Anxiety . . . Is it Ruling Your Life?

Anxiety, worry, fretting; it really is all pointless. Name one instance in your life that spending time caught up in dread of what may come paid off.

Even if your greatest fear does come to pass, reflect upon how much time you wasted contemplating how things would or could play out. This is truly how most of society is being held from living an abundant life.

If you are thinking, "Great. How do I  make my brain stop playing out various scenerios of my future?"

For me, that answer is simple, but that was not always the case. I spent decades almost 3 as a matter of fact being a little bit of a control freak. Today though, I have for the most part learned to roll with the punches. For me that is a good thing because the punches come often!

What is the secret to my success? First and foremost, words of wisdom passed onto me by my heavenly Father, combined with understanding what or rather who fills me with trepidation.

First I remind myself of this truth:

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34, NASB)

Next, I go to God about it all . . . often I go to Him with something like this:

Father, I want to thank you for all you have done for me, all the ways you have shown me favor, moved mountains, introduced me to people and most of all for teaching me how to live abundantly come what may. Honestly, my life rocks. You always have my back which is why it's crazy that I can't keep myself from going round and round in my mind. Please help me raise my shield of faith, fill me with confidence, remind me of all you have done in the past so that the fiery arrows being launched in my direction fall uselessly to the ground. Help guard my mind from negative thoughts, help guard my heart from fear. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

You see, the reason most of humanity struggles with worry is because they don't realize they are in the midst of a spiritual battle. They also don't realize they have a mighty foe. He is shrewd, clever, conniving, and often uses partial truths to speak lies into our lives. These days he's winning the war. People are taking their own lives every day. We must wake up and begin to fight back. Earthly weapons of war are useless. All we need to be successful can be found in the Book of Ephesians, Chapter 6, specifically verses 10-20 . . . 

I've done an in depth study of this full suit of armor and if you have read my trilogy, You are Worthy Too: the Proof is in the Pudding,  you know that Satan had me in a full head on crocodile roll in the midst of writing part II of that book. 

Even if you are someone who doubts in the existence of Satan, you are not exempted from this spiritual war. You are either a pawn or a mighty warrior because while you are busy denying the existence of him, he is busy doing what he does best, using the unaware as pawns. He is the prowling lion, always looking for someone to devour. 

If you deal with any form of anxiety, my main question to you is this . . . what do you have to lose by learning about this form of spiritual armor? 

We all know the definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior while expecting a different result. Isn't your peace of mind worth the gamble of seeking out the truths that are in all resources? 

For those of you on the sidelines in this argument, I encourage you to begin your research by reading my true life trilogy: You are Worthy Too: the Proof is in the Pudding. . . Throughout it, I remove the veil and you can clearly see how I was manipulated by the hater of humanity. Think of this book as a guide that helps open your eyes to ways in which you can win in this life. Until we cross paths again my friend, be blessed in all you do.

Father, thank you for my life, for my blessings and for so much more than I could ever imagine my life to be. Thank you for your promise of an abundant life free of anxiety. How incredible it is to rest in the midst of all life's storms. Today I simply ask that many of my brothers and sisters pick up a copy of the book you called me forth to write. May their eyes and hearts be opened to countless truths. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, Mom of Many, girl who walks with God!

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And All the People Said, "Amen"

As many of you know, I subscribe to K-Love's encouraging word; it is also one of my favorite radio stations. This morning the song 'All the People Said Amen' by Matt Maher began playing and my heart was overjoyed to have all my children sing and dance to the song. It is a catchy tune you know! If you've never listened to it, click on this link and get ready to bust a move!

The more you get to know God, the more you see Him moving in your life with your 'faith eyes' and the more often you find yourself uttering the praise, "Amen". Psalms is one of my favorite books in the bible; who am I kidding lol. In going to college I have taken so many classes, I have been blessed in reading and understanding parts of all 66 books. Regardless, this is the verse I am sharing today:

Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us and not we ourselves. (Psalm 100:3, my alphabet picture)

I think one of the most interesting things I have read in the last year came from a book called, 'The Fear of the Lord' by John Beverre. In it he shares the truth that in man are the very elements found in the earth. Seeing how man was formed from the earth, it makes perfect sense that this would be the case. However, until I read it, I had never thought much about it. Today I think about it every time I till the soil.

I bring up God alot in my daily conversations with others. I can't help it. Often when someone is sharing things about their life and why they are stressed or worried, I ask them this simple question, "Where are you in your walk with God?"

When you begin walking with the Lord and building your relationship with Him, the biggest thing you will notice is that you are able to find peace in the midst of turmoil and stress no longer holds you in slavery. This stems from the promises He makes His children:

1. Romans 8:28: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
2. Psalm 91:15: "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 

When it comes to worry, Jesus lays this to rest with one simple challenge:

Matthew 6:27: "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"

These verses, these truths, speak volumes to me for I have seen them play out in my life. Those of you that have read my book know that I did not create an easy path for myself, however, God, true to His promises, has indeed used all of what I thought was rotten and useless and has in turn allowed me to see others blessed by it. I promise you when stuff like that happens you are often left in utter joyful tears. I blogged on such an instance once. I still cannot read this post without crying! Lost or on a Mission?

When it comes to trouble, I often joke that it is my middle name. I know I am not alone in that thought for I have had others tell me the very same thing. As I have built my relationship with the LORD over the last few years, trouble has come barreling down my door. Through it all I have managed to stay positive and at times I have even flourished through it all by leaning on the promises of God. Indeed, He has not only rescued me, he flipped the situation and I have found myself redeemed if not at times honored. Knowing the LORD is FULL of blessings, I encourage you to join a bible study group or better yet, read my past entries and build your own personal relationship with the LORD. It will truly enhance your life no matter what you get sidelined with.

I still have moments where worry tries to grab hold of me, but I have gotten pretty good at raising my shield of faith. I have found humor helps in the midst of worry and that is what I find in the advice Jesus gives on the subject of worry. When it comes to adding an hour to my life, I know that God alone is responsible for that. I say that because I died in a house fire and I was given breath and brought back to life. It is one of the stories in my book You Are Worthy Too: The Proof is in the Pudding!

I know many people have prayed for something and have not seen it come to fruition, I have been in that boat as well. I have also witnessed my prayers being answered and when I read that when I call on Him, He will answer, I also know that this has been the case. I have several stories about answered prayers in my book. Often I read my own stories because oddly enough, they remind me of who I am to God. They remind me of who we all are to God. We are His children. His creation. You can fight against that truth all you want to but it is a fight you will never win. 

I think the most confusing things about God for many are tied directly to the biggest gift he allotted to mankind; free will. God knows your heart, while He may try to reach you through circumstances that take place in this fallen world, one thing He will not do to reach you is strip away your Free Will. 

So, as I have asked many in person, I ask you today, "Where are you in your walk with God?" If you are in a place of doubt, I encourage you to go to Him with that. As I wrote recently in a post titled Come as You are, But Don't Stay There!, God will meet you right where you are. The true question is, "Are you ready to meet God?"

Today I say for you the same prayer said by Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 1:17-19: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. [18] I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the surpassing greatness His power toward us who believe. Amen!

May you be blessed in your travels with the LORD.

Wendy, Mom of Many, walks with God

© Wendy Glidden 2015

How to Nourish One's Faith!

It's marvelously magnificent miraculous Monday and it is the last one we'll have this year! What a crazy year this one has been for me. From finally getting it through my head that God forgave me for all my sins way before I was even born and had had the chance to sin, to the truth that He has forgiven every transgression I will commit until the day I die. That in itself was major!

The big deal for me this year would have to have been the testing of my faith. As I begin to put various posts together for my first e-book, I have of course been going back and reading much of what I have shared this year. I am amazed at what all I have witnessed even though it was through Faith that God always has me that carried me through it. Regardless, when you look in the rear view mirror, your faith can sometimes be increased. This is definitely the case for me.

One of the most amazing things I witnessed this last year would have to be the change in my brother. God led me to help him last year. I even blogged about it for I had no idea how I could help him. As it turned out God needed me to pray for him.

You see, back in 1998, my brother went into a stress center and came out diagnosed as bipolar II. I never thought that was the correct diagnosis for my brother but I had no say when it came to him. For 15 long years my brother was not my brother. The medicine they placed him on turned him into a drone. Every now and then, he'd stop taking all that medication and sadly he would always land himself in some type of trouble and find himself placed on even worse medication. The kind of medication that I believe throws a person in a deep dark well that they cannot communicate from. Therefore, when they do come out, they have years of thoughts all trying to come out at once. I knew in my heart that was the case for my brother but finding someone in the medical field willing to take the time to listen and actually figure things out is next to impossible. That is, until you reach out to God for help. I had enough faith that I did as I was led to do by the spirit and I prayed for my brother as well as anyone else that might be fighting the same type of demon. This took place right before Christmas for the details of all of this are in a post where I was trying to view Christmas in a different way. I think I called it Mas Christ in an attempt to add more of the teaching of Jesus into not only that one day but all year long.

Shortly after I prayed for my brother, he was incarcerated for the first time in his life. Personally I hated it, but I knew God is always faithful and I knew he uses anything bad for something good so, I continued to pray for him to receive true help in the medical field. He was released from jail late January of this year and our sister had him move in with her for she lived in one of two counties where they have a medical establishment set up that is designed to truly help a person, not just over medicate them. The only thing we needed was for my brother to comply on his own to go see them. That did not happen so, I continued to pray for him. Within the first month of living with my sister, my brother had a panic attack and called 911. Very quickly the staff knew he needed the help of this facility and they took him there. As it turns out, my brother is not bipolar and he truly was being medicated incorrectly. Today my brother is himself again. He has his own place, he smiles and laughs and is capable of living a normal life. No longer held in the bondage of over medication with no hope out of the dark well he'd been cast into. This was a gigantic reminder for me that God is always faithful and He truly loves all of us.

This morning I awoke refreshed and excited for this next big step I am taking. When I arrived at work and opened my email, this is the encouraging word I found courtesy of K-Love:

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:11, NLT

If I was to give anyone advice, I think this would be it in a nutshell. I know many people get in a jam, they throw up a half heartfelt prayer, but it has no faith within it. They base their belief in God's power on the results they allow themselves to see and sadly many buy into some lie about God not being for them or not being powerful enough or even worse that He is not good or faithful. My heart breaks for them.

Faith is something that truly grows over time. It can begin with a burst, but it is something you need to nourish. How do you nourish Faith? By feeding it with the Word of God, continually seeking and praying, and opening your eyes a little wider so you can see the silver lining around things. 

Satan will do anything and everything to destroy your faith. I know this for I allowed the father of lies to keep me busy and off track for decades. Read my story and you will quickly see how even those full of faith can be tricked through the evil one's connivery.

Over the weekend, I began a new journey. All year I have been saying I want to write a book, I need to write a book. Now I can actually say, "I have begun the process of having my book edited and prepared for publishing!" I am not going to get it done before the end of this year, but I will have more than one published by this time next year!

How did it all begin? I stepped out in Faith 

Be blessed and be a blessing 

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Today Has Enough Trouble of It's Own!

Last Tuesday night, December 10, 2013, was the final night we HAD to spend in the RV this winter! What a crazy week this last one has been. We had counted down the last thirty days until we were going to move in to our new apartment which Jeffrey calls 'The Castle'. He cracks me up. I have explained to him that we will only be living in a tiny section of the castle. His excitement has not been phased.

Monday morning, December 9, 2013, I had called over to verify my time for my walk through and to make sure they'd gotten confirmation of my renters insurance and the fact that the utilities were in my name. All was going smoothly and we set my appointment at 11:30.

At three that afternoon, I received a phone call letting me know there was a slight problem with my new apartment. Sometime between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, a water pipe had burst and there was so much water on the floor that they were going to have to replace the carpet and padding in the bedrooms and the flooring in the 2nd bathroom where the leak had happened.

They told me it would be completed by Friday. I admit I was a bit sad. I had seen the weather forecast for the week and it was not pretty. We have been below freezing for over a week now and it was only going to get colder over the next couple of days.

Towards the end of the day, I saw a post asking for help with a chain saw crew being called to give a helping hand in Texas where they had been hit by a massive ice storm. I knew Mike would be great help so I quickly got in touch with him and asked if he'd be interested. Seeing how we weren't going to be moving now until Friday, the biggest need for Mike to be home was taken care of. Our money is really tight this month and we both agreed that him helping out would be a beautiful way to tithe. I gave him Rusty's number and Mike was the final man they needed to be able to go.

They were heading out Very early in the morning so we set our alarm for 4:20 AM and the next day we headed out before the sun came up to get Mike to one of the meetup locations on time. Once he was dropped off I made my way to work.

At eleven that afternoon, the apartment complex called me with great news. They were ahead of schedule and as it turned out if I wanted to, I could begin moving in anytime after 4:00 pm on Wednesday! The irony did not escape me! I was super thrilled that we would be in the new place right before the coldest night of this winter arrived.

With Mike being gone, I knew I could only do so much as far as moving everything was concerned so Tuesday night I packed up the majority of food, all our dirty clothes, all of our clean linens as well as the entire bathroom including all of our clean towels! All I could think was, 'I get to do laundry IN my home and everyone can take a shower!'. It truly is the little things in life that make me the happiest.

Wednesday came and after work I headed over to the apartment complex to sign my new lease. I thought I had help lined up to move the three beds I had been given along with a few odds and ends. As it turned out, my moving help was a no show and we ended up sleeping on the floor the first night! Thank goodness I had thought to grab the one cot with the 1" foam mattress and a really thick sleeping bag.

The funniest part of our first night was when I had two children in the two tubs only to realize I had nothing clean to put them in when they got out. I quickly went through all the dirty clothes and picked out things for everyone to change into and got my first load of laundry going.

Bonus things I did not know came with my apartment. A microwave above the stove, a dishwasher and an ice maker! Life is good!!

Thursday night, my help arrived and I got the few things I had been given moved into the apartment and placed in their spots. Jean, one of my many sisters in Christ, kept the children for me while another sister in Christ, Ana, helped me get the items I had been gifted into place.

When we arrived back to Jean's we discovered she had made dinner for all of us. We ate, joked that we should take a picture to post to Facebook with the a note about how all that was missing was our Pastor and his wife for our old Thursday night Bible study. Weirdly we have not gotten together since the night Ana and I were baptized. We were left hanging in the midst of Acts.

Friday night in the midst of the approaching winter storm, the chain saw crew made it safely back. I picked up Mike and we headed home. We caught each other up on all that had transpired.

The gist of this post originally began to show that the best laid plans are often disrupted. I was being led to blog on the verse regarding the fact that each day has enough trouble of it's own. Allow me to share that here, from Matthew, Chapter 6, verse 34:

So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of it's own.

The entire chapter has wonderful wisdom. I love reminding myself of this final thought for I have found it to be so very true. There is no sense in getting all wrapped up in tomorrow.

As my mind often does, while I was typing the above sentence, I recalled something I heard on Moody radio the other day. It was on a Friday around 5 PM and they were playing a series of voice mails that people had left. One of them stuck out more than the rest to me and it was about 'I Am.' In a gist the guy was talking about how you shouldn't focus on the past for God has said His name is I Am and while He is in the past and the future, it was never the past and the future when we found Him on any given day, for His name is always in the present and that was where we should be ourselves. That's not exactly how it was phrased. In all honesty, it was stated in a much more impactful way. Regardless, this has seemed to be the lesson I was being taught this past week. Stay in the here and now for this is the moment we are living.

I pray that this rambling blog has lifted your spirits, given you something to smile about or perhaps even caused you to seek a little more from the word of God Himself.

Father, I come before you today singing your praises and giving thanks for what a wonderful Father you truly are. You never cease to amaze me with your ways. I love living this life of mine under your terms. No longer do I feel the need to control everything for the illusion of me being in control of anything has long gone! Thank you for that!! I love where you have placed me. Close to work and home and surrounded by many brothers and sisters in Christ. How blessed I truly am. Thank you for loving us and always being faithful. My life is so colorful and bright and I truly look forward to each day. I pray that I continue to grow spiritually. I pray you lead me in the direction I am designed to go in. I pray I am able to see and hear all you have for me to see and hear each day. I pray that my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ grow closer to you as well. May this season that we celebrate the birth of Christ in be full of your love. May more and more and more of us come to see the Glory of God. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Wendy, walks with God,
Mom of Many

© Wendy Glidden 2013

Ever Have 'One of Those Days'?

Terrific Testimonial Tell All Tuesday! Here's my tell all: Yesterday came picked me up and kicked my rear end . . . I staggered out of the office nearly blind in one eye and ready to call it quits. Seriously. It was the first migraine I've had in a couple years that I couldn't beat back with my counteract pain relievers! I was so over talking on the phone that I was home for an hour before I realized I'd left my own phone at work. I have honestly had my fill of venom from others. Last week my assistant left in hives over a phone call. In 30 years of answering these phones I have never witnessed the likes of what I am this year. Gives me cause to pray more fervently! Joan said to me as she was leaving, "All I can say is that blog of yours about the Glory of God must be touching lives . . . I'm certain you've caught Satan's attention." Well! If that's what this is, Praise God! What do I have to fear?! My God is Bigger! So first thing this morning what is the song I hear? Mandisa, "It's a good morning!" Indeed!! Here is the song. Take a listen to it for yourself! Enjoy!!

 

 

 

I don't have much time during the day to blog. I've barely gotten to scarf down something for lunch in the last 3 months. I took a real lunch break this Monday. Not to eat, I took it to learn a little bit about marketing via other forms of media. I have a mentor teaching me slowly! I have so much to learn.

 

I just wanted to say to anyone out there having a hard day. Take it to God. Have a conversation with Him. I talk to Him about everything. Just last night when I got home as I began organizing wardrobes. Going through the children's clothes. Keep. Goodwill. Keep. Goodwill. I don't have a lot of room to store clothes. Purposely really. My thought is, the less you have, the less time you will waste over taking care of your 'stuff'. Anyway, I was talking to God about my day. Confessing where I felt I'd let frustration win over grace. I ended up laughing for I'd come up with a brilliant idea. This is what I said to God, " Tomorrow, I am going into the office and I'm changing the recording. It's going to say, "Thank you for calling Glidden Fence. We will not be answering phones the remainder of this week as Wendy has been suspended with pay and is being sent to a 3 day retreat where she will be immersed in Ephesians. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you! Feel Free to leave a message after the beep. We will have someone return your call within 48 hours! Have a blessed day."

 

It made me chuckle. Did I do that? No. I'm back in here today with a better attitude. I am not going to let the chaos of the world get the best of me. If it tries, I will get on my knees and pray! No more letting it get to me so much so that I leave here with a pounding headache, going blind!

 

Today I pray for all public servants. Help us lean on the teachings of Christ when the world attempts to beat us up. Father, I pray that we turn to you quicker in our daily struggles. I don't know why I feel the need to drag my burdens up a mountain on my own while you patiently wait for me to turn to you for help. Could you help me with that!? Help my fellow brothers and sisters too. I'm sure I'm not the only one that 'gets' that we do all things through your strength, yet somehow manage to find myself fighting with all my might to do it on my own. I thank you Father for your mercy and grace. I thank you for your word. I thank you for the comfort you bring my way. In Jesus name I pray.

 

Wendy, Mom of Many

 

 

© Wendy Glidden 2013