Great Peace

All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace.

In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. Isaiah 54:13-14

Did you know that the words the prophet Isaiah wrote are describing today? He's talking about us, God's children! We have been given great peace through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been established through His righteousness and terror shall now be far removed!

I read these verses about a week ago and after meditating on them and reciting them over and over I realized that if God has promised me such great peace then I shouldn't have to deal with anxiety. Why was I dealing with such horrible anxiety when God's Word told me that I didn't need to have any anxiety at all?

We all have fears and anxiety every once in a while but it surely is NOT from God! God has given us peace and security through His son Jesus Christ. So that no matter what happens in our life, or around us in this world, we still have been given great peace! I don't know about you but these promises have caused a huge breakthrough in my own life.

God's Word is so powerful that it can tear down anxiety when it comes. Just the other night when anxiety seemed to be knocking on my door, I remembered these verses and was determined to make His Word my reality rather than the worry. Within seconds of remembering these verses, the anxiety seemed to flee from my presence.

Here is the Amplified translations of the same two verses:
And all your [spiritual] children shall be disciples [taught by the Lord and obedient to His will], and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children.

You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness, in conformity with God's will and order): you shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Isaiah 57:19 says Peace, peace to him who is far off [both to Jew and Gentile] and to him who is near! says the Lord; I create the fruit of his lips, and I will heal him [make his lips blossom anew with speech in thankful praise].

God wants His children to have great peace! So next time anxiety comes knocking at your door, combat it with God's promises. Speak His Word to your anxiety, think of good, excellent and praisworthy things and the "God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you." (Philippians 4:9)

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because He commits himself to You, leans on You and hopes confidently in You.

So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. Isaiah 26:3-4

I hope everyone had a blessed and peaceful Christmas! Now let's make 2012 and forever after, years of great peace!

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

key ingredient to beating anxiety... four

I never truly understood how my own thoughts affected my life until I read what God’s Word said about a person’s thought life. Can you remember what His Word tells us; what we need to think about? If not keep reading because the next key ingredient to beating anxiety is Thinking like God!

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:4-8

You might be thinking, yes, I know these verses but what does it have to do with beating anxiety? Paul tells us not to be anxious about anything but to pray to God with joy and thanksgiving and the peace of God will guard our hearts AND minds in Christ Jesus. He says to think of anything that is excellent, lovely, commendable, honorable, or worthy of praise. We are not to have anxious thoughts and are to think of good things. By keeping our minds on God’s Word, He is able to keep us in perfect peace!

I used to have a lot of trouble with thoughts of anxiety and thoughts of the worst things imaginable happening, and sometimes I still do. Sometimes bad and anxious thoughts just come and it’s hard to think of good and praiseworthy things during those moments of anxiety. So what then? What do we do when those anxious thoughts seem to consume us and we end up playing out the worst case scenario in our minds?

Paul again says to take every thought captive to Christ.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5

When thoughts of anxiety do come, take them captive and lay them at the feet of Jesus. Say to Him, “Here are these thoughts again Lord. I cannot get rid of them on my own but You can. I take these thoughts captive and give them to You.”

By giving these thoughts to Christ He is able to help you and transform you. He is able to transform your thought life. I’m not really sure how He does it, but I know that He can and will make your thoughts pure but you must be reading God’s Word as well. Without His Word you can’t meditate on what God says is good, pure and praiseworthy. Don’t forget Key Ingredient 2 and 3!

Ephesians 4:23 says that we are to be made new in the attitude of our minds.

Colossians 3:1-2 says “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above and not on earthly things.

And of course Romans 12:2, which I have mentioned earlier, says that we are to renew our minds and not to conform to this world.

This world is full of anxiety; God’s Kingdom has no fear.

We are not of this world! We have God’s Spirit! We do not need to live according to this world because God wants us to live in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:6); He wants us to set on minds on Him (Colossians 3:1-2), and He wants to have our minds be made brand new so that anxiety is a thing of the past!

We all must meditate on God’s Word, take those anxious and troubling thoughts captive to Jesus, and focus our sight on things above. Surrender your minds to God and allow Him to transform you into the new creation Christ has made you to be.

This ingredient to beating anxiety is crucial. I never truly understood how my thoughts affected me until God opened my eyes to the ways in which my thoughts had kept me in bondage for way too long. I’m continually trying to surrender this part of my life to Him and I see that the more I do it the easier it becomes and the more God can transform my thoughts.

Don’t forget to keep adding in ALL of the ingredients. You must have all of them in order to get the full benefit. And of course prayer is needed throughout all of it. I like to think of prayer as the mixer. We couldn’t make a cake without a mixer right? It's the same with prayer. You wouldn’t eat just the eggs or flour part of the cake and expect it to be delicious, right? So it is with all of these ingredients. You can’t have one without the other. Also please remember that everyone is different. You may need more times of praise and prayer or you may need to renew your mind more in order to believe God. What works for me may look different for you. Keep this in mind as you continue on your journey to beating anxiety. (And remember this, doctors can guide you as well if your anxiety is too troubling for you to handle, but as long as you keep God’s Word in your midst then you can do all things! Never stop reading and walking with Him even if some people do need the guidance of a doctor.)

Renewing our thoughts takes time. It takes endurance, patience and a right attitude. You can do it with Him though! With God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26 and Genesis 18:14) Let's continue to renew our minds so we can think like God!

I hope this ingredient was as helpful to you as it was for me. God can renew your mind! He can and He will! Just believe! (Ingredient 1)

Keep checking back for more key ingredients.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

His faithfulness

Finals are now over and I have time to actually post on this blog! I meant to post earlier but kept getting distracted and never got around to it until today. I'm just glad to be able to share something with you all now that really gave me insight and blessing after I read it.

Psalm 91 is one of my favorite Psalms throughtout all five books. It talks of God's watchfulness and grace upon those who make Him their dwelling.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty Psalm 91:1

Our God saves; He takes care of His children and asks that they trust in Him. Trusting God is so crucial in our walk with Him and it's something that He's helping me to undertsand more and more. Proverbs 3:5-6 has become a great help for me in all areas of my life. The revelation given in those two verses are worth meditating on.

Psalm 91 has always been a comofort as well, especially when I'm dealing with fear. I see His goodness displayed verse after verse and just recently when I read that Psalm, I was given new insight and felt myself drawn to verse 4. Two words came alive to me: "His faithfulness." What about His faithfulness?

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart

Did you get that? If you're like me then you probably read over that verse lots of times without actually comprehending those words. I've believed the lie that my worrying, my well laid plans and routines have actually benefited me and kept trouble from happening. But that's just not true. Have you believed the lie that worrying will actually prevent things from happening? If you have I hope that you ask God to illuminate verse 4 in Psalm 91 next time you read it.

His faithfulness is what keeps me safe. His faithfulness is my shield and rampart! Not my worrying or well laid plans. I also know that if anything ever did happen to me or my family and friends, it's His faithfulness that will get us all through and protect everyone. How amazing is that?!

Now don't get me wrong, we will have trouble in this world. Our world is broken and in desperate need of saving so it's only likely that trouble will occur at some point or another. But knowing that His faithfulness is what protects me and is my shield and rampart gives me great assurance and comfort.

We serve an amazing God who is faithful. He gives us all that we need and loves us with a love that none of us can comphrehend. So whether or not trouble comes along in the form of financial trouble, a rude co-worker, persecution or a time of loss and sadness, know that He is faithful and will always be your shield. Just like a shepard leading his sheep, so our Lord is our great Shepard Who goes ahead of us and watches out for our safety. And no matter what, He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

Thank you Heavenly Father for your faithfulness!

Happy Advent season and Merry Christmas!

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Gift of Marriage

Marriage is something that God gives as a gift to His children and is to be a reflection of the Trinity. I've been thinking about the gift of marriage lately and how beautiful it is when the true design of it is lived out the way God intended it to be.

I was thrilled today when I went to church and saw that the sermon was on marriage! We read Ephesians 5:21-33 and our Pastor talked about the ways in which marriages are supposed to reflect Christ's love for His Church. It's a sacrificial love that is so amazing, no one can fathom "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." (Ephesians 3:18)

One of the points that our pastor talked about was submission. Now I know how sensitive this subject can be but before you stop reading please hear me out. I too believe in submission in a marriage, "wives are to submit to their husbands," but I don't believe that this gives a husband permission to dominate or justify abuse. My pastor did not believe in that either. Submission is not weak, it is strong. Did you know the definition of submission actually means to yield to? It's not to be stepped on or walked all over, it is something that one does out of love for the other.

I read something one time that helped me see the area of submission more clearly. I can't rememeber who it was exactly that touched upon this area but consider this: Christ submitted to the Father. Was Christ weak? No way! Christ is the most powerful and loving Man in all eternity, yet He submitted Himself to God's will! Before He went to the cross Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane that there would be another way for salvation to come but He didn't want His will to be done, He wanted God's will.

What if Christ didn't submit to the cross? What if He chose another way? What would have happened to us? His submission meant salvation for us all. That act of submission was more powerful than anything ever imagined!

After reading about submission in that light my whole view of this controversial subject was radically changed.

My pastor also touched upon how the Trinity is something that marriage should point to or reflect. Just like there is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in a similar fashion Christ is the head of the the marriage and the husband is the head of the wife. (Christ of course is still head of both the man and wife though just as God is the head of Christ but I am also pointing to what Paul said in Ephesians 5:23.) Some people cringe at the word "head" and I can understand why. But as my pastor pointed out it does not mean superior or better, it just means to lead. Men are to be the leaders in marriage.

Marriage is a gift from God. When a marriage is seen in light of God's design then that relationship is a blessing towards others so that they too can see the beauty and gift of His divine design.

I understand that not everyone will agree with this view but I pray that they take the time to seek the Scriptures, ask God about His design for marriage and talk to a mature and experienced pastor. God is faithful and He will show you!

I hope you all were blessed by this message because I know that when I heard it this morning I too felt very blessed and encouraged.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Perfectionism, Law, Grace

I realized something profound yesterday as I came home from an exhausting midterm that left me frustrated. I studied so hard for this midterm, wrote out the essay's beforehand and even tried to memorize key points I would write about in each essay. But I still did not finish my midterm on time nor did I allow myself any wiggle room for creative thinking during the test. Needless to say I was sad, somewhat angry at myself and oh so frustrated with my answers!

I got home, kneeled down by my bed and tried not to let the tears of disappointment (failure even) flow down my cheeks. Yet they came anyways and so did the realization in prayer that I was a perfectionist. My broken ego wanted to scream that it was so unfair and I tried so hard and studied so long! But that still small Voice interrupted my pity party to say "let go."

Let go of the control, let go of that need to be perfect! Do you really think that a possible C (or even a D) on a test will affect who you are as a person?

This only made me cry even more! You see I was so concerned with the results that I failed to see that not matter what grade I got, I tried! I gave it my best and I studied hard. But I didn't need to worry about whether or not the grade is a B or even a C. As Derek Prince once said...

"God is more concerned with our character than with our achievements. Achievements have importance only in the realm of time, character is eternal. It determines what we will be through eternity."

It was this quote hanging on my mirror that spoke to me loud and clear.

"Let go of perfectionism!"

I've been trying to really live out the verse I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
Galatians 2:20

Jesus never strived for an A in a literature course and He certainly didn't even have time to take a course in literature. No! He lived for God's Kingdom and helped others with compassion and love. So while I finish my education I know that a B or a C won't actually mean anything other than an achievement that matters in the realm of time. Also I've learned that perfectionism is another illusion. (Something I've been saying over and over again; I just needed more time to truly understand that it pertains to perfectionism as well.) Don't get ne wrong, education and good grades are amazing things! It's when we take those things to the extreme and believe the lie that we need to be perfect and be ahead of everybody else in order to be somebody that it turns into not so good and amazing things.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in
all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Provers 3:5-6

Trying hard and being perfect are two very different things. I'm still learning this and need that still small Voice to remind me but I know that with God all things are possible! Matthew 19:26

Perfectionism is the law and I don't want to live in the law; I want Christ to live in me and I praise God that each day I see Him working and living in me by grace! When I allow Jesus Christ to live in my imperfection and brokenness, then and only then will I find true joy, peace and love through His grace and not the law! Let's continue to allow God to use our imperfections for His good purpose. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

None of us are perfect, only Jesus Christ and the Lord our God is completely perfect and our imperfectionism is exactly what they are looking to use to glorify our loving Father! So in a way I'm actually glad I didn't buy into the illusion yesterday because if not for my own failure I would not have noticed Christ's amazing accomplishment already given to me (to all of us) by grace!

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Article on Unity

The posts have been lacking lately due to classes and events but I will be posting again soon. For now I wanted to share with you an article I enjoyed that I read on the blog/online ministry Visionary Womanhood.

Finding Unity in Submission

I hope you enjoy the article; please let me know what you think of it!

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

key ingredient to beating anxiety... three

...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. Isaiah 61:3

crown of beauty...

oil of joy...

garment of praise...

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.

The next key ingredient to beating anxiety is praise! Praising the Lord is a unique and powerful way that can bring about happiness and peace. Praising God is something that King David always did; Paul also wrote to the churches and encouraged believers to give thanks or pray for the the Lord always.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:6

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

We see Paul exhort believers to rejoice, give thanks, praise and sing songs to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we see Paul repeat himself to rejoice. Other verses where Paul tells us to rejoice include (and are not limited to) Ephesians 5:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, and Philippians 4:8.

First and foremost we are to praise God because it is showing our love and service to Him. We are able to let Him know how amazing He is and how thankful we are for His compassion, kindness and love for us. But I also believe that praising God chases away all of our worries. When we praise God our minds are focused on praise and not worry. In fact the enemy and evil flee at the sound of rejoicing. It is a way to resist the evil one and pursue God wholeheartedly. (James 4:7)

God can also speak to us during praise. How amazing is it that God chooses to speak to us while we are praising Him!

So remember to praise God; even when our natural inclination is to grumble or complain, choose instead to praise. If you replace praising God every time you feel like complaining or worrying then only good things can come. It's not always easy and it may seem to have no effect at first; but its more effective than we can fathom! It's a way to give our thanks to Father God.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Visionary Womanhood: E-book review

I recently had the privilege of reading Natalie Klejwa’s e-book “Visionary Womanhood Gatherings A Family Strengthening Mentorship Tool for Women and Maidens” and was so excited with the vision she writes about!

Mrs. Klejwa runs Visionary Womanhood website over at VisionaryWomanhood.com. This website is full of visionary articles, resources, and information on how to see life from God’s perspective and what women can do to live a life with vision!

Her e-book could not have come soon enough because as Mrs. Klejwa explains, our culture suffers from nearsightedness and can’t see past the cultural norm that is not in line with God’s vision. This is a book that really helps women get a view of what we can do for not only ourselves, but how to help the future generations become better Christians. It helps us to become people who live selfless lives and give love, joy and help to those who need it. It also helped me to look at my own perspective and if there were any changes I needed to make.

I know people who wear glasses when they need to see far away because they are nearsighted. I too am nearsighted. Because of nearsighted vision I have to drive with my glasses on and read signs with my glasses on. Without them my vision is a little blurry when trying to see things far away. I run the risk of not seeing a very important sign on the road when driving if I don’t wear my glasses. So whenever I drive to new places I make sure to put them on, however I have gotten kind of lazy when I’m driving to places that I know how to get to. But being lazy and not seeing things clearly can cause wrong turns, failure to see a stop sign, or even a crash. This type of blurred vision is not just something that I suffer from, but something that our culture currently suffers from. We need to do something different, we need a vision! Mrs. Klejwa makes this very clear in her book.

In the book I loved the references to the Wemmicks: little wooden people who live in Wemmickville and were created by the Woodcarver. (The author Max Lucado created these wooden Wemmicks to help create a vision of what our world could possibly look like to God.) We like the Wemmicks live in our own little world without ever thinking about God, or the Woodcarver. How many times do we stop and get a perspective that is in line with our Creator? Unfortunately in today’s culture we don’t stop often enough to see His perspective.

Visionary Womanhood teaches women how to take back the vision from our near sighted culture and spread this vision through fellowship, love, and getting in tune with the Creator, God!

I too have suffered from a lack of God’s vision and this book was such a blessing to me that I knew I could no longer be lazy and not put on my glasses while driving. There are pot holes, traffic jams, and faulty stop lights in this world and if we rely on our own faulty vision we will end up crashing.

Thankfully though, Mrs. Klejwa has put together an amazing book to get us back on track with how God sees things. God is much bigger, wiser, and clear sighted, than any of us can ever be. And if we take the time to stop, consider His perspective, and listen to His Words then He can and will prevent us from going down a one way street, running through a stop sign and in the end stop a crash that can hurt us.

Visionary Womanhood has all the resources we need to see clearly, to see the Creators perspective. I encourage you to head on over to Visionary Womanhood and pick up Natalie Klejwa’s book.

I want to thank Mrs. Klejwa for taking the time to help us all get our vision back on track with our heavenly Father’s! I also wanted to personally thank her for letting me review her book; I was so blessed by the book and I pray that she continues to pursue and understand God’s vision. It certainly is something we need today and something that will benefit the generations to come.

Let’s be real women of God, women who love others, give back and pray for the future; let’s be women with a vision!

I am able to give one book as a free give away thanks to Mrs. Klejwa! The first one to leave a comment will be able to receive a copy for free. Please send me your email address and I will be sure to give it to Mrs. Klejwa. You will receive the book soon!

Note: For this week only Natalie Klejwa’s e-book is on sale! From the Sept 19-23 anyone can purchase her book for $2.99; just remember to enter the code LAUNCHWEEK at the checkout. Head on over to the link below to purchase your copy of Visionary Womanhood.You can also download the first chapter for free at the link below (or you can click the icon below) and if you share a tweet or facebook status update about the book.

Click here to order Visionary Womanhood

Don’t forget that the first commenter will be able to get a free copy thanks to Natalie Klejwa! And thank you again Mrs. Klejwa for your amazing book and for sharing your vision from God!




May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

An Amazing Man of God

I apologize for my lack of updates recently. Classes are back in session and things were a little busy. But now I have settled in and the posts should be back to the way they were.

Until then I wanted to share with you a clip of an amazing man of God, his ministry and God's amazing power and love displayed through Nick Vujicic.



May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

children of God, part two

We are all His precious children and God loves to wrap us up in His arms and whisper His love for us in our ears. How many of you used to love to climb into your father or mother’s lap and sit with them? Do you remember what that felt like? I certainly remember being a little girl and wanting to just sit in the lap of my own parents. It didn’t matter if they were sitting talking to someone else, watching TV or reading a book; I just wanted to sit with them. I really loved feeling like daddy’s little princess and hearing my own father (and mother) whisper words of love to me. I feel very blessed to have a dad on earth who could display the same qualities that God, my heavenly Daddy, has and I am extremely grateful to have those memories.

Now I understand that some girls did not get this chance with their own biological fathers and I cannot even imagine the loss that they feel. They may have never gotten the chance to sit in their father’s laps or other circumstances may have not allowed this to happen. But there is good news! God, your heavenly Father longs to do the same thing that your father on earth did not (or did) do. He wants you have child-like faith, so like children you can sit in His lap, listen to His words, and feel His peace and love. Allow Him to show you your true worth! My prayer for these women is this, to sit in your Father’s lap and be the true princess you are. To feel God embrace you with the love and peace that we cannot even fathom! Yes, He loves you that much! You are a princess!

Recently I read a book called “Satisfy My Thirsty Soul: For I am Desperate For Your Presence” by Linda Dillow. In this specific chapter she was describing ways to worship God. Now there are many forms of worship but this type of worship really struck a chord with me because it showed child-like awe and wonder by being in God’s presence. Here is a quote Linda used in her book to describe crawling into our Father’s lap as a form of worship:

"Ultimate worship takes place when we, like children, find ourselves climbing into the lap of our heavenly Father with the desire just to be with Him. At that moment there is no agenda other than to sit in His presence, to love Him, to whisper in His ear our gratitude, to feel His face, to hear His heart, to rest in His embrace, to enjoy the moment, and to understand more fully the God who yearns to enjoy us.” (Satisfy My Thirsty Soul: For I am Desperate For Your Presence)

How true and beautiful is that quote?! I find that God loves it when we humble ourselves like children and climb into His lap just to be with Him. It’s His longing and desire to treat you like the princess you are!

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3


Children have many qualities that I personally believe Jesus was talking about when He says to become like children. Humble, sweet, faithful, trusting, innocent, and full of life are just some of the many qualities children have. They also love to be loved and look up to others with wonder, awe and fascination.

Let’s become more like children today and climb into our heavenly Father’s lap and adore Him with our child-like wonder, trust, love and faith. God is faithful! He wants to hold you close and whisper words of love to you right now!

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Women of God update

Hi all! I just wanted to post an update about my Women of God post back in July.

I currently did switch my major to a Liberal Arts degree so that I could focus more on some English Studies. I also realized that there is too much that I don't agree with in Women's Studies that I probably just needed to switch. Anyways, I still have a concentration in that field because of the many courses I took, but I am glad to have taken those courses. It shows me just how much we, as women of God, need to help the feminists return to true femininity and offer compassion and love to them. (Not to their teaching, but to them as individuals.) So my stance is still the same when I say that they are not the true enemies.

Thank you for all of your amazing comments on the issue at hand and I encourage you all to step out in faith and offer some truth, love and kindness to those who have been decieved by feminism.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

children of God, part one

He took a little child whom He placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the One who sent me."
Mark 9:36-37

People were bringing little children to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not recieve the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them.
Mark 10:13-16

I'm always amazed at these passages and the power they convey. I was drawn to these particular Scriptures for a reason and after thinking over them for quite some time, I knew I had to write a blog post on them.

It's clear to see that Jesus loves His children so very much; so much that He even says that "if anyone were to ever cause any of these little ones to stumble, it would better if they flung themselves into the sea with rock around your neck!" And that if your hands causes you to sin, cut it off! Mark9:42-57 (Now Jesus doesn't want anyone to drown, I believe He is just using this analogy to show how powerful His love for the children is and the importance of never causing anyone to stumble. Also contrary to people who read the "cut your hand off" verse out of context, Jesus is not saying to literally cut your hand off, but to cut off the part of your life that causes you to sin.)

These are powerful words spoken by the Lord Himself and we would be wise to pay attention to them. But what do they mean? Here's what I've come up with after much thought and meditation on these verses...

I work with children and find myself so blessed and honored to help raise these little ones. In fact, as a woman of God, I know one of my highest callings is to nurture and raise children up for the Lord! That's a very big responsibility and an honor to know that God has trusted me with this calling. It's also very humbling. So everyday that I go to work and watch over the children, I try to remember how Jesus would have acted when the children ran to Him.

One thing that surprises me about children though, is their imaginations. I've never met one kid (so far anyways) whose mind was still fresh and swimming with ideas of "pretend" games. In fact one of the most common words used by young children is "pretend." So what does this tell us?

Well first off remember the words that Jesus spoke, "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not recieve the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." As an adult, I have long ago stoped playing games of pretend; so I realized that I needed some training from the little ones. What I found absolutely amazed me.

Children have no problem seeing things with new eyes; they are able to put on a fresh face every day. The other day I was encouraged to play "Zoo" with two little boys. They set up each room of the house as a certain area of the zoo and used their stuffed animals to act out everything. One room was the reptile room, the other was where the aardvark lived, and yet another room was the sheriff's office!

The reptile cage was made out of foam blocks, the front hall was closed off with pillows to make a cage for the lizard, and one of the rooms was made into sections with books and other things to make cages for various animals. Needless to say I was impressed! But after a while I found it harder to pretend while the boys were still in full "Zoo" game mode. They weren't concerned that they were still in their house, or that some of the game was probably silly (but oh so very cute) to most adults. But is a game of zoo actually silly? No, it's humbling.

Jesus told His disciples to humble themselves like children, He said that those who wanted to be first would be last, and those who were last would be first. Matthew 20:16

Within these past few months something dawned on me, something that the Lord placed upon my heart. Children are the most humble of all! With all of these games of "pretend" and use of their imaginations, they show themselves to be pure, humble, and therefore the greatest!

I believe that as we get older, our minds are more exposed to the sinful world we live in, and therefore our imaginations, humility and childlike joy seem to fade into the background. But this should not be so! Everyday that I head to work and watch the children play with one another, I learn something new and exciting about the words Jesus spoke. My understanding of humility, the kingdom of God, and the high calling of raising children seems to make more and more sense. My hope is this: that the world will not be afraid to step out in childlike faith and joy even when we are adults. I pray that people will let the inner child in them and the humility they once had to come to the surface so they can experience a new kind of intimacy with the Lord.

We are still to hold on to all the teachings of our adulthood, such as selflessness and love to all, but if we couple that with what we have already learned as children, I believe we will be even closer to the Lord than we ever though possible.

I will be doing another post on the children of God soon.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

John 14:6; The Way, The Truth, The Life

Reading the Word of God is so extremely important to knowing the truth in life. It's pages are full of God's love, guidance, protection and peace. It took me a while to truly understand this even though I understood it. Make sense?

You see I had the intellectual knowledge that God's Word showed the truth, but until I decided to seek God within the Bible (with my whole heart), did I truly understand it with my head and my heart.

It baffles me today about how many people still don't know what the Bible really says; although I'm not too sure why I'm still surprised. This is a sad reality to grasp. America is, for the most part, Bible illiterate. I am in no way judging those who are, I certainly was illiterate for quite a while. The only book I had ever tried to attempt and read were the Psalms. I understood the core message from the gospels because of Sunday school, but it wasn't until I dove into the Word of God that I understood ALL of God's Word.

I was set free from my anxiety because of His Word; I was shown the light and truth in the pages of the Bible.

A lot of people today under estimate the power of God's Word and ignore the fact that it is essential in our walk with the Lord. I know, I used to do the same thing! It is by the grace of God that when I came to the end of myself I turned to His Word and allowed His words of peace to transform my life. It is by His grace and that alone. I praise God for the enlightenment He brought into my life.

I believe that if only people would turn back to God's Word we would not have anxiety, depression, oppression, and other things that cause heartache and despair, nearly half as bad as they are now.

I believe that everyone has been decieved into thinking that we cannot find the answers to life within the pages of the Bible. But I am just one person among many, who is living proof that we indeed can find the answers in there!

As a woman of God I have a duty to tell others about the freedom and love that Jesus Christ has brought into my life. I'm working on being more bold into sharing my testimony with others and sharing the good news. It only takes one time to plant a seed and allow Jesus to enlighten someone else's eyes to the fact that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6) I hope that you too will share your testimony and the good news to others. It's an honor to know that Jesus can somehow work through those who step out in faith to share His love.

My prayer is this, that you and I will fearlessly declare God's Word to others so that everyone can know the Way, the Truth and the Life.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

the illusion of control

It wasn't until recently that I discovered how freeing it is to actually let go of control rather than take control. In fact control is probably the main cause of anxiety for most human beings. Little did I know how decieved I had been for so long, thinking that I had control when in reality it's God who has all control.

About a month ago I was in bed trying to fall asleep. I sat awake thinking about the two things that needed to be done the next morning. I had to be somewhere at a certain time but I also wanted to bring a family member out for coffee around the same time. I was worrying about how I would coordinate the driving to get where I needed to be and still have time to bring my cousin out to coffee.

Maybe I will have him come with me and then we can get coffee afterwards. I'd save driving time and not have to worry about picking him up on time to grab the coffee. I thought to myself.

This worry went on for about an hour or two. It was me trying to take control and figure out my schedule the next morning so I wouldn't have to worry about it. Funny thing is, I WAS worrying about it anyways! I began to pray to God about my worry and I could sense Him telling me to just give it to Him. Why worry when things can change at the last second anyways? I knew I had to give my worry to God and after some wrestling with myself I gave it away and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up to my cell phone ringing. It was a co-worker of mine needing me to go into work last minute because someone forgot to show up.

Ok God, I hear You. I couldn't help but smile.

I ended up not bringing my cousin out for coffee and not getting the place I had planned on going to that morning. I went to work instead.

I didn't have control, God did. I'll never have control, but God always does!

I thank the Lord for showing me this truth; I'd probably still be in complete bondage with anxiety if I didn't sit still long enough to hear the small, still whisper of God.

Control is an illusion

Trying to take control of my life is what caused so many problems and worry in life. I thought that if maybe I tried to do this differently, or used the right words in certain circumstances, or got perfect grades, then I could take control and feel less anxious. But control is decieving.

Don't be decieved

Eve was decieved in the Garden of Eden. She wanted to take control by gaining wisdom and having her eyes opened to what God was supposedly keeping from her. Eve was decieved. And so was I.

God is not keeping any good thing from His children and wants us to live a wonderful and prosperous life with Him. We see this truth played out in the life of Jesus Christ. He came to set us free! (John 8:32)

We all know what happened when Eve tried to take control after being decieved. She and Adam were cut off from God's presence and had to live in a sinful world full of hate, evil and hard times. That one action of eating fruit from the tree of good and evil caused so much harm. Wanting to be in control causes so much harm and so much hurt, that it took God sending His only Son Jesus, here on earth to set us free.

I still have to give the control back to God when I feel myself wanting to take it back. I'm getting better, but I know that God is still working with me in this area of my life.

We're decieved into thinking that we have any ounce of control to things happening in our life. We can't control whether or not the sun rises and sets, we don't control our friend/sister/mother/co-worker, and we can't worry about coordinating our future so much that it causes us to miss out on the great times that are in the present! It's all an illusion, and the sooner we accept this truth the sooner we'll enjoy life and allow God to fully work within ourselves!

I hope that when you find yourself trying to take control again, you'll stop, give it to God and allow yourself to be set free.

Then you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32

Give it all to God; you won't be disappointed!

May God bless you all!
Gretchen

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Thank You God for the beautiful promises You have granted Your children. You give us plans of good, plans to prosper and plans for a beautiful future with You!

I hope that God speaks to your heart with this verse as much--and even more-- as He has spoken to me.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Be Still...

Women of God

There's something so  inherently lovely about being a godly young woman. Something so precious and beautiful in God's sight, that unless you truly understand what His calling is for women, you will never fathom the purpose of what being a godly woman is all about.

True femininity is something that I have been seeking more these days as my walk with the Lord continuously becomes more intimate. I have begun to see the real purpose in which God created woman; and I must say that it is absolutely breath taking! I long to always be the godly woman the God has created me to be.

This topic of femininity is something that has become even closer to my own heart because I am a Women's Studies major at school. ... Say what?!

No I am NOT a feminist, so why Women’s Studies? Simple. Because feminists talk about topics that I am passionate about. And if I want to make any sort of a difference against the feminist ideas in our society today then I plan on knowing how to teach women the right way and point them towards the truth; God’s truth!

After I decided that I was going to pursue a Women’s Studies major I questioned myself on this about 14 million times. I still find myself questioning this decision. But you know what? I have a longing to correct our society on its feminist ideas. What better way than to show people I actually took the time to listen to what feminism had to say?

You want to know what else brought me to Women's studies? The women who run that department (who by the way all claimn to be feminists) are such caring individuals I was intrigued by their own passion for women.
Believe it or not feminists today are (in a weird but similar fashion) trying to empower women to become all that they can be. They are just going about it the wrong way. They have been decieved as to what true femininity is and thus have strayed off the path that God chose for women. I know this because I have met many feminists at my college who are sincere, sweet, and genuine people! They are compassionate, helpful and kind. They have just been decieved. This helped me to realize something very important; feminists are not the enemy. They have just believed the enemy.

I don't agree with more than half of what feminists say; in fact some of the things they teach absolutely horrify me. However I now see just how easily our culture embraces even little aspects of what feminists have taught.

But in the hearts of all the feminists I met so far, I do see something that strikes me as peculiar. They too have a longing to be feminine in the way God created women to be. They might not see it and they might even deny it, but I see it. Sometimes you have to look closely at what they say and how they approach certain topics, but they actually are wanting to embrace their own femininity.

Women are compassionate creatures. God has made us this way. Unfortunately if we are led astray then we can use our compassion for things that are not what God wants, but the compassion is still there.

As a godly young woman I long to correct these beautiful women, who were also made in the image of God, and show them the truth that will set them free. If that means I have to listen to them first then I will. It is by God's grace that I have been able to see the truth at such a young age in my life and I would love for the women who have embraced the feminist agenda to experience the grace God has for them too.

I'm not saying we are to become feminists nor am I saying that feminists have the right idea. I am saying that we have a duty to show the world the truth and point them to Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who can show us what being a real woman is all about. He holds the answer to true femininity.

Ladies, we are children of God and as such we need to be the light of the world. Let's shine our lights of true femininity to those who have gone astray and show them that Jesus Christ is what their hearts are searching for.

We all know the parable of the prodigal son; this parable also applies to the prodigal daughter.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Gaze upon Jesus

key ingredient to beating anxiety... two

The first key ingredient that I see as crucial to beating anxiety is believing in Christ. If you have not read the entry I wrote on believing, I encourage you to take a look at it.

My next ingredient (I like using this analogy because I'm learning how to be a better cook at this point in my life ;) ) is the Word of God!

Don't believe me? Take a look at the Scriptures posted in this entry here.

The only reason I was able to believe was because of the Word of God! It took hearing God's Word in order for me to be set free!

Jesus said to His disciples:
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32

What is the truth? As we know the Truth is God's Word!

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

The Word of God, Jesus Christ, is what is good, pure and true. Reading God's Word is essential to being free and believing. The only way we can know that anxiety is not needed nor is it something from God is by reading His word and following Jesus Christ.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

Set Apart for Jesus Christ

Ready to live a set apart life for Jesus Christ? Here's what to expect when you start...
First and foremost... freedom!

Second, a love that none can ever fathom.

Third, light in a world that loves darkness.
Thy Word is a lamp onto my feet and a light onto my path Psalm 119:105

Fourth, a new attitude full of joy and blessings.

And fifth, a life that is not only set apart but a life that is clothed in Christ! What does clothed in Christ look like?
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 Start off clothing yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Not only will you see a difference but the people around you will see a difference as well. Christ has the ability to transform you from the inside out!

There is so much more than these five things when you choose to live a life set apart for Jesus Christ. These are the first five things that brought me out of darkness into light. I encourage everyone to experience the love of Christ and discover the set apart life waiting for you!

Ladies, for more information on how to live the Set Apart Life, I encourage you to read Leslie Ludy's book Set Apart Femininity: God's Sacred Intent for Every Young Woman.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

key ingredient to beating anxiety...

The first key ingredient to beating your anxiety... Believing!
This truth came to me almost instantly when I kept praying for God to heal me from the anxiety. I kept praying that the anxiety would be gone; God told me over and over again to believe. I dove into His Word and found Jesus telling His disciples and the people He helped, to believe in order to see the glory of God. That if we just believe then we can be healed!
Here are a bunch of verses from the gospels where Jesus continuously tells everyone to believe!

Then Jesus said to the Centurion, "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." And His servant was healed at that very hour. Matthew 8:13

Then Jesus cried out, "Those who believe in me do not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When they look at me, they see the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 13:44-46

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:11-12

Jesus said to her, "I am the ressurection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." John 11:25-26

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" John 11:40

Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." Luke 8:50

"Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!" Luke 2:45

"'If you can?'" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." Mark 9:23

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ..." John 17:20-21

I pray that these verses have helped you so far. Be sure to read God's Word, meditate on these verses and understand the love Jesus has for you!
One more verses that I have always treasured is from the gospel of Mark...

He said to her "Daughter your faith has healed you; go in peace, you are free from your suffering." Mark 5:34

Even though faith and belief are two different things, they are related to one another; so this verse can also be applied to believing God's Word and His love for you.

May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

God's love

I've been diving into the Word even more these last few months, and to be honest, I never realized just how much beauty, light, truth and love is poured into the Word! God loves His children so much that He has written an entire Letter to His children. I'm now wondering why more people aren't running straight for the Word? Why aren't people putting all of their time and energy into something that has been in front of them?
As I'm typing this, I realize just how beautiful and good God is at answering prayers! I remember a time when I asked God where I could find the answer to my anxiety; He gave me a gentle tug and reminded me that the answer was in front of me all along. Little did I know He was refering to His Word!
It's Jesus who is the answer. It's Him who died for you and me; He is the answer to all things.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
How beautiful a verse that is! God is faithful, He is loving, He is good! I thank You God for setting me free and sending Jesus Christ here on earth so that I may be reconciled to you! It is my prayer that the people reading this blog will also turn to You Father. Let their hearts be softened unto You!
May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

don't be decieved!

There's so much I want to tell you in this blog that I honestly don't know where to start. I've learned so much because of what Jesus has done for me that I can't possibly fit it all into one blog post. So today I decided to write about how the Lord opened my eyes to deception. If there is anything about anxiety and fear that people need to understand it's this. Deception is the power of the enemy and by believing his deceptions we open ourselves up to so much hurt and panic. By being decieved we allow the enemy to fill ourselves with fear and feel distant from God. Excessive anxiety and fear is decieving and it's not from God!
I realize now just how much of the anxiety consumed my life; as I look back upon the days of my worrying and constant fears, I see just how unnecessary it all was. But my life was just dripping with panic that I couldn't see past the next fear ready to attack me ... Or was there really another fear ready to attack me?
One of the biggest ways anxiety continued to cripple me was by making me believe that I had to worry! Not only did this illusion of anxiety decieve me into worrying more, it decieved me into believing that without worrying something horrible was going to happen. I was living in one big illusion and I was completely oblivious until God opened my eyes.
I thank my Father God for whispering the word "illusion" to me; I can remember the day it happened too. I was sitting in prayer asking, pleading, with God to show me how to deal with my fears.
"You don't! There is nothing to deal with. It is an illusion..."
"Let me deal with your fears, give them to me and stop being decieved."
I was living in an illusion and the sooner I grasped that fact, the sooner I could be set free. I wanted to be set free from my fears so badly that I began to take matters into my own hands, but this is where I let the deception come in.
I believed the lie that I could deal with my fears and I believed the lie that I could stop something bad from happening by worrying. In a sense I was playing God. I was trying to control every litte thing in my life that I ended up writing God out of my life without even realizing it. The door to deceptiveness was opened wide because I had already been decieved by worrying and I'd been decieved into believing I could control my anxiety.
I can't even begin to tell you how much the enemy decieved me. I believed those lies for so long that eventually my life was drawing farther away from God. But because of His loving grace I was brought back to the truth.
Are you willing to stop believing the lies? Are you willing to hand over your fears to your Heavenly Father who can take care of those monsters in the closet?
Open up the Bible and see what God has to say about deciet; you can start with Genesis 3:1, Genesis 3:4-5, John 8:44
I encourage everyone to meditate on Psalm 27 and let these words fill your being. When you realize that God is for you and protecting you just as a father would his own child, then your life will be radically changed for the better!
The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
May God bless you all!
~Gretchen

The Truth will set you free!

"The you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
I am so excited to share with everyone how I was set free from anxiety and oppression through Jesus Christ and His Truth! I can't even begin to tell you how enlightening this experience has been for me so far; hence why I decided to start an entire blog about my journey. My prayer is that people will read this and realize just how amazing God really is and how much He wants all of His children to live a life full of love, compassion, greatness, and purpose. He wants all of His children to be set free with His Truth; the Truth He sent with His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
I pray that you hear my story and realize just how much God has been at work; even at times when I thought He was not there. But God is faithful and He loves His children. We can all be a child of God if we seek Him with all our hearts. He longs to have a relationship with us all and He longs for His children to be set free. Will you let Him in? Are you ready to live a life full of love, compassion and purpose? I know I am!
To read more about my own story, head on over to the My Journey page. I hope that this story will reveal God's will to care, comfort and protect His children to you. Our God is an awesome God!
May God bless you all!
~Gretchen