 Releasing a Burden
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Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God,that He might exalt you in due time,
casting all your care upon Him,
for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
In my discipleship ministry, I cannot teach people how to release a burden. I must be able to testify to them of how to release a burden.
This week, somebody cast a tremendously painful burden upon me out of the blue. God's personal assurance to me through 1 Peter 5:7 (above verse) is my hope. Now more than ever, this is my passionate hope for others.
Be blessed by Anabel Gillham's descriptions of this hope!
CAST OR CARRY?
by Anabel Gillham
How
do you deal with angry people? With divorce, sickness, bitterness,
death? With loneliness? With a circumstance you never dreamed
would be part of your life? With a burden that has worn out your emotions and left you physically
exhausted? How do you handle it?
God in His love letter to you in Psalm 55:22 say to "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you." You need
to be sustained emotionally. You need
the calmness that comes when you know that everything is under the control of
an trustworthy authority figure, someone who knows you and knows what to do.
God doesn't want you to carry burdens. He wants to carry it for you in His
relationship with you. Most
of us don't know how to take our burden to the Lord and leave it with Him, to surrender (entrust) it to Him.
What
do you do with your burdens? With those
circumstances that seem almost incapacitating?
You write, you call, you talk with a good friend, you write again, you
eat, you sleep, you call again, you think it and breathe it, you live every
detail over and over - and it always seems to wind up on your back, right?
BRICK AND BALLOON
At
this moment you may be enduring pain. It may have
started recently, or it could be the lingering stigma of an incident from your
past. You desperately want to release the stress, the depression, the
pain, the weariness to God.
Here
is a simple and powerful exercise:
Hold
a brick out in front of you in one hand and hold a helium balloon in the other
hand. Give the brick and balloon the
name of your burden. Pray and thank God for His concern, the power
of His Life indwelling you, and His love for you.
When you can't hold the brick another second, drop it and set your
balloon free, releasing your burden and easing your pain. Watch...keep watching...the balloon disappear
into the very dwelling place of God!
In your journal or on a piece of paper, write "I gave my burden to the Lord on (date). Thank you Lord for taking my burden."
Does
this mean you will never hurt and cry again?
No. Does it mean your emotions
will never rocket to the top again? Of
course not. Will you want desperately to
take the burden back at times? Yes.
There
has been only one decisive change: The burden is no longer yours. It is a step of faith in the midst of a wide range of feelings. When you release your burden to God, do you suppose you can trust Him to take care of the burden you
gave Him? Yes!
Releasing a burden to the Lord is not a good work we do just to feel better. It is a miraculous work of God so that we grow in knowing and experiencing the precious and powerful life of Christ in us.
By faith, not feelings, we can choose to focus on Christ who indwells us and leads us to experience the miracle of His surrender in and through us, the same surrender that characterized His journey to the cross and resurrection!
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PS
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On June 7, 2012, Carole and Joy led 6 ladies to each release a burden through the brick and balloon exercise. This event culminated 12 weeks of training. In a parking lot behind a Cracker Barrel, 8 ladies released bricks, balloons, and tears to the Lord in exchange for freedom, faith, and hope.
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About 
Discipleship through
Counseling
Teaching
Training
Gregg Gibbons
Pastoral Director
Michael Chalmers
Training Director
Kellie Boggs
Fellowship Director
Joy Gibbons
Ministry Assistant and women's ministry coordinator
Carole Blyth
Board member and women's ministry coordinator
Randy Garrick
Board member and Elder Holly Ridge Baptist Church
Paul Crews
Board member and Pastor Mountain Creek Baptist Church
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Partnership
I believe with all my heart that ministry is through relationships.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you for your partnership in the gospel (Philippians 1:3, 5).
Links to my recent ministry newsletters that describe my heart for partnerships:
YouTube link below of my ministry commissioning service that included testimonies from several partners, including Bobby Richardson, former 2nd baseman for the NY Yankees.
Please contact me to learn more about partnering with me. I'd love to hear from you!
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Ministry News Next 8-month Advanced Discipleship Training to start January 2013. Click link below for details of the 2012 ADT!
Gregg teaches freedom from anger through Christ at the Haven of Rest mission in Anderson, SC Mondays 6:00-6:45 pm.
Gregg is mentoring men and couples in an office provided by Holly Ridge Baptist Church in Simpsonville SC.
Michael is mentoring men and couples in an office provided by Mountain Creek Baptist Church, Pendleton Street Baptist Church,
and Earle Street Baptist Church
all in Greenville SC.
Journey in Christ recently completed a 12-week on-the-job discipleship training class for women at an equipment manufacturing industry. This industry has passionately requested Journey in Christ provide more training!
Gregg was blessed to stand alongside two teenaged boys from a boys home last week as they spoke in public at a church for the first time.
Journey in Christ completed our first of 8 months of Advanced Discipleship Training this past weekend. The focus was "Concept of God."
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Archives Link for Rest Stops
since August 2010:
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Contact Info
JOURNEY IN CHRIST, INC.
926 N.E. Main Street
Suite F-155
Simpsonville SC 29681
(864) 483-3201 (Gregg cell)
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