I'm not sure if I'm responding to this the right way so bare with me if I didn't do this right. lol
Anyways, my kids are still pretty young, they're 5 and almost 7. I share custody with their dad. I would just like prayers concerning my mental health and my relationships with my family. Right now I feel like I'm being attacked very badly by the enemy and it's not going pretty well for me.. I've been praying and praying and rebuking the negative but it's attacking me pretty bad and the prayers don't seem to help.. I can start my day pretty well but then it's progressively gets worse. I'm not sure why. I'm actually coming back to God after having backslided again so it's not been too long.. I've also read all of the anxiety verses.. I get panic attacks too so that's a tough one..
I've lived in California my whole life.. Sacramento area and it sucks. lol Thanks for the welcome Dan.
Thank you for sharing your kids are at a wonderful age enjoy them well!
I will not venture a guess on any prognosis or diagnosis here. But suffice it to say, heaviness drains worship out of our life. Church is depressing unless you
learn to worship. I know that is a strange statement, but it is true. There is nothing worse than a Spirit filled Church that loses the garment of praise and picks up the spirit of heaviness. God desires our praise more than our mere Church attendance. That is not to say we should forsake assembling together as a corporate body. But our times together, just as our times alone, should be to glorify and praise our Awesome, Mighty God. Praise pushes back the enemy. We must remember that God owns all things and it is Satan who is stealing or trying to gain ground. If we remain in Jesus' restfulness we can stand against the enemy with authority always and it is not us but Christ in us that procures productivity in our victory here on earth.
One of my favorite examples of this is found in 2 Chronicles. King Jehoshaphat (I love saying that name Smile) is told, "a great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Haazon Tamar (which is En Gedi). And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast thru-out all Judah." (2 Chronicles 20:2-3).
Now, Jehoshaphat had just gotten the Kingdom of Judah in order. Things were going well. No sooner than they started enjoying that peace when they heard that an army - far larger than they could defeat on their own - was already on its way. Jehoshaphat could have died under that spirit of heaviness. The Scripture says that he "Feared," but he only paused a moment there. He immediately set himself and all the people of Judah to seek the Lord thru fasting and prayer. Then he took his place in the assembly of the people and began (volitionally) to praise - proclaiming who God was and all that God had done for them. He ended by saying, "We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." (vs.12). Then they waited.
How many times do we find ourselves saying that same thing: "I don't know what to do?" This problem is far too big for me to handle, and go on to ask for victory instead of gaining answers from victory? The answer isn't in defeating Satan, Jesus has already done that for us, it is in the fact we must put our eyes on God! The story continues: "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel ... a Levite of the sons of Asaph (I know these names kill me too), in the midst of the assembly." (vs.14). God told them that the battle was not theirs but His. He told them exactly where the enemy would be, but He said, "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!" Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them (so God does employ our will as well), for the Lord is with you." (vs.17).
I will pray for you absolutely, not to gain victory but to have God deliver it to and thru you as He does the fighting while you stand up under it! I don't know about you, but realizing that the Lord was going to destroy my enemies, (which, when in Christ, are God's enemies) would be reason enough to shout! And that is just what the people of Judah did. Young and old "stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high." The next day, they went early to the place the Lord had directed them.
Then Jehoshaphat addressed the people again, saying:
"Hear me, O Judah nd you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever." (2 Chronicles 20:20-21).
Now, notice what happened when they began to praise: "The Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seit, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated." It happened from victory but happened in real time because of it. And so too is your life in Christ.
There is power in corporate fasting and power in corporate praise! So, as you ask for prayer there is power in that indeed thru faith. It creates a river of cleansing in the house of God. I pray it is time to exchange ashes for beauty in His name, mourning to joy, and a garment of heaviness for garment of praise. May God richly bless you , and I have and will continue to pray for you!