For Those Struggling With Fear and Anxiety

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Are you having "one of those days"? 

You're not alone.

Worn by Tenth Avenue North ("I'm tired.  I'm worn.  My heart is heavy, from the work it takes, to keep on breathing ..."  Anyone else understand this feeling too?)

I Have This Hope by Tenth Avenue North (I'm clinging to my hope, to the truth, that God will work all the bad into something good, that He will handle the things I can't handle and pick up the pieces I drop, that He'll carry me when I can't stand anymore, that He'll hold me when I hurt, and that someday soon Jesus will come back and take us home.)


For more encouragement:

"Help for Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts"

My "When Anxiety Strikes" Playlist 

And watch any video of Bob Ross painting (so relaxing!)


Most Popular Posts of the Week:

List of Calvinist Preachers, Authors, Theologians, Websites, etc.

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I  found a lot more names to add to my list of known Calvinists (found in my various  "How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist"  posts).  But instead of adding this huge list to all those posts, I am going to put it here, and I'll just provide a link on those posts to this one.  [FYI: I added a note at the bottom of this post on May 5, 2021.] So here it is, a "master list" of known Calvinists to help you be careful and discerning about who you listen to and where you get your theology from.  There are plenty more Calvinists out there, but these are just the names that I ran across the most.   These are either definite, self-professed Calvinists or "most likely Calvinist," in my estimation.  (I haven't heard of most of them, but it's good to know their theology before I do.)   After finding these names in various places online, I looked up each person to see if they are Calvinist.  If they did not self-identify ...
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So hell isn't real?

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So there's this popular preacher who says that hell isn't real , that it's a fantasy. It's no wonder he's popular. Do you know who wasn't popular? Jesus and those who were faithful to Him! Because people don't like being told the truth when it infringes on their lifestyle and on the things they want to believe.   The Truth is offensive ... but it's the Truth that saves! I wonder what Bible that preacher is reading!  Because it's not the one I have.  Want to know what mine says about hell? Matthew 10:28:   "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 25:41, 46:   "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' ... Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 2...
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Alana L. on how to recognize (and defeat) Calvinism (series intro)

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Introduction I'm starting a series of posts on a great new video from Alana L.:   5 Signs Your Loved One is Becoming a Calvinist    I've been wanting someone to make a video like this for awhile now - to help people recognize Calvinism when they hear it, to help them realize it's a big deal that they should take seriously and research, and to help them know why it's wrong and how it spreads. Those who've studied against Calvinism know how very tricksy it is.  But those who  don't know anything about it, or how to recognize it, or how it takes over, or how it sounds like it's teaching one thing when it's  really  teaching something totally different, or how it twists or misinterprets Scripture... well, they  are sitting ducks, fish in a barrel who become easy targets for a Calvinist pastor (especially a stealth Calvinist pastor) who slowly and strategically indoctrinates them into this twisted theology, before they ever see it coming, like boiling...
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Predestination Does Not Mean "No Choice"

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(These next four posts are reposts of my original, long, unbroken-up posts on predestination vs. free-will.  The previous posts on predestination all come from these posts, so you don't have to read these long ones if you don't want to.  For more on this issue, see "Links To Other Anti-Calvinism Posts." )             Imagine that I walk into your church and say, “I am taking a group of people on a mission trip with me.   We are leaving sometime soon, and you have to decide which group you’ll be part of: the one that goes or the rest that stay behind.   I have a destination picked out, a way to get there, I’ve already paid the price to take a group with me, and I’m now asking for those who want to go.   It’s up to you if you want to come or be left behind.   And if you do not deliberately choose to come with me, you will be left behind.”   This, in essence, is the way I view the whole “predestination or free-will” deba...
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Feminism Nonsense (repost)

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(Oh, how we love nonsense in our country!) We women are fighting so hard to be like men, to downplay femininity, to be perceived as more masculine, to overtake any "men's realm" we find.   Because it’s “cool” and “progressive” and “strong.” But do we not realize that we are not “leveling the playing field” so much as we are destroying ourselves , the things that make women special? Women can be strong, too.   And they don’t have to be like men to do it.   Trust me, I know.  I've had four children, one by c-section and three by natural, drug-free homebirth (with over 15 hours of labor for each one).  And then I work in the home every day, all day long.  No pay.  No vacation time.  No weekends off.  No bonuses.  No overtime pay. But I do it because my family and I value my position, my role.  Even if the world doesn't. W e women can be strong and capable and accomplished in our...
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The Liberal's Reaction to Election Fraud (and some encouraging Bible verses)

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  To me, this video clip neatly sums up the reaction of liberal politicians and the liberal media to the possible election fraud this year (the accidents represent the fraud and the guy at the end represents the liberals): Nothing to see here, move along ( Click here  for a picture meme) And in my Bible reading today, I found a great prayer for America during these uncertain times: "Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, 'Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty.  Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army.  O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.'"   ( 2 Chronicles 14:11 ) And then just a few verses later we are reminded of this truth, the key to getting the Lord's help:  "The Lord is with you when you are with him.  If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you."  ( 2 Chronicles 15:2 ) Sobering...
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Matherhood Matters To The Ones Who Matter Most!

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Motherhood: It's not just something to do while you wait for a "real job" to come along. Motherhood IS the job - the job that matters most. Pour your heart into it.  Give it your all, your best.  "Just a mom" is an incredible privilege and a blessed responsibility.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Y ou might feel like you don't mean much to the world, but you can bet that you mean the world to your children! Make choices that honor that love, that show how much you value your children and your role as the only mother they have. I am proud to be a mother!
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Sorry ... But I'm Not Buying That Crap!

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            A famous actress  recently said that monogamy is hard.   And she said that monogamy being hard for everyone is proof that it’s not natural.   And, therefore, the obviously conclusion is that because it’s not natural, we shouldn’t have to abide by such an unnatural restriction.               How sad!   And how tragic that young people will look up to her and her advice and use it as an excuse to live any way they want.               What she’s saying is that how easy something is or how fun it is or how much we desire to do it determines how “natural” it is.   And since we can’t fight what’s "natural," we should just go with it and do it.   We should let our desires be our guide for right and wrong.        ...
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Using Scripture in Spiritual Battles

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If there is one thing I have been learning as I have faced the spiritual battles of depression and anxiety, it’s this:   I NEED GOD’S WORD. I used to see God’s Word as a good guidebook for life.   And, yes, it is that.   And, yes, it is a history lesson and a prophecy of things to come and God’s message of love, redemption, and salvation.   But it is still more than all that.   Ephesians 6:17 identifies the Word as the “sword of the Spirit.”   Along with prayer, it is the only offensive weapon we have in the spiritual battle.   The other pieces of “armor” (read Ephesians 6) are defensive, meant to help us resist the attacks of Satan.   But prayer and the Word (and the Holy Spirit) are meant to help us advance against him, to strike back.   The Word is a sword . . . and yet so often I treat it like a pillow.   Like a nice soft, comforting, cushy thing to lay my head down on at night to help me sleep better.   I read...
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#1 A Full, Abundant Life (shortened)

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I want to do a very shortened version of my Iron Sharpens Iron Bible Study (this links you to the full version with the large font), pulling together my favorite parts of each lesson and some of my favorite questions.  This should take us to about the New Year, with various other random posts thrown in here and there.  Feel free to answer the questions in the comment section or simply among your friends.  I love talking about theological things, but I never get much chance to do that anymore.  (That's probably why I write so much about it.)  And keep in mind I wrote this for mature Christians.  It's not a basic, learn-the-Bible study.  It explores the messier, more difficult issues and how to apply them to life. So h ere is the first shortened lesson:   A Full, Abundant Life (click for the full version)             In John 10:10 , Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” ...
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