Everyday I wakeup I have to make a choice. Will I let my thoughts control my day? Or, Will I control my thoughts? Now in theory this shouldn't be that hard to accomplish but in actuality it can be extremely difficult to not give in to the never ending, ever creeping, negative ferris wheel that seems to constantly spin in my brain. Anxiety happens when you think you have to figure everything out. Turn to God. He has a plan. Below I listed several of my favorite bible verses for anxiety that have encouraged and guided me when I feel I might be starting to slip back into old habits that trigger my anxious thoughts. I wanted to share these for anyone needing to be encouraged in this way. If you are dealing with anxiety please know you are not alone. My prayer for you is that you will take comfort in these scriptures and that God's truth will calm your anxious heart. Trust in God. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all … [Read more...]
I Need Jesus
For the most part I consider myself to be a fairly good person. According to a recent news poll from a major news organization, 85% of people who believe in heaven but are not necessarily Christian believe that they will go to heaven. Even more surprising is the fact that 77% of people who claim no religious affiliation feel that they are good enough to go to heaven because they feel they are a “good person.” The truth is I am not a good person. I have a dark side and if you are honest you do too. I think about me first, not others. I hurt those I love. I say things I regret. Everyone of us has made mistakes, lied, or cheated. You and I are free to make these choices. What a boring life this would be if we were all programmed to run on autopilot with no authentic feelings or emotions. No matter how good we are, how happy we are, how rich we are, how great of a spouse/parent/friend we are, it will never be enough. We will never be good enough until how we define … [Read more...]
Does Downward Dog Dishonor God?
Hi. My name is Tamara. I am a Christian and I am a registered yoga teacher. This is a topic that I have never really spoke about with anyone in depth. I have felt the judgment from other Christians because I teach and "practice" yoga. There have been several times over the last few years that I have struggled trying to figure out if what I was doing was dishonoring God. A few pastors have even brought the topic to their congregation and also to their blogs to much mixed reviews. Check out what Pastor Mark Driscoll has to say on the subject. His post starts out by saying: "There is nothing wrong with stretching, exercising, or regulating one’s stress through breathing. But when the tenets of yoga are included, it’s by definition a worship act to spirit beings other than the God of the Bible. By way of analogy, there is nothing inherently wrong with intimacy, sex, and pleasure. But when the tenets of adultery are included, it’s a sinfully idolatrous worship act. A faithful … [Read more...]
The Biggest Lies I Tell Myself
Recently I have been convicted to really start evaluating my life, relationships, and my heart. You know, like the bigger picture of of life and if I am fulfilling the purpose that I was created for. The the sort of stuff that keeps a person up at night. One area specifically that I have felt called to make some improvements in is my ability to be truthful. I have never considered myself to be a liar but I recently realized that I lie to myself all the time. A few days ago I came upon this verse, "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick" Jeremiah 17:9 , and it literally jumped off the page at me. Do you ever have those moments? I felt like this verse was shouting out at me to wake up and take a deeper look into my heart. So without any further ado, welcome to my heart. It is not always pretty, but everyday I am working on areas that I know I need to grow in. Here are just a few of the biggest lies I tell myself. If I told the truth all the time … [Read more...]
