What Would Your Life Look Like If....

What would our lives look like if we sold out to God completely instead of just going through the motions?

You and I would experience the kind of life that Christ lived. It’s not a made up life; it’s a real life. The life God intends for us to have where we would experience His power working in and through us.

We’d experience His Presence, His wonder working miracles, real change, newness of life, and lasting love, peace, and joy. In fact, we’d give testimony that all of God’s promises are a “yes” and “amen” in our lives.

You see friend, anxiety and fear can keep us up at night and shut us down during the day. Worry disturbs our thoughts; it decreases our productivity because fretfulness wastes time and energy. Relationships suffer and anxiety contributes to a host of health problems. Mostly when we fear, it’s an indication that we have a lack of trust in God.

The good news is this. We don’t have to allow these destructive emotions to control our lives. Even when we experience painful circumstances, we can also experience peace in the midst of them.

First, we have to think right. Our thoughts directly affect how anxious we feel. Take those thoughts captive or they will take you captive! Phil 4:8 encourages us to think only on what is lovely, good, and praise worthy. It says to think on these things.

Secondly, we must pray right. One thing fear does is expose the truth—we’re not really in control of anything. Something we can do is pray and cry out to God with our troubles. Phil 4:6 tells us to pray in all circumstances and situations. Prayer works. It’s where our fears and anxieties are smoothed away.

Finally, you and I must live right. Many mask their fears with drugs, alcohol, work or some other distraction. These people live with apprehension about their future both now and eternally.

Commit your worries to God. Determine to meditate on His truth instead of your problem. Surrender a new to Him and allow God to fill your life with His promised Presence. He will give you the grace to overcome your fear. Yes, you may still experience heartache and difficulties in this world, but with God you can be victorious when you decided to say, “God this is not what I planned. I don’t like it, but I’m going to trust you in it.” If you can say that, peace will you rule your heart.

Holding On To Hope

A lot can change in a person’s life over the weekend. You can add to the number of your family by the birth of a baby, change job titles, become the owner of a new car or pet, or get married and gain a new name. I gained a new name this weekend, but I didn’t get re-married. I spoke to a group of 400 ladies who were on fire for Jesus at The Way of Holiness Church in WV. These Pentecostal women knew how to worship! We rocked the house for Jesus in such a way that I got a name change. I became a Bap-a-costal!!

Definition; (bap-a-costal: a mix between a baptist and a pentecostal).

This weekend God showed up and out in a might way! I went to minister, but I was also minister too. They were a sweet fellowship of women who loved to sing about—pray about—and shout about God’s wonder working power!

The topic was on hope. Who among us doesn’t need hope these days? No one I can think of. While we are born into a living hope at our rebirth, we still fight a constant battle to maintain the assurance of our hope. Why? Because just as Christ warned, you and I will face lots of adversity in this fallen world. It’s easy not to give into hopelessness when trouble enters your life. The good news is hopelessness can be fought by the Word of God.

The Lord’s truths are for our instruction and guidance. They are meant to encourage us and provide us with strength and endurance. We all need that. Remember, endurance is what it took for the snail to reach the ark!

The main goal of God’s Word is to provide us with hope. Within the Scriptures we find that with God there are no hopeless situations; only people who have grown hopeless because of their situations. These people have misplaced hope. They’ve put their hope in things of the world such as titles, finances, children and success instead of in God.

You see, putting our hope in the world and putting our hope in God are two different things.

Hope in the world is no more than wishful thinking. For example, we might “hope” we don’t gain weight or “hope” to win the lottery. This is wishful thinking and often disappoints. But hope in God does not disappoint. It’s a guarantee. When we hope in God we not wishing. We are expecting. We expect God to keep His promise. We expect Him to come through. And He does—usually in a knock your socks off kind of way!

If you’ve been disappointed lately. Perhaps it’s because you’ve put your hope in the wrong thing or person. Trying putting in God. He’s the answer. The only One who can make a real difference in our lives!

It was an awesome conference because we serve and awesome God—who is our hope—our only hope!

Join me this Tuesday, March 31, at 6:38 am Eastern Time as I talk with Lori and Larry Live on Family Net Radio. Our topic will be Conquering Fear with Faith

Promises to Cling To

Many of you have written and asked me for verses on overcoming fear. The bible is packed with encouragement. In fact, when you and I take time to know God's Word, we are able face life, adversity, and fear with hope and confidence. The Scriptures were written for our instruction and encouragement. So be encouraged today as you meditate on these promises.

Peace,
Micca

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" Romans 8:15

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." 1 John 4:18

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."Ps 91:1

"He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you." Ps 91: 4-7

"No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways."Ps 91:10-11

"Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." Proverbs 3:25-26

"In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; and from terror, for it will not come near you." Isaiah 54:14

"In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?"Ps 56:11

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows."Ps 23:4-5

"For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.'But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romands 8:29; 31; 35-39

"Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD."Ps 31:24

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."John 14:27

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident."Ps 27:1;3

"So that we confidently say, 'THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?'"Hebrews 13:6

Discouraged?

My heart is heavy today. So many people I love are facing such trying times. I have friends who are suffering from job loss, a strained marriage, a sick child, and a sick mother. On top of that I wrecked my daughter's brand new bug (car) on the way to school this morning. It's not too bad. Just a busted headlight. Thankfully, we were all okay. But still...discouragement is everywhere. Perhaps you feel it too.

When our circumstances seem to contradict God’s promises, it’s easy to lose hope and believe the enemies lies. But the truth is…God loves us, He hears our cries, and He’s at work with our best interest in mind. Thinking on this truth reminded me of this scripture:

“When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do? (David is asking this, but notice that he doesn’t finish his question with an answer. He makes a declaration!) “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord sits on his throne in heaven” Ps 11:3-4.

David reminds us that God is sovereign. He’s in His temple at rest. He’s sitting. God is not up walking around wringing his hands in worry over this situation. No. The Lord knows. He’s in control and has got matters well at hand. God also plans to uses these trying times to fashion a bright and hopeful future for us.

It's my prayer for you today that you'll allow these truths to bring you strength, hope, and peace in the midst of your discouragement.

Allow me to finish my thoughts with a quote from my book, An Untroubled Heart.

"He is the One who tells the sun when to rise and when to set. He is the God who causes the ocean waves to obey their boundaries. This is the God that gave life to you and me. Why would He do that and then leave us alone? He wouldn't. Just as a loving mother would never leave her child, God the Father will never leave us. He can't be torn away, led away, coaxed away, seduced away, or dragged away." His love for you is too strong!

Making It Through The Growing Years

Have you ever stopped to consider what our children face at school in a day—learning new concepts, stressing over a test, forgetting their lunch money or dealing with a bully? That’s usually the norm for elementary, but what about middle and High school kids? The pressures are much stronger for them.

My daughter’s first year of Jr. High School was a tough one. She came home crying for the first few weeks, and again, ever so often, throughout the year. Apparently, over the summer, an alien spaceship captured her elementary friends and returned them to earth as mean, cruel, competitive creatures.

“What’s wrong with everybody!” she demanded to know through her sobs and tears. “Everything was fine last year,” she continued. “Now, a person can’t talk right, walk right, dress right, or be right---ever!”

My heart broke for her. I reassured her that I knew actually what she was going through. I’ve been there, done that, and burnt the T-shirt!

I tried to explain that hormones where the biggest culprit. Kids are transforming into young adults and they were confused about who they are and the changes that are taking place. Developing an attitude is their way of disguising their fears and appearing as if they’ve got it all together. When in truth, they are simply trying to find their place in this new adventure called adolescence.

As we talked, I couldn’t help wonder how many times a day clothes, music, language or illegal substances are used to pressure our teens. Not to mention the pressure of fitting in or being left out. At this age, the opinion of their peers is very important to them, so they can easily be led astray.

Whether we realize it or not, our kids are carrying a heavy load plied on by their peers, television, school, and yes—even home.

In each of these areas, our kids are making quick decisions every day. Some of those choices may affect them for the rest of their lives.

It’s very important as parents to prepare your child to face the challenges he or she meets in their world. Here are a few things you and I can do to help.

1.) Keep him or her knowledgeable and accountable about what’s right and wrong according to God’s word. Role-play with your teen so that she or he knows what to expect and how to respond ahead of time. A clear plan developed in advance could be their salvation in the midst of a dangerous situation.

2.) Keep the communication lines open and get to know your child’s friends. Knowing who your teen’s friends are is key, and the only way to do that is by having an open house. Don’t worry about dishes in the sink or dust on the furniture. They will never notice. Kids are looking for a place to hang out and be themselves. Provided that atmosphere and you’ll be given a voice of influence into their lives.

3.) Most of all, pray without ceasing, a prayer like this every day for your teen.
“Dear Lord, I pray a hedge of protection around my child today. I ask that you send Godly relationships into his or her life and protect him or her from the bad ones. I ask that you work in my child’s heart so that he or she will develop a keen sense of right and wrong according to Your Word. I pray that he or she will hate all that is evil and cling to that which is good. And guide my child, Lord, down the path of righteousness. Equip him or her with courage to make right choices even everyone else is choosing wrong. In Jesus name a-men.

God's Secret Place

This morning I found myself unable to move past these verses in my bible.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Psalm 91:1-5;8

There are times in each of our lives where we need shelter; shade from the heat of our troubles, saved from the snare of our enemy, covered by the softness of God from a harsh world, shielded from the fears that plague us in the darkness.

As I mediated on these verses a sense of peace and protection came over me. You and I have the awesome privilege of entering into The Most High’s secret place. It’s a divine place where nothing or no one can ever overpower Him.

Certainly we can find safety in the shadow of the Almighty as well. When I think about living in God’s shadow, I’m reminded of long, hot summer days spent at the ballpark watching my son play baseball. Often, I seek the protection of shade from the hot scorching sun. You and I can be confident that in God’s shadow, peace and protection is ours to behold.

That’s not all. We are safe from danger too! The next verse speaks of being spared from the snare of the fowler. As believers, our enemy is out to destroy us. Nothing gives him more pleasure than to trap us into sin or temptation—robbing us of our peace, joy, and witness for Christ. But God… He protects us from this danger. Like a mother bird cradles and shields her young underneath her wing, so does our Father shield us.

I love verse 8 which implies that God’s children are safe when disaster is all around them. They are only spectators.

The rest of this Psalm 14-16 is a pledge from the Lord to you and me. Read it for yourself today and praise God for His faithfulness.

May you live in His shadow today.

How to Pray

A priest, a minister and a guru sat discussing the best positions for prayer, while a telephone repairman worked nearby.

"Kneeling is definitely the best way to pray," the priest said.

"No," said the minister. "I get the best results standing with my hands outstretched to Heaven."

"You're both wrong," the guru said. "The most effective prayer position is lying down on the floor."

The repairman could contain himself no longer. "Hey, fellas," he interrupted. "The best prayin' I ever did was when I was hangin' upside down from a telephone pole."

God doesn't care how, when, or where you pray. He just cares that you do it!

Be sure and talk to God today. He's ready and available.

While you're at it. Pray for me as I speak to a group of wonderful ladies in Indiana this weekend!

Blessings ya'll!

God's Divine Support

Happy St Patricks Day, Ya'll! Don't forget to wear something green! (smiles)

Now, for today's thought...

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Is 41:10.

This is one of my favorite verses in the bible. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a command to live fearlessly. I know what you’re thinking. If a command was all it took to be free from fear, I would definitely be found obedient. But…it’s just not that simple. I’ve tried to hand my fear over to God and trust Him, but the problem is…I often take it back.

Does this sound like you? Me, too.

Then, with the help of John Piper, I discovered within this verse a divine support! God has given us 5 reasons or 5 supports that enable us to live free from fear. Check these out:

1. "For I am with you"—"Do not fear, for I am with you."
2. "I am your God"—"Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God."
3. "I will strengthen you."—“If you feel weak, I will strengthen you.”
4. "Surely I will help you."—“You don’t have to do it alone. I will help you.”
5. "Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Let’s reaffirm God’s divine support:

1. God is with me
2. God is my God
3. God will strengthen me
4. God will help me
5. God will uphold me

Hey, that’s support you and I can depend on. It’s the kind of support that enables us to fulfill God’s command to live fearlessly. In other words, the next time you’re afraid to speak your mind, take a stand, receive the diagnosis, go on the interview, start a family, move to another state, or simply say “yes” to God remember this…

1. Fear not . . . God is with you;
2. Fear not . . . God is your God;
3. Fear not . . . God will strengthen you;
4. Fear not . . . God will help you;
5. Fear not . . . God will uphold you.

I’m pleased to announce the winner of my new book, An Untroubled Heart, is Janice! Congrats, Janice!!

Thanks to everyone who entered. There will be more chances to win again soon!

Also, I want to thank those of you who have already shared how God has used my book to minister to you. I’m honored! Some of you have asked for prayer for yourself and others. Know that you have been prayed for. Others who have shared your worries, I pray that today’s thought will be a great support to you.

Until next time…peace be with you

Magnify God

Hello, I’m glad you stopped by. I hope if you read my devotion today, you were inspired to stop and consider how great our God is. When you and I think about God, we magnify His attributes. Magnify means to enlarge an object so that you can get a closer look. We do the same when we magnify God’s character. We are getting a close up look at God. Doing so gives us insight and understanding into who God is. Understanding the Lord’s wonderful attributes creates a sense of strength and stability in our lives. If you’re like me, I need strength and stability right now and the peace that comes with it.

In the same way, when we put all of our attention on a problem or the unknown future, we are magnifying our concern. My family would call this process, “making a mountain out of a molehill.”

Let me ask you, what has worrying ever changed?

Nothing.

You’re right. I couldn’t agree more. Worrying doesn’t change our situation or the future. Worrying is only good for “making mountains out of molehills.” Besides, the future is not our responsibility to change in the first place. It’s God’s. The good news is while our future is out of our hands, it’s not out of the capable and trustworthy hands of God.

The Lord is sovereign over all things. He’s not surprised when troubles hit our lives. Like a loving parent, God is ready, able, and willing to meet our needs.

What parent do you know that doesn’t feed her child, cloth her child, teach her child, and meet her child’s every need…and then some? Why would a mother go through all the pain and agony of having a child to leave it to fend for itself? She wouldn’t. If she could…God will never leave you, His child. In fact, He loves you so much you were worth dying for.

Did you get that? God died for you! He gave His all…

And yet, we worry. We worry about money. Do we have enough and how much is enough? We worry about the kids, the car, the bills, and how many fat grams are in an Oreo cookie. We worry about what our neighbors are doing. We worry about what our boss thinks of us. We worry about the size of our hips, and we worry if our kids will come see us in the nursing home.

Is this what God saved us for-- to fret?

Instead of magnifying our troubles, let’s magnify our God! It’s the only way to put the “mountain” in our lives in right perspective.

How do we magnify God? We do it through worship. When we worship, we take our minds off of ourselves and place them on God. He then becomes the emphasis. What happens to our concerns? They grow dim in the light of His wonder!

I worship in several ways. One of my favorite ways to worship is to read the Psalms. They’re all about our glorious God! Give it a try. You can’t miss Him!

One thing I love about blogging is how we learn from each other. Share how you worship/magnify God and how it calms your anxious heart. It may be just what someone needs today.
I'd like to to bring some peace your way by giving away a copy of my book, An Untroubled Heart. If you'd like to enter to win, be sure and leave your email address along with your comment so I can contact you.

Peace Friend

Christ Is All You Need!

Happy Friday, Friends!

I’m on my way with my assistant, Sue, to Magnolia, AR where I’ll be speaking at an all day conference on Finding a Faith Stronger Than All Our Fear!

Before I go, I wanted to leave you with this thought.

“Through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust.” 2 Pet. 1:4

How cool is that?!! We have in us God’s divine nature, gals! That’s means we can be victorious over doubt, fear, worry, and sin of any kind. How…through a surrendered heart that yields itself to God’s promise and provision.

My life verse is Gal 2:20 which says, “I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live but Christ lives in me and the life I live now I live by faith in Him who died for me.”

When we do that then, Christ is free to occupy all. You see, Christ doesn’t make us better. He makes an exchange. He exchanges all our junk for His very life. We do get better at being patient because we receive Christ’s patience. We receive his faith, his joy, his life.

If you and I want more Christ..more of his divine nature--then we must surrender more. Only then is Christ able to do in you and me what we couldn’t do before. It works like this:

You may not be able to live within your marriage, but Christ in you can. You may not be able to raise that strong will child, but Christ in you can. You may not be able to conquer that temptation or sin, but Christ through a surrendered heart can!

You and I have this power to live in this way through God’s Son and our Savior! Praise His Name!

The truths of God are not just church talk, they are a reality. I want the world to know that in Christ is everything they need. That’s why I do what I do—travel and speak truth into the hearts of others. Please join me in praying for those who will hear His truth this month, and if you can, JOIN ME!!

On March 20-21st I’ll be in Nashville, Indiana speaking again on Fear vs Faith. You can contact Debbie at Debbie@greenwoodchurch.com

On March the 28th, I’ll be in Buckhannon, WV. This conference is focused on HOPE! We are facing hard times individually and as a nation right now. There’s never been a better time to hear this message than now. If you can join us, contact Pam at Plloyd8691@aol.com

Have a safe and blessed weekend, ya’ll!

Top 10 Most Misconceptions About God

Well, girls. We had some brave “rednecks” that weren’t afraid to tell on themselves! I’m so glad you did. It made me feel much better about myself!

Each time I read a comment, I thought to myself “Nobody can top that!” But then, the next person did! This made it very difficult to pick a “redneck” winner. So, I had my daughter write down your names and draw a winner out of a coffee mug. Who did she choose?

The winner is Bridget! Congrats!! Just think, now you can tell everyone you know that you’re queen of the “Rednecks.” On second thought, you might want to keep that just between us girls.

I had such great fun with my top 10 list that I decided to do another one.

Here’s My Top 10 List of…the most misconceptions about God.

10. God is out to get me

9. Cleanliness is next to Godliness

8. God is too busy running the world to care about my troubles

7. Every Sunday I miss church, God takes a day off of my life

6. God is religious

5. God heals some but not all

4. God has favorites

3 God doesn’t answer all prayers

2 God owes me

1 Suicide is an unpardonable sin
(The only unforgiveable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Matt 12: 31,32; Mark 3:29, 30).

What are some of your misconceptions about God and how did you come to know truth?!

My Top 10 List of "You Might Be A Redneck if...

Have you ever heard of Jeff Foxworthy’s “you might be a redneck …” jokes? Well, according to my family, it seems that I’m a “redneck.” After a silly incident today, they began reciting the many ways I’ve acted like a “redneck” in the past. I decided to create a top 10 list from their comments. Here we go….

10. You might be a redneck if you dry your daughter’s bathing suit by hanging it outside of the car window.

9. You might be a redneck if you hit yourself in the eye with a coat-hanger resulting in shiner! (I knew doing laundry was evil!)

8. You might be a redneck if you own a silver-plated toothpick. (Hey, I had braces you know)

7. You might be a redneck if you wait for your child’s teacher by their car after school. (He wouldn’t return my phone calls)

6. You might be a redneck if you clean your child’s face with your own saliva.

5. You might be a redneck if your tuck your skirt into the back of your underwear and then stop for gas on a four lane highway.

4. You might be a redneck when you show up at the dentist on the wrong day.

3. You might be a redneck if you forget to pick up your child at school twice in the same week.

2. You might be a redneck if you try to renew your driver’s license on Veterans’ Day. (And I thought the empty parking lot meant no long lines!)

1. Drum roll please… You might be a redneck if during a family devotion you threaten to rip off your child’s arm and hit him with it….in Jesus, Name.

(I promise I’ve never harmed my own child or any other.)

Easy my guilt and let me know I’m not alone by sharing some of your “redneck” moments. I’ll give away my Cd entitled, "Piecing It All Together" to the top “Redneck!” God knows, we "rednecks" need to get it together!

Hope in God

Lately it seems that everyone is talking about our failing economy. Listening to the nightly news doesn’t help either. They offer little encouragement on the subject. It’s easy not to give into worry and despair. Perhaps that’s where you find yourself today. You can’t help but wonder if and when things will get better. And until they do, how on earth do you continue? Or maybe you’re curious if anybody understands what you’re going through?

God does.

These fearful times in which we live are nothing new. And yet, despite past downfalls, people still continued to achieve great things. What people? You ask? -People who put their hope in God and trusted Him above their circumstances.

You see, friend, God knows exactly what troubles you. He knows your pressures and your stress. And you are not alone. The Lord plans to use those things to strength you for a brighter future.

Have you ever considered how Paul faithfully withstood the many trials he encountered? I have. Paul endured his challenges by trusting in God. That means when he was shipwrecked, thrown into jail, or without food and shelter Paul turned to God for wisdom and guidance.

Paul refused to let fear, worry, and doubt bring him down and steal his hope in God. Even in his darkest hour when his faith was stretched beyond what many can bear, Paul refused to give up on what God could do in the midst of his storm. Paul was certain that God would see him through any and all situations. And God did.

Many put their trust and hope in the things of this world and are left disappointed. But Paul testifies, those who hope in God will not be disappointed. They will not be afraid. Peace will rule their hearts and minds. Notice that peace doesn’t rule our bodies or our circumstances. Instead, peace is found in our hearts and minds.

Not only that. Those who trust in the Lord will experience life and blessings. They will come to know—like Paul—that all of God’s promises are a “yes” and “a-men!”

Don’t look to the future with worry. Look to the future with hope and expectancy of all God has planned for you.

Many thanks to all of you who took the time to wish me a happy birthday! It was a great weekend spent with family and friends.

I wish I could give each of you a copy of my book, but I could only choose 4 at this time. However, I will be giving away more from time to time!

Today’s winners are: Rebecca from Tiggerdaisy; Meredith; Linda from Redsoxmom; and Judy Dearing! Congrats gals!! It’s my prayer that God will speak deep to your soul and give you a faith that is stronger than all your fears!

A Gift For You!

It's my birthday, but I'm giving away the presents.

My in laws did the coolest thing this year on their birthday's. They gave each family member a gift! It was not only a wonderful surpise but a great blessing!

I'd like to be a blessing, too.

Enter your name and email address in the comment section and be one of four to win my new book "An Untroubled Heart."

I'll annouce the winners on Monday...

God Is For You

When fear and anxiety tempt to plague you today, remember your God. For if God is for us, who dare be against us! He is...

My Righteousness

My Peace

My Risen King

Victorious

True

My Sheppard

My Healer

SAVIOR

My Ever-Present Help

My JOY

HOPE

Provider

Sustainer

The All-Sufficient One

The Truth

Holy One

My Banner

My Shield

My Stronghold

My Confidence

Faithful One

Overcoming Anxiety

In my post entitled Random Things, I wrote about my children growing up and how that has provoked a strange feeling inside of me…

The longing for another baby.

No, I’m not making an announcement here. But a baby did show up at my house!

My daughter is taking a class called “Teen Living” at school. Part of the curriculum is to bring home a life-like doll and take care of it. You must take the “baby” everywhere you go. When it cries, you must comfort it. When it’s hungry, you must feed it—then burp it—then change it—then rock it to sleep. Most importantly, you must never forget to hold up its head! It even awakes in the middle of the night for a clean diaper and feeding.

Seesh! I had forgotten how much time and energy a baby can command!

If you fail to care for the baby, mistreat the baby, rock it too hard, let his head drop or allow it to cry for too long major points are deducted.

Overwhelmed by the daunting task, Peyton’s anxiety kicked in. “I know I’m going to fail at this! It’s too hard!” she exclaimed as she got into the car after school. Right away I knew something went wrong.

“What happened?” I asked.

“In the middle of my English test it started crying. After several embarrassing moments, I finally realized it was hungry. You should have seen me mom.” She continued. “I had to feed this baby while taking a test!”

Her anxieties are much like ours as a parent. Some of you right now are simply longing for 5 minutes alone in the bathroom. Or, you’d like to go to the grocery store just one time without something embarrassing happening.

Most women I know are born worriers and born fixers. We worry about everything from runny noses to runny faucets. Then we worry about how we are going to fix them. Should we call the doctor or a plumber first? Some women are gripped by worry and fear as they are face everyday crises of life. Then they spend countless hours desperately trying to find the answers so that they can fix their problems themselves. All this worrying can drain a woman causing her to feel helpless, defeated and afraid. So how can a woman overcome her worries? —With prayer.

We often think of prayer as the last resort. However, God wants to be the first person that we come to when we have a problem. Who better is able to handle our situation than God? When we turn to the Lord, He promises to take away our worry and replace it with peace.

The first step to overcoming worry is to start praying. No need is too small or unimportant to God. He cares about every detail of our lives. He wants us to tell Him everything. Day or night, you always have His attention, compassion and help. Place your needs in His hand and leave them there. He is able to handle what you can’t.

The next step is to pray with thankfulness. God always hears our prayers. So instead of praying with doubt, pray with confidence that God hears you and has already begun to work in your behalf. When we believe this, we can thank God for answering our prayer before we see the result.

The last step is to rest in His peace. In difficult times, if you pray and give God your needs and trust Him to work on your behalf, then He promises to guard your heart and mind with a peace that the too wonderful to understand.

So the next time you begin to worry, run to God in prayer, and tell Him all your fears.

Fear Can Be Stressful

Pressure, it’s everywhere. It sneaks into every part of our lives. We have pressure in marriage, pressure to keep up and have more, and pressure to give our kids the latest gadgets. We even experience pressure for our time. No doubt about it, life today is stressful! And with stress comes fear. We fear losing it. We fear we won’t be enough for our families. We fear failure. So, we work longer and do more, all in the name of fear. Even though adding more is not the way to handle pressure, we do it anyway. Before we know it our lives can resemble a three ring circus as we try to juggle it all on top of a high wire. One of our greatest fears is having someone discover the truth: We can’t really juggle it all.

Think about your own life for a moment. What stressful circumstances are you facing that seem hopeless? Do you often feel like everything depends on you? Perhaps, you fear that you won’t measure up or you fear what others think of you. Maybe you fear missing out on opportunities so you stretch yourself thin dipping your controlling fingers into every pot. Could it be that discontentment with life is adding undue stress and pressure?

Living under such stress is like living in constant terror of an intruder lurking in the darkness just waiting to attack. The intruder can bear many names: fear, pressure, stress, worry, control, old age, sickness, anxiety, or anything that haunts us. Yes, you and I are being chased and hunted by these intruders. That’s the bad news. The good news is God has provided protection and provision when life presses in on us. Allow me to introduce you to God’s bodyguards, Goodness and Mercy in the 23rd Psalm.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

David wrote this psalm as praise to God for His faithfulness throughout David’s life. It reflects David’s confidence in “fearing no evil” because God is his shepherd who promises Him “goodness and mercy” amidst the strains of life.

When you’re barely holding on, when you can’t handle one more day of stress, when you can’t parent those kids another minute, when you’re about to blow—relying on God’s Goodness and Mercy to show up will pacify your anxieties. They may not come when you want or the way you want, but God’s provisions are always certain. That’s a promise I’ve experienced in my own life and you can too, because whom God loves, He loves and defends to the end.

However, we often mislabel Goodness and Mercy. We call them luck or coincidence. In God’s economy, luck and coincidence don’t exist. “Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle” (James 1:17 Message). Goodness and Mercy have many characteristics and come in many forms. You and I must believe that every benefit that comes our way is God’s Goodness and Mercy following after us. As we anticipate their involvement and count on their help, God infuses us with fresh faith, fresh strength, and fresh peace.

If you’re looking for a life marked with peace and joy instead of stress and pressure, then my new book, An Untroubled Heart is for you! Wait! There’s an added bonus. In the back of my book, you’ll find study questions. You can go through the study alone or join a group of women with real fears and pressures just like you in a weekly bible study starting this month hosted by Lelia Chealey.

© 2009 by Micca Campbell. All rights reserved

Disney Was Great!

We're home from Disney! We ventured though 4 parks in 2 days. Can you say "I'm Tried?!"

Here we are at Magic Kingdom. This is my husband's favorite park!

Animal Kingdom is my kids favorite park.

Peyton and Parker are hiding in the bushes. It's doesn't look good. I think they've been stopped.

I'm showing off my musical skill by playing with this Jamaican dude and his band.

When my kids were younger, they loved Power Rangers. They got a kick out of posing with them.

Parker is about to escape with the Power Ranger's car!



I have lots more pictures that I could share with you, but I don't want to be that friend or family member who invites you over to see their home video that seems to never end!

After spending two days in the Park, we drove to Cocoa Beach where Pat and I spoke at a marriage conference. It was a wonderful way to conclude our week. There is a war on families and marriages these days. We need to be intentional about spending time together, loving one another, and making memories. I'm thankful our family had the opportunity to do just that.

Blessings ya'll!