What’s going on in your world doesn’t always match what God says about you in His word. This contradiction can lead to overwhelming feelings of sorrow while leaving you deeply discouraged and seemingly without hope. But the Lord is sending you this word to remind you that you can trust His promises—yes, even in the face of your most intense problems—knowing that His faithfulness

 ***

Yesterday my husband Kenya called me on his way to a meeting. He told me he was running behind schedule because police officers had stopped all traffic on the expressway.

The reason for the stoppage was a man standing on an overpass on the verge of suicide. Officers and first responders on the scene stood by hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. It appeared that the distressed young man would jump.

Thank God, he didn’t.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and instances like this remind us to pray and care for each other. Sometimes people are hurting in ways we can’t imagine and are desperately in need of help, love and support. As one who personally battles mental health issues since sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in 2019, I know how it feels to be severely depressed with suicidal thoughts running through my head.

“You’d be better off dead,” my brain tells me. “You have no value and are a waste of space,” my confused emotions say, as images of how to take my own life flash before me. When this happens, my therapist calls it suicidal ideation, and the mental anguish is indescribable. It feels impossible to cope.

Bestie, mental and emotional pain is so raw and potent that I know I wouldn’t be here without God’s unending grace, fervent prayer, an amazing support system, an awesome faith community full of intercessors, a wonderful therapist, Prozac, a crisis plan for the days when it gets overwhelming, and the power of the Holy Ghost. I need all those things to help me get through!

Mental health issues are real, and it takes work to overcome them.

Before my stint in the ICU, where back-to-back seizures over the course of four days irreversibly damaged some of my brain cells, I had no ongoing mental health struggles. Of course, I knew what it felt like to be down, anxious, discouraged, and worried when life got hectic. You know, the usual stuff that comes with being a human being and tackling everyday struggles we all face. But I was unfamiliar with the deep despair that isn’t tied to any specific problems. It can be a beautiful day with everything going right, and I will still find myself pulled down into a dark pit feeling all alone.

While I know that God is always there, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder have a way of making me feel alone.

 ***

Why am I opening up like this?

Because I know I’m not the only one, and someone needs to know you are not alone. Even if the cause of your mental health issues is different from mine, the effect is the same. You are in agonizing pain some days and don’t know how you’ll make it through.

But you will, just as I will, because the Lord will perform every word He has spoken over your life and mine. He has pronounced blessings and favor over you. He still has work for you to do. Furthermore, His will shall be accomplished.

Who is this word for?

That’s why you must remember that feelings, however strong they may be, are not facts. God’s word is true, but everything that comes against it is a lie.

When life gets hectic and you feel like you cannot endure, declare this over yourself: “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done” (Psalm 118:17 NIV).

And it will happen because God said it.  Listen, I’m not giving you this hopeful message simply because I’m having a great mental health day. Granted, I feel amazing at this moment. But even when I don’t, that doesn’t stop me from declaring the word of God and standing on it. Don’t let hard times stop you either.

“If God said it, I believe it, and that settles it” is one of my dad’s favorite sayings. He taught me at an early age not to let my faith be deterred by what I see or feel but emboldened by what I believe and know in my spirit.

If God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.

I live my life by this mantra which has served me well in times of turmoil, pain and hardship. When I find myself in situations where it appears that it is all over for me, I cling tightly to the word of the Lord and confess it over my life. And my testimony is that God has never failed me yet. He can be trusted to keep every promise.

Believe His word.

By believing the word of the Lord, I have gotten out of my sick bed and refused death’s invitation to vacate this world. By faith I have seen the morbid predictions of specialists fail, as the word of God prospers. I have witnessed God reverse the negative reports of doctors who made definitive declarations over my life that made it seem like there was no way I’d make it out alive.

Here’s what I have learned over the years. Unlike people, who make declarations and predictions that fall flat, God never fails to fulfill what He says.

Never.

Ever.

 ***

Folks will swear up and down that something will happen or that they’re going to do something and nothing comes of it. But when God swears or makes an oath, it is as good as done.

The Lord said in Isaiah 45:23, “By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked.”

In contrast, Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 5:36, “Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.” Otherwise stated, man can make no guarantees, for there is no power in his words. On the flip side, when the Lord makes a covenant, He has power to execute it.

Hebrews 6:13-14 tells us, “When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you…”

The Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12 encapsulates God’s promise to bless Abraham and all his descendants—and God said this before Abraham even had an heir. God declared fruitfulness over him during a season of barrenness, when he had no seed to carry on his bloodline.

That’s just like God, isn’t it?

God will speak over your posterity before you even have produced an heir. He’ll speak prosperity when you’re impoverished. Healing when you’re sick. Opportunities when you’ve been ousted. Deliverance when you’re desperate. Favor when you’re frustrated. Restoration when you’re ruined. Victory when you’re vanquished. Strength when you’re weak.

You see friend, in the Kingdom, circumstances don’t control outcomes. God’s word transforms outcomes. Have you forgotten that we serve a God who speaks things that are not as though they were—and then they manifest simply because He said so (Romans 4:17)? We serve the creator and maker of the whole universe.

Job 9:7-10 says:

“He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”

That’s the God you and I serve. So, don’t ever get it twisted. It did not matter that Abraham and Sarah’s circumstances contradicted what God predicted. God planted the seed of His word, Abraham watered that seed with faith, and it produced fruit. Just as God said, in their old age—a season that should have been barren— Abraham and Sarah gave birth to the promised child, Isaac (Genesis 21).

God controls the times and seasons. Not your biological clock. Not your network or your net worth. Not your hustle or your grind. Not your connections or education. It is God who is in control. It is His word that shapes worlds.

And His word says that His covenant promise to bless the descendants of Abraham includes you and me. Don’t take my word for it. Galatians 3:29 says, “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.” That means, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Therefore, we reap the rewards of royalty, since we have received salvation by faith in Christ. We have been adopted into the family of God and have been set up to inherit all the favor and benefits reserved for the sons and daughters of God.

The same God who swore to bless Abraham in Genesis swears to shower you with blessings. The same God swears to heal you of all your diseases. To provide for you. To deliver you out of every affliction. To perform miracles for you. To see to it that goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. To guide you safely from your valley of deep despair to your mountaintop of great joy.

If He swore it, then look for it. It has to happen. Believe His word! Oh, I feel like preaching today.

As Isaiah 40:8 ESV declares—which is the sweetener I’m stirring into your cup of inspiration—"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, remind yourself that because the word of God stands forever, you can forever stand on the word of God. I don’t care what your life, your emotions, and your struggles say right now. God has the final say, and He says, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV).

Believe His word.

Now pray this prayer with me.

God, life gets hard sometimes. My feelings often contradict Your promises. But thank You for reminding me that despite how I feel, I can trust Your promises. I can stand firm upon Your word which sustains me, strengthens me, and empowers me to go through. As I receive and believe this word today, thank You for confirming for me that great things are in store for me and that You will honor my faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!