S9.21 | Stand Firm: Embracing God's Call to Confront Life's Struggles
Welcome back to Affirming Truths! Joining Carla for today's incredible episode. is none other than Laura Bailey, an inspiring author and Bible teacher whose latest devotional, "Embracing Eternity," offers profound insights into living with peace and purpose. In this heartfelt conversation, Laura opens up about her personal journey through struggles and distractions, how she found hope and clarity in the book of Ecclesiastes, and the importance of shifting our focus from the temporary to the eternal.
We dive deep into understanding how our beliefs shape our lives and how maintaining an eternal perspective can help us navigate the valleys and challenges we face daily. Trust me, you won't want to miss it! So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's get started
Did you know that Carla is a Christian Mental Health coach?
See if working with her is what you need in your current season.
Book a discovery call today!
Key Takeaways
Understanding Jehoshaphat’s Prayer:
Carla delves into the powerful prayer of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20), illustrating how turning to God and acknowledging His sovereignty can transform our approach to life's battles.
Faith in Action:
Learn about the transformative power of active faith. Carla emphasizes that God often calls us to face our fears and challenges directly, standing firm in our spiritual identity and trusting in His deliverance.
Practical Steps for Healing and Growth:
Carla offers actionable advice including seeking therapy, embracing healthful living, renewing your mind through scripture, and possibly considering medication—all part of a holistic approach to thriving in Christ.
Book a FREE Discovery call to explore working 1:1 with Carla
Connect With Carla:
Foundations to Healing—-> https://www.carlaarges.com/foundations-of-healing
Inquire about 1:1 coaching ---> Book a FREE Discovery call
Come hangout on IG with me @carlaarges
Check out the blog
Resources:
5 Steps to Building Resiliency
Affirming Truths Facebook Community
5 Tips for Overcoming a Negative Body Image
Who You Say I Am Biblical Affirmation Cards
TRANSCRIPT
Carla Arges [00:00:08]:
Hey, friends, welcome to affirming truths. I'm your friend and host, Carla Arges. This show is a safe place to share our struggles, grow in faith, and root our identity in Christ. My hope is that you will leave each episode feeling encouraged in your journey. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode.
Carla Arges [00:00:27]:
And it would mean the world to.
Carla Arges [00:00:28]:
Me if you would leave a review. I am so glad you're here. Let's get started.
Carla Arges [00:00:35]:
Hey, friends, welcome to this episode of affirming truths.
Carla Arges [00:00:40]:
I am your friend and your host, Carla Arges.
Carla Arges [00:00:43]:
And I am back from a little mini vacation with my family to Sedona, Arizona, which was beautiful. We did some hiking. We did lots of rest. That trip was really meant to be restorative because I have been feeling burnt out since I got back from that Italy trip. I've just been really having a hard time, in all honesty, feeling burnt out, feeling like I just can't get anything to work, feeling like I'm failing in everything. I feel like, you know, when you see a duck on water, they look like they're coasting so smoothly and so gently, but if you look under the water, their little feet are going so fast to get them to move. I feel like that's how things have been. And so we took this little getaway, and while we were on this getaway, I studied the prayer of Jehathaphat and really was looking at what God did and more specifically, what he called them to do in the face of their trial.
Carla Arges [00:02:05]:
And I really want to share some of these insights with you, because if you're here listening to the show, I'm going to assume. I know we shouldn't make assumptions, but I'm going to assume that you struggle a little bit. Right? I mean, this show is really geared towards christian women who struggle with mental health, who have had trauma in their life, who are wanting and desiring to walk in bold faith, but, you know, are stuck maybe in some unhealthy habits that developed because of their struggle and their pain and their. Their attempts to cope. And I know for many of us, we try to avoid the pain that we're feeling, and we. We numb it with Netflix or wine or shopping or a big one that's emerging is the ig or the TikTok scroll, and we just numb out to scrolling. And that's all avoidance. That's all avoidance.
Carla Arges [00:03:11]:
And here is what God is saying to us through the story of Jehoshaphat. So, we pick this up in two chronicles, chapter 20, and this whole, um. This whole challenge that's happened. This whole event that's happening is in verses one to 30. I'm not going to read all of it, but I'm going to give you the lay of the land. There is a hoard coming against Jehoshaphat, who was a king, who was a king that loved God and honored God and followed God. And the Moabites and the Ammonites and some Muonites, if I'm saying that correctly, are coming against Jehoshaphat. They want to come and destroy Israel and destroy king Jehoshaphat and destroy the people of God.
Carla Arges [00:04:08]:
And this is a huge hoard. And Jehoshaphat and the Israelites are so outnumbered, like, on their own, left to their own, they will not survive this onslaught. And Jehoshaphat knows that. And he turns to the Lord and he prays and he prays in honoring God, honoring God's position as ruler over all nations. Reminding God, not that God needs reminding, but often when we rehearse who God is, it's more reminding ourselves, reminding God that he is the God of the Israelites and he has all power. And he made this covenant with Abraham that his descendants would go out and be multi generational. And he reminds God that, listen, there was a chance that we had to take them out before, and you said no, and now how are they rewarding us for that mercy? They're coming against us. And Jehoshaphat ends that prayer saying, we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us.
Carla Arges [00:05:27]:
We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. And isn't that sometimes how we feel, too? Like we may not have a horde of people coming against us, but in our struggle, in our challenge, in our suffering, doesn't it feel like we have this huge thing coming against us that we will not survive, that we don't know what to do in our pain? We don't know what to do in getting over, in healing from, in thriving with trauma. We don't know what to do when our mental health is wrecked and we have all this different advice and conflicting information coming from us. We don't know what to do when it's hard to face. Right? It's hard to face our trauma. It's hard to face those big emotions that feel like they're going to take over and destroy us. It's hard to face that mental health diagnosis and do the right things that are going to help because it feels like it's too much. It feels like it's too much.
Carla Arges [00:06:35]:
And we don't know what to do. And often, and us not knowing what to do, we hide. We may pray. God, intervene. God, heal me. God, bring out some deliverance. God, show me a way out. God, support me.
Carla Arges [00:06:57]:
God, strengthen me. We may cry out those prayers like Jehoshaphat did. But there's something that God requires of our faith, and that's action. That's action. God requires our faith to be active, not passive. And we see this in God's response to Jehoshaphat. And we pick this up at verse 15. So the spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, comes upon Jehaziel, who is one of the priests.
Carla Arges [00:07:35]:
And he says, listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and king Jehoshaphat. Thus says the Lord to you, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great hoard. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jerul. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm.
Carla Arges [00:08:11]:
Hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf. O Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against them, and the Lord will be with you. So here's the thing. God called them not to be afraid. God told them, the battle's not yours, it's mine. But he also told them to go out and face the horde, to stand firm and hold their position. They needed an act of faith.
Carla Arges [00:08:51]:
God was not telling them, go, run and hide and take cover while I deal with them. God was saying, go out and face them. Stand firm. That stand firm reminds me of Paul's letter to the Ephesians when he's talking about putting on the armor of God. So why? So we can stand firm. And having done all stand, you see, everything that we're facing does have a spiritual root to it. Now, hear me. I am not saying your trauma is because you have a personal, spiritual issue in your life.
Carla Arges [00:09:29]:
Your mental illness is not because you're not praying enough or because you're not in the Bible enough. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying the fact that these things exist is because we live in a fallen world. And the fact that the enemy uses these things to discourage us is a spiritual attack. Right? He takes our struggle and tries to use it against us. So even in the midst of something that could be biochemical or physiological, right. In a broken body and a broken mind, even if something can be like that, the enemy spiritually uses it against us. And so what is God saying? God is saying that the battle is not ours.
Carla Arges [00:10:17]:
The battle is God's. God will fight for us. God will never leave us or forsake us. We don't have to be afraid in the suffering and this trial and the struggle we're in. We do, however, have to go out and face it. You have to face it. You have to face the reality of your mental health struggle. You have to face the hard emotions.
Carla Arges [00:10:47]:
You have to face the unforgiveness that's lingering in your heart. You have to face the anger and resentment that's built up. You have to face the doubt. You have to face the discouragement. You have to face the fear. You have to go out and face all of these things head on and stand firm. Take your position. You know what your position is? You are a daughter of the king.
Carla Arges [00:11:14]:
You are blameless before the Lord. You are holy. You are chosen. You are loved. You are treasured. You are set apart. You take your position against the enemy, against how the enemy is trying to use things against you. You stand firm in the full armor of God.
Carla Arges [00:11:35]:
You take your position and you do not move. You face what's coming because you know God is for you. Now, what would have happened if Jehoshaphat didn't listen to this? What if he let his fear of facing this enemy? What if he let his fear that. Is God really going to show up? I don't know. And not go out there? Do you think God would have shown up in their disobedience? No. They would have missed the salvation. They would have missed the rescue. They would have missed seeing God's powerful hand at work.
Carla Arges [00:12:16]:
And you know how they went out? Let me tell you. When Jehoshaphat went out to meet the horde, to stand firm and take the position, they didn't go out with their strongest, fiercest soldiers leading the way. Now, he went out, and he was led by people he appointed to sing to the Lord and praise him. They went before the army and they were saying, give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever. And when they went out and took their position and stands and stood firm, and when they began to sing and praise, we picked this up in verse 22. When they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men who had come against Judah, and they destroyed themselves. They destroyed themselves to the fact that all of them, all of them were destroyed. And God gave the bounty to the Israelites they were there three days taking the spoil because there was so much.
Carla Arges [00:13:34]:
They went out in obedience to face their fear, and they didn't go out flexing their own muscle. They went out with a posture of praise and worship, expecting. Expecting God to move, expecting to see God show up, because they were taking God at his word. Are you taking God at his word when he tells you not to fear, when he tells you that the battle is his, when he tells you to step out and face it and take your position, are you doing it? Because if you're not doing it, you're missing the miracle. If you're not going out and facing it, if you're not being active in your faith, you're missing the move of God and the blessing that came from it. There was blessing in their obedience, and that blessing in their obedience wasn't just their rescue from the hoard, but it was the spoils of the hoard. Right. What has the enemy stolen from you? That when you go out and you face him praising God, God is not only going to give you the victory, he's going to give you back what the enemy stole.
Carla Arges [00:15:06]:
But you have to be active in your faith. You have to be active in showing up. You have to be active in facing it. You have to be active in taking responsibility and ownership. God gave Jehoshaphat a responsibility in this. The responsibility was to go out there and stand firm. The responsibility was, yes, get everyone together, get prepared for battle, take your position, but then watch what the Lord's going to do. You have a responsibility and ownership in your suffering, in your pain, in your illness, in your trial, to go out and do what you need to do.
Carla Arges [00:15:58]:
And what does that look like? Well, maybe for you it looks like getting a coach. Maybe it means hiring me for one on one and working through things, or going to get a therapist and having support to face that and work through the pain and learn how to thrive and live an abundant life in Christ in the midst of mental health and trauma. Maybe it means letting go of the stigma of medication and taking the medication, right? So that you can thrive, so that you can walk in the plans and purposes and you're not constantly being knocked down. Maybe it looks like implementing my four pillars of thriving and you're not doing that in your life. Right. So addressing, how are you eating? Are you eating in a way that serves your mood and your emotions in your body and respects your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit? Are you moving your body to get all the benefits of endorphins and serotonin and strengthening your body and caring for your body. Are you renewing your mind? Do you have a regular discipline of meeting with Jesus every day, actually studying his Bible and not just reading a 1 minute devotion? And I'm not saying studying his bible has to take hours, but you actually need to open your bible and get into your bible, not just another supporting book. Are you getting the rest or are you constantly trying to earn your worth and produce and be busy? Do you have rhythm of rest? Right? What's your responsibility in this? What do you have to go out and face? Do you need to let go of alcohol? Is that glass of wine that you have at the end of the night to take the edge off actually a big disservice in you because whether you realize it or not, it is prompting more depression and anxiety, even days after that one glass of wine.
Carla Arges [00:18:18]:
What responsibility and ownership do you need to have in your going out to face the problem and you're going out to stand firm and take your position. Where do you need to demonstrate active faith and taking responsibility and doing your part that God's calling you to do? God always does things in partnership. He always does things in partnership. We even see this for a lot of the miracles that Jesus did in the New Testament. Go wash the mud off your eyes, pick up your mat and confidence that you're no longer paralyzed. Go wash yourself in the pool. There was a partnership. There was an act of faith that had to follow the miracle or precede the miracle.
Carla Arges [00:19:11]:
There was an act of faith. Action. Active faith. Is that missing in your life? Is God calling you out to take position and stand and face it and you're not doing it. And then you're wondering why you're not seeing the move of God. Well, you haven't gone out and taken position where he's called you to go, right? My affirming truth for you today is I will have active faith. I will do my part and I will show up taking my responsibility that God has given me. And my verse is one that we already read.
Carla Arges [00:19:56]:
You will not need to fight in this battle. This is verse 17, two chronicles 2017. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm. Hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord. You have to go out against it. You have to stand firm. You have to hold your position.
Carla Arges [00:20:18]:
You have to take that active faith, that responsibility, so that you can see the salvation of the Lord. Guys, I have some spots open for one on one coaching. If this is where God is calling you to stand firm, I want you to book a discovery call with me. You can always do that from the show notes. You can do that from my website. I'm not taking any new clients in the month of December, so if you want to get started on working together, now's the time to do it. Can you imagine what it would be like going into 2025 if we started working together now and we had a few sessions under your belt? Can you imagine what next year might look like if you took your ownership? If you went out to face what you needed to face and stand firm in the midst of it? What is God calling you to do? Like I said, I only have a couple spots and I'm not opening spots in December. So now is the time book a discovery call and let's see how we might stand firm and take position together.
Carla Arges [00:21:34]:
I'll talk to you next time.
Carla Arges [00:21:40]:
Thanks for joining me today. I hope we're already friends on social media, but if we're not, come find me on Instagram, Arla Arges or at affirming truth. Can't wait to see you back here next week. Bye, friends.