Anxiety: Grounding Exercises
Grounding Exercises
What is true…
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
Philippians 4:8-9
It’s time to put these instructions into practice. Now that we have surrendered to our Father in prayer (see post on Prayer for Anxiety), we leave our worries at His feet and shift our minds to things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy.
As we do this exercise, I want you to challenge any negative thoughts with this question, “Who told you that?” Anything that doesn’t align with the Word of God or anything that tries to put you down is likely from the enemy. The question, “Who told you that?” was the second question asked in the entire Bible. It was asked by God, and He was questioning Adam after Satan came and tempted him. When we start asking this question, it’s likely to reveal the evil culprit behind the lies.
Now let’s get to work!
As we do this exercise, I want you to challenge any negative thoughts with this question, “Who told you that?” Anything that doesn’t align with the Word of God or anything that tries to put you down is likely from the enemy. The question, “Who told you that?” was the second question asked in the entire Bible. It was asked by God, and He was questioning Adam after Satan came and tempted him. When we start asking this question, it’s likely to reveal the evil culprit behind the lies.
Now let’s get to work!
...think about such things.
Whatever is true
I am wonderful!
Think of what it looks like for God to make you. Envision him molding you and taking his time to craft who you are. What color did He choose for your hair and your eyes? How tall did He make you? What pitch and tone did He use for your voice?
... I am fearfully and wonderfully made… (Psalm 139:14 NIV)
I am a princess!
Envision yourself sitting on a royal throne. What are you wearing? What does your crown look like? Who is attending to your needs? Look next to you. Do you see Jesus? Look next to Jesus. See the bright light of God the Father and the bottom of his long robe. How do you feel sitting on that throne, next to the most powerful people EVER? Look at Jesus and God the Father as they look down on all of the angels, people, animals, nature, etc. that they created.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. (Romans 8:15-17 NLT)
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6 NIV)
The enemy is out to get me…
While still seated upon your throne, next to Jesus and God the Father, look down to earth. Watch satan as he walks around, trying to aggravate people. Now look around you. As you sit in your palace, on your throne, visualize the army of God’s angels around you. Look at the warriors that have been assigned to protect you. How do you feel?
Stay Alert! Watch out for your great enemy the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 CSB)
I don’t have to be afraid of satan because the Lord is with me!
Now envision receiving a letter from satan, threatening you. Telling you, you aren’t worth anything. Saying that you’re not enough and that you can’t do anything. Feel the Holy Spirit behind you as He reads the letter with you. Now lean over and show Jesus (who is sitting next to you on his throne) the letter. Watch him read the letter and then pass it on to God the Father, who is sitting next to Jesus on His throne. Watch God as He summons his commanding officer of his army. Look at his mouth moving as he give orders for his army to go against satan. Hear the loud horn being blown. Watch a flock of warriors fly into formation and set out against satan. Do you see the battle? Do you see the victory? As you watch from your throne, how do you feel? Do you think God is scared? Is Jesus scared? I don’t think so. And you shouldn’t be either.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT)
God has good plans for me!
Now hear God’s voice as He says, “_______________ (your name), my daughter.” Listen as He tells you where He wants you to go and what He wants you to do. Look to where Jesus points as He shows you the road that you are to take. Watch all of the angels as they prepare your horse and all the things you will need for the journey. Take note of all the angels who are assigned to travel with you. Now saddle your horse, and make your way down the path with your support team and all of your supplies. Feel the hand of the Holy Spirit on your back as He travels with you. Feel the power and strength of God the Father and Jesus your Savior enveloped in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Set out to do what the Lord has asked you to do.
“For I know the plans for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)
In summary, God has meticulously handcrafted you, making you wonderful. We are princes and princesses since we are children of the Almighty King. We have been given His spirit of courageous rulers, not fearful slaves. Yet, all nations have an enemy. Our enemy is satan who roams around the earth creating havoc for us. This is why we will endure suffering every now and then. But it’s okay. Because our Abba Father will go ahead of us to fight the enemy for us. We don’t have to fear the enemy or his demon friends. The Lord won’t fail us or abandon us. Our Father has plans for us, and these plans are good. And He is a God who doesn’t fail.
Write down 3 truths about yourself.
Think of what it looks like for God to make you. Envision him molding you and taking his time to craft who you are. What color did He choose for your hair and your eyes? How tall did He make you? What pitch and tone did He use for your voice?
... I am fearfully and wonderfully made… (Psalm 139:14 NIV)
I am a princess!
Envision yourself sitting on a royal throne. What are you wearing? What does your crown look like? Who is attending to your needs? Look next to you. Do you see Jesus? Look next to Jesus. See the bright light of God the Father and the bottom of his long robe. How do you feel sitting on that throne, next to the most powerful people EVER? Look at Jesus and God the Father as they look down on all of the angels, people, animals, nature, etc. that they created.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. (Romans 8:15-17 NLT)
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6 NIV)
The enemy is out to get me…
While still seated upon your throne, next to Jesus and God the Father, look down to earth. Watch satan as he walks around, trying to aggravate people. Now look around you. As you sit in your palace, on your throne, visualize the army of God’s angels around you. Look at the warriors that have been assigned to protect you. How do you feel?
Stay Alert! Watch out for your great enemy the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 CSB)
I don’t have to be afraid of satan because the Lord is with me!
Now envision receiving a letter from satan, threatening you. Telling you, you aren’t worth anything. Saying that you’re not enough and that you can’t do anything. Feel the Holy Spirit behind you as He reads the letter with you. Now lean over and show Jesus (who is sitting next to you on his throne) the letter. Watch him read the letter and then pass it on to God the Father, who is sitting next to Jesus on His throne. Watch God as He summons his commanding officer of his army. Look at his mouth moving as he give orders for his army to go against satan. Hear the loud horn being blown. Watch a flock of warriors fly into formation and set out against satan. Do you see the battle? Do you see the victory? As you watch from your throne, how do you feel? Do you think God is scared? Is Jesus scared? I don’t think so. And you shouldn’t be either.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT)
God has good plans for me!
Now hear God’s voice as He says, “_______________ (your name), my daughter.” Listen as He tells you where He wants you to go and what He wants you to do. Look to where Jesus points as He shows you the road that you are to take. Watch all of the angels as they prepare your horse and all the things you will need for the journey. Take note of all the angels who are assigned to travel with you. Now saddle your horse, and make your way down the path with your support team and all of your supplies. Feel the hand of the Holy Spirit on your back as He travels with you. Feel the power and strength of God the Father and Jesus your Savior enveloped in the presence of the Holy Spirit. Set out to do what the Lord has asked you to do.
“For I know the plans for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)
In summary, God has meticulously handcrafted you, making you wonderful. We are princes and princesses since we are children of the Almighty King. We have been given His spirit of courageous rulers, not fearful slaves. Yet, all nations have an enemy. Our enemy is satan who roams around the earth creating havoc for us. This is why we will endure suffering every now and then. But it’s okay. Because our Abba Father will go ahead of us to fight the enemy for us. We don’t have to fear the enemy or his demon friends. The Lord won’t fail us or abandon us. Our Father has plans for us, and these plans are good. And He is a God who doesn’t fail.
Write down 3 truths about yourself.
- __________________________________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________________________________________
Stay on the Path
Princess of the most High God. Your God and Father is with you. He wants the best for you. He has given us a Bible full of instructions that help us stay on the path that Jesus pointed for you to travel. Every time you entertain sin and willingly do what is against what God wants you to do, you drift off the path. Even worse, you leave a heavenly angel behind with every bad decision you make. As you fall to sin, that powerful hand of the Holy Spirit begins to lift off of your back. You wander into a wilderness full of thorns that tear at your royal gown and scrape at your soft skin. Low hanging branches of the forest snatch off your crown. Your Father wants to be with you but He is too Holy to be in the presence of all that sin.
So as you embark on this journey of life. Know that you have a role to play too. One day you will live in the palace of the Lord and never have to leave. But for now, we have a job to do on this earth. However, our Father has given us everything we need for a successful journey. Yes, we may encounter road blocks or have to travel up mountains. But if you stay on the path, you can look behind you and ask the Holy Spirit to explain the meaning of the obstacle or to show you how to get through it. The key is to know who your Father is. To listen to hear what path you should take. To not fall to the temptation of sin when you embark on the journey. To do what God has told you to do.
Be encouraged Princess. Even if you walk off the directed path, you can always call for God to help you find the designated path for you. You may have some scratches and bruises, but once you return to your entourage, the servants of the Most High God will tend to your wounds. They will provide nourishment for your hungry, thirsty body. They will place a new royal robe on you. They will sit you back on your royal horse. Then, you can continue the journey. You may have delayed yourself and brought unnecessary pain into your life, but you can always get back on track. Play your part! Do your part well. Be obedient! Flee from sin. Let God fight satan. Keep your eyes on the righteous path.
Straighten your crown Princess. Feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s time to roll out!!
So as you embark on this journey of life. Know that you have a role to play too. One day you will live in the palace of the Lord and never have to leave. But for now, we have a job to do on this earth. However, our Father has given us everything we need for a successful journey. Yes, we may encounter road blocks or have to travel up mountains. But if you stay on the path, you can look behind you and ask the Holy Spirit to explain the meaning of the obstacle or to show you how to get through it. The key is to know who your Father is. To listen to hear what path you should take. To not fall to the temptation of sin when you embark on the journey. To do what God has told you to do.
Be encouraged Princess. Even if you walk off the directed path, you can always call for God to help you find the designated path for you. You may have some scratches and bruises, but once you return to your entourage, the servants of the Most High God will tend to your wounds. They will provide nourishment for your hungry, thirsty body. They will place a new royal robe on you. They will sit you back on your royal horse. Then, you can continue the journey. You may have delayed yourself and brought unnecessary pain into your life, but you can always get back on track. Play your part! Do your part well. Be obedient! Flee from sin. Let God fight satan. Keep your eyes on the righteous path.
Straighten your crown Princess. Feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s time to roll out!!
Posted in Mental health, Spiritual Health
Tagged with anxiety, postpartum, postpartum depression, mental health, spritual health
Tagged with anxiety, postpartum, postpartum depression, mental health, spritual health
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