The Key to Joy and Peace (Podcast)

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There are so many of us today who are struggling with this heaviness. It just weighs us down.

So many problems…so much pain

We fight it, and then we give in to it. We lose hope. We lose contentment. All that Christian contentment doesn’t feel like it’s real for some of us.

For those who are going through the problem of a heavy heart right now, I pray that you would feel the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the Word. Let it wash over you. Fuel you, salve your pain and comfort your fears. May it give you clarity in the midst of the chaos that’s in your mind.

Our mindsets affect us

For some of us, our perspective is causing us to struggle with a heavy heart. Our perspective is messed up, because, we get so focused on our problems, or on our past. We get so focused on our sin and on other people and what they’ve done to us that we miss Christ. As the writer to the Hebrews told us, to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith.

What promises do you turn to in your struggles?

Some of us struggle with the problem of a heavy heart and the perspective of a heavy heart. But what we need to hear are the precious promises for those that are heavy in heart.

  • God will never leave us and never forsake us
  • God is our light and salvation
  • God is worthy of our trust
  • God offers us precious promises for our fear
  • God forgives and justifies us in Christ
  • God is the lover of our souls and His love is never-ending
  • God is faithful in spite of our faithlessness
  • God is our peace

We need to hear them, not just as words on a page but as truths we can believe.

God’s prescriptions for your heavy heart

For the prescription for our souls, we need to fight for our joy. The Father is not just going to give it to us. We must fight for it. We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit, as well as His Word. The Lord has given us the church, but He has called us to fight. Paul said at the end of his life, “I fought the good fight. I finished the course. I’ve kept the faith.”

Message Outline

  • Problem of a Heavy Heart
  • Perspective of a Heavy Heart
  • Promises to a Heavy Heart
  • Prescriptions for a Heavy Heart.

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About James and Lessons for Life 

Are you longing to find answers to the deeper issues of life? Join Dr. James Long, Jr., a pastor, counselor, and university professor with over 25 years of experience. Hear James as he tackles some of life’s biggest questions and helps us find God’s solutions to life’s struggles. Learn the power of living by God’s grace and for His glory. Experience the joy of forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ alone. If you are on a search for freedom, you will love being part of this conversation.

Subscribe, and enjoy the show! 

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Simple fear journal

Fear dominates so many people today. When people struggle with fear, they find themselves struggling to think clearly. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Self-control could also be translated as a sound mind. It is a disciplined and self-controlled, and rightly prioritized mind. This simple journal will help you to write out your fears and biblically reframe your thinking and behaving to deal with your fears.

Gratitude journal

When was the last time someone said thank you to you? When was the last time you said thank you to someone else? So many people today struggle with a lack of thankfulness and ingratitude. This leads to struggles with complaining, criticizing, and comparing. Gratitude and thankfulness provide a powerful remedy for these problems. This gratitude journal helps us to identify what we should be grateful for and what we do as a result of seeing life as a gift.

God's grace prayer journal

Do you struggle with applying the truth that you learn during your study of God’s word? This God’s grace prayer journal will allow you to focus on gratitude and live in contentment in life. The journal pages encourage you to observe what you are learning from the Bible text, evaluate how you have failed to live according to the truths stated, seek forgiveness, and develop godly plans for change.

Giving hope

Do you struggle with the lack of hope? Do you find yourself struggling with doubt and insecurity during times of great challenge? During those times, you need to find your rest and assurance in pondering, personalizing, praying, and practicing what God’s Word says. In the short devotional, spend time meditating and studying each of these passages. Write down whatever comes to mind in the spaces below. And let God speak to you.

Discovering Godly patterns

One of the keys to growing in Christlikeness in our lives is to unearth and discover, and biblically evaluate our thinking patterns, speaking, and acting. This worksheet will help you be honest and specific about areas in your life that are not meeting biblical standards in thinking, speaking, and acting.

Counseling review journal

The God who began a good work in you will continue it through your lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face-to-face. God works for us, and God works in us. He enables us to become more like Christ every single day. This work is progressive and continual in this life. This worksheet helps us review and evaluate gains made during counseling and discipleship, show gratitude to God for what he has done, and develop plans for future growth and change.

Conflict review worksheet

There probably is not a day that goes by that we do not have some level of conflict with others. This worksheet helps us focus on the problem and not the person. It helps us evaluate how we have handled a dispute and how we should deal with it moving forward.

Bible study notes sheet

Do you ever struggle with doing a Bible study or journaling the key ideas from your reading? This Bible Study Note Sheet will encourage you to ponder and meditate on Scripture. Also, God’s Word is meant for you, so this worksheet will help you personalize what you are learning. It will also guide you in learning to pray God’s Word, and finally, it will encourage you to put into practice the principles and promises you find in reading the Word of God.

Anger journal

Anger is a significant issue for so many people. People often stuff or spew their anger, but very few learn to study their anger. This journal assignment will help you to do just that. It will help you understand, evaluate, and respond to your anger in better ways.

4 Steps to rethinking a problem

Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed with problems? Do you find yourself struggling with thinking clearly during a challenging situation? This four-step approach to rethinking a problem will help.

4P problem-solving approach worksheet

Problems can seem overwhelming. When we are in the midst of a significant crisis, many of us struggle with defining the problem and implementing helpful solutions. This worksheet helps us to identify three unbiblical and unproductive ways of handling problems. It also encourages us to destroy problems, not people, as we deal with issues in a biblical and God-honoring way.