Posted on by Loretta · 22 Comments

Breathe

This week’s  Five minute Friday prompt word is breathe. You can join in the fun here: https://fiveminutefriday.com  As a writing community we write for 5 minutes(ish) no perfection or edits, the words just flow. #fiveminuteFriday

I originally wrote and published this in September last year when as a family we were going through some challenges. God is good and we are over that now. When I saw the prompt word for FMF today. I thought of this and decided to reblog.

Breathe:

Breathe
Breathe in slowly                                

Feel your rib cage rise
Close your eyes
Breathe out
Pause


Open your eyes
Pause
Breathe
You can do this


Heaven is sending it’s Angels
Stand firm, your rock is with you
Take his hand
Breathe


Close your eyes
The arrows won’t hit you
Fear can’t touch you
Breathe


Stand firm squeeze his hand tighter
Look doubt in the eyes and say Hallelujah
Say it clearly do not quake
Say it louder

The enemy is circling
Breathe
Raise your arms
Sing louder
Breathe


Let your rock hold you
Let every drop of his precious blood free you
Breathe


Let it soak into your being
Release your doubt stand firm in his promises
Relief is coming

Look at the vast army fighting for you
Remember the promises
Let your praise rise
Louder
Breathe


You are loved
Pause
Breathe
You are worth the fight
Pause
Breathe

Your rock is with you
The battle may be raging but the war is over
It is finished
Nothing more can be done
Breathe

Stand firm in his promises
Breathe
Trample on the doubt
Sing louder
Stand strong
Fear is gone
Breathe

Pause
Let peace rise
Let joy burn within
Let hope have control
Breathe

Believe
God is with you
God will never leave you
Breathe

He leads me beside still waters.
Posted on by Loretta

A prayer not to just make it through Monday.

I constantly seem to wish my life away to the weekend. Monday I normally label “make it through Monday”. But life shouldn’t be about making it through the day. It should be about living, embracing life and dropping the labels. My Monday today isn’t defined by making it through the day. 

Dear Jesus,
I have already woken up feeling like I just need to make it through Monday. 
This is not right and I don't want to wish my life away. 
The news is doom and gloom,
My energy levels low. 
Before my day starts, let me take rest in you. 
Restore me,renew me, refresh me. 
Bless me with joy, 
Give me energy, passion,
And a heart for you. 
Let my day be led by you. 
Help me to share your love today,
Spread your joy and enjoy my day. 
Work,play and family time,
Let it all be to glorify you. 
Amen.
Posted on by Loretta · 2 Comments

Don’t let autumn steal your joy.

Whatever normal is, it still isn’t here. Stuck in a pandemic with a new season approaching. COVID has made the year go fast and it won’t stop the year changing seasons. So for people like me who love summer and can feel it slipping away here is a poem to help us cling to joy. 

It's only late summer,
August not quite ended. 
So why am I letting it bother me so?
Stealing my joy with autumn pending. 

The nights are getting longer,
The daylight hours shorter. 
Counting down to the shortest day,
Instead of making the most of the sun,
And all the fun it brings. 

Leaves are turning golden brown,
And falling all around.
The summer heat fading fast,
Faithful when in need. 

There is no reason I should feel this way,
Doom and depression,
try seeping into cracks. 

Seasons come and seasons go,
But my God remains the same. 
So faithful,providing joy,
My strength,my hope,my all. 

Whatever the season,
Jesus fill me with your joy. 
Let the dark fade to dust,
And light shine all around. 

Let the reds,golds and browns of autumn leaves sparkle,
Let them crack and snap as we snuggle and jump on them. 

May the crisp air bring the stars,
Lights leading us home,
As we countdown to Christmas,
Celebrating your birth. 

Summer,autumn,spring And winter,
Jesus your our only king,
With us every day, helping us find the way,
And providing limitless joy.
Posted on by Loretta · 2 Comments

The nut of anxiety against the fruit of peace.

I started this blog because I’m not perfect. As a Christian I know I will never be perfect. I am not here to judge or preach. I just want to encourage others letting you know that you are not alone. That we all struggle with emotions at times.

This week I have struggled. The thing with depression & anxiety is it sneaks up on you. You know you are loved, you trust God completely for every situation and know that he won’t let you down.

But as your standing on your rock, your firm foundation, fully clothed in your armour of God. Your eyes are focused on deflecting all arrows. The wind of destruction is gale force 7 around you,  while swaying your eyes are still on the cross.

Depression and anxiety move in. They are sneaky, they know your already focusing on too much and sneak in under your the radar, while your balance is wobbling.

They start whispering in your ear. Making you compare yourself to others. Telling you, your no good. You turn off, try not to listen, then they go for the kill. They use someone else to hit the final blow. In my case this happened at work. Anger rises you lose your cool. You get upset you have failed again.

There’s too much noise in your head, static, lies, anxiety and stress. Depression then kicks the ball into the goal. 1- nil and your not on the winning side.

This is where I start to feel I’m going nuts, off kilter, unbalanced, useless and unhappy. I start to listen to the lies

Worship music is helping but it’s not breaking the chain. It’s sticking a plaster on the pain.

I pray for the spirit it seems so far. I need your fruit that covers this all. More love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. It feels so far away.

In the UK we are still church online. Even though I am not the most social of people, I am starting to miss the church family connection in person, hugs and praying together. We do this online but it’s not quite the same.

I struggle through worship, the sermon I’m a mess. Mainly in tears, praying, repenting desperate for a touch.

The sermon is over, barely heard a word! (I will go back and listen) The thing about our church is though that we communicate during the service and words are read out at the end.

Someone sent in a word today, for someone that needs a difficult conversation at work and that is anxious about this. God’s favour is on you. This sounds like me. Only time will tell. However I lean into God and something happens, something that I have struggled with all week.

Peace.

Peace is with me. God is with me. God is good. The battle may not be over but it is now going in the right direction. Peace is getting stronger and flowing.

May God help you find peace today. 

Dear Jesus,
You are our rock. 
The world seems crazy at the moment,like every thing is bonkers. 
Please stay close with your Sprit, and let your fruit grow within us. 
Let us be your beacon of light and listen only to you. 
Steady us when we wobble and stray and keep our eyes only on you. 
Amen.
Posted on by Loretta · 2 Comments

Free from the lies to see the truth.

Life seems to be a battle at the moment. 
Too many grey clouds in my head. 
The enemy has found a crack in my armour,
An arrow of lies seeping into my mind. 

But lies have no substance,
And aren't from my God. 
A God who sent his Son for me, to die for truth and liberty. 

A lie binds and holds you back.
It has no basis, no love no future. 
It wants to keep me chained & depressed. 
Making me think lifes no good.
Making me think I'm no good. 

I call out for my saviour,
Let him remove the fear,
With a cross of love,accepted in my heart so sincere.
A weapon to smash all chains, so that I can see the truth appear. 

I am more than Ok,happy and blessed.
The fuzziness starts to fade in my head,
as I remember I am so loved. 
I am unique, not like you, and for that matter you are not like me, 
For we are all created and loved individually. 

The truth can only smash the lies,
As I pray for the fruit of the Spirit,
To bring me joy, peace patience and more,
And the clouds in my head disappear.

I am a child of God, loved, blessed, free and held. 
I am only encouraged by all the truth brings,
As I open my eyes and let the light in.
Let me be the lamp of encouragement, I was made to be.

So if your feeling low today,
Know that you are special,loved and free.
You are worth EVERYTHING  to the one who set you free. 
Tell the lies you are worth it all the the man who died on the cross for you.


For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

2 Corinthians 13:8

Posted on by Loretta · 4 Comments

Do not let your spark go out.

Do you ever feel really on top of the world one minute. Everything is under control. Everything is happy, then all of a sudden it’s like someone came over and blew out the flame that was burning within you. Whoosh all life has drained from you and you can’t seen to get the flame to re-ignite. There is absolutely no reason why you feel the way you do.

You just sit there going through the motions, overthinking every little thing. I shouldn’t of done that and have I upset them. I’ve messed up again. A tsunami of anxiousness comes flooding over you, drowning your peace and wiping away all reason and clarity.

A crowded mind leaves no space for a peaceful heart.

Christine Evangelou

The truth is you most probably haven’t done anything. Your perception filter has just stopped working. It is easy to get caught up in the wave, desperately clinging onto a branch of safety rather than seeing the truth.

While thinking about what to do to snap me out of this mood, like going for a walk and eating ice cream or sitting down with God and doing some writing. It made me think. Not over think, but reflectively think.

Do I do this to the Holy Spirit all the time? As soon the Holy Spirit and I build up a relationship from a spark into a fire do I come along and quench it? When I get anxious about what I need to do, am I pouring water onto the fire, making it sizzle and smoke? When I say a nasty thing about someone or something do I just have embers smouldering? Am I endangering putting out the fire for good.

Do not quench the Sprit

1 Thessalonians 5:19

Most mature Christians know we grieve the Spirit and the flame within us does sometimes fizzle and crackle. 1 Thessalonians gives us a warning not to let the fire be quenched. We need to learn to manage these moments of anxiousness and unreason and not let the tsunami of doubt quench our spirit.

In these times I would urge you to pray and do something you enjoy doing with God. Whether this is eating unicorn ice cream (Oh yes I did), walking, gardening or worshiping.

Let God rekindle your spirit immediately. Maybe he is using the time to draw closer.