“That clinches it – help’s coming.  An answer’s on the way.  Everything’s going to work out.”  ~Psalm 20:6  (The Message Bible)

Years ago, there was a very popular song entitled “The Anchor Holds” sung by Ray Boltz.  This song, which became one of Ray’s biggest hits, was written by one of his friends who had lost a child. 

I thank God today that I don’t know the agony of losing a child!   But I understand the challenges of going through difficult situations.  Many of us have never had such tragedy as losing a child; but have walked through situations where we didn’t know how we were going to “get to the other side” or at times, how we would even get out of bed to face another day.

Fear, depression, anxiety, doubt, and even unbelief can creep in unexpectedly if we don’t “stay on our guard”.  The enemy begins whispering in our ears, telling us one lie after another. 

When we allow him to create a “crack” in our faith, he won’t stop there.  He’ll keep applying pressure on the crack until it becomes a huge “sink hole” (something we Floridians are very familiar with).

As we’ve walked through our own battles, the Lord directed me to the scripture noted above.  I love The Message interpretation!  He also reminded of that old song, “The Anchor Holds”.  I want to share those words with you:

The Anchor Hold
I have journeyed
Through the long, dark night
Out on the open sea
By faith alone
Sight unknown
And yet His eyes were watching me

The anchor holds
Though the ship is battered
The anchor holds
Though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees
As I faced the raging seas
The anchor holds
In spite of the storm.

I’ve had visions
I’ve had dreams
I’ve even held them in my hand
But I never knew
They would slip right through
Like they were only grains of sand

I have been young
But I am older now
And there has been beauty
That these eyes have seen
But it was in the night
Through the storms of my life
Oh, thats where God proved
His love to me

If you’ve going through the storms of life, hold on to Psalm 20 and allow the words of this beautiful song to be your testimony today.   Allow them to bring hope and determination in your life. 

 DON’T GIVE UP! Everything’s going to work out!

   “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit”.  ~Romans 8:1

For many years, I struggled with the fear of disappointing others and the possibility of losing relationships.  What’s funny is that I had no idea that this issue was so powerful in my life until I found myself at the ER, having an extreme anxiety attack.

Because of this experience and years of battling to overcome this issue in my life, my heart’s desire is to see people set free of “people pleasing addiction”.  So ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I in constant fear of what others think about me or my decisions?
2. Do I make decisions based upon what I believe God calls me to?  Or do I make decisions based upon what others expect of me?
3. Am I willing to change?

There are two major influences in people’s lives which cause them to become “people pleasers”.  One is Fear.  The other is Insecurity.

Fear has many facets…..fear of other’s being angry because of your decision; fear of disappointing others; fear of rejection; fear of loss; fear of failure.

Insecurity is based in fear but presents itself when our sense of security and self-worth is based upon what others think of us, our social status, our job/career, and even our marriage.

We have to make a conscious choice to overcome “people pleasing addiction”.  I believe God creates EVERY person with a special purpose and plan.  We are created with value – a free gift from God.  It is not determined by people.

To overcome in this area of our lives, we must:

•  
  • Decide to CHANGE our way of thinking
  • Have POSITIVE self-talk (Speak outloud – positive things about ourselves)
  • Choose to LEARN from the past, but REFUSE to allow the past to determine the future (Let go of the guilt and/or unforgiveness)
  • FACE your fears – Joyce Meyer writes, “We are held in bondage by what we refuse to face and deal with.”
  • Strive for BALANCE

YOU CAN DO IT!

Let today be the day you decide to move into your destiny by focusing more on pleasing God and less on pleasing others!

Three books I highly recommend:

“Approval Addiction” by Joyce Meyer, “Breaking Intimidation” by John Bevere, and “Failing Forward” by John Maxwell.

Join me tomorrow, January 7th, at 9:00 am on the Dottie Coffman Radio Show.

www.bigstickradio.com or  WIMO Radio 1300 AM

Topic:  People Pleasing Addiction

Are you a people pleaser?  If so, you won’t want to miss this time together!  Be sure to tune in and learn how you can be an overcomer!!