When In Doubt, Read The Word!

Every time I’m feeling overwhelmed with my circumstances, I immediately turn to God through prayer and reading His word, though it took me some time to get to this point. Just like you, with so many things piled up against me: bills, finances, debt, student loans, car troubles, etc., a massive headache can occur and cause me to feel like I’m drowning with no hope for survival. Fret not, for as I continue to learn through my studies, there’s a perfect little life jacket preserved just for you and I and it’s specifically designed to fit each of our unique needs.

This morning, as I was thinking about all that I listed above and all that I’m trying to do despite all of those odds stacked against me, I felt an anxious spirit sweep in, like a gust of wind, swirling inside of me. Thankfully through my studies and relationship with God, I knew in that moment, instead of worrying and allowing myself to become stressed out, I had to suck up my pride and take it to the King. I knew I could not deal with it alone and I needed help. I needed to hear a word from God.

“For the word of God will never fail. ”” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭1:37‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I used to not respond this way. For years, I would allow stress, depression and anxiety to consume me. Everything worried me, including how I was going to make it through the storms that hadn’t even occurred yet. Yup, I was an emotional wreck! Although my life is not perfect now, I’ve learned that I have to trust in The Lord’s Word for it got me through before and He will see to it that I get through my troubles now.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

With everything piled up against me, and the things I’m currently trying to do like: get this book published, apply to grad school, as well as get started on something else that God has placed on my heart to create, what keeps me going and remaining positive that things will work out is the Word of God. So, in that moment this morning when I felt myself getting anxious, I took a deep breath and said a specific prayer thanking God for what He’s done, itemizing the things that were bothering me, and asking Him for instructions as to how I should proceed.

“O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭61:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

“But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭66:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Graciously, as soon as I got home, I received some encouraging words from Our Father to keep moving forward with the plan at hand. It’s funny, growing up my nana used to tell me, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’ll be there right on time because He’s an On-Time God!” It wasn’t until I became an adult and established a personal relationship with The Father that I learned that lesson for myself.

“There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” ‭‭(Psalms‬ ‭43:4‬ ‭NLT)

Though I didn’t receive a financial breakthrough, scholarship fund for grad school, or some other physical manifestation of a miracle; I received something more valuable. I was given an encouraging word from My Father letting me know that as His daughter, He heard my cry (prayer) and that everything will work out as long as I stay in Him and on the path that He has chosen for me.

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” ‭‭(Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

“But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” ‭‭(John‬ ‭15:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬)‬‬

That’s the beauty in having a relationship with God. Although Our Father has a plethora of children around the world, it means a lot to me when He stops to respond to my call. Cultivating that special relationship with The Father takes time and effort. It doesn’t happen overnight. Although He wants to have a personal relationship with us, as any good parent would, He doesn’t force it upon us. He offers it freely and it’s up to us to decide to take it. We, as His children, should want to have a special bond with Him. All it takes is for us to slow down our busy schedules and spend some quality time with The Father.

“For God does not show favoritism.” ‭‭(Romans‬ ‭2:11‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

So, today I challenge you to find that time in your busy schedule to spend with Dad. It won’t kill you to touch bases with our Heavenly Father. Tell Him how your day(s) have been and thank Him for all He’s done. If there’s any burdens weighing you down, give them over to Him. Allow Him to handle that problem or carry that stress for you. You are not alone. You don’t have to go through this thing called life solo. It’s okay to not have it all figured out. That’s what we have a loving Father for. As an added bonus to help Dad along the way, our big brother JC (Jesus Christ) has our backs as well. That’s why He suffered on the cross, so that we don’t have to suffer alone in this life.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭11:28-29‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

In life, everything is about choices. We as human beings prioritize whatever we see fit that’s more important. Let me be the first to tell you from experience, the most important relationship you will EVER have is with The Father. You can keep choosing to do life on your own, or you can take a page from my book and turn to The Father. A parent’s job is to take care of their kids. So, why won’t you let Him do His job?!

“The Lord your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God.” ‭‭(Deuteronomy‬ ‭4:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

As you read this, you may be saying, “Well it’s easier said then done,” and I couldn’t disagree with you more. Though there once was a time when I, too, thought that way; to be completely honest, things started to change for me once I got sick and tired of the excuses and decided to turn back to my Father and demand to have a one-on-one, personal relationship with Him. When I stopped focusing on my stressful circumstances, decided to seek His help and stop trying to do things on my own, my life changed for the better. Once I sought His will for my life, and made reading His word a daily priority, things began to look up for me and started falling into place. Though today I had a moment where I felt overwhelmed, I’m glad the Holy Spirit was with me and helped me remember who (God) and what (The Bible) to turn to in my time of need.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” ‭‭(Philippians‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Sincerely with love,

~A.G.Rogers

(Instagram: @AndreaGees)

Travel photography by IG user: @christofs70

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