Finding Strength in Faith: Restoring Hope when Peace is Lost

I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, my heart pounding, and a million thoughts seemed to be rushing through my mind simultaneously. The signs of a headache was coming on, and I was dreading that. What was contributing to this feeling that was having me up at night and seemed to want to take control of my thoughts?

As I mulled over this, a few things came to mind: doubt, fear, and worry. These culprits have the potential to drive one insane if they are allowed to have their way. Fear of the future and the unknown can cause us to lose faith and hope, and in the process, we become discouraged and believe that all is lost.

With the year drawing to a close, you may find yourself in a similar state: things didn't go as you thought they would, the new year holds significant changes, and you can't figure out how you will navigate them and the perceived challenges. When left to roam rampant in our minds, these thoughts produce peacelessness and rob us of the joy of the NOW; it leads to panic.

In these moments, we pray and find someone to share these thoughts with who can help bring clarity to our minds. Sometimes, we can be prideful; we don't want to share because we are concerned about what the person may say. However, those silent thoughts need an outlet, and in those moments, what we will say to ourselves is not always clear and positive.

My friend asked me a question: how are you? I said I am here, and she picked up that something was wrong and inquired if I wanted to share, to which I responded. My response permitted her to encourage me, leading to the veil lifting from my eyes. The simple fact is that you and I have no control over the future, but we have control over our thoughts.

2 Corinthians 10: 5 states, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." In our weakness, we can't fight alone; allowing someone to come alongside us gives us the strength and power to stand and take authority over our thoughts and replace them with the truth of God's words.

My peace was restored not only by my friends' encouragement but, most importantly, by the word that the Holy Spirit dropped in my thoughts before I dozed off, Isaiah 26:3: "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You." I allowed those words to saturate my mind, body, and spirit, and I woke up with renewed faith, restored hope, and the strength to stand against the enemy's lies. God restores!

Today, if you are struggling in your thoughts because of the future, so much so that it robs you of the present, pray, and as God leads, share with someone. We declare we will not give in to fear and panic; instead, we will embrace the new day, knowing that the best year is ahead of us; no matter what the future holds, God has everything in control, and His plans and times are perfect. Blessings

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