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Cassan Ferguson

Why won’t God take my problems away?

Cassan Ferguson
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Why won’t God take my problems away?

“Please God, just make this stop!” I found myself uttering those words from a place of complete despair and disappointment. Have you ever been through a season where you feel completely devastated, broken and shattered into a million broken pieces? A place that you just don’t even have the words to describe?

I know I have on a few occasions. Moments where I did not know if I would be able to get through it and see the light in it all. Occasions where I felt so overwhelmed by heartache that I lost all hope and inner strength to want to push through it.

But God?!?!

In the midst of the crushing season: “Hey, wait I can’t do this by myself all in my own strength!”

I realise, 

“Maybe I should ask God to help and take it all away! Because in the Bible it says we should come to Him to find rest and healing! So, I’m going to ask Him to make the pain stop, and to take all of my problems away with a click of a finger?!”

But then nothing! It’s all still there – the pain, and the reality of the situation, still there all around me!

BUT GOD!

Why me?

Why this?

Why won’t you help me and make it all disappear?

Here’s why:

  • A relationship with God isn’t an insurance policy.  It doesn’t mean that we won’t face difficulties: The Bible never promised that.  A relationship with God through His Son Jesus means that whatever we face, we NEVER face it alone.  If we accept we need help in our lives and surrender our own will to God’s, recognising that we need Jesus to save us from our mess, He promises that He will never leave us.
  • God will grace us to walk through trying seasons, however, it will require us to do the walking.
     
  • God will help to heal our hearts, but we too have to play our part. That may mean forgiving others, forgiving ourselves, asking for forgiveness. It may require us to be intentional about speaking things into our hearts that breathes fresh life and restoration into those broken spaces. For me personally, I look to the Bible, and take the promises found in it and speak over my situation. That action in itself stirs my faith, hope and confidence.
  • We learn that we are stronger and more than capable of going and growing through difficult seasons. Which in turn shapes and strengthens our character, which in turn will prepare and equip us for seasons that lay ahead!

Just know that God has not forgotten about you, or about your cares and disappointments. In fact, He is right there with you, in the middle of it, cheering you on. He has faith in you, and He will walk with you as you overcome challenges.

If this post spoke to you and you would like someone to pray for you, and speak to regarding being in a personal relationship with God, then may I encourage you to click on the link below.

Lessons learnt from the men in my life

Cassan Ferguson
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Lessons learnt from the men in my life

A few years ago I was left broken from previous hurts and disappointments, that stemmed from my encounters with men. My experiences affected me profoundly, so much so, that the thought of marriage and family seemed nearly impossible and completely out of reach.

I used to see it as a weakness to rely on men in general, but boy did that way of thinking change as the years passed. God has used the men in my life to bring some much-needed healing. 

Things I’ve learnt through loving my husband

When I met my husband twelve years ago, I would never have pictured how much my relationship with him has changed me. I once struggled to trust men and their intentions in general, and I was very guarded towards them.

However, despite me being an emotional tornado in those early days of our relationship – my husband has always been gentle, kind, loving, supportive and encouraging, while continually leading us so gracefully in so many areas of life.  Even though I used to struggle to let go at the start of our relationship, but with time it became easier. I’ve learnt to lean on my husband without feeling ashamed; to trust in him when making important decisions together.  Additionally, I’ve learnt that together we are stronger, to be vulnerable, and to not see my husband as the enemy, but rather as my confidant, my best friend, my hero, and protector.

My husband chose to love me the way God loves us: unconditionally. Despite me maybe not always being lovable, he still chose to show love and kindness towards me. Which in turn softened my heart and helped to heal all those broken bits and negative mindsets that I had towards men.  This is a picture of how God chooses to love mankind as a whole.  When we are broken and seemingly unlovable, God still extends love to us and provides forgiveness for our shortcomings through His son Jesus.

Things I’ve learnt through raising my son

When I first found out that I was pregnant with my first-born, I immediately assumed that I would be a mom of girls. The thought of raising boys felt very foreign to me, something I couldn’t really picture or imagine. When we found that we were having a baby boy, I immediately started giggling in the doctor’s office.

I fell in love with my son from the get go, and to this day I am totally smitten by him and his cheeky smile!

My biggest prayer for raising my son is that:

1) I would raise him in the way God intends me to
2) That I would raise him to feel confident in who he is and in who he is called to be
3) That he would feel emotionally confident and empowered as a young man

Watching my son Malakai grow into his own, has been such an honour and a very surreal experience. He is only four years old, and is already very expressive, emotionally intuitive, and expresses what he feels openly and honestly. He has a strong understanding of emotions, and expresses them with ease.

Most men find it hard to open up easily about what they feel and why they feel certain things. Some men may even feel ashamed for feeling certain emotions all together and may see it as a weakness. Which in turn encourages them to build up emotions and become passive aggressive or emotionally switched off.

Raising my son has taught me that God’s men can be soft, and strong at the same time.  Over the years I have always tried my best to make our home feel safe, not just for our son but for my husband as well. I encourage my husband to express what he feels, and I try to make sure he feels heard, respected and understood. In turn this encourages him to be more open emotionally and as a consequence, Malakai is learning from his father how he should respond to situations. This pattern will hopefully create an enduring legacy when my son draws upon these lessons as he raises his children in the future.

To me this is an example of how God encourages and guides us.  God wants us to grow and mature in character. This is good for us, but it is also for the benefit of those around us.  When we learn to become more like Jesus, displaying love, kindness and being people of peace, we are able to exhibit theses artibutes to others.  When we surrender our lives to God it doesn’t just touch us but can overflow to our families and friends.

The world needs great male role models. Men who don’t just show us how men should live but show us how God is through the way the navigate life.  The ultimate example of this is Jesus.  The Bible tells us that if we see Jesus we have seen God and it’s through a relationship with Jesus, God’s only Son, that we can truly know who God is.

How to live without Fear

Cassan Ferguson
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How to live without Fear

Fear defined

Fear is defined as an emotion induced by a perceived threat, which causes a change in the brain and organ function and ultimately a change in behavior, such as running away, hiding, or freezing. Fear may occur in response to a specific stimulus happening in the present, or to a future situation, which is perceived as a risk.

Fear of the unknown

For me I experience fear when it comes to the future, and to the unknown that the future brings along with it. I like having a sense of knowing, because it makes me feel like I am in control, which gives me sense of surety, confidence and peace because I can anticipate things to come.

But life isn’t like that; we can’t always put things into boxes, label them and be comfortable all the time. Life ebbs and it flows and it moves. Life can throw us curve balls; and we can either let it throw us off course, emotionally overwhelm us, encourage us to want to run and hide, OR, we can embrace the challenges of life, adapt, and evolve and grow through those unexpected moments.

Have you ever been through a situation where:

  • You were asked to step out in a way that seemed daunting and overwhelming?
  • Changes were being implemented within your work place?
  • You found out bad news?
  • You were starting to think about starting your own business?

In those situations, those moments, how did you respond?

  • Did you emotionally freeze?
  • Did it make you feel anxious and uncomfortable?
  • Did it make you want to run and hide from the issue?

When we live a life that’s filled with fear, and anxious thoughts, we tend to sometimes stay there entangled by its grip, never really moving, or making decisions. We then live a very sheltered life, and end up feeling a bit disappointed and despondent because we didn’t step out in a bold, fearless, and faith filled way.

I don’t know about you, but I am committed to wanting to always grow in all areas of my life. It’s not easy for me, as I tend to always lean towards feeling fearful, anxious, doubting myself, and what the future will look like. But I would rather try and overcome the fear, the insecurities, and embrace the unknown so that I can learn something new through stepping out in faith, knowing that God will meet me on the other side, cheering me on!

How can we live without fear?

Let Go
I have found time and time again, that when I let go of what I can’t control, and the more I surrender my concerns and fears over to God, it allows him to do what only he can do. I feel more rested and at peace when I release my concerns into his hands.

Speak Life
When you become aware of speaking faith, courage and life over your situations, you will find yourself feeling more confident, energised, motivated, and expectant for what the future holds.

Be Present
Often we waste time thinking about all the things we still need to do, or we get lost in our past with concerns of all things we should have done. When we live in the future or in the past, we become riddled with anxiety and we aren’t open to what is happening all around us right now.

Trust in Him
Just know that God will never leave you, or forget about you. When you surrender your concerns, burdens, anxieties over to him you will find a sense of peace in your spirit knowing that the God who created the universe will take care of you. You can trust him. He will not disappoint you.

I just want to encourage you, that no matter what your situation looks like, you can always come to God with your concerns. He cares for the details of your life, he wants the best for you because he is so in love with you. He doesn’t want you to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You will find  freedom and rest when you come to him and surrender all concerns to him.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” – Matthew 11:28 

If you are unfamiliar with being in a relationship with God , may I encourage you to click on the banner below.

You are worthy!

Cassan Ferguson
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You are worthy!

Understanding a deep sense of self worth, and to truly know that who we are is: special, beautiful, unique, and worthy of love, worthy to feel valued and appreciated, takes a bit of time and intentional self discovery of ones self. Which isn’t always easy, or fun, as it may require facing our insecurities, addressing the root of it, which requires intentional healing, and letting go of our pain and of our past. It isn’t easy or comfortable, yet, the long term reward will help us to grow, heal, and it will most certainly help us to remember who we are, and what we are worth going forward.

Life throws us curve balls, and sometimes we find ourselves in unhealthy relationships, or find ourselves going through very difficult situations and seasons, that make us feel: less than, worthless, and lacking low self esteem and confidence.

It may even cause us to respond and react to life and people half heartidly, or it may cause us to settle for less and to always expect the worse at every turn. We may even give up before really trying or giving things a proper go, due to think we are not worthy of love, worthy of greatness, worthy of experiencing good things. Therefore, we constantly expect the worse, fail ourselves ruthlessly, and settle for less.

Some people may grow up always knowing and understanding their value and self worth. Therefore, they may always have the wisdom and confidence to make healthy choices, have healthy boundaries in place and act accordingly out of a secure space. Whilst, there are the majority who maybe did not have the greatest childhood, or experienced absuive relationships where they were constantly spoken down on, emotionally maniulapted into believing that they were worthless. Therefore, they live and respond out of a broken and unhealthy space.

But, there is good news, and the good news is that no matter how old we are, or where we are in life, that we too can emotionally heal, and rebuild our self worth and confidence into a healthy space again! It’s never too late, to turn things around, by addressing it head on, and believing that out of those dark broken spaces, we too can come out of more beautiful and stronger.

REBUILD YOUR SELF WORTH

ADDRESS THE PAST

  • Look at the root causes of what makes you feel worthless. Maybe it was something that was said to you, or something that was done to you that hurt you deeply. Face those issues either via counseling, through to discussing it with someone you trust, and then have accountability when it comes to actively  facing it , and intentionally choosing to move past it.

FORGIVE & LET GO

  • Forgiving and letting go is something that we need to intentionally choose to do, until it no longer consumes or controls us. Forgiveness has the power to set us (the captive) free.

RE-TRAIN YOUR BRAIN

  • When rebuilding your self worth, you will have to re-train what you enter and believe about yourself in your thought life. That means every time you have a negative thought towards yourself, you need to turn it around by saying something positive in return, until it becomes your new norm.

SPEAK A FRESH NEW DIALOGUE

  • Just with the re-training of your brain and though life, you need to change the dialogue that you speak about yourself, and speak over yourself. Instead of falling into your default setting of speaking negative doom and gloom over yourself, choose a dialogue of speech that speaks life, courage, faith and joy. That in turn will encourage you to feel positive and hopeful!

SEEK OUT HEALTHY FRIENDSHIPS

  • Healthy friendships are so important, as the right friends will encourage you, challenge you, and remind you of who you are when you forget. Healthy friendships bring out the best in you, and point you back in the right direction whenever you feel lost! Invest in the right healthy friends, and be a good friend to others – it will seriously change your life going forward!

LET GOD LOVINGLY LEAD YOU

  • God loves us, yet we forget. God created us in his perfect image, therefore we are a masterpiece. Yet, the world along with broken people have maybe broken us down, which wasn’t Gods plan for us! YET, God can still call greatness out of us, and make something beautiful out of our brokenness. All we need to do is seek him, trust him, let go of what burdens us, and let Him lovingly heal and lead us into wholeness.

Stay in your lane

Cassan Ferguson
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Stay in your lane

Nope, definitely not a blog post on how to drive and one how to stay in your lane. Instead I’m going to touch on the benefits of staying in your very own “life lane.” At the moment, I am currently working on a school production, which entails loads of rehearsals with loads of high energy children. Because drama and acting is one big emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved, I feel like everyone is constantly learning some sort of significant life lesson in-between the crazy!

When the cast were in early stages of rehearsals, and were still using scripts in hand, we experienced a bit of a profound moment, that I think we can all learn from.

Let me set the scene:

High energy drama kids sitting in a circle, going through the script with leads and supporting leads. The excitement was so tangible, you could taste it! Everyone was very eager to sink their teeth into their parts, and read through the script. One of the kids was so very excited, that he lost focus, and said somebody elses line, which is no biggie by all means. But the actor who was meant to say the lines immediately piped up saying: “STAY IN YOUR LANE!” followed by finger snaps, and a room filling with laughter.

Funny? Yes! True? YES!

Yet, in life we can sometimes entertain distraction, get caught up in emotion, and without realizing it we try to run in somebody’s elses lane. We lose focus, and we drift into another lane, and forget to move (live, own, embrace) in our lane, and stay focused on our unique life lane.

Why the need to drift into another lane?

Maybe, we feel that our lanes aren’t as significant, or as important as the next lane. Therefore, we try to imitate and pursue (and imitate) the lifestyles of others.

Maybe the lane that we are in, has been filled with heartache, disappointment, and trial after never-ending trial. Ignoring our lane, and drifting into another lane seems more bearable and livable.

Or maybe, just maybe we lose focus, and the vision that awaits us at the finish line has been forgotten, or is yet to be discovered.

When we lose focus of where we are going, (ahead, and forward) we tend to look to the side, or behind and lose focus, therefore, we may feel lost, overwhelmed or even lonely. This can cause us to drift between lanes. Which in turn causes us to feel restless, frustrated, and we may end up going in circles, bumping our heads a few times along the way.

The power and the purpose of your lane

God created all of us with a specific destiny in mind. Which inevitably means our life story and journey needs to look a little different to the next. God created you to be so unique, so how we move in our lane is supposed to look differently. All of our paths and journeys have a very different end goal and process in mind. Once we acknowledge this and embrace it for what it is, we will move in our life lane with confidence, purpose and drive – regardless of how that lane moves and changes over time. God has a purpose and a plan in mind for you and the truest and most authentic way to live out that plan is to include God in your life.

If you would like to know more about how you can embrace your lane and live the life God has for you, please click on the link or leave a comment.

STOP BODY SHAMING

Cassan Ferguson
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STOP BODY SHAMING

Either your too curvy, too thin, too tall, too short. Basically you can never win when it comes to either how others perceive us, through to how we perceive ourselves. People negatively comment or criticize others outward physical appearance almost as if they some sort of right too. Body shaming can cause others to feel insecure about their bodies, through to feeling ashamed about how their bodies look based on somebody elses obscure opinion.

Body shaming defined as:

“The action or practice of humiliating someone by making mocking or critical comments about their body shape or size.”

TYPES OF BODY SHAMING

  • Verbally in person, in passing, from strangers to family members.
  • Comments made online by others on your personal social media accounts.
  • Ourselves – sometimes we can get caught up speaking negatively about our bodies.

THE POWER OF WORDS

Words hold the weight and power to either speak life or death over others and over ourselves. Body shaming can cause others to sink into a deep depression, through to picking up very unhealthy eating disorders that can be life threatening. Think before you speak, think before you comment about somebody else’s physique and body shape. Speaking negatively of others will always speak of your character first and foremost.

Choose your words wisely, as it carries weight, and can hold a negative effect over us and over others.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. – Proverbs 18:21 

Instead of negatively criticizing others or yourself, replace your negative speech with words of kindness and love. Choose to speak words of encouragement, and seek out the good in others. Your encouragement whether used towards yourself or towards others will instill healthy self love and self esteem, through to encouraging confidence that can be found in feeling comfortable in your own skin.

YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE

God created you in His perfect image. Isn’t it so amazing, that we are all so unique, so wonderfully created that we all are an expression of who God is? Therefore, we masterpieces, his living works of art! Masterpieces are worth being celebrated – no matter how different and unique they are.

We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:10 

Our value cannot be found in what others think of us, our value is found in knowing what God thinks of us, and He sees us as masterpieces, as works of art!

JUST REMEMBER

  • Beauty and size is not a “one size fits all”
  • No one has the power to make you feel “less than” unless you give them that power.
  • Your worth and value as a person cannot be measured by the size of your waist.
  • Who you are is unique and a master piece in the making.
  • Who you are is found in who God is, and what He says about you!
  • Your body type and shape should be celebrated not condemned .
  • You have a choice when it comes to what you speak over others and over yourself – speak life over yourself and over others.
  • Instead of going on unrealistic dieting fads, seek out living a healthy balanced lifestyle.

Lastly, celebrate others, and celebrate yourself, you are God’s masterpiece after all and that is worth all the celebrating in the world!

If you are wanting to know more about being in a personal relationship with God, and would like to grow in finding your identity  in God, then may I encourage you to click on the link below.

Getting to the heart behind the #metoo movement

Cassan Ferguson
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Getting to the heart behind the #metoo movement

If you have been online for the last few months you will most likely have seen the “me too” hashtag being used by women and men who are coming forward sharing their stories of sexual assault and harassment. We are living in an exciting era where people are finding the voice and confidence to stand against sexual assault and mistreatment of any kind.

The truth will set you and others free

You see most people never come forward with their stories, because they feel so ashamed of it, even though it was not their fault at all to begin with. They sit with their shame and pain, and let it eat away at them in secret. It can cause them to have a low self-esteem, to feel like they are to blame, or maybe that they are deserving of such poor treatment. When in actual fact everyone deserves to feel respected, valued and worthy. Yet, there are some who blur the lines, and still treat others poorly.

When I first started seeing the #metoo tag appear on social media, many well renowned female celebrities shared their sexual assault stories publicly – as a means of empowering and encouraging others to make an active stand against this behaviour by bringing it to the light. In turn this inspired many others from all backgrounds to come forward with their stories.

The truth hurts sometimes

Whilst this may have empowered and encouraged many by liberating them from the shame of what happened to them, others felt uncomfortable with the overwhelming truth of it all. Some still chose to turn a blind eye to it, whilst others responded with “well, maybe they encouraged poor treatment in the first place.”

Again: no one deserves sexual assault or abuse. That is something that as a collective human race we need to stand up for and fight for.

Me too = All of us

Maybe you have been a victim to sexual assault or abuse, or maybe you know of others who have, or maybe just maybe you find it all hard to relate too, and feel helpless. Instead of shying away, lets own this and all actively stand against this unjust behavior. We can do this by:

Staying informed – Being informed and educated in matters, is empowering, as knowledge is power. Knowledge can help motivate you when it comes to seeking out ways to make an active change! Stay informed!

Standing up for others – Standing up for others especially those who feel as if they do not have a voice, or have the confidence to do so – should be our norm. As a human race we need to choose to emphasize with others, as opposed to ignoring and turning a blind eye to it.

Encourage both men, women and children to stand up against injustice – Whilst many women and men have been sharing their “me too” stories online, many men have come forward to stand with those who have been assaulted, by saying it’s not okay – we need to change this! I love that! Because it means we are all owning this, by standing together united against this inhumane problem.

Empower children to have the tools, knowledge and voice – Teach your kids from the start what “is and isn’t” appropriate behavior. Encourage them to feel confident when it comes to speaking about what makes them feel uncomfortable when it comes to their personal space. Let them grow up knowing how valuable they truly are. Encourage them to stand up for others, to look out for friends who are being bullied. Let them know from an early age, that they must speak up when something has been done to them, and that you are there for them no matter what the situation.

Seek God – Many, many years ago before I met my husband, I was in an emotionally, verbally abusive, and moving onto physically abusive relationship. There were things that were said and done to me, that left me feeling so embarrassed and ashamed, and it wasn’t something that I provoked or encouraged. Yet, it felt that way, wrongfully so.

To move past this unhealthy relationship, and to seek healing and restoration took time (lots of time), counseling, and finding myself in God. Every crippling lie that I believed, had to kneel and bend underneath Gods ultimate word and truth. It took years until I felt completely mentally and emotionally healed from that abusive relationship.

But every daunting step towards victory, was worth the discomfort!

God walked with me every single step of the way, and he still does. I have come to full understand my worth and value, so much so that my heart breaks when I read #metoo articles about how so many others feel so ashamed after experiencing sexual assault and abuse.

My biggest prayer is that those who have been mistreated will find healing, and their identity and sense of self-worth in God and in what God says and believes about them.

Come as you are

Cassan Ferguson
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Come as you are

COME AS YOU ARE.

I saw this quote printed on the back of a girl’s jacket in a picture online. I paused for a moment and instantly knew this statement to be true for me and my relationship with God. Before becoming a Christian I had mixed emotions and major reservations regarding the Christian faith. I always felt that I would never quite measure up to being a perfect person for God. Because I always felt like I was messing up, making mistakes, that I was not good enough, and just downright not pure enough to meet with this God that I heard so much about from others who seemed so genuinely happy, secure, confident and always hopeful!

I used to feel like I would be that one puzzle piece that would not fit into the bigger picture; like there would be no space for me to contribute something of worth. Boy, was I so wrong! My journey with meeting God on a personal level shook up every lie and negative perception I had on the Christian faith and showed me a life with Him that has been filled with nothing but His goodness, His unconditional love, His unwavering faith in me, and His oceans of grace.

THE TRUTH IS…

We do not need to have it “all together” before coming to Him. We can come to Him exactly as we are, in our moments of weakness, with our baggage, with our fears, insecurities, sickness, shame, and pain. He loves us regardless and He will embrace us and shower us with His grace; He will make us new, He will make us whole.

God doesn’t want something from us, He simply wants us.
C.S.Lewis

COME AS YOU ARE.

THE TRUTH IS…

No matter what we have done, or how far we stray from Him, He will always respond to us. He will never turn away from us, and He will always meet with us personally.

All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
John 6:37

COME AS YOU ARE.

THE TRUTH IS…

Even as mature seasoned christians we will slip up and make mistakes; however we can always come to Him and start afresh. We do not need to wait it out, and try figure it out alone, or pray a million prayers, or fast forever before pressing the refresh button with Him.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9

COME AS YOU ARE.

THE TRUTH IS…

God hears, sees and knows it all. We can’t outrun Him, or hide away from Him. We do not need to let our shame or our guilt hold us back, or keep us ensnared and tangled. The truth is that we can bring our dirt to Him, and He will still love us all the same, He will heal our brokenness, and He will make us whole again with His unconditional love. All we need to do is come to Him, call on Him, and lay it all before Him, and He will respond.

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

COME AS YOU ARE.

Friend, are you brave enough to to come to God just the way you are? Are you brave enough to take that first step towards God? Trust me , you will not regret it! If you want to find out more on being in a personal relationship with God and would love to know more about Him, then may I encourage you to click on the banner below.

THE LIES WE TELL

Cassan Ferguson
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THE LIES WE TELL

Some days it’s hard to tell the truth from the lies anymore, especially when we believe the lies that we tell. I’m talking about those sneaky deceptive lies that creep into our hearts, and finds its roots, and bears unhealthy fruit in our lives.

DECEPTIVE LIES

Those sneaky lies that we believe:

  • You aren’t good enough.
  • You aren’t talented enough.
  • There is someone who can do it better than you.
  • You aren’t worthy of love.
  • You will fail.
  • Dreaming and wanting more good things for your life is not an option.

Those sneaky lies may look similar to the above list or maybe your lies look a bit different. However, these lies start to root itself in our hearts and we then act and behave in a way that was motivated by those lies! Sometimes, we don’t even realize that we act and behave in a certain way because of the lies we have told ourselves over the years. It becomes apart of us, it becomes our norm, we are so blinded by the lies that we can’t see the truth anymore.

These lies that we believe about ourselves end up stealing our joy, and they will stop us from living a life that is full of joy and passion!

KILL THOSE LIES

  1. Understand where the lies come from – The truth is that the enemy will have us believe that we are small and very pathetic, he loves feeding our insecurities to a point where we feel weak and defeated. Recognize when those insecure thoughts and feelings come about, and do not entertain them!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10

2. Be transformed by the love of God – When we allow God into our hearts, and we come to know and understand His perfect love for us. We start believing Gods word and promises to be true for us , it then starts to change the way we think to the way we behave. We start to dream in Him, we become more confident, we become free from the lies.

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.
Romans 12:2

Allow Gods love, and truth to unravel those lies that you battle with. Why not start today by clicking on the link below and finding out how to connect with God more intimately and personally.

Numbing The Pain

Cassan Ferguson
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Numbing The Pain

I know that for some, this year has been a very challenging year. It has been a year filled with world devastation, illness, personal struggles, loss of family members, heartbreak, to work stress. Most of my friends and family members, to acquaintances, to world events all seem to resonate a similar feeling to that of an unbearable weight to carry. It feels almost as if some of us are stuck in the middle of a storm, and we don’t know how to navigate and find our way through it all, to find the peace in the middle of the storm.

IN THE MIDST OF A STORM

It’s hard to see the silver lining in things, when we are in the midst of a storm, when we are so caught up in a trial. How do we look up, and gain perspective, and find peace when we do not know where to even begin? Have you ever felt that the weight of what you carry is too much; it’s too heavy, and it’s all consuming? Wave after wave we feel it crash over us, pulling us in deeper, further away from the shore.

Sometimes when life itself seems unbearable we tend to turn to the wrong things. We tend to turn to things that may distract us, that may make us forget temporarily, that may numb the pain for a little while. We can numb the pain in various ways; from drinking to going out all the time, to getting lost in watching series, to emotional eating, to remaining “busy” as a means of distracting us from what is really going on inside of us, the storm still wages war within our hearts!

This temporary numbing of the pain, may distract us for a moment. However, if we are not seeing to that area or looking after ourselves, that pain will build and it will never truly heal, causing us to live in a dysfunctional manner, in a way that will not only steal from us, but from those around us!

WHEN OCEANS RISE

When the storms of life rage on, we should remember:

God calls us to be brave.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

He calls us to stand still amongst the chaos. Sometimes just standing requires courage and faith, and by doing so we start to rise up and face the chaos head on! 

With Him at our side we can do all things, we can conquer all hurt, all pain, all disappointments! We can overcome! We do not need to do it alone, we do not need to suffer in silence! He is with us!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not flow over you.”
Isaiah 43:2

We can confess to him, we can reach out to him and call on Him, and He WILL respond to our cries! All we need to do is come to a place of complete surrender, we need to be honest with ourselves, and with God, and lay it all before Him.

“He stopped the storm, and the waves of the sea became quiet.”
Psalm 107:29

My friend, do not let the weight of what you carry burden you no more! Your best days are ahead, be brave and trust in the one who saves, in the one who loves relentlessly!

“Let go my soul, and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name” – Bethel Music

What do you do that distracts from the reality of what you are going through? What do you turn to fill void, or to numb the pain? Maybe it’s time to address the issue, to face our storm, and find solace in the one who saves!

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