Tag: mental health

Soulful Sunday

Soulful Sunday – Condemnation & Conviction- The Difference

Since we all live in flesh, that fact alone guarantees that each one of us will make decisions and do things contrary to the word of God. It’s just human nature and practically unavoidable at times.

As we grow spiritually, we do get stronger at avoiding the traps of temptation, but we all will still fall short periodically. During this process, others will judge our lives, question our salvation, and criticize our character. Unfortunately, this too comes with the territory and takes a daily spiritual fight to advance in our Christ-like positions.

As we journey, it’s critical to assure we are not handling the mistakes we will sometimes make using the wrong tactics and state-of-mind.

Sometimes, believers can confuse operating in condemnation vs. conviction. There are stark differences between the two that we must keep in the front of our minds.

When we condemn ourselves after making a mistake, we have issued a personal charge to an extended period of mental punishment, blame and rebuke. Condemnation is a tactic from the enemy to make us feel bad indefinitely, walk In unforgiveness towards ourselves and try to make us feel like we are no longer worthy of all that God has for us.

Conviction is rather a gentle “Check” in our spirits from The Lord to aid us in not finding comfort in behavior that doesn’t reflect His Character. We should never beat ourselves up at this nudge but rather take note and work at making corrections in our conduct so that we can continue to grow in Him.

Are you downcast today because of something you did or said to another?

Are you torturing yourself mentally and not feeling deserving of God’s love?

Are you allowing the slurs of others who witnessed what you did wrong to stop your hand and heart from praising our Savior?

Let me encourage you today to know that you’re not the only one! I know what occurred felt unfixable but that’s a lie from Hell and a way to keep you from the comfort of God’s arms. His grace and His mercy are still for you! Stop mentally bashing yourself with condemnation but rather accept the conviction and move on with God! He’s still and always will be for you! That settles it!

Until Next Time,

Happy Sunday

Soulful Sunday

Soulful Sunday – Tempted By Sight!

These last days that we live in have proven to be filled with difficult challenges, great disparity and corrupt with incredible immoralities. It is more critical now than ever for the believing heart to remain tied to The Savior.

He is the ONLY thing that remains consistent, unchanged, refreshing and true. Hope, peace, restoration, healing, abundance and so much more are a guarantee in Our Heavenly Father.

But because we live in flesh and face a spiritual enemy that lives to destroy our connection with God, we are sometimes tempted by the things we see.

I consider myself a strong woman of great faith. Yet, a few weeks ago I was challenged in an area that I allowed to affect me and I became tempted by my sight.

My 6 year old son suffered some symptoms that appeared asthmatic in nature. Neither I nor my husband recognized what he was going through initially. It started with a cough, runny nose and sneezing. Surly this was just a common cold for the whether swiftly changed from warm sunny days to brisk chilly mornings filled with dew in the air. The change was sudden and a bit of a shock for everyone.

Several days went by and my son’s symptoms remained. His cough continued and he told me “Mommy, I can’t do the big breath.” Yet I still didn’t get it and kept providing him treatment for a cold.

After a week, he developed a fever and seemed to be using his entire diaphragm to take simple breaths. His heart was racing uncontrollably and clearly he appeared distressed. That’s when I knew something was terribly wrong. As my husband and I took him to the emergency room, we remained for 5 hours and they could not get his symptoms under control. They admitted him to ICU and there he remained for nearly 2 days.

The enemy messing with my baby was overwhelming! To see him on a breathing machine with IVs in his little arm and not being able to feed or hold him affected me in a way nothing ever could. We watched numbers on him monitors rise and fall. Over 24 hours of unstable readings and no clarity on his condition I allowed my emotions to be toyed with.

My son shedding a river of tears due to being weary, hungry and scared were down right torturous to my very soul. I lingered by feeling absolutely helpless and would take his place if only I could.

There were periods throughout this 72 hour ordeal when my eyes indeed fell off my Savior. I was tempted by what my son was enduring and what I was seeing.

Our Heavenly Father commands us to keep our eyes on Him in every situation that we face. Any other action temps us to be ensnared by the enemy’s tactics. We will certainly begin to worry, doubt, become offended, say the wrong things and react with fear. These emotions are contrary to The Word of God.

The longer we keep our eyes on our circumstances, the longer it takes to be delivered from them all. No one purposely wants to prolong pain so the quicker we adjust our perspectives spiritually, we allow our Savior to go to work on our behalf.

I eventually recognized that the attack on my son was to get me questioning God’s power in my life. I shut him down by putting out a call to some warriors that I knew would stand in the gap with consistent prayer.

Within hours my son began to recover. He was discharged and returned to his normal self within days.

Are you facing a situation today that you keep looking at with your natural eye? If so quickly adjust your understanding and trust God! He is not taking too long neither is He ignoring your cry. This mentality is yet another trick of the enemy to keep you in emotional bondage with what you face.

Fight him by aligning back in faith quickly! You may not be able to do this alone so do what you must to regain your peace, your trust, your prosperity, your sanity and your future. This thing WILL turn around for your good when you no longer allow the enemy to tempt you by sight!

Until Next Time, Happy Sunday!

Soulful Sunday

Soulful Sunday – P.P.P.

This weekend, I had a wonderful opportunity to minister on a panel of three women at an annual empowerment conference. The theme of the event was entitled “Its Time To GIFT Yourself Away!”

As a believer, when that statement is pondered on alone, it’s nothing short of deeply powerful and thought provoking!

I was commissioned to facilitate the panel discussion that had an audience of nearly 150 attendees. It was also being audio recorded. I was simply honored to do this for a ministry that has completely changed my life. I give credit for my maturing experience spiritually to this platform fully equipped with a visionary and leader of great integrity!

As I prepared for the conference, I sought the Lord for instruction on what He would have me and the ladies share with the people. We had to elaborate on how each one of us have been able to step into and operate in “The Gifts” that God put in us.

I’ve been blessed over the past 3 years to identify my natural born gift as a writer. Then God filled my life with mentors who have pulled associated talents out of me that I didn’t know were there! Speaking, internet radio, television and becoming a columnist for a Christian Magazine. Within the next few months I will finally be able to add published author to these accolades. It’s all for the glory of God and nothing I saw coming my way just a few short years ago.

Personally, operating effectively in “The Gifts” was a process I call The PPP – Painful Purposeful Purging. Had I not challenged myself to stay the course through my PPP, I certainly would not be doing what I’m doing today!

I want to share what has been involved in PPP for me as I have experienced it. Prior to discovering my gifts, I was a woman full of low self regard, a sufferer of chronic depression for nearly 30 years, a person easily intimidated by others who I thought were stronger than me and didn’t value my life for I had no clue who I was or aspired to be.

When I became affiliated with The DOE Ministry, I instantly discovered that I was at a spiritual crossroad. The ministry demanded in love that all attendees rise and take their rightful position in the body of Christ.

As I looked around at the other women there, the enemy tried to make me feel that I didn’t belong, that I wasn’t good enough, that I would never be as effective in ministry as the others, and a whole host of other lies.

I would either return to my comfort zone of despaired isolation or stay the course and go through A Painful Purposeful Purging. This meant, in a nutshell facing ME! Looking myself in the mirror and deal with my damage! I had to visit some very difficult areas from my past that I had stuffed and suppressed. It hurt like nothing ever has but I could not fathom another 30 years of what I had already endured! There HAD to be more!

Like a boxer in a ring, I decided to roll up my spiritual sleeves, put on my gloves and fight for my life! My opponent, an invisible enemy was clearly trying to take me out! The battle was with no one else but myself!

Committed to being Uncomfortable

Being an introvert and not feeling comfortable around people due to deep trust issue, I had to fight my flesh that wanted to flee every circumstance and environment that would force me to grow up and address my weaknesses. I forced myself to show up consistently and stay to the end. This was so painful in the beginning for I would leave with tremendous headaches at times but felt pride that I conquered something that has had me in bondage for years. The more I showed up, the less uncomfortable I became.

Cleansing My Soul

As comfort came, I was now able to address finding out who I am in Christ.

I began to control my thoughts and renew my mind.

I had to forgive and stop blaming others for my circumstances.

I stopped looking back at my past failures and successes and began looking forward to a future with possibilities!

Most importantly, I started understanding the Spirit of Adoption to deal with my rooted issues of rejection.

My PPP has taken 4 years and is still being refined. I have scaled away layers upon layers of mental mess that has kept me crippled in the Spirt. What is now exposed are my “Gifts” that I can flow in more freely due to heavy weights being lifted. I won in Christ with a major T.K.O.!

For someone reading this, you MUST go through your own person PPP. It will NOT be easy and does not happen overnight. However if you fight hard and long enough, a life is waiting for you filled with abundance! There are also others who desperately need what God put in you!

While you still have time, life and chances, gear up for the purge and start to Gift Yourself Away.

Until next Time, Happy Sunday

Soulful Sunday

Soulful Sunday: What’s REALLY Holding You Back?

As weeks create months and months turn into years, decades are formed and reality becomes evident. We are aging and are often faced with “THE” question directly or indirectly; Are we making the most out of the life we have left?

This thought feels irrelevant in our adolescent years when we feel invincible for it appears that there is plenty of time to think on these things later; much later…

Then one day we wake up, look in the mirror and 40, 50, 60,70 and beyond are upon us. Our stark reality is where did the time go and are we living a purposed filled life? You know, the one that God has called us to before we were ever in existence.

If you can say without hesitation that you spend your days doing the thing God put you on this earth for, I certainly commend you! However, if that’s NOT you and you are in those age categories I mentioned above, What’s Holding You Back?

The level of true purpose I am alluding to has nothing to do with that job you slave at every day to earn a living. You can confirm that this statement is true if you feel that something is missing and deep inside, you’re unfulfilled. I’m talking about your primary reason for being. You gift, your talent, that business idea, that ministry, that book, that masterpiece that only YOU can deliver and birth to the world. 

It’s that thing you have been seeing repetitively in visions or dreams. That idea that gives you chills when you ponder on it but quickly dismiss with a plethora of old and tired excuses..

That hurt

That shame

That lack of confidence 

That comparison to others

That envy of your Brother

That previous failure

That finger pointing and blaming

That lack of Faith in your Lord and Savior 

For many reading this, What’s REALLY holding you back from embracing your destiny is directly connected to a matter you have not officially dealt with in your past. If you don’t face it, you will end up like countless others; leaving this earth and taking what should have been shared with the world with you. Now that’s really selfish! RealBoldTruth!

I recently had to deal with an extremely painful area of my life that I have been suppressing for several decades. I really thought I had it under control especially as of lates. I’ve discovered who I am in Christ, learned how to look to Him and trust Him more, have been in constant fellowship to assure I don’t go back to old ways of thinking and I’ve been serving and giving faithfully in ministry. Yet this soul striping thing keeps coming up and I grew sick of it! I couldn’t put my finger on why I’m still struggling with something that should be so old but knew it was the source of what has been holding me back from all God truly has for me.

I was recently put in a setting and was given the option to become vulnerable and transparent about this thing and my flesh felt reservations. However my spirit prevailed by telling me it’s now or never!

I ultimately shared a very private battle with the most unlikely person and found out she had struggled with the very same thing! I was in complete shock for she seemed to have it all together. She gave me a name for “my thing” and it’s called “Rejection ” she shared with me some tools and specific word that I started using right away and a release I experienced almost instantly!

Initially I was so very uncomfortable being this exposed but it has been way past time to “Tell The Truth and Shame The Devil!” I want my freedom more than my security of holding on to this dead stinky thing that clearly robs me of so many possibilities!

I challenge you today to think on these things. What have you NOT faced, NOT confessed, NOT healed from, buried alive kicking and screaming that will NOT die? It’s the very thing that is stopping you from spending more energy cultivating you “Gift” than dwelling on what won’t change. 

God has so much more for you but you’ll never experience the totality of His blessings if you don’t give this thing up! Stop lying, to yourself, and listening to the voice of the enemy more than the voice of the Lord! 

Do it NOW, before YOU and IT simply become a memory.

Until Next Time, Happy Sunday!

Soulful Sunday

Not Yet Delivered

I gave my life to Christ well over 20 years ago. I distinctly recall standing before a pastor, congregation and a small fleet of deacons at a modest baptist church. I willingly repeated the prayer of salvation and thought finally, I had it all together! The moment felt like a cleansing, a renewal, a refreshing as I asked the Lord to reside within my heart permanently. 

I also remember leaving that place of worship that day the happiest I had ever been! But within days I experienced an incredible, deep, emotional low that seemed to threaten my committed confession to God. I remember asking myself, if I am now saved, why do I still feel so heavy, so worthless, so unwanted, so undeserving, so un-Christ-like? This mental contradiction would actually linger on for nearly two decades thereafter.

Periodically, throughout my Christian experience, I would hear the expression “Deliverance”. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what the term truly meant. As I struggled long-term with overwhelming bouts of depression, low self regard and thoughts of destruction, I wasn’t able to make the connection and often questioned God’s love for me. I was actually saved but not yet delivered.

Not Yet:

Delivered from ill thoughts

Delivered from fleshly struggles

Delivered from seeking value in man

Delivered from wanting things more than God Himself…..

Fast forward to today, I am completely filled, set free and and over the tormenting mindset of my past that has tried to limit and silence me. After giving my life to God, I didn’t know that to reach the position of freedom, I had to go through a deliverance process. That route for me meant getting consistent Word that counter-reacted my automatic state of mind. I had to reprogram every single thought, shift destructive behavior patterns and clean out my circle! In doing this, I had to become incredibly vulnerable by taking a chance with complete strangers. I let them into into my dark and guarded spaces. My secrets, my mistakes, my pain, my shame….. I had to commit to showing up regularly to places where help and mentorship was available no matter how uncomfortable I felt. 

My flesh fought me long and hard in these areas but my spirit won for I wanted and needed to be free! I took the risk because life certainly had to get better than what I was experiencing. I wanted, needed and desired more of God. 

The God of More than enough. 

The God that has plans for me.

The God that would use me to assist in delivering others.

The God known as my Abba Father.

The God that really, truly loves me.


Are you a believer today still stuck in many ways, habits and thought processes that sent you to the alter giving your life to Christ in the first place? If so, the answer to move past this paralyzingly norm is to get DELIVERED! 

At minimum, you need The Word of God specific to your issues. You need mentorship from those who have been in your shoes to help pull you through. You need a committed prayer life to hear the voice of the living God. 

Deliverance is a serious process and won’t happen over night. You will have to be willing, patient, vulnerable and fight your flesh harder than you ever have before! It took me over two years to totally be free of over 30 years of all I’ve ever known in thought and deed. Every step was completely worth it! I’m so grateful and I’ll never go back! 

Until next time, Happy Sunday!

 

Kish Magazine

Soulful Sunday – Kish Mag Article – Reflections


Happy Happy December Realboldtruth Readers!!! I am especially excited because this is the day that the Lord has made! I am rejoicing and awefully glad in it!

The holiday season is in full affect and upon us! It’s a time of acknowledging the birth of our Savior first and foremost! It also provides opportunities to spend more time with family, friends and loved ones. It’s a time of giving, serving and being grateful for the Lord extending His Grace and Mercy!

I love the Holidays! Lots of parties, gift exchanges, fellowship, trimming the tree and delicious meals! The end of a year is also vital because it offers us chances to Reflect. 

I’m not big on looking back especially if it causes one to become unproductive and stuck on what was lost and could have been. But healthy reflecting that will promote self and life examinations that promote change.

My last article for 2016 that I contributed to Kish Magazine speaks of just that. I wanted to share early in hopes to encourage at least one heart to not be downcast in this season but to seek God for direction.

REFLECTIONS BY CHANEL WALKER-BAILEY

Kish Mag Special Winter Edition – Order Now!
 
Please do read, comment and share! I’m completely humbled that the Lord would use me to pen such an incredible piece to share with the Body of Christ and beyond!
I thank every single one of you for your readership support this year. It’s been a gift that’s simply priceless!

Soulful Sunday

Soulful Sunday – MOVE!

Making Oppression Vanish Eternally!

I have battled with depression for more than half of my life. Over the past several years, I can confidently share that I have the condition under control. I’ve been more consistently optimistic than downcast and I absolutely give all the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I finally know who I am in Him and that He has called me for such a time as this!

The state of depression, however does not go away for those who suffer. I believe this to be true for most mental health disorders. The condition(s) must be managed daily or being sucked back into that deep, dark, isolated mindset of hopelessness is inevitable. 

For some, management may be defined by being under a doctor’s care with prescription medication. I’ve been there and it wasn’t the formula that worked to fix my pretty little head! Counseling, addressing the root of my sorrow and monitoring my thoughts through the Word of God has proven more effective than anything else for me personally. It work consistently; if I work it!

I distinctly recall one day waking up angry enough to MOVE! I no longer wanted to live my life as some weak believer being an ineffective witness to the power that lies in the sacrifice of Christ. I was certainly sane enough to make the shift on my own and so desperately needing to try something different.

Certainly my existence is no error despite the circumstances of my past!
I began to ask; What if I dared to truly believe that I am of importance and have something great to contribute to this world and the lives of others!

What’s the worst that can happen if I MOVE!
Beyond the thoughts that naturally play in my mind…

Beyond the facts and events of times in my life that I could not control…

Beyond mistakes I have made and some repeatedly….

Beyond the negative critics that judge and look down on me…

Beyond those that have tried to minimize my voice and presence by stepping and looking over me…

What’s the worst that can happen if I MOVE!

Well truth be told, the worst is now that I have embraced the boldness to MOVE, I’ve faced finding myself in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory! I’ve been stretched, challenged and forced to deal with the pain of my past that I’ve buried kicking and screaming still very much alive! I’ve had to go through the turmoil of reprogramming my own sense of logic and replace all with the mind of Christ. 

The process has been long and excruciating but has set me on a path that I had no idea was close to being mine. It’s called Destiny! I’m walking in blind child-like faith but can’t turn around for there is nothing behind me that I wish to ever return to. I must continue to MOVE!

Are you stuck in a vicious cycle of mental torture which cripples you from living a productive life and moving forward? Have you buried things that you really need to address and kill first in order to embrace the life that you so well deserve?

You do have the power to change your circumstances but you have to MOVE! It will be the fight of your life, won’t be easy and certainly won’t happen overnight! If you purpose to discover the formula that works for you and keep at it daily, I promise that you will one day look in the mirror and actually love the one staring back at you! Ask yourself if you dare to finally take back your spirit, soul, and mind, what’s the worst that can happen?

Until next time, happy Sunday!

Inspiration, Parenting, reflection

I Changed My Mind!

Several weeks ago, my 4 year old son fell ill suddenly. I dropped him off at my mother’s home to attend a business meeting that was only to last a little while. Within the hour, I received a call from her and he was crying frantically in the background. What could have possibly happened that quickly, was all I could ask! Swiftly, he developed a fever that knocked his little body out with heat and pain!

As any caring mother would, I left the meeting to tend to my child. I was desperate to nurse him back to health as quickly as possible! He had just started kindergarten and his 5th birthday was two weeks away!

God showed up and the fever broke the following day. He was able to attend school but his personality was different. He was not as playful, smiley or talkative as he usually is. I just made a note to monitor his symptoms and blamed it all on the bug he caught.

The Saturday of that same week, my husband, son and I went to a shopping mall. Isaiah was bouncing around, laughing and returning to himself. I had not seen him like this in several days and was delighted that he was coming around!

When I retrieved him from the car and grabbed his hand, we made our way across the parking lot with my husband several feet ahead of us. My son broke the silence among us and said the most peculiar thing! It nearly made me want to yell out “Hallelujah!” for the entire world to hear!!

Isaiah – “Mommy, I’m not sad no more!”

Mommy – “That’s good baby, I’m glad.”

Brief silence

Isaiah – “Yeah, I just woke up this 

morning and changed my mind!”

I was speechless for a moment! How incredibly mature that mentality is for a 4 year old!! Many adults (including myself) struggle to do this at times! He knew, even at this tender age that he has control over his emotions and chose to be happy! Glory to God! What an incredible eye opener that moment was for me! One that I will not soon forget!




We all have a choice every morning when God blesses us with yet another opportunity to see another dawning. We can choose to operate in a healthy mindset or to be downcast in spirit with a whoa-is-me pity-party. 

Many who are under pressure, enduring sickness, financial strains, relationship chaos, death and other losses can oftentimes grieve and stay negative way too long. For believers, this is the act of taking our eyes off of our Savior and magnifying the circumstances vs. the blessings in and around them.

I think we can all learn an incredible resourceful lesson from my baby boy today. Get up and change your mind! It’s practical advice that can reap priceless returns. There is a time to grieve, be sad, offended and more. The Lord knows and expects us to. It’s absolutely part of being human. But there is also a time to get up and live!

What’s that thing that has you so mentally consumed that you can’t enjoy, appreciate or fathom the beauty that is still in your life? Step on the enemy’s head today and join me in the advice of little Isaiah and simply “Change Your Mind!”

Broken, motivational, reflection, self-help

The Redeemer for your Residue

You are completely covered with a thin layer of grime that seems impossible to wash away. Its equivalent to a tough and stubborn hard-water stain with major calcium build-up! It’s sight is as familiar as those glasses in the dish washer that came out looking nearly as they did going in.

It’s slimy

Sticky

Smudging

Blinding

And down right icky 

It’s clean, you convince yourself since it went through the quick rinse cycle so you dry it off, put it on the self, close the cupboard and praise God that it’s at least concealed. Just like those dingy dishes, so is the residue of your past . It just won’t seem to wash away, so you suppress and hide it.

That abuse

That rejection

That divorce

That relationship gone astray

That abortion

That melestation 

That loss

That misfortune 

That affair

That decision you made

That disease that refuses to heal serving as a periodic reminder of who you once were and USE to be…..

So you Advance through the years with your routine surface rinse calling it clean when you know, downright it’s still filthy and riddled with dirt. Don’t you see the cloudy film that remains even after your thorough scrub of prayer, praise and even heart felt worship? It’s still there! You fool many for you appear well put together, in apparel, education, maturity, filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues, encouraging others and shouting around the church.
You’ve gotten use to the residue. At least it’s not as visible as it use to be. Maybe it won’t ever be 100% clear so the faint excess of its existence is going to have to be good enough.

But your Redeemer who is Christ Jesus, laid his life down just for these messy matters. His precious blood is the only cleansing agent powerful enough to wash that film away once and for all! It was never yours to keep when you gave your life to the Redeemer. What filth remains are just mere facts that occurred in your life and are not meant to define your future or for you to clean up on your own. It’s the enemy who purposely tries to remind you of those lies that your dirt is a permanent stain on your destiny.

Take that mess out of the cabinet and put it back in the washer one more again! This time, put it through the full wash cycle and add in a double dose of antibacterial faith, warfare prayer, confessions, counseling and the matchless word of God!! That residue has no defense against this mental and spiritual dust busting concoction! Enough is enough; it has to go!

Are you a Christian but secretly STILL struggle with the events of your past? 
It’s time to pull it up from the root and REALLY experience freedom! Gods got so much for you but can’t make it come to pass until you are truly set free from those demonic ties that bind.

Christ Jesus is your Savior, your Healer and your Redeemer!