Month: October 2020

What Is A Prayer request?

Prayer requests constitute the petitions to God. The bible tells us to ask God and to be thankful. Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…” It is telling us to be anxious for nothing and present your request unto God with thankfulness. I do not think it means be thankful for the issue but be thankful along with the issue because God is with us and has been working on our behalf and everyone else.

My husband’s open-heart surgery is tomorrow, and we are grateful he can have his heart repaired and that he does have God going into the operating room with him.

I am requesting a prayer for him that the surgeon has wisdom and that all areas of need are met with favor. I believe it honors God to ask for prayer and it shows our faith in him.

I appreciate your prayers for Roger, and I. Thank you,

Dr. Annette

How To Handle Stress And Anxiety

What is stress and anxiety? Is there any difference between stress and anxiety? What are the symptoms of both, and can you identify as your starting to experience the symptoms? Why are these questions important to know?

My interpretation of stress is the physical and emotional reaction to an event in life that produces a fight or flight response. Also, any event which causes you to feel frustration, anger nervousness. Gary R. Collins Ph.D. wrote in his book ‘Christian Counseling.’ “Anxiety is an inner feeling of apprehensions, uneasiness, concern, worry, and/or dread that is accompanied by heightened physical arousal.” Anxiety also triggers a fight or flight response. There is a normal quantity of stress or anxiety that has the potential to motivate one to carry out tasks or avoid dangerous situations. This kind of stress is useful to understand and allow it to motivate you.

Learning how to manage stress and anxiety by recognizing the signs and symptoms helps one to decrease the symptoms from progressing. This helps to calm ones physical and emotional responses.

Both stress and anxiety have similar symptoms and have been used interchangeable. Therefore, I will give a brief list of symptoms on stress which can be used interchangeably with anxiety. You can find many good articles on both symptoms and definitions.  Physical Symptoms of stress can be but not limited to increased heart rate, sweaty palms, frequent urination, digestive issues, jaw tightness, headaches, sleeplessness, fatigue. Emotional symptoms can be but not limited to anger, sleeplessness, irritability, racing thoughts, memory problems or depression.

Knowing your stress and/or anxiety symptoms will help to decrease the progression of symptoms and help you to diffuse the fight or flight reactions.

I too am experiencing stress and anxiety we are facing my husband having heart surgery for the second time. We have been in a holding pattern for months waiting on tests and results, with medical appointments as well as Covid19 restrictions at hospitals etc… I can safely say the whole world has been in a stressful experience for many months effecting all our lives.

Dr. Collins states, “Anxiety arises from threat, conflict, fear, unmet needs, physiology, and individual differences.” This article is to provide us with a brief and practical applications to help cope with stress and moderate anxiety. If you are experiencing long term anxiety, I recommend you try to find medical and therapeutic help. Mental health is extremely important and the stigma of looking for help should no longer keep anyone away from seeking help. God gives wisdom to doctors, psychiatrists, therapists, and counselors to help individuals get the help they need.   

How do you handle stress and anxiety? I choose to self-talk with positive statements of scripture, I also pray and depend on Gods character to care for me. I use breathing techniques, mediating on the goodness of Jesus and journaling. I have been taught through the years when you understand your symptoms you can begin to apply these useful tools to reduce your stress or anxiety symptoms.

Here are a few helpful suggestions in dealing with stress. Exercise, breath in deeply though your nose and slowing expel the air out your mouth, meditate, meditation is biblical if you are unaware how to meditate it is simple. To mediate simply sit quietly think on a positive thought or scripture and repeat it 3-4xs. I speak slowly and say Jesus is light, Jesus is Truth, Jesus is Peace 3-4xs, speak positive self-talk, prayer is beneficial in all situations, speaking scripture out loud, and journaling is just some helpful suggestions.

Another wonderful technique is to ask yourself questions about the thoughts you are thinking. Dr. Daniel Amen founder of Amen Clinics has an excellent tool called “Learn to kill the ANTS” ‘Automatic Negative Thinking’ questions “1) Ask yourself is it true? 2)Is it absolutely true with 100% certainty? 3) How do I feel when I believe this thought? 4)How would I feel if I couldn’t have the thought? 5)Turn the thought around to its exact opposite.” I saw him on a PBS fundraiser many years ago and wrote down notes on this technique applied it to my life and it truly made a difference in stressful situations. After asking yourself these questions you will begin to defuse the automatic negative thoughts that stir up anxiety.

I pray that this article provides you some practical applications to assist in dealing with stress and anxiety.  

What is Compassion for the individual?

What is compassion? “Compassion is sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” If you cannot feel the hurt of one how can you be compassionate for many. On a personal level compassion should be offered in the daily opportunities. Do you look to be compassionate with other people? God gives us all the opportunities to be caring in an individual way.  

It is amazing to think about Jesus as well as how he healed the sick and then set the demonic free. As I think about all the things He did while he was living on earth it astonishes me that He genuinely cared about individual needs.

Such as the lady at the well, she needed a heart change, the lady with the issue of blood she needed a miracle. Or the woman who had seven demons cast out and became a follower or the lady who poured oil on his feet and wiped it with her hair, her need was expressing her worship to him and his need was to prepare for his burial.

Peters mother-in-law had a fever he cured her, and she served them. The mother whose last son alive died, He raised him from the dead so that she would not be alone. Sometimes we could get focused on the larger miracles which Jesus did. Though his concern for individuals and his sympathy for them speaks to us as individuals. Jesus also healed and delivered men on an individual basis too. The nobleman’s son healed, a sick man at the pool who could not get up on his own healed and the list goes on…

God heals all aspects of us spirit soul and body. His compassion is limitless. When you have been wounded it may cause emotional, physical or mental difficulties but God wants to express his compassion towards you. God cares about each aspect of your life. There are times we will need inner healing for hurts, traumas and pain that we suppressed, and it is okay to seek help.

God’s compassion is greater than our understanding. You are valuable and have worth. You were created by God and he wants to save, heal and restore you. He sent Jesus to die so that you can call on him today and receive from his compassion and mercy.

Almighty God knows you by your name call on Him and he will answer you.  

What is the Law of Multiplication?

What is the law of multiplication? How can something be blessed, broken and given at the same time? What is the advantage of blessing something, then breaking it and giving it away? How many times have you seen the law of multiplication in your life happen through blessed, broken and given?

It is interesting to see how a blessing that will be given away multiplies and supplies the need for the others to have. Life is not about what you have or do not have, but it is about how you are living and giving and blessing others. God supports our necessities and blesses us with the desires of our hearts. But we are not here on earth just to satisfy our own needs there is a bigger plan designed by Almighty God which involves each one of us.

We look at what is small in our own hands and God sees the outcome and how he plans on increasing it. The law of multiplication is seen in Matthew chapter fourteen.   

The bible states in Matthew 14:15-16 “When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. 16-But Jesus said to them, “they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” Remember this is an exceptionally large crowd of five thousand men not counting the women and children. So, estimated at fifteen thousand people or more.

Matthew 14:17-18 “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 18-He said, “Bring them here to me.” Here the disciples are looking at the tiny amount they have, and Jesus said bring it to me. How many times have we said but if I only had…? When God can use your nothing and make something when you hand it over to him. This encourages our faith that with God all things are possible even when you just have a little bit.

Matthew 14:19 “Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.” At this point Jesus is displaying the law of multiplication by way of blessing, breaking and giving. He takes the food looks to heaven and blesses the small amount. Being thankful for a small amount is a great lesson alone but then He breaks what was given and gives it away, as he gives it multiples. The disciples then give it away also.  

Being broken most times we think of breaking as a terrible thing but when it involves us, and God being broken is a good thing. Theologically broken bread stands for Christ broken and given for our eternal life. But in our every day walk it symbolizes to me the tough times we go through and how God works through our breakings. God does not do stuff to harm us but to shape and mold us into what Jesus looked like.

Going through things may be difficult emotionally, physically or mentally but when we allow God to move in our lives it always works out for our good. It feels as if it is breaking but, the breaking turns into you giving from what you learned. So often what we keep hold of so tightly becomes little when if we would bless and give out it would be multiplied.

Matthew 14:20 “So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.” Many times, I have seen God multiply what was given in my life and others. I love how a tiny amount was used to feed so many. We can never underestimate just how or when God is going to use our little to help somebody else.  The lesson throughout these verses is simple to be grateful even when it is a tiny amount, surrender to God each breaking and give what you learned and watch what God is going to increase.