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I’m Haunted by Intrusive Thoughts
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

I’m Haunted by Intrusive Thoughts

Intrusive thoughts are far more prevalent than many of us realise. Perhaps you’re one of those people who struggles. And perhaps like me, these thoughts rattle you and your faith at times. What’s wrong with me? How can I, one redeemed by Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, experience these kinds of disturbing, violent, or sexual thoughts?

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With Trauma Came OCD, but Then Came Jesus
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

With Trauma Came OCD, but Then Came Jesus

I knew I had anxiety, but I couldn’t help but notice mine was different to what my friends would describe. While theirs seemed to be about a consistent worry or fear, mine changed when something more traumatic or worrying than the last thing reared its ugly head.

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4 Reminders When God Seems Silent in Our Suffering
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

4 Reminders When God Seems Silent in Our Suffering

What can we do to overcome the pain? How do we worship God in the storms of life? If thousands of innocent people suffer at the hands of a crazed killer or a sudden change in the earth’s atmosphere, why does God seem to remain silent?

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When My Friend Said He Loved Me
James Burke James Burke

When My Friend Said He Loved Me

The words were as unexpected as they were welcome. It’s not that I’d been dreaming about hearing them for days, weeks, or any particular amount of time. I knew I loved him, and was fairly sure he felt the same way, but hearing the words for the first time still caught me by surprise.

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Filling Our Bellies With the Bible: A Guide to Biblical Meditation
Stephen Unwin Stephen Unwin

Filling Our Bellies With the Bible: A Guide to Biblical Meditation

Many people associate meditation with the idea of ‘emptying our minds’, achieving a state of inner peace, or a focus on ourselves and not others. But biblical meditation is different. Biblical meditation is pondering the words of Scripture with a receptive heart, trusting the Holy Spirit to work in you through those words.

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My Bipolar Disorder and God, The Redeemer of My Story
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

My Bipolar Disorder and God, The Redeemer of My Story

After being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at 18 and descending into a deep depression, I felt like a shell of a person. I dropped out of college, stopped working out, had no job, and was quickly gaining weight. I was desperately grasping for a lifeline, something to calm the fire in my mind, something to live for.

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Learning to Love God in the Midst of Grief
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

Learning to Love God in the Midst of Grief

My friend passed away last week after suffering from a sudden and very unexpected stroke. When I heard the news, the only words I could muster were, “Why, God?” Here was a young woman in the prime of her life—a 29-year-old with an amazing intellect and dreams to transform the world. She had so much left to live for. Why did she have to die so young?

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What Not to Say to Someone Struggling With Mental Illness
Anxious Faith Anxious Faith

What Not to Say to Someone Struggling With Mental Illness

I’ve recently been trying to be more open about my bipolar disorder; I want to be a voice for those with mental illnesses within the church. It’s a scary endeavour, especially when there are so many misconceptions about the illness.

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My Healing From Depression Came Slowly
Ethan Toll Ethan Toll

My Healing From Depression Came Slowly

Depression came for me when I was 16. Not overnight, but over a period of months; a gradual descent into a darkness so deep that it consumed everything in my life. I withdrew from friends, and disconnected from church. The things I used to love doing took energy I didn’t have, and I stopped enjoying them.

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