• Home
  • About
    • My Favorite Things
  • Speaking
    • Speaking Request Form
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • Shop
    • Freebies
  • Contact
  • Blog

Andrea Fortenberry

Keeping the Faith

March 11, 2016 By admin

11 Mar


  
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” 
Hebrews 10:23 NIV
Have you ever been in a season when your life’s circumstances are inviting you, actually requiring you, to live out what you say you believe? Sometimes we have to actually have faith and trust that God is going to work things out, even though we don’t know how.
I am in such a season right now, as a few different situations are happening over which I have very little, if any, control. As a type-A control freak, this is not a comfortable place for me to be! But I am reminding myself that I must trust the One who is ultimately in control. It’s through these times of testing our faith that we can and should draw closer to God as we wait for Him to heal, fix or work out whatever comes next.
Here are a few steps we can take to keep the faith as we wait:
Acknowledge Your Fear
If we look at the root cause of our anxiety, OCD or lack of faith, fear is often the culprit. It’s even the cause of the fall of man. When the serpent told Adam and Eve that God misled them about why they couldn’t eat from the tree of life, Adam and Eve had a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), so they partook. Fear can make us humans do ridiculous things!
When I look back over my life, I have numerous examples of how fear made me behave hastily and/or ridiculously. (Click here to read a post I wrote called “Oh My Baggage.”)
Now that I’m aware of what fear can make me do, I do my best to acknowledge it and move past it. I tell myself something like this: I am scared right now. I am fearful because I am not in control of something that is or potentially will affect my life. So I will trust in the One who is in control of all. I will not allow fear to steal my peace. No matter what happens, nothing can ever separate me from God’s love (Romans 8:38).
Battle Against Worry
If you’ve heard me speak before, you may have heard me say that I am a recovering worrier! I spent many years of my life worrying about so much, most of which never happened! I am so thankful that the Lord revealed to me all that my worrying robbed me of and that He’s helped me to battle against it.
There are a few ways that I do this:
1.      Memorize Scripture: When you memorize Scripture, you can use it to remind yourself of God’s truth when you need it. Here are a few of my favorites:
·        Philippians 4:6
·        Matthew 6:25-27
·        2 Timothy 1:7
·        1 Peter 5:7
2.      Pray: When I am worried, prayer helps me to process all that I’m feeling and thinking. It allows me to share my heart with the Lord and rely on Him for help. Through prayer, I’ve realized that it’s okay to be concerned about something, but not to be consumed by it. When I have a concern, I can talk to God about it and leave it in His hands. When I am worried, it’s as though I talk to God about it, but then continue to carry that huge weight around with me. I feel anxious and exhausted when I operate this way. So I try to pray and leave my concerns with Him instead of worrying.
3.      Recall Ways God Has Proven Faithful in the Past: I enjoy reading my old journals to remind me of how God has taken care of me and that He’s answered my prayers. (He doesn’t always answer them the way I hoped, but nevertheless He answers.) Seeing God at work in my past encourages me to trust Him with the future.
Live One Day at a Time
When I am facing a trial, I often live in the future by playing out all possible outcomes in my mind. I become so preoccupied with the future that I don’t live in the present. Anyone else?
I have this quote on the wall in my dining room: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not only does it remind me of the Lord ’s Prayer, but it also reminds me of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness in Exodus 16. The Lord took care of their physical needs on a daily basis: He provided manna from heaven as their food, but they could only collect enough to eat for that day.  (The only exception was the day before the Sabbath when they could collect two days’ worth). If they tried to store more, it would rot.
I believe God designed it this way to teach them daily dependence on Him. We American Christians have a hard time doing that because so many of our needs and wants are easily met because of modern conveniences or financial prosperity.
Through trials we can learn to depend on God for our daily needs, not only physical or financial, but also our spiritual needs like love, peace, encouragement, forgiveness or grace. When you’re struggling with living for tomorrow, remind yourself to ask the Lord for what you need for today.
I hope that you’ll use these helpful steps the next time you’re in a season that tests or stretches your faith.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: faith, God's encouragement

« The Fringe Hours
Good Friday »

Comments

  1. webhosting says

    August 10, 2020 at 1:49 am

    Pretty nice post. I simply stumbled upon your weblog and wished to mention that I’ve truly enjoyed surfing
    around your weblog posts. After all I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I’m hoping you write once more
    soon!

Meet Andrea


Hi! I’m Andrea Fortenberry. I write and speak on marriage, motherhood, friendship and faith. I love to help women seek and see God in their everyday life. Being a wife and mother of two gives me lots of material and teaches me oh so many things.

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Join Andrea

Search this site

Recent Instagram Posts

Would you like some encouragement and advice on ma Would you like some encouragement and advice on making time to be in God’s Word? 🙋🏻‍♀️

In the latest episode of the podcast, I chat with author and speaker, Brittany Ann. She is the owner of EquippingGodlyWomen.com, where she challenges, encourages, and  equips Christian women to be "all in" in faith and family. 

She is about to release a book called Fall in Love with God’s Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women on February 1st.

We talk about Brittany Ann's story of reading the Bible, five misconceptions we have when it comes to reading the Bible, how busy moms can make time in their busy schedule to be in God's Word, and more!

Do you have questions about reading the Bible? We’d love to answer them here. 👇🏼
Saturday I had a revelation: I do too much for my Saturday I had a revelation: I do too much for my kids sometimes.
 
I’ve tried really hard to empower them to do things I was afraid of as a kid. Because of that, my daughter is a great swimmer. I make my son, who is shy, go to the counter at a restaurant and ask for ketchup or extra napkins.
 
Despite these efforts, there are times when it’s easier for me to do things for them, but in doing so, I’ve made it harder for myself and them in the long run.
 
Saturday after my son’s football game, we went to Subway. I ate a late breakfast and didn’t want anything, so I sat down while my husband and the kids ordered. The kids quickly ran back over to me and said, “Can you order for us?”
 
Long story short, they didn’t know what I normally order them at Subway. “We don’t know what we like here,” they said. They are 12 and 9.
 
“WHAT? You don’t know what you like on your own sandwich?!?” I couldn’t believe it. 😦
 
I had a moment of clarity: my children need to learn what they like on their own sandwich! If I’m not there or something happens to me, I want them to feel equipped for Subway. For speaking up for themselves. For school. For their faith. For journeying with God.
 
Sometimes putting our kids and ourselves in uncomfortable situations is better than taking the easy route. We all grow through the discomfort.
 
My husband and I decided that we’re making another trip to Subway this week so that the kids can be empowered to know what they like and order it for themselves. I’ll report back! 😉
Just a reminder for your Tuesday that feels like a Just a reminder for your Tuesday that feels like a Monday: HOPE is a choice. It’s not a feeling. 

We get to choose our response to the problems of the world. Will we despair or will we HOPE in our God who holds all things together? Even though we may not be able to control and change the entire world, we can make choices to improve our corner of it. We can inspire and spread HOPE to the people God places in our lives. 

Today, I choose HOPE. 💗
Could you use some hope as we wind down this week? Could you use some hope as we wind down this week? 

This week’s episode of The Perfectionist’s Guide to Mothering is all about daring to hope. 

I’ve received several messages from listeners saying this is just what they needed or that this has been their favorite episode so far. 💗 

I’m truly honored to spend time with you during these episodes. You can listen via the link in my bio or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Put up my verse for this year on my letter board. Put up my verse for this year on my letter board. I was one white y short. 😆 

If you ever come to my house, you’d see that besides family photos, I don’t have artwork of landscapes, abstract patterns or florals hanging on the walls. But I have many signs and decor with words, Bible verses and phrases that are meaningful to me. (Swipe over for a peek.) It’s important to put Scripture and inspiring, life-giving messages where we can see them. I hope my kids soak them in and take them to heart as they grow.

What kind of artwork, Bible verses or phrases do you have up at your house?
This has been my morning routine for a while and i This has been my morning routine for a while and it has made such a difference in my mood and my outlook on the world. 

We may not be able to control what’s going on outside our homes, but we can control our routines and what we allow inside our hearts and minds. I know that I can’t handle news and social media first thing in the morning before I do these five things. Settling my heart, mind, and body puts me in a much better position to intake news or scroll the polarizing opinions and loud voices on social media. 

I’ve heard @lysaterkeurst say, “We must exchange whispers with God before shouts with the world.” She’s so right. 💯

Do you want an accountability partner to check on you as you commit to these five steps this month? Give me a 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏾‍♀️🙋🏽‍♀️🙋🏼‍♀️ below and I’ll follow up with you. ❤️
I’m a processor and I’m usually slow to post s I’m a processor and I’m usually slow to post something. Not because I don’t have anything to say, but because I prefer to wrestle with my feelings, write, pray, and/or talk with a close few. I think it’s the introvert in me. (And also the recovering perfectionist.)

While my heart has been heavy this week, I am also filled with HOPE. God knew that needed to be my word this year and I’m so thankful. 

A very sweet friend sent me this verse via text Wednesday morning, hours before the events at the Capitol. How poignant these words are to us right now!

I am daring to HOPE because I know God is still at work. I know He is Immanuel, God with us. He isn’t shocked by our world and our sinfulness. Yet, He still offers us fresh mercy, comfort, and salvation in Jesus, our living HOPE. 

May we place our HOPE in the God of HOPE because He is trustworthy and true.

Leave a ❤️ if you’ll join me in daring to hope.
For the last few years, I’ve picked a word to fo For the last few years, I’ve picked a word to focus on for the year. I pray and ask God what my word should be. 

Saturday I jotted down words on a list and prayed that God would help me figure it out. I was out shopping later that night and He reminded me of Romans 15:13. Then at church on Sunday, we sang a worship song about HOPE. I knew it was my word! 

Even though turning the calendar to 2021 didn’t change much in the world, I am hopeful that great things are still to come! And even when those moments come when I’m not so sure, I’m choosing to HOPE in the God of HOPE. 

Do you pick a word of the year? I’d love to hear it👇🏼.
Follow on Instagram

Copyright© 2021 Andrea Fortenberry