Anxiety | Laurie Coombs

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Do You Believe God?

Posted on: October 22nd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs

Peter, one of Jesus’ apostles, walked on water––though it was only for a little while. Peter had faith. Enough faith, in fact, to believe Jesus would enable him to do the impossible. Yet, Peter’s great faith wained quickly. “He saw the wind” we’re told, and fear trumped faith as he began to sink (Matthew 14:30). Peter cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me” (14:30). And Jesus did, “saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (14:31). Why did you doubt? Peter is known for quick bursts of great faith that would often slowly dissipate into doubt. And I wonder, how many of us are just like Peter? Just as the apostles cried out to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” so too, we should cry (Luke 17:5). We need great faith––a resurgence of faith. Every one of us. We need, quite simply, to BELIEVE GOD. We need to believe that He is, in fact, who…

Go

Posted on: October 15th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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My girls are off this week for fall break, so I’m taking the time to be with them. Today’s post has been recycled, so to speak, but it’s still new to this site. I originally wrote it back in 2012 to be a guest post for a friend. I hope you enjoy it! And I’ll be back next week with all new posts. My daughter, Avery, busied herself in our home office while I was getting things done around the house. She was four, at the time, and she had no idea I was wrestling with God. As I worked, my mind was flooded with thoughts, inundated with worry. Avery came running into the kitchen where I was cleaning counter tops. “Mommy, Mommy!” She cried, with excitement. “I have something for you! Here!” I bent down and took the little card my sweet child made for me. Not expecting the message I…

Receive Your Crown

Posted on: September 19th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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For weeks, thick smoke drifted hundreds of miles from the fire in Yosemite to our home in Reno. Ash fell from the sky in a delicate dance much like that of a snowflake, yet in itself was the antithesis of snow. Dirty flakes, remnants of life now dead filled our air. Smoke blocked the Sierra Nevadas from view and, at times, was so thick one could not see to the end of the street clearly. It became oppressive. There was a heaviness to the air I have not experienced before, and everyone was feeling it. “Oh, this smoke,” people would say in exasperation as they mulled about their day. Windows remained shut, and we remained indoors to prevent breathing unnecessary amounts of dirty air. After a while, however, the smoke began to lift. Despite its continued presence, God brought us some of the most beautiful sunsets. “Beauty for ashes,” I whispered…

{Lessons Learned} “Strike That from the Record”

Posted on: September 12th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments

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Last week, I began writing my book again. It’s been a little while since I last looked at my manuscript, and to be honest, it needed a lot of work. I’ve known this for quite sometime, and at the request of my agent, I began working with a professional editor to reorganize and make the necessary adjustments needed to bring the manuscript up to publishing standards. Once this is done, it will be pitched to Christian publishing houses, so over the next few months I can certainly use some prayers for my book to find its home so that my story can reach the masses. I bring all this up to tell you where my head has been lately. I’ve been immersed in the story God entrusted me to tell once again, and what’s emerged is a new sense of one of my story’s main themes which is that God’s…

{Lessons Learned} Sometimes You Need to Do It Scared

Posted on: August 15th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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“Have I not commanded you? 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 “Follow peace,” I was told. It sounds like good advice. It’s a nice sentiment, and it certainly sounds spiritual. But I’ve learned that, sometimes, peace doesn’t show up until later. Sometimes you need to do it scared. [Tweet that] And boy, was I scared. I had just contacted a murderer––one that had spent close to a decade in prison at that point––and I had anything but peace in my heart. Perhaps he’s really good at conning people, I thought. What if he deceives me? What if I’m led astray? Fears flooded my mind. But I knew what I heard. I knew what God was calling me to do. This was God’s will and Jesus’ direction. I was sure of that. I prayed for a word from God to ease my mind and was given Psalm 23….

{Lessons Learned} Do You See As You Ought?

Posted on: June 25th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

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I was a wreck. “I’ve spent my entire life trying to achieve and set goals for myself,” I told my husband, Travis, “and I’ve hinged all happiness on the achievement of those goals only to continuously fall short of true happiness. It’s like there’s this emptiness inside, but I don’t know how to make it go away!” I felt empty, defeated, depressed, and anxious. And I had no answers. It was a very dark place. Over and over I kept saying, I just want to feel peace. I just want peace. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t save myself. [Tweet that] Blind and Paralyzed Then, I had a dream. I dreamt I became blind and paralyzed. And when I awoke I was perplexed and greatly disturbed. I didn’t know what it meant. Perhaps it means nothing, I tried to convince myself. But still, I couldn’t shake it. Yet, it wasn’t…

{Lessons Learned} I Am Not a Victim

Posted on: June 18th, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 9 Comments

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I never intended to be a victim. Shortly after my dad was murdered, my family and I were referred to the victim services department at the courthouse. It was the first time we were called victims. But honestly, I didn’t consider myself to be the victim. My dad was the victim. But somehow, I think the victim thing crept in, and my dad’s death became the defining moment of my life. I didn’t want to be defined by this tragedy, but I was. I became the girl whose dad was murdered. I hated being this person. I hated being a murder victim’s daughter, but as far as I saw it, it’s who I was. I couldn’t escape it. I guess I am a victim, I finally concluded. At this time in my life, I was very much in the world. I didn’t know God, and I certainly wasn’t following Jesus yet….

{Lessons Learned} Healing Comes With Greater Understanding

Posted on: March 23rd, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 5 Comments

In this brief video, I speak about how Jesus led me toward emotional healing from my past. Healing only came once I surrendered myself completely to Jesus and allowed Him complete access to my pain. Be sure to watch to hear about how Jesus brought me greater understanding which led to healing. Healing Comes With Greater Understanding from Laurie Coombs on Vimeo. {Greater understanding of the situations in our past can lead us toward healing.} Question: Has Jesus healed you emotionally from your past? What was your experience? Share in the comments.

{Lessons Learned} Jesus Accomplishes the Impossible

Posted on: January 31st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27 When we follow Jesus, He accomplishes the impossible. [Tweet that] Lord, I pray for Anthony. Help him. Have your will be done in his life, and please, Lord, if he is truly a Christian let him be used by you in prison to turn lives around for your glory. Let him gather your people to you in prison! Lord, help him truly submit to you and your will and help him to be a true strong believer who turns from evil to your light. – My prayer journal, May 2010 I prayed this prayer often as I began correspondence with Anthony, the man who murdered my dad. I prayed for Anthony to come to true repentance. For him to be brought to his knees and to transform him into a strong man of God who gained…

{Lessons Learned} How to Let Go of Control

Posted on: January 21st, 2013 by Laurie Coombs 3 Comments

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…all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. – Colossians 1:16b-17 Ultimately, we’re not the ones in control. God is. For most Christians, it’s easy to trust that God is in control of our lives when all is going well. The difficulty comes when the heat is turned up. When we’re struggling to see the outcome. When we’re scared things might not turn out the way we’d like. It seems the moment we sense our jobs, our health, our finances, or any other area of our lives might be failing we grasp hold of any and all control we can, not realizing that this response is futile. Control is an illusion. Sure, we have a responsibility to do what we can and to be good stewards of the gifts we’ve been given, but the outcome is, ultimately, not in…