Faith – Page 2 – Hope for Complete Healing

HOW TO REPLACE SADNESS WITH REJOICING

What makes you sad? I was addicted to sadness because that was all I knew growing up. When I say addicted to sadness, I would make up something to be sad about that wasn’t real. I would get so depressed about something that did not happen except in my mind. Read Breaking Emotional Addictions to learn how I overcame this addiction. You can be addicted to other emotions as well. Some people want to feel good all the time, which leads to pleasure addictions.

What is Sadness?

Sadness is pervasive in our society. There is so much to be sad about. Sadness is a feeling of sorrow about a loss, which could be someone else’s loss. Sadness is a feeling of dejection from some form of rejection, even perceived rejection. Dejection is a low spirit, like melancholy, depression, or discouragement. It is the opposite of gladness, which is a happy and joyful attitude.

You have heard of the saying that some people see the glass half empty, which is why they are pessimistic and sad, or someone sees the glass half full, and is optimistic and happy. Which are you most of the time? We all have moments where we are happy or sad, but where do your thoughts dwell for most of the day, especially when you are by yourself? Do you feel you need to escape your thoughts by watching YouTube videos?

What Influences Your Emotions?

What do you allow to influence how you feel? Have you noticed that grateful people tend to be genuinely happier people? I have a friend who sees the negative in everything, and even when people are kind to her, she can’t see it or be thankful because they are not kind enough. Are you a grateful person? Some people see the good in others and show appreciation. Appreciative people show happiness for what others do or say, and it makes the other person feel valued and happy. We all want to feel valued. Do you show appreciation?

I have another friend who allows the news and her family to dictate how she feels about our political environment, which affects all aspects of her life. People who allow others to influence their feelings and attitudes have given up self-control of their thoughts and emotions. They internalize the negative energy of other people and their negative views and comments. Do you know people like this? These people are very sad.

The Power of Thoughts

Many of us are unaware of the power of our thoughts and the words of others, and how they influence our feelings and actions. Only you can control your thoughts. Negative thoughts make you sad or mad, and positive thoughts make you happy or grateful. What generates your thoughts? Is it a positive influence on your emotions or a negative influence?

Social media is known to be a negative influence, making people depressed. If you feel depressed by watching the news or viewing social media, then stop taking in the negative influence. If your friends and family are always negative, then limit your time with them. Negative energy increases your stress hormones, which affects your health and causes an imbalance in neurotransmitter connections in the brain. Negative thoughts lower both your serotonin and dopamine levels, which leads to depression and anxiety.

Replacing Sadness with Rejoicing.

We know that our thoughts control how we feel. Hebrews 10:5 tells us to take our thoughts captive and make them obey Jesus Christ, who is God. God forgives and is love, joy, peace, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled. If something sad happens, or something makes you mad, take those thoughts captive, pray, and give the negative thought to God, then rejoice and be thankful for something. Once, I was in a situation that made me angry, so I took the thought captive and gave the situation to God, then asked Him to give me patience and kindness. Next, I tried to think of something to be thankful for, so I said I am thankful that I am not a leper in India. I had just heard the story of how bad the conditions are in India for those with leprosy. Changing my perspective about my current situation helped me feel happy again. I was also able to respond with grace and kindness to the person who made me sad. Read Practicing Healthy Conflicts – an Example.

Philippians 4:6 states, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” By praying to God about our situation, you are taking the thought captive. Making supplication is petitioning God for a desired outcome. Being thankful is acknowledging that you are trusting God to work out the situation for good or in accordance with a promise He made. When we thankfully give God all our cares and concerns, we will be filled with peace and joy.

The Apostle Paul also tells us what our thoughts need to be in Philippians 4:8, “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.” These are the thoughts we should meditate on and put out all other thoughts. If your mind dwells on these things, then you won’t be sad or mad.

Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 tell us to rejoice in the Lord, that is, to be glad and delight in what He has done for us and for His promises. Worship is part of rejoicing and being thankful. When we stay in a state of worship, then we will continually be filled with joy.

To change your thoughts, review the following posts.

POSTS on Thoughts

365 DAYS OF WORSHIP

POSTS about God’s Promises

FREEDOM POSTS

12 Joy Stealers

Truth Statements to Dwell on.

I choose to stay focused on God and receive His love and joy. John 17:13; 15:11

I choose to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and be thankful in every circumstance because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes. 5:16-18

The God of hope fills me with joy and peace as I believe, and I will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 15:13; 5:3-5

The joy of the Lord is my strength. Neh. 8:10

Being in the presence of God through prayer and praise gives me joy. And He leads me down the path of life and abundance. Ps. 16:11

Nothing has power over me unless I allow it. I choose to rejoice always and not be anxious about anything, but continually give my concerns to God. Phil. 4:4-7

Joy is knowing that even the demons are subject to Jesus’s name, and I am protected from evil. Luke 10:17; 1 Jn. 5:18; Jn. 17:15; 2 Thes. 3:3

I find joy in believing the truths of the Word of God. John 15:11; Mk. 4:16

I can have joy despite my circumstances, knowing happiness depends on circumstances. I can be thankful even when life is hard because I am becoming complete and lacking nothing. James 1:2-3

A joyful heart is good medicine, and I will focus on God and not my circumstances. Prov. 17:22

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright-protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and what the truths are. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-Changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, the 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

OVERCOME UNHEALTHY FEAR WITH POWER

Are you aware of how much you are controlled by fear? Do you realize how the news and movies create fear in your mind? For example, I watched a movie called “Taken.” After watching that movie, I feared being kidnapped. The news about women being raped and killed while jogging, hiking, or going shopping reinforced my fear. I became afraid to go out of my house. Have you ever experienced that kind of fear? Some people take fear to a serious mental health level where they can’t leave their homes. Some people are afraid of the dark, dogs, spiders, or snakes, and they have an extreme reaction when they even see a picture of one. Do you know anyone like this? Some people have a fear of being around other people. Why? How do we overcome these fears?

I have been writing about mental health issues since the beginning of the year. Read my other mental health posts here. Mental health issues appear in different ways because we each have different unhealthy beliefs. Two ways to overcome fear are through courage and avoidance. For example, avoid driving on the wrong side of the road to prevent a head-on collision and death. Sometimes you need courage, like when you go into surgery or give a speech. Today, I want to explain how to overcome unhealthy fear with divine power.

Unhealthy Fear Creates Wrong Beliefs.

Healthy fear is based on truth, such as driving on the wrong side of the road will lead to a head-on collision and death. Unhealthy fear creates wrong beliefs that control your emotions and actions. Irrational fears can be traced to a bad experience or a scary movie. Maybe someone chased you with a snake, which terrified you. The truth is, snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them.

Wrong beliefs are things you think are true but are not based on reality. For example, I had an unhealthy fear of being abducted, raped, and killed that I developed from the news and a movie. This unhealthy fear was based on truth, but I had a wrong belief that it would happen to me. This wrong belief controlled my emotions and triggered anxiety. Do you see how unhealthy fears create wrong beliefs, which then influence your emotions and affect your actions?

Replace Wrong Beliefs With Truth.

Now, I replace my wrong belief with God’s truth and promises, that He is always with me and will help and protect me (Heb. 13:5b-6 and Ps. 23:4). Deuteronomy 31:6 states, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you.” He will not leave you or forsake you.” I wrote a book called “Unlocking God’s Promises,” which explains God’s truths that can replace your wrong beliefs and give you courage.

How does Divine Power Eliminate Fear?

Power has many meanings, but in the context of fear, a sense of power gives you confidence or courage to face what you fear. Power gives you the capability of doing or accomplishing something even when you are afraid. Think about electricity, where the power source is an outlet that is connected to the power lines. Until you plug a device into the power source, it will not work. God is our power source, but until we plug into Him through prayer, we will not have any power to overcome our fears. Make sure you have repented of your sins because your sin separates you from God, and He does not hear your prayers (Is. 59:2). Here is what the Bible says about His divine power.

2Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” God gives you divine power to take your thoughts of fear captive and put your trust in God by replacing your thoughts and focusing on God’s truths. The weapons of our warfare are God’s truth. Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

Who is the author of fear? Ephesians 6:10-12 states, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

2Peter 1:3 explains, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” When you choose to trust God to help you, you have access His divine power to face all of life’s fears and challenges. His divine power helps you do every hard thing related to your life. He will also help you be godly as you grow in your knowledge of Him. You have been called to God’s glory and excellence, which does not include fear. 2Timothy 1:7 explains, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Conclusion

Overcoming unhealthy fear is best accomplished through the divine power of God as you pray and take captive your fearful thoughts by replacing them with God’s truth. God also gave you His divine power for everything you do, even doing things you are afraid of. For example, one time I was hiking and saw a huge fresh bear paw print. I became very afraid because I know bears are known to attack humans and kill them, so I took my thoughts captive and claimed God’s protection. For good measure, I sang mixed-up praise songs to God to let the bear know I was there and that God was my protector. Proverbs 18:10 explains, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”

God’s divine power is the only way to overcome temptations and take tempting thoughts captive, and replace them with His truth.

RELATED POSTS:

HOW FEAR CONTROLS YOU!

What Controls Your Thoughts?

FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS—Post 2

POSTS on Thoughts

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Prevent Suicide and Addictions with Hope

Have you ever lost hope? How often do you feel there is no hope? Have you ever contemplated committing suicide or know someone who has? I must admit that I contemplated suicide several times. When you feel no hope, you become depressed and want to escape. Despair is the opposite of hope, and despair is the leading cause of suicide. Some people resort to drugs or alcohol. Some people are addicted to shopping or excessive exercising to escape their despair. I was a workaholic, where I used busyness and achieving goals to help me forget my problems and feel good.

You only have hope if you trust the one who made the promise. I wrote a book about God’s promises that give you hope called “Unlocking God’s Promises.” It is now available on Amazon. These promises got me through some really tough times and have helped me stay strong in my faith. I struggled with many mental health issues for most of my life. It is a constant battle to take my unhealthy thoughts captive and apply the promises of God.

Evidence of Hope is Joy and Peace.

Lasting hope is in God because He keeps all His promises. The keys to unlocking those promises are to believe, be thankful, and obey Him. All other hope fades away or disappoints us. Romans 15:13 states, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” God is hope, and only by the power of the Holy Spirit will we abound in hope and be filled with joy and peace.

Depression is the opposite of joy and peace. Temporary distractions do not fill you with joy or peace. Empty promises do not give you joy or peace, just more disappointment. Only the God of hope can give you the joy and peace you long for. Psalm 42:11 states, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” We have no hope without God, according to Ephesians 2:12.

God is Faithful and We Can Trust Him

Someone who is faithful is dependable, tells the truth, and can be trusted. Hebrews 10:23 states, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” For the Scriptures below, read each phrase and ponder the truth that gives you hope. For example, I will break down the phrases in Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God,

the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love

with those who love him and keep his commandments,

to a thousand generations.”

1Corinthians 1:9 states, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1Timothy 1:2 states, “In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”

Colossians 1:23 states, “If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Conclusion

Unlocking God’s Promises explains over 18 categories of promises that we can trust God to keep. Sometimes we may have to wait, as Abraham and Sarah did, fifteen years for the birth of Isaac. They were not patient to wait and decided to make the promise happen on their own, which did not end well. Knowing and claiming God’s promises fights despair when you are overwhelmed by troubles. I explain how God’s promises helped me through many difficult situations.

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My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, available on Amazon.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles. To learn more about this book, read the post How to Fight Unseen Battles.

My latest book is Unlocking God’s Promises, which explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

THE DOWNSIDE OF LISTENING EMPATHETICALLY

When you emphatically listen and understand the perspective of the other person, does it drain you? Are you tempted to judge the other person because they think and feel differently from you? Or do you take on their pain and burdens? These are the downsides of empathetic listening. We build trust when we make the other person feel valued and understood. But you may need to set boundaries when the person only wants to be understood and does not want to understand your perspective. Or the other person just wants to unload their emotional garbage on you. If that is the case, you will need to kindly set boundaries and help them seek the assistance of a professional counselor.

Read my last post on how to empathetically listen to develop win/win agreements. Some people want you to understand them, but do not want to have a win/win agreement with you. Being able to express your feelings gives you psychological air, but it may be overwhelming to the other person. Also, if you are the person who feels they are not understood or valued, ask God why you have that need. It could be that you need to work through painful memories of not being understood as a child or teenager. If that is the case, then read my online book to resolve those painful memories first.

If you are the person who demands to be understood, that is not healthy because you depend on another person for validation instead of turning to God for help with your problems. Meditate on the following Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-8 states, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6) He is like a shrub in the desert and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.’ 7) ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8) He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.‘” Only God can truly meet your need to be understood and validated. He knows every detail about your life, and He wants you to cast your cares on Him, and He will cause it to be for your good (Rom. 8:27-28).

The Purpose of Empathy.

Empathetic listening is only effective when both parties are working towards a win-win agreement and are both mentally healthy seeking mutual benefits. If you are the type of person who cares too much and then becomes burdened by empathetic listening, put the cares of the other person into your God’s got-it box, and lose it from your memory. You may become offended and judge the people who hurt your loved one or friend; forgive them and put your resentment into your God’s got it box. Be cautious not to judge others and say hurtful things. Empathy is supposed to develop compassion, not judgement. Jesus showed empathy and compassion to those around Him, and He blessed them.

Jesus told the parable about the Samaritan man who came across a man who had been robbed and beaten. The religious people judged him and passed by him, but the Samaritan had compassion and helped him (Luke 10:29-37). Sometimes the people we work with, or family members are messy and mentally beat up. They need our compassion. Matthew 9:36 states, “When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” And Matthew 14:14 states, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”

Do you Bless or Curse When You Understand.

How can we be a blessing to someone or be a curse? Do our words encourage or discourage? Listening with empathy is a blessing to the person with whom you want to have a healthy relationship. Being blessed is being encouraged and made joyful. We are blessed when someone is kind to us or is patient and gives us grace when we need it. To be cursed is to be made miserable and rejected by the hurtful, judgmental words of other people who should have loved you. So, you close your heart, so it won’t be hurt again. Closing your heart is a mental health problem because you are also closing out meaningful and loving relationships. Our words are the most common way we bless or curse God and each other. Read my post called: WORDS HAVE POWER—Part I: Overcoming The Destruction of Offensive Words

Another type of curse that causes misery are word curses put on us by family members, teachers, and those who hate us. Word curses are negative directives, such as you will never succeed. Or you lack discipline and will never be able to lose weight. We also put word curses on ourselves. I became free from many curses, and I encourage you to read my short book on my website to know what word curses are and how you can become free, too. Many times, we bring curses on ourselves when we do not trust and obey God. If you struggle to trust God, you may have false beliefs that prevent you from trusting God. I encourage you to read my short book to be free from these unhealthy beliefs. Go to Hopeforcompletehealing.com

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you will like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, available on Amazon.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, found on Amazon. To learn more about my book, read: How to Fight Unseen Battles. I would love to hear what you think so please leave a review.

GOD’S WIN/WIN AGREEMENTS

What are God’s expectations of us? Does He require that His children follow His commands? Do you require God to meet your expectations, or do you trust His wisdom and all-knowing power? Everyone has needs and desires, and so does God. We are made in His image. God is a Spirit, and we are spirits in human bodies. Ultimately, God created us to love Him and others. Jesus explains in Matthew 22:36-40, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Apostle Paul explains the principle of love in Romans 13:8-10, which states, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Please read my post called THE GREATEST PRINCIPLE TO LIVE BY.

In my last post, I shared the need for WIN/WIN agreements that help you have healthy relationships, as explained by Stephan Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” But do you know that God sets up win/win agreements all through the Bible? With every win/win agreement, there are consequences for breaking the agreement. If you haven’t read my last post, please read it to help you understand what win/win agreements are and how they are helpful for healthy relationships.

God established the following agreement with the new Israelite nation, explained in Deuteronomy 28:1-8, which states, “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. ²And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. ³Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. ⁴Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. ⁵Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. ⁶Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. ⁷The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. ⁸The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

The condition for the win/win agreement on God’s side was for the Israelites to be faithful to obey His commands. Obedience shows that we love God (John 14:15). If they obeyed, they would be blessed in all they did. But if they didn’t obey, they would not be blessed, but cursed in all they did. Here is a sampling of the curses: Deuteronomy 28:45-48 “All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. ⁴⁶They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. ⁴⁷Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.”

The consequences of not obeying seem very harsh. If you had a child who would not obey and was very obstinate, they would think your punishment or consequences were harsh, maybe even abusive. God is our Father and the King of Kings and lord of Lords; therefore, He requires that we obey because he created us to be in a loving relationship with Him and others. If you love someone, you will want them to love you back and be willing to work toward mutually agreeable benefits. If your spouse decides to have an affair, then the marriage agreement is broken. Often, affairs end a marriage, and the consequences are sometimes very harsh.

I published a book called “Unlocking God’s Promises.” In this book, I explain 18 categories of promises, which are win/win agreements. Agreements or solutions benefit everyone and leave everyone satisfied; if you don’t do your part, then God won’t keep His promise. For example, Matthew 6:33 states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God agrees to give you all you need if you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. The Apostle Paul explains the kingdom in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” We are to seek peace with all men (Heb. 12:14; Rom. 12:17-18; James 3:18; and 2Timothy 2:22). There are many other ways to seek first his kingdom, to learn more read, How do you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness?

Another example is John 14:23, which states, “Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” The condition is to keep Jesus’ instructions, and when we do, then the Father will love you and He will make His home in you.

Conclusion

Win/Win means that agreements or solutions benefit everyone and leave everyone satisfied. God created humans to be in a relationship with Him, so that He could show His love and power toward them. God has many win/win promises for those who obey and love Him. To learn more, buy my book on Unlocking God’s Promises. As soon as it is officially published, I will provide a link.

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of promises relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Conquering Depression by Healing Thoughts and Memories

When was the last time you felt depressed? What event occurred that made you sad or angry? Dwelling on thoughts of rejection or potential rejection causes a chemical reaction in your brain that lowers endorphins in the brain. The earlier in life you feel rejected, the deeper your depression is, which has been well researched. I found that my depression went away when I dealt with my upsetting thoughts and memories of rejection.

Most depression episodes begin with your thoughts. The good news is that you control your thoughts. We know that depression naturally occurs when you lose something you love. This post is about how to conquer depression from childhood and situational sadness, fear, and anger. This is a vast subject, and I know I can’t cover it sufficiently. I hope my discoveries and recovery from depression give you hope.

Why Rejection Is the Source of Depression

In my experience, the root of depression is feeling unvalued. Rejection often starts at birth and sometimes before birth. In my case, my mother became pregnant during Nursing School. She had to quit school and marry an immature man in the Navy, so he was away most of the time. The marriage was on the rocks from the very beginning. My mother wrote letters to my grandmother when she was pregnant with my sister and me while being bedridden in the hospital for three months. In those letters, she shared her frustration about my father and the trauma of being in a hospital bed for three months before we were born. She had feelings of shame and anger while pregnant, which created a hormone imbalance in both her brain and my brain.

Throughout my childhood, she was angry and depressed about her situation with my father and could not show love. Because I did not feel loved or nurtured, I developed an attachment disorder. Things improved a little when my mother became a born-again Christian; then, my father professed Christ as his Savior. Their spiritual state changed, but their behavior did not. Both my parents were still dysfunctional from their childhood rejection issues. I realized that we all need to heal our childhood family trauma before we can be mentally healthy, loving parents. I became the same parent as my mother until I healed from the traumatic memories of my childhood. Those memories generated thoughts of fear, sadness, anger, shame, and guilt that controlled my emotions and behavior, and I did not love well.

I discovered that not feeling valued or validated causes a stronghold of rejection to take hold of your mind. It keeps you focused on the events that caused the feeling of rejection, and you begin to ruminate and develop resentment. Resentful people cannot love well. I believe rejection leads to depression because we all want to feel loved and valued. So, when this expectation is not met, you feel betrayed, angry, fearful, anxious, insecure, apathetic, or, many times, pathetic. Is this something you have experienced? There is hope. In my book on this website, I write about how to be free from the stronghold of rejection and many more strongholds. Begin reading chapter one to understand the role our memories play in developing strongholds and depression. 1–Healing Begins by Transforming Painful Memories

Two Powerful Ways to Change Your Thoughts to Chase Away Depression

The most powerful treatment for depression is forgiveness. If you don’t forgive those who did not love you well, then those memories will continue to spawn sadness and depression in your life. For instance, I became depressed when my son and his wife would not make plans to visit when they came back for a wedding. They stayed with her parents, who lived five minutes away. My husband and I invited him and his wife several times for a visit, but they made up excuses. I felt rejected. I let my thoughts go to every dark corner to gather up as much self-pity as my mind could find.

Knowing that I control my thoughts, I came to my senses, went to God in prayer, and then I forgave my son for rejecting us. I also loosed the wrong thinking and a spirit of depression and rejection from my heart. Immediately, the depression was gone. Sometimes, you must do this several times when your thoughts go dark. The Bible says in Matthew 18:18, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” And 2Corinthians 10:4-5 states, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

I took captive my depressing thoughts by loosing wrong thinking from my mind and the depressed, sad feelings from my heart. Later, I called him to see what he was up to. I told him how I felt (minus the self-pity) and that visiting would be nice since we rarely see them. He and his wife came over the next day for about an hour before returning to their home state. I was thankful for that short visit.

The last way to overcome depression is harder than forgiving, and that is being thankful. The Bible encourages us to be thankful in everything, pray continually, and rejoice always (1Thes. 5:15-18). I write about this in my post, A POWERFUL MOOD CHANGER, and I encourage you to read it. Changing your thoughts to forgiveness and gratefulness keeps the spirit of depression away.

Conclusion:

Depression is different for each of us, but it often occurs when you focus on your hurt and loss. To overcome painful thoughts, change your focus by doing things that make you happy and finding things to be thankful for, like focusing on Jesus. Depression from the guilt of sin can be remedied by repentance and forgiveness. When you feel no hope, hope in the promises of God. Overcome depression from rejection by forgiving those who reject you and healing painful memories, which I describe in my book. You can alleviate depression from brain chemistry imbalance by eating a Mediterranean diet, eliminating sugar products, and exercising, which I describe in my last post. It is okay to consider an anti-depressant to correct the brain’s chemical imbalance. When I experience situational depression outside my control, I take Saint John’s Wort at night and 5HTP in the morning to help me get through the difficult time. More about that next week. Whatever type of depression you have, there is hope to get out of the pit and return to peace and joy.

A POWERFUL MOOD CHANGER

How to Recognize and Eliminate Emotional Cancer

The Core Negative Heart Issue.

Five Steps to Heal Your Heart and Purify Your Soul

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com, and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.

What Does a Healthy Person Look Like?

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. –3John 1:2

According to this verse, the key to good health is when our soul is well. What is a healthy soul? The first step to a healthy soul is to have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10 and John 1:12). Second is to be humble and repentant of your sins. Third, is drawing near to God in prayer, reading His word, and worshiping Him? If you haven’t participated in the 365 Days of Worship, you can start this year. If you worshiped with me this past year, please continue to worship each day. Find and bookmark all my worship posts here. Reflect on what God has done for you this past year. How have you grown closer to Him?

I have been pondering and praying about what I should learn and write about. I kept coming back to what an emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and physically healthy person looks like. Do you consider yourself a healthy person? Have you ever wondered what a totally healthy person looks like? When I was in the depths of dysfunction, I longed to know how a healthy person acts.

When you face stressful times, do you react well? Do you overreact? Do you go into escape mode? Stress has a way of exposing how spiritually, mentally, and emotionally healthy you are. I still need improvement, but my emotional health is better than last year.

I am a certified Mental Health Coach and am becoming certified as a Child and Youth Mental Health Coach. Through my courses, I have learned a lot about mental health, but I am also learning how mentally unhealthy I was and how it affected my children. I am experiencing the consequences of my unhealthy reactions. I wish I knew then what I know now. I can’t beat myself up, nor should you, for what you did not know. I suffered a lot of traumas from my childhood, which developed dysfunctional actions as an adult. We are only responsible for changing as we grow in knowledge and with the help of God. It is my prayer as I expose areas of trauma in your life that you grow in God’s grace and give God’s grace to others who suffered childhood trauma.

I have discovered that being spiritually healthy is key to mental health because our hope and help can only be found in a healthy relationship with God. Being mentally healthy is key to emotional health because what you think directly affects your feelings. Emotional health is key to physical health because our feelings create physiological reactions in our bodies that cause cell weaknesses or lead to addictions. Being completely healthy leads to healthy relationships and overall well-being.

I will share what I have learned about each of these areas so you can be the healthiest you have ever been in the coming year. Note that a relationship is only as healthy as the least emotionally healthy person. So the goal of my website and this series of posts is to help you be spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy to have great relationships with people and to enjoy life. Are you enjoying your present life and relationships?

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All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book, Unlocking God’s Promises, explains 18 categories of relevant promises to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.

Week 44: Worship God forever.

I will extol You, my God, O King, And I will bless Your name forever and ever. –Psalm 145:1

What do you think of when forever is mentioned? Did you ever say, “I wish this could last forever?” As believers in Jesus Christ, worship God and bless His name forever and ever. We get a glimpse of what it will be like to worship God forever and ever in Revelations 4:10-11, “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’”

I can say that I have drawn closer to God by worshipping Him every day. The days I don’t worship Him, I brood on the things of the world and my problems. I become fearful about things that may never happen. How about you?

The Apostle Paul said in Colossians 3:1-2, “ If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” When I worship God, my mind is on the things above where Christ Jesus is. Try it. It will change your perspective about the problems that are causing you stress.

When you begin to ruminate on something you don’t like, try worshiping God, either praise Him in prayer or sing a song of praise or give a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The act of praising God will take your mind off the thing you are unhappy about and change your perspective. For example, when I fret about the state of the United States, I become very depressed, but when I worship God, I am reminded that I am a citizen of heaven and His ambassador here on earth (Phil 3:20 and 2Cor. 5:20).

King David said in Psalm 52:8-9, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. ⁹I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.” King David had an eternal perspective. Do you? As you worship God this week, give Him your concerns and focus on his love and goodness. Be thankful for the work of God in your life and the lives of others who may be causing you problems.

As you worship God this week, I challenge you to focus on the things above where Christ is seated. I pray you will be blessed and receive honor as you worship God this week.

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WEEK 44–October 29-November 4

Day 302-Oct. 29—Worship God for His living and active Word that can discern your thoughts.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. –Hebrews 4:12

Day 303-Oct. 30—Worship God, who sympathizes with your weaknesses.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. –Hebrews 4:15

Day 304-Oct. 31—Worship God, who gives you mercy and helps you in your time of need.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. –Hebrews 4:16

Day 305-Nov. 1—Worship God that He is not unjust and will not overlook your good work and love.

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. –Hebrews 6:10

Day 306-Nov. 2—Worship God that His Son is interceding for you.

Consequently, he [Jesus Christ] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them. –Hebrews 7:25

Day 307-Nov. 3—Worship God for being merciful, who will not remember your sins.

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” –Hebrews 8:12

Day 308-Nov. 4—Worship God, whose Son will come again to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. –Hebrews 9:27-28

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Verses are from the English Standard Bible. To review the previous weeks, visit the 365 Days of Worship Page. This post is copyright protected.

365 Days of Worship: WEEK 14—Tell Others

If you won a gold medal, would you show it off and be happy about your accomplishment? If you wrote a best-selling book, would you go around telling people about it in hopes they buy it? We have the hope of eternal life with the eternal God who made everything in our universe. Does God’s love and forgiveness of sins make you feel happy and excited enough to tell others?

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth, I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. –Psalm 89:1

King David was a singer. Do you like to sing? My husband does not sing during worship, mostly because he sings off-key. I thought he didn’t like singing, but I caught him singing with a worship CD. Yes, he was totally off-key, but he was singing with a sincere heart of worship. I was blessed. Singing is a form of worship. The above verse tells how David not only sang of God’s love but told others of God’s faithfulness.

Telling others of God’s mighty deeds, love, and faithfulness is also a method of worship. King David wrote in Psalm 71:17-18, “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. ¹⁸ So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” Are you teaching children and telling others around you about the power and mighty deeds of God? Jesus also said in Matthew 10:7, “And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The Apostle John said in 1John 1:3, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Tell someone about your experience with Jesus so they too may have fellowship with other believers and with Jesus Christ.

As you worship God this week, encourage others about the wonderful deeds of God and the wonderful things he has done for you.

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WEEK 14 – April 2 -April 8

Day 92-Apr 2—Worship God the Creator

Creator God, I praise You because ‘You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. –Nehemiah 9:6

Day 93-Apr 3—Worship God the Sanctifier

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise.” –Hebrews 2:11-12

Day 94-Apr 4—Worship God the Almighty

O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you? ⁹You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. –Psalm 89:8-9

Day 95-Apr 5—Worship God the Light

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

Day 96-Apr 6—Worship God who daily bears us up.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. –Psalm 68:19

Day 97-Apr 7—Worship God who keeps His covenant and love to those who keep His commandments.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. –Deuteronomy 7:9

Day 98-Apr 8—Worship God who does miracles.

You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. –Psalm 77:14

All verses are from the English Standard Bible. To review the previous weeks, go to the 365 Days of Worship Page. This post is copyright protected.

15—God Promises to Test Us

What are God’s tests like? Tests determine what you learned and how you can apply what you know. Do you like tests? I know I don’t because of the possibility that I could fail. How do you pass a test? As a public-school teacher, I would say to listen to what your teacher teaches and take good notes, know all the material in the required reading, and take the time to study your notes and reading material. One time I gave the final exam out to my students to use as a study guide. You know, most of them never studied or bothered to look at my study guide, so many failed. When they found out how easy it would have been to get an “A,” they were upset with themselves for not putting forth an effort to study. God gave us the Bible to study and learn from. Are you reading and meditating about how you can apply God’s teaching to your life?

Do you remember getting your driver’s license? You studied the driving book front to back because if you didn’t know the rules, you would have an accident. You pass the written test, but then you must take the driving test. I must admit, I failed the driving test twice, even though the driving teacher let me use the little car I practiced in. I finally passed using my friend’s colossal chevy. God is merciful and compassionate toward us; even so, He will test us to see if we can apply what we know. Our Christian driving test is through the trials of life to see how we apply the Word of God. Did you pass the first time, or did you have to go through the troubles again before you passed?

What are God’s tests like?

The Bible is your reading material, and your Bible teacher will tell you what to know and study to pass God’s tests. All we need to do is memorize the material in preparation for the test. The following few Bible passages give us an idea of what God tests for. God gives instructions, which He calls a law, command, statutes, judgments, etc., all are recorded in the Bible. He asks that we obey what He tells us to do; if we don’t obey, it is a sin. Not all instructions are for us today; for example, God said that the Israelites were to gather only enough manna to feed their family for that day. Exodus 16:4 states, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.’” But many Israelites did not obey God’s instructions and failed the test. Are you walking according to God’s instructions?

God Tests Our Obedience

Then in Exodus 20:1-17, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments. Note all the promises of success that God gives if you obey these commandments. And God spoke all these words, saying, ²I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

(1) ³“You shall have no other gods before me.

(2) ⁴You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

(3) ⁷“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

(4) ⁸“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

(5) ¹²“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

(6) ¹³“You shall not murder.

(7) ¹⁴“You shall not commit adultery.

(8) ¹⁵“You shall not steal.

(9) ¹⁶“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

(10) ¹⁷“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Exodus 20:20 states, “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’” Can you imagine if everyone would obey these ten commandments? Do you think we would have a problem with crime? Jeremiah 9:5-7 describes our present society, “Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. ⁶Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, declares the LORD. ⁷Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people?”

God tests our hearts and minds.

I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. ‒1Chronicals 29:17a

Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous— you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God! ‒Psalm 7:9

Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. ‒ Psalm 26:2

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? ¹⁰“I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. ‒ Jeremiah 17:9-10

Ask God to search your heart and mind and to show you where you do not love Him or others well. Ask if you are being patient, kind, envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, insisting on your way, irritable, resentful, etc. (1Corinthians 13:4-5). Ask Him to show you where you do not love Him with all your heart and mind (Matthew 22:37).

God Tests Our Faith using Trials.

God uses trials and hardships to test us. 1Peter 4:12 tells us, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” And the passage most Christians know, James 1:2-4, tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers [and sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds, ³for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” And James 1:12 states, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” Will you still love God even when you fail the test and must retake it?

In 2Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul tells us to “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! Do you have Jesus’ attitude of looking out for other people’s interests before your own (Philippians 2:4-5)? Are you a servant like Jesus (Philippians 2:7)? Are you willing to lay down your life for your friends (John 15:13)? If you can’t answer “yes” to these questions, then ask Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins and help you be more like Him.

The end goal of the tests throughout our life is to be like God. Ephesians 4:20-24 states, “But that is not the way you learned Christ!— ²¹assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” We renew our minds through prayer and applying the Word of God to our lives.

Conclusion

This post was a tough post to write, and I could have written more. If you have more to add, please leave a comment and share what you know. God gave us the Bible to study and learn from. Are you reading and meditating about how you can apply God’s teaching to your life? BIBLE means Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Rely on the all-powerful and loving God to help you and be with you through the trials of life.

RELATED POSTS

7 Ways to Suffer Well: (Part 1)

POSTS about God’s Promises

Posts About Godliness

All verses are from the English Standard Version. If you find my posts and website helpful, please share this link with your friends and family: hopeforcompletehealing.com. The information is copyright protected. Please do not reproduce any part of the posts or my book without proper citation to Joyce Hanscom and this website.

My latest book is Unlocking God’s Promises, which explains 18 categories of promises that are relevant to each of our lives. It also includes the promises in Psalm 91.

If you find this website helpful, you would like to read Breaking Mental Strongholds, which expands on my website book and includes many of my posts.