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Archive for the ‘Anxiety’ Category

Posted on: December 20th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 2 Comments
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There is an account found in three out of the four gospels. It is the story of a woman who endured a discharge of blood for twelve years. One thing we must understand is that a condition such as this rendered the woman “unclean.” She would have been a lonely woman, devoid of touch or much companionship at all. Come with me for a moment and imagine…. You are this woman. You cannot touch others, and others cannot touch you. You’re outcasted. Desperate, you spend all your financial resources going to doctors. One after another. But they’re no help. Instead of seeing improvement, you only worsen. Can you relate to this woman in any way? Quite possibly, in some area of your life, you need help. You seek help––help that promises a solution to your problem––only to find yourself right where you began, or perhaps even behind a step or…

Posted on: October 30th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 4 Comments

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. – Psalm 3:5-6 I trust Jesus. Most of the time. But if I’m going to be honest, there are times when I’m doing everything else but trusting Jesus. Every once in a while I lay awake at night for hours, wondering why I can’t go back to sleep, when a thought hits me. Maybe Jesus woke me. Maybe He has something to say. When this happens, there are the times I simply pray and willingly say, “Speak, my Lord, I’m listening.” Yet, other times, I’m stuck with fear. What if Jesus is going to ask me to do something I don’t want to do? I anxiously ponder. I know I will do whatever He asks of me, yet at times, I fear what that might be. I know…

Posted on: September 25th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 13 Comments
Fear vs Faith

…for we walk by faith, not by sight. – 2 Corinthians 5:7 I knew that I could trust Jesus, but when called to love and forgive my enemy, I was scared. I didn’t know where this was going. I didn’t know how it would end. Yet, I knew that I had already allowed fear to motivate me far too long. When the anxiety first came, it hit hard. The once fearless, self-sufficient, social woman I knew crumbled and left in it’s place a scared little girl who had little energy to get out of bed each morning. Panic attacks would come out of no where, with no warning. It was all so irrational. The worst part was that I knew it was irrational, but I didn’t know how to conquer it. Fear had taken over and was my main motivator. But when I was saved, God gave me the grace to overcome my…

Posted on: September 21st, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 1 Comment

I was freaking out. There’s simply no other way to describe it. I just received that first letter from Anthony, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know if I should respond. I didn’t know how to respond. Again, I knew God was leading me down this path, but I didn’t know what to do next. I needed to know His will. I needed to know what He wanted me to do. I prayed. I spoke to my husband. I called one of my best friends, all of which helped, yet still, no clarity. Then, I called one of my pastors. “Bobby, I just got a letter from the man who murdered my dad. I don’t know what to do,” I said. I gave him some background as he listened on the other end. “I just want to do what God wants me to do, but I don’t know what…

Posted on: August 14th, 2012 by Laurie Coombs 18 Comments
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Nine years after my dad’s death, Jesus brought me to my knees. You would think that the murder itself would have gotten me there, but no. I’m pretty stubborn. Yet, God’s mercy and grace is certainly bigger than me and my resistance. During this time, Travis and I got married, and we had two beautiful, healthy little girls. I was truly blessed. Aside from the murder, I was living the life that I had always dreamed of. Travis and I were happy together, and we loved our girls. Yet, I was still without God. Though I was never at the point that I was able to say with absolute certainty that God is not real, I highly doubted his existence. And so, I was the highest authority in my own life.  I was the one in control. I was the one who defined what was right or wrong in the…