Good Morning my Gorgeous Friends,

Today is a brand new day. A fresh new start. It may not feel like one, but it is. It may feel like you are rising to the same gloom and doom as yesterday. It may feel like you are rising to uncertainty. I know the feeling. Yet, today stands alone. It doesn’t have to have the same feelings as yesterday. The circumstances around you may remain in turmoil, but your inner storm can come to rest today.

I am home on Spring Break. This week is our scheduled Spring Break. School was supposed to resume next Monday, but due to the uncertainty with the coronavirus, we are out of school until at least March 30th.

There are so many uncertainties right now. Our communities, our country, and our world are all feeling it. The uncertainty is manifesting as fear. We just don’t know so many things. Basic, simple things. When will school resume? When will grocery stores return to normal hours? When will Starbucks reopen dining rooms? That last one may seem to be unimportant, but the issue with driving by a closed Starbucks, Chickfila, or favorite restaurant is not the inconvenience.

The issue is the message it sends to our brain. The message we get is, Something is wrong, and it is big. All is not well. Things are not as they should be. And that message is unsettling. As things shift and change around us, and more and more things get cancelled, our natural instinct is fear and concern.

We don’t have to ride the wave though. We don’t have to be fearful. The initial feelings of fear and the questions swirling around in our heads are natural and healthy reactions. But to stay in a perpetual state of fear and to sit too long with racing thoughts is what I am choosing to battle against today.

If you have been riding the worry train to a million different “what if” scenarios, it’s time to call a halt to it right in its tracks, and to get off right here in the present. Don’t let it take you to one more doom and gloom destination.

The Lord has given you power. So much power is inside of you. You are a walking, talking temple of the Holy Spirit. You have the power to strike down fear. You have the authority to take captive every thought and make it obedient to the Word of Christ.

We are called to be an immovable people, not shaken or moved by what is happening all around us. Jesus already conquered it ALL! All of it, even death has been conquered, so we have triumph over every single trial that comes our way.

Because we are already victorious, we should walk differently during times of trouble. Our reactions shouldn’t look like everyone else’s. Our non believing friends and neighbors should see us and know something is different. Times like this can be opportunities to shine so bright and love so hard that people can’t help but notice that you are following Jesus and His examples.

And to be able to do that, we have to come to a place of rest and peace ourselves. We have to first receive the peace that Jesus is offering amidst the chaos of the day. Then, we will be positioned to steward and share the peace.

So how? How do we move from unrest to rest? How do we receive peace when our hearts are in turmoil?

Get before Jesus and unload every single worry. Speak to Him. Get into your car and go for a drive. Go into your closet. Take a walk. Find a way to get alone and pour out every worry, every frustration, every need, and everything that is uncertain. Take off the heavy yoke. The heavy burden. Remove it layer by layer as you talk to Jesus.

Then, be still and quiet. Let Him talk. (This part is harder for me.) But He will speak to you. He will impart wisdom, feelings of wellbeing, and a peace you didn’t have before. Just ask for it. Tell Him. Lord, I need Your peace and Your rest. Take these anxious thoughts and these worries. They are too heavy.

And finally, speak the victory! Say your I ams and You ares loud and clear.

I am a child of God. I am full of faith and will not be moved by the things happening around me.

I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

I am an overcomer and I have everything I need.

I am safe and all is well in my home.

Lord, You are in control.

You are on the throne, and I recognize that You will protect me.

You are a good, good Father who goes before me everywhere I go.

You are an everlasting God for all time. You will be with me always in every season.

You are my perfect peace, and I will rest in You.

Friends, every single time the worry invades and peace is lost, come back to prayer.

Put on praise and worship music and pray for the world. Pray for the end of the virus. Pray that the virus would be stopped in its tracks. That healing would manifest. That people will turn to the Lord and find new hope. Pray for your neighborhoods, your nation, countries across the globe. Shift your prayers from you to others. You will be refreshed and lighter.

You may have to repeat and repeat until the peace is deep in your bones.

Then share it! When you have to go to the grocery store, be kind. Encourage people. Don’t buy more than you need. Let someone else have the last item on the shelf even if it’s what you came for. This is a reflection of your heart and your faith that God will provide what you need. We don’t have to panic as the world panics. We can be a steady, calming voice of love and wisdom.

Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for a new level of peace and even joy to rise up in Your people today. Let us be immovable even in times of uncertainty. Remind us of what we DO know. We are the children of the Living God who already has the victory. Lord, help us to receive so that we can share it with others.

In Jesus’s name,

Amen.

Blessings my friends! And if you have a blog post with encouragement during these times, feel free to add a link in the comments and tell us about it. Let’s stay grounded in faith together! Looking forward to reading what Christ is speaking to each of you.