“This is what it comes down to: Do we trust Him?”

I love that quote from today’s conversation.

Have you experienced worry, anxiety, or fear in this last year? Are those things taking up entirely too much space in your heart? For most of us, the uncertainty around so many things has only fed our anxiety and fears more.

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6 to not be anxious about anything, but how do we really do that? Is it truly possible to calm our anxious hearts?

My friend, Julie Gillies, has had her own experiences with anxiety. By the age of 17, she was on her own and had dropped out of high school to earn a living. At the age of 21, she was a divorced, single mom working two jobs to provide for her son. But in all of the uncertainty in her life, God worked it together to bring her to a place of healing and wholeness. Julie is passionate about helping people know God, know Scripture, and know how to pray, and she’s the author of three books including Prayers to Calm Your Anxious Heart.

In this episode, Julie openly shares about the importance of knowing Scripture if we want to truly know God, common origins of anxiety, what it looks like to pray and trust God with the results, why it’s okay to pray for ourselves, and so much more. I absolutely believe this will encourage your heart today!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Julie’s Website
• Prayers to Calm Your Anxious Heart book by Julie Gillies
• Free Resources from Julie (The form for “5 Days of Heart-Calming Prayers” is on this page in the right-hand side bar!)
• Connect with Julie on Facebook!
• Soul Transforming Prayers with Julie on Facebook
• As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks!

My Key Takeaways:

1) Is your anxiety or fear coming from a lack of control? Most of us are blessed to live somewhere that we have an excess of most things. Last year may have been the first time we had to confront the feeling of a lack of control. Seeing empty shelves at the grocery store was unsettling. Having an incomplete shopping trip left us bewildered because what we needed just wasn’t there. Then we have to navigate how to personally respond when we saw others frantically buying essential items. Lack of control can feel frightening, but it’s in those moments that it’s crucial to remember Who really is in control.

2) We can bring our fears and worries to God. Every single one. It’s easy to feel alone in whatever our circumstances may be and at times it may even feel like God isn’t around. But I’m here to tell you that God is right there with you. You don’t have to be afraid to talk with Him about your fears, worries, and burdens. When we feel afraid or worried, it’s easy to start to believe things that are untrue about God, our circumstances, and who we are. Rather than letting our thoughts run away with us, we need to pause and talk about what we are feeling with our God. He wants to hear from you.

3) Take the time to pray for yourself first. Does it feel weird to pray for yourself? Does it even feel a little selfish? Well…what if you were reminded that even Jesus prayed for Himself? Just like when you are on a plane and they tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, it’s also spiritually crucial to pray for yourself as you’re navigating your own challenging circumstances!

About Julie:

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