Chat – Hope for Complete Healing

A Mother’s Faith and Demon Deliverance

Do you remember the story of the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus about her daughter who was severely oppressed by a demon? How did she know her daughter was oppressed by a demon? How is it that we, today, are not aware when we are being oppressed by a demon? Let’s read this account in Matthew 15:21-28 and learn how a parent has the authority to ask God to deliver their children from demons.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Observation:

The news that Jesus was in the area brought a foreign woman to seek healing for her daughter.
She first asked for mercy.
She knew that Jesus was the Son of David and called Him Lord.
She presented her need for Jesus to heal her daughter, who was oppressed by a demon.
Jesus would not answer her because His mission was to reach the lost sheep of Israel.
She continued to cry out to Jesus, asking for mercy and for His help.
She humbled herself by kneeling before Him out of worship.
Jesus was not inclined to help her and even called her a dog.
In great humility, she responded that even dogs eat what falls from the table.
Jesus was amazed by her faith and gave her what she asked for.
Her daughter was healed instantly.

There is another account in Mark 7:24-30. And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. 25But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29And he said to her, “For this statement, you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Jesus was trying to hide, but He was so famous, even in the Greek region called Cannon, that they knew where to find Him.
In this account, the daughter was described as having an unclean spirit. I explained in a previous post that being oppressed by a demon and having an unclean spirit are synonyms.
The mother wanted Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter.
The last post I wrote describes how you know if you are being oppressed by a demon.
Jesus spoke the word, and the demon left the child, and the child was healed.
When the mother went home, the child was well, and the demon was gone.

Interpretation:

The woman was considered a heathen because she was born in Phoenicia in the Canaan area, which is now modern-day Syria.
The King James Version said that the woman’s little girl was grievously vexed by a devil.
By calling Him the Son of David, she is acknowledging that He is the Messiah.
The woman’s approach is an example for us.
- She boldly came to Jesus with her request, knowing Jesus was the only one who could help her daughter.
- She humbled herself and worshiped Jesus. Even when He told her He was not there to help her.
- She was persistent in her request.
- She was specific about what she wanted Jesus to do.
- She believed Jesus could deliver her child from the oppressing demon.
Casting out demons also heals the person. Every person whom Jesus cast out a demon was also healed.

Application:

A parent or grandparent has authority over their children and can petition God to heal or deliver their children from every oppression.
We need to be humble, specific, and persistent. This passage does not say how long she pleaded with Jesus, but in Matthew’s version of the story, the disciples said the woman kept crying out after them. The New American Standard version said she kept shouting at them.
We also need to have faith like this heathen woman and believe that Jesus can and will heal our loved ones.
Often our afflictions are the result of demon possession or oppression, which appear to be the same. Possession refers to having control or dominance over a person’s spirit and body. Oppression is the exercise of control over a person’s spirit and body, causing hardship and suffering.

As a school teacher, I had to take authority through Jesus Christ to command demonic spirits to leave the classroom. Every time I had to do this, there was immediate peace, and the student who brought the demon with them calmed down. Once, I had to sit in a detention room with a first-grader and his aide. The student kept talking about wanting to be a bully and his Pokémon cards. He would not do his school work and would not cooperate with any of our instructions. The aide had to leave to use the bathroom, and the detention room had a glass wall facing the principal’s office, so I stood next to some filing cabinets and prayed softly for the demons to leave the boy and the room, in Jesus’ name. At that moment, the boy sat up straight in his chair, and we had no more problems the rest of the day. He even finished all his schoolwork. The aid was amazed by this, so I told him what I prayed, because the aid was a Christian as well.

I also teach a Bible study at the county jail and have encountered many demons throughout the years. Before I go into the jail, I pray and ask God to protect me, and I put on the armor of light (Rom. 13:12) that dispels the dark forces of evil. I also ask God to remove all demonic spirit attachments from the girls before they come into the room. One girl said that the only place she feels peace is when she comes to our Bible Study.

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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.

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.

Demon-Possession and Deliverance

How do you know if someone is demon-possessed? What did Jesus do when He encountered someone who was demon-possessed? In my last post, you learned that the term “demon” is used interchangeably with “evil spirit” or “unclean spirit.” A person who is demon-possessed is controlled by an evil spirit. Evil is immorality, harming others, and being destructive (Dictionary.com 2026). A person who hurts others and is destructive is controlled by an evil spirit.

Because of my family heritage, I had several evil spirits that controlled my thoughts and behavior. Both sides of my family have a history of practicing witchcraft in some form. When you play around with any form of witchcraft (seances, tarot cards, fortune telling, ouija boards, pow wows, voodoo dolls, etc.), you are inviting evil spirits to possess your spirit. Please read my post about the reality of the spirit world. I inherited spirits that passed from one family member to the next. My sin also invited evil spirits to oppress my spirit and influence my thoughts. I am free from all of them through the authority of Jesus Christ.

Demon Deliverance

There are two distinct examples of how Jesus dealt with the demon-possessed. I am looking at two different accounts of the same situation. Each person, Mark, Luke, and Matthew, all witnessed the same account but recorded different perceptions about it. The first account, and most detailed, is when Jesus encountered the Gerasene Demoniac. I will use the Inductive Bible Study method, which focuses on observation, interpretation, and application to study these Scriptures.

Mark 5:1-13 states, “They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. ²And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. ³He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. ⁵Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.⁶And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. ⁷And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” ⁸For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” ¹³So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. ¹⁴The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.”

Matthew 8:28-31 states, “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹And behold, they cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ ³⁰Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹And the demons begged him, saying, ‘If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.’”

Observation:

Demon-possessed people are often fierce, violent, or hostile in nature, and they may be unusually strong. They frighten others with threats and hostile actions.

The other observation I made was that the demons knew who Jesus was right away, which tells me they were angelic beings who once dwelt in heaven with Jesus. They knew He was the Son of God. They also know that the lake of fire was created for them and they would be tormented (2Pet. 2:4).

Interpretation:

John 10:10 states, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” People who are destructive are either demon-possessed or oppressed by demons. I will write about oppression in another post. You can tell if a person is controlled by an evil spirit by the fruit of their behavior and words (Matt. 7:15-20 and Matt. 12:33-35).

Application:

Jesus Christ has the authority to command the demons to leave. If you are a follower of Jesus and He dwells in you through the Holy Spirit, you, too, have the authority to tell the demons to leave in Jesus’ name. There are many more examples throughout the New Testament.

Another Encounter with a Demon-Possessed Man.

Mark records another encounter with a demon-possessed man. Mark 1:23-27 states, “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ ²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. ²⁷And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’”

Luke 4:33-36 gives another account: “And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.’ ³⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. ³⁶And they were all amazed and said to one another, ‘What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!’”

Observation:

The unclean spirit knew Jesus was from Nazareth and spoke to Him, asking if He came to destroy” us”, which means there may have been more than one unclean spirit. Or, it could mean the spirit knew their judgment from when all the rebellious angels were thrown out of heaven. In the previous account with demons, they knew Jesus was God and had power over them.

When Jesus rebuked the demon to be silent and cast it out, the strength of the demon threw the man down before coming out of him. Mark said the demon caused the man to convulse, and it cried out loudly before leaving the man.

Interpretation:

Jesus didn’t ask the man if he wanted to be free from the demon. Jesus didn’t send the demon to any specific place either. When a demon leaves a person, it is unpredictable what they will do. When you read accounts of demon deliverance, there is some form of commotion when they leave. Jesus did not speak to the unclean spirit this time. Demons are deceiving spirits, so you should not engage a spirit, but command them to come out.

Application:

You have the authority to command unclean spirits to leave as well, if Jesus is the ruler of your life.

Conclusion:

Demon possession is real, and you will encounter demon-possessed people whether you know it or not. If a demon presents itself, you have the authority through Jesus Christ to command the demon or demons to be gone. I remember when God showed me that I had a spirit of pride. When I prayed and said it was to be gone from my life, I could not breathe; my chest heaved for many seconds before the spirit left. After it was gone, I could breathe so much better, and I felt a weight lift off me. A long time ago, I visited a Franciscan priest who was a spirit-filled, born-again Catholic and had a deliverance ministry. I asked him to pray a deliverance prayer over me to deliver me from any demons I may have had because I had uncontrollable anger. He found one from my mother’s side, and when he commanded it to come out, I felt it leave. Again, I felt a weight lift off me, and I could breathe better.

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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.

Additionally, consider my book Fighting Unseen Battles, which describes the many unhealthy beliefs that control our lives and the truths behind them. 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.

The Spirit World Through Jesus’s Eyes, Introduction

Have you ever wondered if a person had demons or oppressive spirits? What would that look like? In the coming months, I will explore the unseen world through the eyes of Jesus. My posts will be biblically based using the Inductive Bible Study method, which focuses on observation, interpretation, and application. We know the Bible says that angels are ministering spirits for those who are to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). They give us messages (read the Christmas story as an example) and protect us (Ps. 91:11). Angels obey the word of God (Ps. 103:20).

Last year, I wrote about mental health. As I was praying about what to write this year, the Lord impressed on my mind to do a deep dive into how we can know when we are dealing with a demon or oppressive spirits and what to do. I lead a Bible study in the prison system, and I have seen the evidence of demon activity in the women who attend my Bible Study. I have cast out demons as well. I have been attacked by demons/evil spirits. I will explain how I knew and what I did about it. Our mental health is also influenced by unseen evil forces.

Misconceptions About Demons

I am surprised by how many people do not believe that Christians can be afflicted by demons. And how many Christians believe that when Jesus died on the Cross, he defeated Satan, which is true, so we are victorious over them, which we are. But what many Christians are not aware of is how they are unwittingly inviting evil spirits to oppress them through their sin and thought life. Then, I know some Christians who rebuke everything as if a demon is behind it. If a door is stuck, they rebuke the demon that is causing it to stick. YIKES! We need a balanced biblical view of demons, evil spirits, oppressive spirits, and Satan. I generated 16 pages of scripture references, so I have plenty of factual material to teach from.

The Three References to Evil Entities.

So what is the difference between demons, evil spirits, and Satan? The Bible uses all three references. I am not an expert on this topic, but I have firsthand experience. Let’s look at what the Scripture says.

Demons are known to be the fallen angels who followed Lucifer in his sin and were thrown down to the earth with Satan, who is also known as the devil. Revelations 12:9 states, “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Demons are spirits, Matthew 8:16 states, “That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” King James reads, “When …, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, ….” The New International Version and New American Standard Version read, “When… many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word…”

Evil spirits are demons. Luke 8:2 explains, “And also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.” Here is another example of evil spirits also being demons: Acts 19:15-16 states, “But the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?’ ¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” We know the demons who possessed the men at Gadarenes knew who Jesus was (Matt. 8:28-29). The evil spirit in the man in Acts 19:15 also knew Jesus, which suggests that evil spirits are demons.

Concludion

I described two spirit entities, demons and evil spirits; to respect your time, I will write a separate post on Satan. We do not have to fear the devil, evil spirits, or demons because Jesus Christ has given us the authority to command them to leave. BUT many of us give the evil spirits the right to oppress us. I will elaborate on that in another post. YOU can live in victory and freedom through Jesus Christ.

Blessings.

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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.

Three Great Ways to Increase Dopamine and Feel Good

What makes you feel good, happy, and secure? Depression is the top mental health issue around the world. It can be treated with medication, but it can also be treated by increasing the hormone and neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Dopamine gives you pleasure and regulates your mood. It helps us focus, work towards goals, and find things interesting. Warning: dopamine is the root precipitator for all addictions.

Achieving Goals

How do you feel after you accomplish a goal? When you achieve a goal, does it make you feel rewarded and good? That is because accomplishments increase the feel-good hormone dopamine in your brain. At one time, I was addicted to the dopamine hit from reaching goals, and I became a workaholic. I would make lists of goals I wanted to accomplish, and with each achievement, I would feel a sense of satisfaction. I used achieving goals to cover my mental health problems, to forget about my past. Once I healed my past issues through prayer and memory healing, I was no longer addicted to achieving goals, though I still like the reward I feel when I do achieve a goal.

Exercising

As we enter a new year, most of us have a goal of exercising more and losing weight. Exercising every day is the best way to increase dopamine in your brain. Exercise not only increases your quality of life but also reduces dementia risk, increases energy, and improves your mood and sleep. There are many articles written about the benefits of exercise, so I encourage you to read them, write down the benefits, and review them every day to remind you why you need to exercise. I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the less I feel like exercising, even though I know it is more important now than ever before.

Do you know people who are addicted to exercise? They exercise for hours a day. This is because they seek the dopamine highs. I never had this problem. Some people are addicted to food because it gives them the same dopamine hit. I will blame my grandparents for feeding me candy and cookies when I went to their house. I became addicted to sugar-laden treats for the feel-good dopamine high it gave me. If you think you are addicted to increasing the dopamine hormone response, then please seek professional counseling. Recently, Jelly Roll was in the news talking about his 300 lb weight loss. Yikes, what an accomplishment. In the article, he admitted to having a food addiction that he got therapy for. Most addictions cover up the effects of painful memories. So, healing painful memories is important to overcome addiction. See my onlinebook to learn how I overcame my addictions.

Helping Others

The third way to increase dopamine is to help other people, especially if they can’t return any benefit to you. Here is an excellent article called “The Surprise Science Behind Why Helping Others Helps You.” I love to help others, now I know why.

I had a long list of goals when I retired, and one of them was to finish a 43-hour Child and Youth Mental Health Coaching program from Light University. I finished the program on December 31, 2025, after two years. I learned how to coach parents to understand their children and help them build emotional resilience. I wanted to equip myself with the knowledge I needed to be the most help to hurting people. Do you find you don’t want to be around messy, dysfunctional people? But they are the ones who need the most help. I love to read how my website has helped people and given them hope. This makes me feel good.

With each class I took on Youth Mental Health Coaching, I learned how dysfunctional my family was and how messed up I was as a child and a parent. I also realized that by the grace of God and His healing power, I am now emotionally resilient and secure. There is hope, which is why I developed the Hope for Complete Healing website and wrote the book with the same name.

Mental Health Coaching Programs

If you are interested in enrolling, go to LightUniversity.com and select Mental Health Coaching. I wrote about the first Mental Health Coaching program I completed in this post. Here are some of the great topics you will learn about in the Youth Mental Health Coaching program.

Childhood Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences – Shannae Anderson, Ph.D.

Managing Stress and Anxiety in Children and Teens – Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D.

Moody: Understanding Depression and Mood Disorders – Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D.

Battling Loneliness and Bullying – Mark Mayfield, Ph.D.

Buzzed: Winning the Alcohol and Substance Abuse War – John Eklund, M.S.W.

A New Normal: Helping Kids and Teens through Grief and Loss – Jennifer Ellers, M.A.

Anger, Defiance, Rebellion, and Violence: When Kids Go Awry – Gary Sibcy, Ph.D.

Pornography, Sex, Sexting and Sexuality – Jim Cress, M.A.

Walking a Thin Line: Health, Diets, and Eating Disorders – Amy Feigel, M.A.

Guidance and Support for Children with Developmental Disabilities – Stephanie Holmes, Ed.D.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD): Behavior Patterns, Issues and Intervention – E. John Kuhnley, M.D.

Everything is Changing: Brain Health, Hormones and the Neurobiology of Youth and Development – Gary Sibcy, Ph.D.

The Use of Psychiatric Medication in the Mental Health Treatment of Children and Adolescents – E. John Kuhnley, M.D.

Love and Limits: Parenting, Boundaries and Structure – Mercy Connors, Ph.D.

Emotion Coaching and Regulation for Children and Adolescents – Gary Sibcy, Ph.D.

Connecting with Kids through the World of Play – Daniel Sweeney, Ph.D.

Decisions and Consequences: Making Wise Choices When It Counts – Karl Benzio, M.D.

Conflict Management and Resolution – Karl Benzio, M.D.

Cultural Identity – Mark Crear, Ph.D.

Performance, Pressure, and Identity: Managing Sports, Academics, and Life – Zach Clinton, M.A.

The Wired Generation: Technology, The Brain, Social Media and Behavior – Mark Mayfield, Ph.D.

Helping Parents Teach Their Youth About Healthy Sexuality – Jim Burns, Ph.D.

Gender Identity and Ideologies: Helping Parents and Families When Youth Come Out as LGBTQ – Kathy Koch, Ph.D.

Family Systems: Understanding Generational Patterns – John Eklund, M.S.W.

Childhood and Adolescent Development: An Attachment Perspective – Anita Kuhnley, Ph.D.

Prodigal Children: Helping Parents Stand Strong and Trust God in the Midst of Heartache and Brokenness – Mark Mayfield, Ph.D.

Divorce and Living in Blended Families – Jay Daughtry, M.A., and Tammy Daughtry, M.A.

Family Strong: Helping Families Survive and Thrive in the Storms of Life – Shannae Anderson, Ph.D., and Mercy Connors, Ph.D.

There is hope for complete healing. Reach out to me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com if you have questions or need free mental health coaching.

How to Successfully Navigate the Seasons of Life

Do you like change? How about the change of seasons? Each season has beauty and challenges. But all seasons bring change. What season of life are you in? You may be in a difficult season of sickness, a relaxing retirement, or a busy season with many demands. Whatever the season you are in, God is with you, so don’t forget about Him. He is there to help you and to give you peace, strength, and wisdom.

When Multiple Seasons Coincide

I am still in the season of caring for my handicapped mother since 2012, who has dementia. For many years, I cared for her in her home, which was a three-hour drive; now she is in a local Nursing home. This season was challenging because it coincided with working full-time, attending grad school part-time, and attending endless sporting events my youngest teenage son was involved in. At the same time, my oldest son was a drug addict for ten years. I say all this to encourage you, that God is my help, and He sustained me through it all. God will sustain you as well. 2Chronicals 16:9a (NIV) states, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” Is your heart fully committed to God?

My favorite uplifting scripture is Isaiah 46:3b-4 (NIV), “Listen to me, …, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you, and I will rescue you.” Sustain means to support, provide for, hold up, to keep (a person, the mind, the spirits, etc.) from giving way, as under trial or affliction. Sustain also means to supply with food, drink, and other necessities of life (Dictionary.com 2025). Psalm 55:22 states, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Also, Isaiah 50:4 states, “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.” I pray that this post offers words of hope and encouragement to sustain you in your seasons of change.

Enduring Difficult Seasons

You can trust and rely on God when you are in or facing a season of difficulty, even if you feel overwhelmed and can’t sense God’s nearness. He is there, carrying you whether you are aware of it or not. God (the “I am”) promises to sustain you and even rescue you. Read over Isaiah 43:4 again. Note the phrase “I will.” These are promises. You can trust God to keep His promises. I have written about many of God’s promises in my book “Unlocking God’s promises.” Jesus promised to give you peace in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 1John 5:4 explains, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” And Hebrews 11:6 states, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Transitioning to a New Season

I am entering a new season of change and uncertainty, but aren’t all seasons like that? This is why we need to hold onto God to help us navigate each season of our lives. I retired about six months ago, which was a breeze. I loved it. I got so many projects done. Retirement is great, but my husband is retiring next month, which will drastically change my retirement season. I like to be in control of what, when, and how I do things. I also pace myself throughout the day to get everything done. Having him home all day will be difficult, as he will want me to be part of his agenda. I am already getting very stressed about it. But remember, all thoughts are in my control, and I will take every thought captive. I may not be able write posts as often as I have in the last eight years, but everyone who reads my posts is in my prayers.

Here are ways to navigate life’s seasonal changes with grace.

Find something praiseworthy to focus on.
Embrace the changes and know that you will find a new normal.
Discuss common interests and potential conflicts, and how to mitigate them.
Talk about expectations and concerns. The more you understand each other’s expectations and concerns, the easier the transition will be. For example, when I began working full-time, I would not have time to do all the housework. So my husband and I worked out a way to split the chores.
Commit all your frustrations to the Lord, and seek His wisdom to overcome problems that inevitably occur in any season you are in.

To help with the transition of having my husband around every day and all day, I suggested we buy a van and turn it into a camper van, then take short trips around the US while we still have our health. This will give us a common goal rather than being annoyed with each other for interrupting our individual agendas. Does this make sense? If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them. Please leave a comment. I understand that this plan can backfire, and other issues will sneak up. Gary’s parents are old, and so are my mother and my aunt, so they could die or suffer a major health crisis, which will bring in a new season. The key is to trust God and rely on Him to sustain you and help you.

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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.

14 Mental Health Indicators

If you had to rate your mental health from one to ten, what would it be? I learned to manage disappointment more effectively, to accept what I cannot control and to trust God, and to gently correct others’ offenses. My marriage improved because I stopped speaking negative words over it and replaced negative thinking with gratitude. I have spent the last year exploring ways to improve my mental and spiritual health. I was amazed by how much it affects our psychological and physical health. There is so much more to learn. The key takeaway from my research is that mental health and spiritual health are interrelated and directly affect your physical health. Therefore, the more spiritually healthy you are, the more mentally healthy you will be, and the more mentally healthy you are, the more physically healthy you will be. Read “Why Be Physically Healthy?“

Mental Health Rating.

I created the following summary in the post titled “How Mentally Healthy Are You?” published on January 11, 2025. When I read various articles about mental health, including my Mental Health coaching instructions with Light University, I learn that there are many perspectives on what a mentally healthy person is. The following list summarizes people’s views of what a mentally healthy person looks like. Rate yourself from one to ten for each category. How well are you doing?

Aware of negative thinking but not obsessed with it. 1 —–5—– 10

(Thinking creates feelings, which build beliefs that affect emotions and behavior. Read “All Thoughts are Within Our Control.”)

Identifies and accepts disappointment but does not discount it. 1 —–5—– 10

(Acknowledge the unmet expectations and process resulting disappointment through prayer. Read “How to Develop Emotional Resilience.”)

Forgive those who offend me. 1 —–5—– 10

(God requires forgiveness, and it removes the power of the offence from influencing your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Read “Why Must You Forgive.”)

You are realistically thankful about something even when expectations are not met.

1- –5 — 10 (Thankfulness changes the negative thought and emotion into a positive thought. Read “Being Thankful During Hardships.”)

Humbly consider others’ needs and desires. 1 —–5—– 10

(Loving others requires humility and consideration. Read “How to Build Trust with Win/Win Agreements.”)

Understands boundaries and uses them. 1 —–5—– 10

(Boundaries create healthy interactions. Read “HOW TO BE PROACTIVE: cont.”)

See possibilities and positives in hardships, and don’t obsess over unrealistic worst-case scenarios. 1 —–5—– 10

(Hardships are part of life, Jesus said He will give you peace. Read “Thoughts That Create Peace Within and Without.”)

Proactive and not defensive. You receive criticism and use it for positive change, and do not get defensive or become depressed. 1 —–5—– 10

(Very difficult to do. Read “How to Respond to Criticism.”)

Do not get into futile arguments to prove your right. 1 —–5—– 10

(This requires wisdom and a sound mind. Read “How to Have a Healthy Argument or Conflict.”)

You know you can only control your own thoughts and actions, not what others think or do. 1 —–5—– 10 (Read “10 Ways to be Proactive Instead of Reactive.”)
You are content yet persevere toward positive goals. 1 —–5—– 10

(Being envious and anxious steals you peace; contentment gives you a sound mind. Read “TWELVE WAYS TO ACHIEVE HEALTHY GOALS.”)

Do not need validation from others to feel good about yourself. 1 —–5—– 10

(Read “Eliminate Depression with Self-love and God’s Love.”)

Do not relinquish your power to external influences. 1 —–5—– 10

(Do you allow others’ flawed opinions to influence how you think and believe? Read “What is An Emotionally Healthy Person?”)

Do you take your sad thoughts to God and rejoice in His help, provision, and wisdom?

1 —–5—– 10 (You can take every thought captive and focus on Jesus as your source of joy. Read “HOW TO REPLACE SADNESS WITH REJOICING” and “Purpose, Sadness, and Loneliness.”)

Conclusion

How did you do? if you need to improve in one or more areas, there is hope. Read “Eight Ways to Rewire Negative Responses.” Your mental health is critical for living your best and most prosperous life. You cannot have healthy relationships without healthy emotions. You can’t face life’s hardships without a strong spiritual life. I pray you grow more mentally healthy as you also strengthen your spiritual and physical health. To read all my mental health posts, go to the Mental Health Posts page.

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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.

How To Overcome Holiday Stress

For many, the holidays are not a happy time and are full of stress. You may be one of the fortunate ones who has never experienced disappointment during the holidays; that is great. In this post, you will learn how to mitigate stress and change your perspectives, expectations, and focus to find joy and peace.

Do you remember a time you really wanted something for Christmas, and you didn’t get it? Does that memory steal your joy during the Christmas season? Do you feel sad because a family member died or there was a divorce? It is okay to feel sad about a loss. We will always have disappointments that make us sad or angry. I grew up poor, and when my father left, I never heard from him again, so the holidays were not joyous.

I have to confess that last year I became depressed because my children weren’t coming home for Thanksgiving or Christmas. They just had a baby and didn’t want to travel down from Syracuse. That is understandable, but I was still sad. It helped me develop compassion for others who lack family and will spend the holidays alone.

Stop Stressing About Gift-Giving.

Gift-giving is a tradition begun by the wise men who brought gifts for baby Jesus. Giving gifts shows honor to the person receiving the gift. Gift-giving became stressful when it became a competition on who could give the most. We were poor and could not give as many gifts. Buying gifts is a challenge for me and very stressful. So, I stopped making gift-giving the central theme of Christmas. Most of my family understood because they could all buy what they wanted, when they wanted. Most people don’t need anything. My husband’s family agreed to stop buying presents for the adults. So we only buy for the children.

My sister refuses to stop buying gifts and expects me to get her gifts. She is very wealthy, but I am not, so she would always compare the gifts she gave me with the ones I gave her, which was very humiliating. Do you see why gift-giving is so stressful for me? I came up with the idea of giving her gifts of service, which she appreciated more than a gift. I also make things for her, which she likes. This year, I am making her a unique raincoat. We picked out the pattern together, and she picked out the fabric.

I live with my husband, and I still cannot come up with a gift for him because he gets everything he needs or wants. Plus, we have the same bank account, so he would know everything I bought him, so there is no surprise. I did start making chocolate-covered peanut butter and coconut candy, which he loves. I also give them as gifts to my children, but not to my sister. For a few years, I gave my husband ten cards that he could redeem for a massage. He loved that. Please leave a comment with other gift ideas. We have so much, and we don’t need more stuff. I don’t need more stuff.

Change Your Focus.

Holidays are focused on family gatherings, which is good. But not every family is mentally healthy, and not everyone has a family. Change happens every year. A family member may die, get sick, move away, get married, or experience a job loss, and so on. There will always be disappointment around Christmas time. I found joy by focusing on the wonderful gift that God gave us in the birth of Jesus, the actual reason for the season. I look for opportunities to share the good news of salvation that came with the birth of Jesus, along with hope (Rom. 15:13), peace (John 16:33), joy (John 15:11), and love.

Start new traditions that focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas. When I had children at home, we read the Christmas story and talked about the gifts God gives us. I also had them do a scavenger hunt for baby Jesus. I gave each child a clue, and they raced to find the next clue and see who could be the first to find something made of gold, then find myrrh, then frankincense, and the last clue was where baby Jesus was hidden. The kids loved that tradition. I would love to hear your ideas.

Reach Out to Those Who Are Alone.

Look for ways to encourage widows, take them a lunch, and spend time with them. Many will spend the holiday alone. Going to a Nursing home to visit those who have no one to see them. Singing carols with those in the Nursing Home gives them great joy. If there is an orphanage in your area, take time to give to them. James 1:27 states, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Volunteering at a soup kitchen to feed the homeless will also make you feel good and show honor to someone who cannot give back.

One year, I could not go home for Christmas because of a snowstorm. A person I knew learned of my situation, came by my apartment, and took me to her house for Christmas dinner. I will never, ever, forget that Christmas, which was over 40 years ago. Her mother and father made room for me at the dinner table and gave me a bag of M&Ms as a gift. Whenever I see M&Ms, I am reminded of their kindness. So I encourage you to reach out to those who will spend Christmas alone.

Invite the people around you to church, take them a plate of cookies, or invite them to dinner. One year, our church encouraged the members to invite international students to their homes for a holiday meal. Many students cannot go home for the holidays. Inviting them to your home would be a memory you and they would never forget. Showing kindness to someone will boost your mental health.

Jesus gave an example in Luke 14:12-14: “He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13) But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’”

Conclusion

I hope this post was encouraging and helps give you ways to make the holidays less stressful. Giving gifts of service to those who have everything, not more stuff. Focus on the real reason for Christmas or Thanksgiving and start new traditions. Invite those who will spend the holiday alone to your home. Give to those who can’t give back. Be a blessing. I know there is so much more I could have shared, but I would love to hear your ideas, which would also encourage others who read this post. I pray God bless you richly as you focus on Him and share love with others.

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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.

FIVE WAYS TO TAME YOUR IMAGINATION

Have you ever caught yourself getting all worked up imagining a worst-case scenario that may never happen? It is unwise to let your imagination go down a dark path, because your emotions and behavior follow your thoughts, and you will often act foolishly. For example, my sister accused my husband of cheating in a game we were playing. She let her imagination fuel her assumption, and her emotions followed. She said many unkind words. I tried to reason with her, but she kept believing the lie that my husband was trying to do her in. My husband was not cheating, and he will no longer play games with her. Her foolish imagination and controlling behavior ruined her relationship with my husband. Has your imagination caused you to act foolishly?

What Stimulates Your Imagination?

Stories, TV shows, and movies are often make-believe scenarios to entertain you, but those images influence thoughts, which stimulate your imagination. For example, I became interested in the van-life movement, and I found their van creations and travel experiences very interesting. Watching these YouTube videos has inspired me to want to do the same thing. My husband is shocked because I am a homebody, and he loves to travel. Talking to people can stimulate good or bad thoughts and imagination.

Problems stimulate either creative thoughts or destructive thoughts. If you have a problem you need to solve, you can use your imagination to come up with a solution. For example, I had a problem with one of my chickens that always wanted to fight. I had to separate her from the flock because the other chickens would nearly kill her. My husband did not want to kill her, so I had to come up with a solution to keep her separate, protected from predators, and not a burden to care for her. It took me about a month to come up with a viable, though not perfect, solution. On the other hand, if you are having problems with your family, you may imagine it would be better to get a divorce, turn to alcohol or drugs, go to the bar instead of going home, and so on.

For a long time, as I was healing from the trauma of my past, I was caught up in a world of make-belief to escape the struggles of my life. As a child, I spent hours completely dissociated from reality, living in a make-believe world in my mind. Since I healed my trauma memories, I no longer struggle with dissociation. To learn more about how I healed my memories, read my website book called “Hope for Complete Healing.”

Unhealthy beliefs will stimulate your imagination to go down a dark road of make-believe that robs your life and sometimes your finances. If you have insecurity issues, you may have the unhealthy belief that someone doesn’t like you. Your imagination will come up with many scenarios of why they don’t want you, which feeds your unhealthy belief that you are unworthy. Some people have the harmful belief that they must prepare for some catastrophe that may never happen. Many people are caught up in the prepping phenomenon because of TV shows, YouTube videos, and prepping books. My sister is totally controlled by the prepping phenomenon, spending a vast amount of money and time on it.

What Does the Bible Say?

God writes a lot about our thoughts, which I explain in the page called “Posts on Thoughts.” I found two verses concerning imaginations.

Proverbs 18:11 states, “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.”

Act 17:29 states, “Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.”

How to Tame Your Imagination.

A person’s imagination can be good when used to create beautiful works of art, engineering feats, or great inventions. But most of the time, imaginations are fueled by unhealthy beliefs and unrealistic fears. I explain this in a post called “How Fear Controls You.” In this post, I want to explain how to tame your imagination. Your thoughts direct your imagination, and you can control what you think.

Recognize (be mindful of) your thoughts and feelings. Note, God is aware of all your thoughts (Ps. 139:1-4).
Ask yourself, is what I am thinking the truth? Did the situation happen, and is there a real threat or problem that needs to be mitigated?
Take the unhealthy belief captive and tell it to be gone in Jesus’ name (2Cor. 10:5 and John 14:14).
Apply a truth to your mind and dwell on what is true (Phil. 4:8).
Let your mind dwell on God’s word (Ps. 1:1-3 and Joshua 1:8) when you become worried or fearful.

Conclusion

The quality of your mental health depends on what your mind dwells on. Understanding external influences on your mind and imagination will help you determine whether what you believe is the truth or a lie. Take captive all thoughts that stimulate feelings of anger, hate, malice, manipulation, sadness, fear, envy, impurity, sensuality, and so on. Don’t let your imagination cause you to sin. Set your mind on the things of God to stay in the will of God and to worship Him continually. Colossians 3:1-3 states, “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. ³For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” And Romans 12:2 states, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

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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.

Putting Together the 3-D Puzzle of Life

Have you ever heard the term “life is a puzzle?” Have you thought about how all the events of your life brought you to the place where you are now? Some events were bad, and some were good. The family you were born into is part of the puzzle for which you had no control. Listen to anyone’s autobiography, and you will see the puzzle pieces of their life. Each person you meet or work with is part of your puzzle. The problem with the puzzle of life is that you had no control over the pieces in your childhood, and that every decision you make changes the picture of your life. This is a 3-D puzzle because you are a puzzle piece for many other people’s puzzles, and they are pieces of your puzzle. So how do you put a 3-D puzzle of life together, and why?

Mental Health Puzzle pieces?

I don’t know of anyone who has not had some type of mental health issue because we live in a sinful world with hurtful people. Resentment toward those who hurt you causes mental dis-ease. Even our perceptions can cause mental health issues. For some people, you mention the T****p word, and they have a visceral reaction. Even political events that affect us are part of our puzzle. Read this post to learn what a mentally healthy person looks like. How Mentally Healthy Are You?

I have spent 2025 writing about many types of mental health problems and what solutions to work through to resolve them. Every day presents new challenges that threaten to pop our control bubbles. To review the list, read “List of Mental Illnesses” by Very Well Health. I have good news: these don’t have to define you, and you can overcome them. There is hope for complete healing.

As I prayed about what God would have me write about, I couldn’t help but realize the impact of a decision I made at eight years old. At eight, I chose to believe and receive Jesus Christ as the Savior of my life (John 1:12), which dramatically changed my mental health issues. In college, I made Jesus the Lord of my life (Jude 1:25) and chose to follow and obey Him, which forever changed my puzzle and destiny. I am fully convinced that the mental health crisis is made worse when you don’t submit your life and will to God and trust Him. Let me know in the comments if you disagree and what you think is the reason for the current mental health crisis.

Why is it Necessary to Put My Life’s Puzzle together?

From experience, when I put my life’s puzzle together, I was able to come to grips with my past and heal my memories. Seeing the puzzle picture of your past put together allows you to rewire the wrong programming created by the various broken pieces. I explained how to rewire your brain in my last post. Also, seeing the puzzle pieces put together helps you create new pieces to change the future picture of your life. Seeing the life patterns of you and your parents enables you to identify and change the patterns you don’t want to continue.

I saw a pattern of victimhood and poverty throughout my childhood. I did not want that for my future, so I decided to apply for college. When I told my mother, she said I was too dumb. WOW! What a blow. I refused to let her words define the next puzzle piece in my life. I had a vision of what I wanted my future to look like, so I focused on that. Words have the power to create pieces of the puzzle. Remember, you can take every thought captive (2Cor. 10:5). With God’s help, I graduated from college. Though I was poor while in college and for some time before I started my teaching career, I have been doing very well ever since.

How to Put Your Puzzle Together.

To begin putting your puzzle together, do the following.

Journal your mother’s and fathers’s history. Talk with Aunts and Uncles to get their perspective because each person retains memories differently and has a different view of traumatic events.
For each parent, write down the trauma pieces that affected their lives and how they altered their destiny. For example, my mother was getting her nursing degree when she became pregnant out of wedlock with my sister and me. She lost her dream of becoming a nurse and had to marry a very irresponsible man. All three events changed my mother’s destiny and greatly affected her mental health, which affected my puzzle.
Record patterns of sin or dysfunction that were passed down (i.e., poverty, alcoholism, mental health issues, pride, gambling, etc.)
Journal all the things you see as significant in your parents’ puzzle and how it affected your puzzle. I hope this makes sense. Once you start your journal, you will get into a flow. Always begin by asking God to show you the significance of the event and any wrong beliefs that were developed and passed down to you. I talked to older relatives who gave me my great-grandparents’ history, which explained why my mother and her family were so angry. I learned why my father was irresponsible. All this helps you forgive, overcome resentment, and adopt new thinking and belief patterns that lead to better decisions.
Continue putting the pieces together from your birth to the present. Record all events that significantly affected your life, such as the birth of a sibling, divorce, moves, etc.
Now go through my webbook called “Hope for Complete Healing” to create beautiful pieces to fit the misfitting pieces created by trauma or bad memories.
Write your perceptions and the unhealthy beliefs you internalize with each memory.

Conclusion

I am a testament to successfully creating a beautiful puzzle of life with God’s help from the broken pieces of my past. My life is not over, and I have more opportunities to create beautiful puzzle pieces for my life, my family, and my friends. To learn how I transformed my life, read WHAT IS INNER LIFE TRANSFORMATION? My Story

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My latest book, Unlocking God’sPromises, 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.

Eight Ways to Rewire Negative Responses

I am often sad. I asked God why? He brought to my attention that my neurological pathways are wired for sad feelings. My family makes fun of me for my self-pity bouts. It makes sense that my brain is wired or programmed for sadness because I experienced a lot of rejection and trauma for many years of my life. Some people worry constantly, are angry, or complain all the time. When a negative emotion is persistent, it is because of the neurological programming or wiring of your brain. The good news is that we can rewire our brains due to neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change response pathways. You can rewire your brain for addictive issues as well.

I know that neuroplasticity is legitimate because I have experienced significant changes in my brain through healing bad memories and unhealthy beliefs. I am still in the process of reprogramming automatic responses to stress. You can read about how to change your brain in my free book on my website. I also wrote “Breaking Mental Strongholds.” My strongholds are destroyed, and most of my bad memories are healed, but I still have some rewiring to do. Some people say reprogramming, but you get the idea.

Here are the steps I use to rewire my emotional responses.

Be aware of my emotions, even ambivalence.
Ask myself, “Why am I feeling this way?”
When in my past have I felt this feeling, and why?
Is the situation triggering a resentment or painful memory? If so, ask God to show me. Read my website book to learn how I resolve resentment and painful memories.
Am I disappointed? Why am I disappointed? What expectation was not met, even unspoken ones? Accept that I am not in control of how other people respond, but I can only control how I react and feel. To learn more, read How to Develop Emotional Resilience.
What unhealthy belief triggered this emotion? What is a healthy belief instead?
Have I given someone or a situation power to control my thoughts? Why?
What can I be thankful for?

Writing the answers to these questions is insightful, and they will help you train your brain to recognize and process negative emotions and remain in control. Though I tend to feel sad, I don’t need to let it control my thoughts. Changing my emotional response is improving as I change my thinking, which is a form of neuroplasticity. I am getting quicker at going through the eight steps when I experience a negative response.

Keep in mind that negative emotions increase the stress hormone cortisol, which triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response. I wrote about this in The Best Way to Manage Stress. When you think good or thankful thoughts, it triggers the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. The key is to recognize negative feelings and address them promptly, without ignoring them. Ignoring them does not change your ability to manage your emotions or stress in healthy way.

Here are several good articles. Rewiring the Traumatized Brain for Positivity

Discover evidence-based interventions to reduce chronic negative thinking.

From Triggered to Empowered: Rewiring Your Emotional Responses.

May God bless you as you grow a healthy response.

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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.

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.