relationship with God

7 Steps to Battling Fear – The Short Version by Kimberly Ehlers

by Kimberly on May 5, 2011

Since audios aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I decided that I’d really love my “readers” out there to be able to get their hands on these 7 steps.  Now, the audio goes into MUCH more detail – this is just a cheat sheet ;) .  I hope that it gives you some solid footing and helps you gain the upper hand on fear.  If you decide you would like more information, the full audio is still available.  You can listen to it here http://kimberlyehlers.com/?p=1881 or download it to listen on your player of preference!

Because of our children’s illnesses, we have a lot to worry about.  It seems as though fear is forever knocking on our door.  We may fear the unknown – what is going to happen next, what kind of life will my child have?  We fear that our child will not have a future.  Maybe, right now, you’re frightened of the medical bills that are growing. 

If we let them, our fears will swallow us whole.  We need to actively battle them so that they do not consume us or rob us of an abundant life.  “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly,” (John 10:10, NKJV).

An abundant life for yourself may not seem important to you now, but it is for 2 reasons.  God wants it for you, and your family needs you to live abundantly.  We can try to hide our thoughts and feelings, but both are reflected clearly in our actions or merely by the look on our faces.  As Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”  That goes for moms too.  Our families know us.  They know when something is wrong.  Even more dangerous is that our “moods” can plant rotten seeds into our child’s life.  They learn from us, and will learn to be fearful.

Let’s look at our 7 steps to battling fear:
1.  Talk with God daily – I love Paul’s advice, really an action plan to prayer, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 4:6-7, New King James Version).  When something has you worried, pray about it, praise God for what He’s done (that’s also our act of remembering and reassuring ourselves of His greatness), and He will give you peace.  Avoid the temptation to think you have to be worry free to come to Him first.  I encourage you to read Philippians 4:4-8.  Sometimes when we look at just one verse, we miss the context and abuse it (or abuse ourselves by misunderstanding it).  These verses tell how to live with Christ – a life that would naturally ease your anxieties.  I actually have a lot of thoughts about this, and if you’d like to hear them, you’ll need to grab the audio :) . 
2.  Spend time reading God’s word every day – It really doesn’t matter where you start.  For this time in your life, I highly recommend any of the Gospels so that you can hear the loving words of Christ Himself.  You may want to do devotions – like The Faith Challenge.  Whatever you use as a guide, make sure you are reading to allow God to speak to you.  You need to feed your mind and spirit on His truth regularly!
3.  Apply God’s Word – It’s not enough to just read Scripture.  We need to be able to carry it with us in our hearts, ready to be used.  “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” (Romans 12:2, New King James Version).  We are transformed by our time with God – praying and reading His Word.  That’s why we read the Bible to hear what God has for us.  He wants to use Scripture to heal us, teach us, and equip us with the tools we need for this life.
     To help in that transformation process, I highly recommend journaling.  It allows you to remember, process, and look back on what God is teaching you.  It’s hard to believe, but we do forget!  (The Israelites weren’t so different from you and me :) .)
     My next recommendation is to focus specifically on what God says about His love for your child, what He says about faith, miracles, and healing.  Right now, these are the areas you need to fortify yourself with the truth in.  The enemy is going to attack us over and over again with lies, fears, and doubt.  We need to be able to combat his attacks with the word of God.
     On the audio, I gave a few suggestions on how to find those verses.  To keep this article short, as I promised, I will just share a couple here.  One of the freebies you receive when you sign up for my ezine, The Heart Connection, is a mini e-book called “Prayers and Promises”.  It has some excellent Scriptures and prayers that are just perfect to use in battle.  We can share verses with each other on my Share the Sweetness page.  There are a few great verses there, and I hope we can build it up together to make a wonderful resource.  Then, there’s “The Faith Challenge”.  It is jammed pack with exactly the kind of verses you need – I’ve done all the work for you.  I also help you to apply it to your life and remove the barriers the keep you from believing and trusting what God is telling you.
4.  Rest – The fact is, we’re easy targets for worry, fear and doubt when we’re tired.  Our defenses are down.  We’re more sensitive and tend to find ourselves agreeing with and wallowing in negative thoughts.  Look at what keeps you from sleeping well and make a plan to regain your precious rest.
5. Worship - Praise God through song and prayer.  Praise Him throughout your day.  When you do, you are turning the tables on the enemy.  Your determination to praise God will frighten and frustrate him.  Oh, he won’t give up, but you’ve changed the tide because, now, he can see that peace of God that is guarding your heart and mind.  That peace zaps him of his power.
6. Find positive support - You need people who are not afraid to pray for the very best for your family.  Search long and hard for those special, but rare, individuals who will boldly pray for healing.  Because these people are difficult to find, please know that I will always join you in prayer.  Send an e-mail to me at Kimberly@kimberlyehlers.com and let me know how I can pray for you and your child.  Join our Facebook page.  It’s just getting kicked off, but there are already some precious people there.  Let us know how we can pray for you.  (To join, just go to the right side of this page, click “Find us on Facebook”, and then click the “like” button.  You can also sign up for my ezine there and receive your free copy of “Prayers and Promises”.)
7. Feed your spirit – What do you love to do?  What activities give you joy?  Talking to a friend?  Taking a walk?  Make time to do things you enjoy and be there in the moment.  Don’t let your mind wander to other things – especially worries!  Battle fear with being happy!

OK, there you have it!  Your 7 Steps to Battle Fear cheat sheet!  I do hope you’ll take the time (oh, that found fit step #7 nicely!) to listen to the audio for more tips and information on each step.  I would love to see you battle fear successfully – I know that you can!  After all, with God all things are possible!

In His Love,
Kimberly

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7 Steps to Battling Fear Audio by Kimberly Ehlers

by Kimberly on April 20, 2011

Fear is such a huge thing in our lives.  When your child has a serious illness, there seems to be an endless supply of things to worry about  and outcomes to fear.

Fear drains us of energy, robs us of joy, and leaves us living defeated lives. 

Grab a cup of coffee or tea and find out what goodness God wants for you and the 7 steps you need to take to battle fear.

In His Love,

Kimberly

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To download: click "7 Steps to Battling Fear"

 

 

Links You Need:

Free Bible Search - www.biblegateway.com/keyword/

 

Share verses with one another at - http://kimberlyehlers.com/share-the-sweetness-by-kimberly-ehlers/

To join our ezine and receive Prayers and Promises - http://kimberlyehlers.com/join-the-heart-connection/

To find "The Faith Challenge" -http://kimberlyehlers.com/my-products/the-faith-challenge/

Kimberly's system to memorize Scripture -http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/

 

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Come As You Are by Kimberly Ehlers

by Kimberly on March 16, 2011

 

We carry so much on our shoulders and in our hearts because our children have serious illnesses.  Our hearts ache and burst with love for them.  They overflow with worry and waves of guilt.  “I’m angry and I shouldn’t be.  I should be patient.”  “I’m fearful instead of trusting God.”  “I’m failing my child.  I’m failing God.”  Our shoulders carry the weight of caring well for our child, working to find a cure, and trying to know what to do all the time.

What are you carry with you right now?

One of my prayers for you, my precious reader, is that you will find peace in God’s grace.  He wants to sweep you up in His grace, carry your worries, heal your hurt, and wash away your shame.  He wants you to come as you are so that He can hold you and your child.

He isn’t judging you.  He is waiting for you to simply come.

I wanted to share this video that I found on YouTube.  The song is called “Come as You Are” by Pocket Full of Rocks.  The pictures, along with the lyrics, are a powerful way to receive God’s message.  I do want to WARN you that at 1:50 – 1:52 in the video are a very graphic image of Christ on the cross.  It’s realistic and, I believe, necessary for us to really grasp what God wants us to know – He loves us and would do anything for us.  His arms are open wide for you and me.

In His Love,
Kimberly

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The Words a Mommy Never Wants to Hear – Something is Wrong with Your Baby

by Kimberly on February 23, 2011

As many of you know,  my husband and I have one child, a boy, now 12.  There are a couple of reasons I remember his birth like it was yesterday.  First, it was the most incredible life changing experience I’ve ever had.  Yes, even bigger than getting married.  After all, I knew the man I was marrying well.  On May 29, 1998 I met my baby boy for the first time.  He was no longer the mysterious baby I carried everywhere with me for 9 months.  He made his entrance into the world full of personality.  A little one I had to get to know.  The second reason I remember his birth so well is because it was the day I heard those words, “Something is wrong with your baby.”
     After a day of labor, my husband and I spent our evening waiting for test results.  Those tests found multiple heart defects.  Seth had his first open heart surgery at 4 days old.
     Maybe you were told there was a problem during an ultrasound.  Maybe you were like us, surprised with bad news the day your child was born.  What is a mommy to do when she hears those dreaded words, “Something is wrong”?  Well, it’s normal to first go through shock and disbelief followed by feelings of fear and panic. When the panic subsides, we experience a heightened instinct to protect our baby.  That desire drives our every thought turning us into a mama bear.  We demand answers.  We expect the doctor to “fix it” and we tirelessly seek information.  (Actually, we’re very tired, but we are even more determined to find answers.)
     Dear One, can I tell you though, that after our initial panic, we must fight to seek God above medicine, doctors, and information?  We must force ourselves to run to His loving arms before we run to the doctor or the internet.  When we need help making a decision and our child needs healing, we must seek God’s intervention first.  Even in emergencies, we run to Him first, praying for wisdom, protection, and our child’s health as we drive to the hospital.  We hand the hospital, the doctor, our child over to God.  After all, we need Him to be in control of everything that’s happening right now.  We decide to trust that He is good and wants good for our family.  We cling to the promise He makes us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope,” (New King James Version).  (I highly recommend keeping this verse near by all the time.  You will need to remind yourself of God’s word to you often.)
     Not only does God have good plans for our families and is ultimately in control of our lives, but He wants us to turn to Him first.  I wrestle with sharing this verse with you, because if you are a mommy whose child has a serious health problem, I’m afraid you will grab on to its harsh beginning.  I want to protect you from the scary, painful thoughts that it’s sure to stir up in your mind.  PLEASE, read the whole verse and let me share with you what I think God wants you to understand.  Listen to how 1 Chronicles describes King Saul (underlining is mine), “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD;” (1 Chronicles 10: 13-14a, New King James Version).  Did you hear that?  King Saul turned to another human instead of turning to God.  Can you feel how that broke God’s heart?  The God who loved Saul, and thought good thoughts of Him, who wanted so much for Saul’s future was rejected and replaced by a person. 
     King Saul wasn’t the only one to do this to God.  King Asa, who once removed his own mother from the throne because of her idol worship, turned away from God (underlining mine), “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians,” (2 Chronicles 16:12, New King James Version).
     Both of these men began by loving God passionately.  Both also gradually walked away from that love and focused it on someone else.  King Saul turned to his many wives and their idols.  King Asa lost his trust in God and gave it to others – first the Syrians and then a doctor. 
     If you take the time to read about these kings, you see how their turning from God led to their gradual death – a death that was just as spiritual as it was physical.  King Saul and King Asa were both dedicated to God.  Their relationship with Him led them to walk in confidence because they knew God.  They knew His plan.  They trusted in Him completely.  But, eventually, Saul became driven to insanity by his sin.  Asa’s fear grew and he trusted in people who harmed him instead.  Their confident walk became a sick crawl.
     Can you see how Saul’s unfaithfulness killed him?  Both of these great kings began to die the moment they trusted in someone else.  The life of God that filled them seeped out slowly and steadily with each new sin.  Every time they rejected Him, darkness, fear, and evil filled the void of the love they lost.  Their vibrant lives were gone. 
     So, what do we learn from these kings?  Well, sometimes it’s easy to trust God.  Sometimes it’s not.  It’s in those times that it’s all too easy to trust in others.  Those are the times we need to fight for our faith.  We decide to turn to God before anyone else.
     If we turn to science and the people who study it before we turn to God, what might our “death” look like?  We would stay stuck in our initial panic and grab on to the doctors, medicine and research to solve our child’s problem.  We would wear ourselves out trying to find answers.  We wouldn’t sleep at night.  Our personality would change as worry and tiredness consume us.  We would lose our vibrant lives created by God’s love.
     Yes, our god given purpose is to mother this special child of God, but it never comes before our higher calling – to be God’s child.  Another verse I love is Matthew 11: 28-30, “‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,’” (New International Version).  This is the picture of what God wants for us right now in the middle of our trial.  He doesn’t want you to be so frightened and weary.  He wants you to seek Him and let Him carry your child.
     What do you do if you recognize that you have been stuck in panic mode and you’re following the same path as the kings?  You don’t beat yourself up.  You thank God for loving you and your child so much.  You tell Him your fears.  You ask for His guidance.  You yoke yourself to Jesus through prayer and reading God’s Word.
     On the days your faith is weak and your doubts are loud, you join the father in Mark 9: 23-24, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’” (New King James Version).  God will answer that prayer.  He will help your unbelief.
     Those scary words, “Something is wrong with your baby,” may seem like the end of the world, but it’s the beginning of your opportunity to see God move mightily for your little one.  Hold tight to Him, Dear One, and never stop inquiring of the LORD, seeking His guidance.

In His Love,

Kimberly

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Is Your Church Right for You and Your Family by Kimberly Ehlers

by Kimberly on February 10, 2011

Yesterday, we began our discussion about how to handle being hurt by other Christians.  One of the places we can experience this hurt is in the very place we should feel the safest – in our church.  If you’ve experienced a specific incident with a particular person, I suggest that you refer back to yesterday’s post at http://bit.ly/huxeTn .  Today, we’re looking at the bigger picture of the church environment, and if it’s the right place for your family.

Let’s start by talking about what a church should be.  This is the measuring stick we use to determine the health of a church.  This is Paul’s description of how the body of Christ (the church) should function:

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love,” (Ephesians 4:11-16, New King James Version).

Isn’t that a beautiful picture?  Christians loving, supporting, helping one another, and growing together in Christ.  It also helps us to understand why we go to church on Sunday. 

There are two main reasons we go.  First, we come to worship God together as brothers and sisters in Christ, living Jesus’ commandment, “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these,” (Mark 12: 29-31, New King James Version).   Going to church allows us to express our love for God as a community and, in turn, the overflow of that love pours out on to others.  We reach out to one another, ask about each other week, and pray for each others concerns.  Second, we go to further God’s Kingdom, “‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen,” (Matthew 28: 19-20).  This is when “the equipping of the Saints” that Paul spoke about takes place.  We go to church, learn from God’s Word, and are prepared for our mission field – our place of employment, our homes, the places we go to run our errands.  Our life is a missions field!

While these reasons are the heart of our church service, there are also “lesser” purposes.  Being there, together as His body, is another way to encourage and support one another – again like Paul described.  Genuine worship is infectious!  Praying together is bonding.  Church builds community.  Church feeds the body.

Listen to another reason Jesus wants you to come to church, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” (Matthew 11: 28-29, New King James Version).

Not only do we give (and receive) encouragement and support from the rest of the body, but we are also refueled and refocused.  When we come to church, we are coming to Him.  Of course, we can also come to Him on our own at any time or place but the results are a little different.  Through worship, community prayer, and learning more about God under the spirit-led, Scripturally-sound teaching of a pastor, our souls are restored.  Our hearts and minds are refocused on Him.  We can follow Him more easily.  We are refueled for the week that lies ahead. The purpose of going to church is NEVER to see what we can get out of it, but, instead, it’s only to honor God.  These are the blessings that He pours upon His loving children.

After writing all of this, I’m wondering if you think I’m a dreamer – unrealistic.  I wonder that too, but then I think, doesn’t our God deserve a church like this?  Isn’t He worthy of our full attention and worship?  Isn’t He worth church services that are all about Him?  What do you think?  Please share your thoughts below!

Not surprisingly, I’ve gotten long winded again!  Since this is only half of what I wanted to share on this topic, I had better stop for now.  Tomorrow, we’ll get into the messy stuff – the signs that you’re in the wrong church.

In His Love,
Kimberly
kimberly@kimberlyehlers.com
http://on.fb.me/KimberlyEhlers
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Sometimes, it’s us that’s messy on the inside.  Our motives for going to church aren’t what they should be.  Maybe we think that our attendance will earn our child healing.  Maybe we’re more focused on the support we can get than we are on worshipping God.  Ouch!  That hurts, believe me, I know.  I’ve been there, done that, and do it again and again!  Grab the Messy Motives and Wrong Way Roads Bundle today.  Let’s get those Messy Motives cleaned up so we can honor God this Sunday at church!

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Christians Hurting Christians: How to Handle This Painful Situation by Kimberly Ehlers

February 9, 2011

     A couple of weeks ago I posted a question asking if you have been hurt by fellow Christians and in what way (to see the original post go to http://kimberlyehlers.com/a-question-for-you/).  I asked because many people have come to my website as a result of their own hurt.      Now, I do understand that people [...]

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Deborah the Judge and Warrior: Listening For God’s Instructions Each Day by Beth Jones Part 2

February 8, 2011

(Are you ready to find out what you can do TODAY to better hear God’s voice and His instructions for your life?  He wants to help you, dear one, and His plan is perfect.  He wants you and your child to have victory.  Enjoy Part 2 of this special series by Beth Jones of www.bethjones.net .  Miss Part [...]

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