Prize Fighter

            You can’t be victorious if you don’t fight the battle.

This was true of the Israelites who came out of Egypt. They would have to take their promised land by force little by little but God was with them in the battle. So too is God with us in the battle. We cannot receive the blessings in our promised land without fighting for them.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9 KJV

I fight a battle daily. It is the fight to get out of bed when the anxiety tries to convince me its better trapped inside with it. But I have evidence to the contrary. I’ve lived that life. I’ve stayed inside in my bed and it was miserable. I was miserable. Day after day I slipped further and further into a stagnant life.

When I was suicidal one thing that saved my life was having a job and having to get out of bed. There was somewhere I had to be. There were people counting on me. The same is true even now but the stakes are higher. I’m the boss. I’ve got to come to work in the best possible mood I can be in because it will affect how I lead others. So my battle is getting out of bed.

What’s your battle?

So recently I succumbed a little to the anxiety. I get up at 6:30 every morning to walk. I didn’t stick to my routine Monday or Tuesday and it depressed me. However, I’ve decided to use this verse to battle the anxiety and get out of bed.

So let’s not get tired of doing good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NLT

There’s a blessing on the other side of your struggle.

Don’t give up.

Fight the battle.

You win the battle because Christ is victorious.

You win you just have to fight!

Genuinely Yours,

               Amy Z

Dare to Dream Again

          When the Lord turned our captivity again then we were like them that dream. Psalm 126:1

I was suicidal, thought I was possessed by demons, I was on the last thread of my life and the Lord rescued me. He plucked me out of that situation and put a new song on my lips (Psalm 40:3). I was in the shadow of death. I had no dreams in that place. I thought hell and death were where I was headed. I couldn’t dream in such a hell. It took me awhile to dream again. I began to dream of being a librarian and God brought that dream to fruition. I dreamed my book would be published and it’s on its way. God is the one who brings our dreams to pass. What’s your dream? Those who are broken, do you dare to dream again?

Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing then said they among the heathen God hath done great things for them. Psalm 126:2

I began to laugh again. I began to sing. I began to be blessed and love my life all because God brought me back from captivity and gave me a dream. Many shall read or hear my testimony and many shall receive Christ through my testimony. God’s word says

And they have conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. Revelations 12:11

My testimony through Christ will reach the deepest darkest places of the hearts of the people.

The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Psalm 126:3

The Lord hath done great things for me. He gave me a job with the library eventually promoting me to librarian. I started out at the bottom position but because of God I was able to reach higher. He broke the silence for me about the cult and brainwashing that happened. He showed me Jesus when I needed him most. He’s carried me through every trial, every anxiety, every burden. He gave me the words for the book Set Free Through Christ Who Strengthens Me. He gives me the words for the blog each week. He speaks to me through his word. He calls me beloved.

Turn again our captivity o Lord as streams of the south. Psalm 126:4

Anxiety holds me captive. It was a mountain before me and God has chiseled it down to a grain of sand. He is doing a new thing in my life. He’s making me a new creation.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19.

They who sow in tears will reap in joy. Psalm 126:5

I have wept many of tears over anxiety. I have cried out to the Lord many times and even though it is not completely gone I still feel as though I can reap in joy because my Savior, my God, my King is making a way for me to finally be free.

He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:6

I have wept, I have cried out, I have prayed for the anxiety to be gone. God honors those moments when we are completely transparent before him and even though I’m on the last bit of the anxiety I see the relief on the horizon and I will be made new. I know God will give me even greater dreams than these.

What’s your dream?

Will you share it with me?

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z

Fiery Trials: A Test of Faith

          We all face fiery trials. They are meant to grow and mature us in the Lord. I’m being stretched at work. I’m going to be doing contact tracing, which puts me way out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to do this, but neither do I want to stay stuck in the state I’m in. This is going to free me from anxiety. This is to grow my confidence in the Lord. This is to try me. To show me if my faith will stand strong in this trial. Will I continue to seek the Lord even in this? Or will I try to do it on my own? I know I want to seek the Lord in this. If I want to get past my comfort zone I have to do this. I want to move forward. I want to forget my past and strive toward the future. Paul put it like this:

 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 KJV

We have not arrived. We will always be a work in progress in the Lord. Thank God. Letting go of our past rejections will help us strive forward for the high calling God has placed on our lives. No matter where you find yourself today God has placed a high calling on your life.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12-13 KJV

So the word says a fiery trial is to be expected. I fully believe that God is giving me a heart for people. It is an answered prayer but boy its uncomfortable. But God is not here to keep us comfortable. He’s here to make us holy and look more like Jesus. I thank God that he does not give up on me and that he keeps refining me because I need it. I can’t wait to feel joy at the end of this trial instead of fear and trepidation. God has not failed me yet. However, I still imagine that he will. That I can’t do this but God says I can. God encouraged Moses when he asked him to go before Pharaoh. Moses had trepidation just like we all do. He said:

And Moses said unto God, who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring for the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, certainly I will be with thee; Exodus 3:11-12a KJV

See how God encouraged Moses right away? He said he would be with him. So too is God with us in our fiery trials. And God tells us not to fear.

Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 ESV

What fiery trail are you in?

Share it with me.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z

Do Not Be Anxious

             Have you ever felt anxious about something and well-meaning friends say Don’t be anxious you’ll be fine? These words hold little to no comfort. Because it’s a surface level answer to a heart level problem. Many of you know I struggle with anxiety. From big things like what will I do when my parents die? To small things like what if the flag gets stuck on the rocks and I can’t get it down? We have a flag at work that we put up every day. These anxieties produce only fear and trepidation. They are with me when I lay down and sometimes they pop up right when I wake up. The anxiety is with me. Do you know who else is with me? Jesus. His word says, let your heart not be troubled neither let it be afraid. John 14:27b

Why is Jesus so confident with his words? Because his confidence is not in himself it is in God the Father. I tend to rest my confidence in my own efforts and not in the Lord. It makes me anxious when I think of doing things by myself instead of with the Lord. We can take comfort in knowing the Lord is with us and he never leaves us. So in order to address a heart level problem we must go to the Lord for guidance.

Let’s look at what God’s word says about anxiety.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22.

A burden is a heavy load and boy do the anxious thoughts weigh me down. To sustain means to strengthen or support physically or mentally. So this verse deals with our thoughts we are not lifting a real thing with our hands but we definitely get weighed down by heavy thoughts. So this verse is saying God will strengthen us mentally. I encourage you to memorize scripture and when the anxieties come battle it with the truth of God’s word. It works, believe me I’ve tried it time and time again. One scripture I hold onto is God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

I’m almost through the struggle with the anxiety. It used to be a mountain in front of me, then it was a pebble and now it’s a grain of sand. That’s a big improvement in my book and I’m so grateful that the anxiety is less and less.

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT

God can take your worries upon himself. He can bear your burdens. He cares so deeply for us. He cherishes us and he’s willing to take all our cares upon himself. Can you surrender your worries to Jesus? It helps.

Finally the scripture that is quoted all the time is Philippians 4:6-7

 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.

God hears our cries for relief from our mental anguish and he provides peace in those moments. I just encourage you to give your fear and anxiety to the Lord and he will strengthen you.

What scripture helps you with your anxiety?

I’m here.

                I’m listening.

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. Proverbs 12:25 NLT

Genuinely Yours, 

Amy Z

Know Your Worth

            My cousin Lauren bought several jackets valued at $200 dollars. She offered to give me two. I said no I don’t need two jackets and that’s too extravagant. Then she told me she paid 14.99 for each jacket. So I said ok I’ll take two. It got me thinking why was I not worth it for the higher price? This in turn got me thinking about Jesus and the high price he paid for my sins. He bought me at a high price to reconcile me back to the Father.

 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV

Jesus sacrificed his life so that I may have life and have it more abundantly.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV

How about you do you feel worthy of his extravagant love? You are precious to God it even says so in his word.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you peoples in exchange for your life. Isaiah 43:3-4 ESV

Can you take a moment and pause and think about your Father your God loving you? You have value to God.

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 NKJV

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

God was so motivated by love for you that he sent his only begotten son to die for your sins so you could be reconciled back to the Father. He put a plan into place in the beginning to save you from eternal judgment.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:17-18 NKJV

You are on God’s mind every single day. Every moment he thinks of you. That’s how deep his love is for you. Now I ask you do you know your worth?

You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Psalm 139:5 NLT

What has God been doing in your life to show you how much he loves you?

Share it with me.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z

My Defender

         So I got to thinking about an old defense mechanism that I’ve been using to keep at bay from feeling the effects of fear of rejection. I tend to be less transparent with my loved ones than I am here in this blog. I want to share how I feel with my loved ones and let them hear my opinions. This hasn’t been easy for me because it’s such an old habit this mechanism that I do it without consciously thinking about it. So it got me thinking about God and how God is our defender. He goes before us, beside us, behind us and within us.

What is a defense mechanism? According to healthline.com: Defense mechanisms are behaviors people use to separate themselves from unpleasant events, actions, or thoughts. This is definitely what I do when I shy away from being transparent. So this defense mechanism no longer serves me well.

So God is my defender. God shows up during our deepest troubles and rescues us. There’s a powerful story in the bible about Elisha the prophet being surrounded by enemies. His servant was afraid and questioned what they would do. Watch how powerful a protector God is.

¹⁴ Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:14-17 NKJV

Elisha was given the ability to see the army surrounding him. He was then able to pray for his servant to see the army too. So often we see things that God is doing and don’t share them with others. We should pray for others to see the ways God is at work in our lives. It’s so awesome that God protected his prophet in this way.

So what does it look like for us to see God as our defender? Let’s look at some verses.

So David wrote this psalm after God rescued him from the hands of Saul and his army.

I will love You, O Lord, my strength. ² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ³ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-3 NKJV

God is the strength of our lives. He gives us everything we need when we need it.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 NKJV

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Psalm 46:1-2 NKJV

And God told Joshua what to do when leading the people of Israel. We can take this to heart as well.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NKJV

One final thought:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 NKJV

What is God defending you from?

Share it with me.

I’m listening.

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z

She is Strong

              Dear faithful readers I come before you to talk about some of the strong women of God that we read about in the bible.

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25. The title of this blog is another version of Proverbs 31:25.

A strong woman of God is grateful.

The woman at the well after speaking with Jesus goes back to the village and tells everyone about Christ. This woman moved forward with gratitude and shared that the Messiah might be among them.

The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah? John 4:28-29 NLT

A strong woman of God is brave.

The woman with the blood issue braved the crowd, moved forward and touched Jesus’ robe and was healed. She was considered unclean and wasn’t supposed to be around anyone yet she braved possible death to get to Jesus.

                        She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”  Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Mark 5:27-29 NLT

A strong woman of God has courage and a great love for others.

Esther was a Jewish woman who was able to marry King Xerxes who did not know her heritage. Haman a man who was advisor to the king was jealous of Mordecai Esther’s uncle who was Jewish so he wanted to wipe out the Jewish people. He took his request before the king and the king approved the request. Esther had to go before the king and petition him to save her people. The challenge here was that the king had to summon Esther for her to be able to be in his presence. She could die if she burst into his court without being summoned. She went into the outer courts to see if the king would call her to be able to see him. The king did and he overturned his decree to kill the Jewish people. Esther had great courage and a great love for her people.

A strong woman of God is loyal and kind.

Ruth was married to Naomi’s son. Naomi’s husband and both her sons died leaving her in despair. She told her daughter-in-laws to go back to their own families and leave her since she couldn’t produce new sons for them to marry. Ruth refuses to go.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Ruth 1:16 NLT

Naomi and Ruth go back to Bethlehem. There Ruth is kind to Naomi she gathers food in Boaz’s field and takes care of her mother-in-law. Ruth marries Boaz and Christ’s lineage comes from their union.

A strong woman of God is humble. We find out in the other gospels that Mary is the woman who knelt at Jesus feet.

When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.  Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.

A strong woman of God sacrifices her own desires to serve the Lord.

Hannah was barren and relentlessly teased by her husband’s other wife who could bear children. She was in distress. She goes to the temple to pray and makes this promise to God.

Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.  And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” 1 Samuel 1:10-11

A strong woman of God is favored by the Lord.

 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. Luke 1:30-31 NLT

A strong woman of God is servant to the Lord.

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 NLT

A strong woman of God is righteous in God’s eyes.

Elizabeth was barren. She and her husband Zechariah were:

…righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. Luke 1:6 NLT

A strong woman of God recognizes God’s kindness.

…Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.” Luke 1:24-25 NLT

Elizabeth’s son is John the Baptist who made the way for Jesus by telling people to repent of their sins. Luke 3:3

Can you relate to any of these women?

Just know that you are a strong woman of God chosen by him to serve a great purpose.

Do you share their attributes?

Will you share with me?

Genuinely Yours,

Amy Z