So, I have gone off the beaten path a little with my last few posts. My blog is about my journey through anxiety and depression. But sometimes it is definately hard to share my personal struggles. But I want to be real with you all! Today I will share with you the struggle that I have of being consumed with the wrong things. Things that sure don’t help me with anxiety and depression.

So, time to get back on track and be real with ya’ll my friends!

What are you consumed with these days? What occupies most of your time? What excites or angers you? What brings you joy?

For me what brings me joy is my relationship with Jesus and the fact that He gives me a peace like no person can give. I find joy in reading His word, worshiping Him, and spending time with Him in prayer. Just me and Him! I love that time! I also find joy in spending time with my husband and boys. I’m so blessed beyond what I deserve.

Ok, so that was the super easy part! Those things all sound so good and make me look good, right? lol. They are true things about me but is that all I am consumed with? Nope!! I’m afraid not.

Transparency Time!

Truth be told is I get consumed with scrolling facebook and instagram over and over with “the phone look” we all have with our squinty eyes and sober face. I sometimes go cross eyed looking at my dumb phone! I get consumed with the discussions and arguments about Covid, politics, vaccines, and whatever else comes up next. I get upset with people who don’t believe like I do. I get bad thoughts in my head about them. The talk of all that is going on in this world and the arguments can dominate conversations I’m a part of. Even if I’m just discussing things with people who feel the way I do…it becomes consuming. And before I know it gets in my spirit sneakily and I am depressed and hopeless about the shape this world is in. I feel the anxiety rise in my chest.

I don’t want to be this way! But I believe the enemy uses these things in my life to distract me and get my focus off of Jesus and what really matters….my relationship with Jesus, my family, my relationship with people, and leading people to Jesus. This is what I want to be consumed with. But, oh the struggle, oh the drawing to social media and the news and the conversations. And even the desire to argue and prove my point. I’ve typed out posts all frustrated and frazzled and sometimes mad…and then God says…really Carrie?…and I drop my head and say… I know God, here I go again and I’m sorry God. And then I go back and delete it all…. Can I get a witness??

Here is a quick little test. A test I take with myself quite often because unfortunately I have fallen into this same boat of social media addiction before. Too many times than I care to admit. Especially in the year of 2020 and 2021.

How do you feel when you worship, pray and spend time in the Bible? Do you smile, feel lighter, refreshed by God’s presence, or even cry as you are touched by the Holy Spirit? Do you ever walk away regretting it? OR….. do you have what I referred to earlier…”the phone look”? Does your mind get full of confusion and frustration after looking at some of social media? Not all of it, but some? Some is enough. Are you are consumed by conversations where you disagree with someone whether out loud or silently?

I don’t know about you but the way I feel when spending time with Jesus is way better than all of the other stuff.

Take that little test often and remind yourself of how you feel after each thing. The enemy wants this world to consume you. God wants His promises and who He is to consume you. We can’t escape what is happening in this world. We can’t avoid every bit of news and conversation. We can’t just act like it’s not all happening because it is. And is it is even biblical. We don’t have to even get off of social media because it can be used as a platform to witness. However if it is consuming you you might want to think about it. At least take a break. But that is a choice you have to make for yourself.

This world needs Jesus….people are lost, afraid, confused, and hopeless. As Christians with the knowledge we have of a personal relationship with Jesus, are we helping those who aren’t saved by being consumed with other things? Or should we be on our knees in prayer or out witnessing or just being kind and caring to those we meet and work with so they see Jesus in us?

Let’s try and spend more time researching the Bible than articles. How much time do we spend doing all of this research instead of just trusting God to guide our choices as we seek His will in prayer? I say all these things humbly because I’m guilty of focusing on the wrong things myself. Not pointing any fingers.

Should we be educated? 100 percent YES! But if the research is more consuming than the prayer and the word, then things are out of balance. And only God has and knows all of the answers. And if you ask Him to, He will guide you in what is best for you and your family.

And if you ask Him to guide others and their choices and to reveal truth to them, He will. And they will do what is best for their families.

I said this in one of my posts on Instagram, but I will say it here too. It’s one of my favorites that my counselor likes to tell me when I try to save the world.lol.

Give God His job back.

He’s got it all! We are just called to be led by Him in all we say and do. We are called to stand up for Him and share our faith but He ultimately has it all. Every bit of it.

Just as the song says that you have heard since you were little…”He’s go the whole world in His hands.” Maybe there is a reason you sing it 4 times before getting to the next verse. Maybe it is to reaffirm that He indeed has the whole wide world in His hands. And then the song goes on to the sisters, brothers, mommies, daddies, baby’s, fill in the blank. This song may be for kids but look at the truth in it! He has the whole wide world and all of us IN HIS HANDS. So be consumed with the knowledge and the peace that God’s got it all and be consumed with drawing closer to Him and further from the things in this world and the strife, division and chaos that the enemy is trying to use to distract us.

Let is strive to be consumed with Jesus.

Romans 12:2- Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s perfect will is-what is good and pleasing and mature.