would your friend of family member. Come to Jesus as a child would his or her parent, knowing that mom or dad will do everything in their power to help you. I've heard many parents say that they would die to protect their kids but Jesus is the only one I know of who actually has.

Has Jesus ever turned anyone away who came to Him for help? Not that I could find anywhere in the Bible. He told John the Baptist, by way of the disciples, "the blind received their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them" (Matthew 11:5).

Did He ever deny anyone their healing? The Bible actually says, "And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them." (Matthew 4:23-24). Further, the gospel of Mathew tells us, "That evening they brought to Him many who were oppressed by demons, and He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick." (Matthew 8:16).

Did He ever deny anyone food? In Matthew 14:13-21, He fed 5,000 people, not including the women and children and then we read in Matthew 15:32-38, He fed 4,000 more, not including women and children.

Stop for a moment and think about what the body of Christ could do in this day and age to abolish hunger, if we all operated at the level of faith that Jesus did and truly trusted in the words Jesus spoke? (John 14:12-14). “12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Now I’m not saying that we can perform miracles but Jesus was clear that we can do greater things through Him, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Did He ever deny anyone freedom from judgment, oppression or condemnation; or did He keep a known adulteress from being judged by man's standards and stoned to death? Jesus challenged the judgment of man by saying, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). Then Jesus says to the Pharisees, "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me." (John 8:15-16). It's pretty clear that Jesus was and still is the only man in human history worthy of judging others, yet He chose not to.

We are told in the gospel of Mathew that, "When He saw the crowds; He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36). His compassion was so great that He not only cleansed all the lepers that came to Him, He touched a leprous man, openly displaying His compassion and sympathy for him. This was probably the only human touch this man had felt since he contracted this horrible condition. Jesus wasn't worried about touching someone who the rest of society saw as unclean. He wasn't worried about what others thought of Him. He wasn't worried about contracting this highly contagious disease. He knew it was the Father's will for everyone to be free from disease and sickness. He knew the authority He had over sickness and disease.

I can only imagine what went through that man's mind as Jesus fearlessly laid His hand on him. I can feel that man's pain in my own heart right now as I write. I can feel that man's gratitude for the one and only selfless human being ever to walk the face of the earth; after all Jesus was fully God and fully man.

Read the account of this man and Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, and picture yourself as that man; "And behold, a leper came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, if you willing you can make me clean." And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matthew 8:2-3).

Now picture yourself as Jesus, after all, Jesus does live inside you and He is to be our role model. And just as Jesus did only what He saw the Father doing; we are called to do the same. Now Jesus was probably clothed with sadness for this man, and what he has endured. But at the same time full of gladness, knowing that this man's suffering is over.

Reach out and touch the sick. Let the Spirit of God work through you. Let the afflicted see the face of Jesus when they stand before you in need. Let the limitations of this world melt away as the power of the Holy Spirit is manifest through faith in God. Jesus actually told us in Mark 11 to "have faith in God". Jesus also said, "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain 'Move from here to there', and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20).

Fix your eyes on Jesus, not the storm. Jesus is saying to you, "Come". So step out of the boat, walk to Jesus on top of the waves. Walk with confidence that the storm will not harm you. Walk with the reassurance that if you do look down and to see the waves and become afraid, you can immediately cry out "Lord, save me!" and Jesus will immediately stretch out His hand and catch you. Take a moment to read the account of Jesus walking on the water in Matthew 14:29-32. When Jesus said to Peter, "Come", Peter walked on the water toward Jesus but began to sink when he became afraid and took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm. While storms may intimidate us or even greatly frighten us, remember that Jesus not only reaches out to pull us up when we are sinking, He commands the wind and waves to cease, saying to them, "Peace, be still"!

Author: Dean Stitz  Published: 4/28/2024

Life can be pretty stressful at times; particularly with the demands of work or school, or the need to follow a schedule. Many people push themselves to learn as much as possible, worked hard to excel in life, or even make a name for themselves in society. 

If you can relate to that, one of the things I can't help but wonder is, does that make you happy? What I mean is, are you pushing yourself because you enjoy the challenge or are you pushing yourself because you feel expected to? That's not to say that anyone in particular may expect you to, but I can speak from personal experience that I've done that for most of my life and didn't even realize it.

I would push myself to perfection because I liked the praise I got for a job well done. But in doing that, I created unwanted stress and anxiety; to the point that I would have anxiety attacks. Anxiety attacks are pretty scary. I started having them when I was 16 years old. The stress from school, the competitiveness of just being teenager, and the desire to just want to ‘fit in’ all contributed. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be a teen in today’s society.

As I got older the stress of life in general only got worse. The need to ‘fit it’ with society also got worse. Socializing with friends and co-workers led to parties and drinks after work. Drinks after work led to drinks at home, and the cycle began. While I won’t get into all the details of that here, I can say from experience that substance abuse will never provide relief from stress and anxiety; in fact, it causes more issues than you can imagine. I do thank God for getting me through those years and I am looking forward to celebrating 10 years of sobriety in 2024.

With the elimination of bad habits, I searched high and low for something to eliminate the stress and anxiety, or at least reduce it to a manageable level. It wasn’t until about a year ago (beginning of 2023) that I learned to control anxiety. It was like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. The solution was so simple, so basic of an idea that I doubted it would be effective. To my pleasant surprise it’s not only effective, it’s something that I practice every day in every situation or circumstance. I admit, some days are easy and others are not, but I remind myself daily of one simple truth...I control my thoughts!

Anxiety stems from fear. Fear stems from thoughts about what someone else may think, say or do. While we can't control what others think, say or do, we can control how they affect us. You are in control of your life, not the people around you. Not the circumstances or conditions you live in. While you may not always control a situation or circumstance, you do control how you allow that to affect you. I have personally experienced what is written in Philippians 4, and to some extent still experiencing that to this day. Being a Christian doesn’t mean all your problems go away, it just means that you have God’s strength to get you through.

12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13).

The conditions we live in are a very important part of basic life, and while some conditions may seem to last an eternity, bad conditions are often temporary. Bad conditions can also be followed by people who will judge you or treat you differently because of those conditions. But in the end, you still control your thoughts.

A question I believe everyone should ask themselves is, do the opinions of people matter? While other people can bring insight and wisdom, if their words are not for our edification then should we allow them to impact us?

What if you could eliminate all the people who judge, criticize, mock, tease, bully. How would you feel? How would you act? Really take time to think about that. Would it change how you see yourself? Would it change how you interact with others? Well I'm here to tell you that you can eliminate those people from your life. Not by hiding from them or by moving to a remote island, but by reminding yourself that people can only affect you in as much as you allow them to. 

You hold all the power to control how people affect you. While the world around you will always influence your thoughts and actions, you are in control. The truth is, you have all the power and control you will ever need right inside you. Jesus said "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20) and "I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:20).

Many people will focus on the negative to compensate for their own feelings of inadequacy. Many walking this earth are constantly seeking power and control, the problem is most want power over others to control others, and that again comes from their own need to compensate for their own lack of self-worth. Jesus was mocked, teased, spat on and even beaten but how did He react? He prayed "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Jesus understood that people often don't even realize why they act a certain way.

What I have found interesting is that when people see their hurtful words and actions do not affect you, they change the way they see you and interact with you. You actually confuse them. They don't understand what you know, which is the truth of the Word of God. And while most will never admit it, they begin to want to be like you and have what you have internally.

All you know or ever will know is contained within your own inward experience. It's your job to create an experience that brings you peace and joy.

Too often we forget this simple truth, if God is for me no one can be against me (Romans 8:31). God always works everything for the good for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). And what is His purpose? To spread the good news that Jesus came to bring...that God knows the plans He has for you, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). That God has numbered the very hairs on your head (Luke 12:7). That God loves you for you, not the things you do.

Interestingly the words "fear not" appear 365 times in the Bible. One "fear not" for each day of the year. God understands that anxiety originates from fear and is only an internal thought.

Remember Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Principalities and powers simply describe spiritual powers, those invisible, whether they be good or bad. Satan will remind you of the reasons you should fear, but God reminds you why you shouldn't. It's a constant battle, but one that only exists in the mind.

Isaiah 41:10 says: “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Words that are implied within that verse, I believe should say "regardless of the people, places, and things that you THINK are controlling your life.

While you may or may not agree with the things I've said here, I can assure you of one absolute truth...I went from having anxiety attacks at least once a week, to only one in the last year! Simply by understanding what I have just shared with you.

Know that no matter what you do; no matter if you succeed or fail in anything. God loves you because of who you are, not what you do or don’t do! Take some time to read The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and you will see what I mean.

Author: Dean Stitz  Published: 4/28/2024