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Announcement:
Faith and Soul Care Foundations Cohort
First, a little announcement. I want to remind you that registration is open this weekend for the Faith and Soul Care Foundations small group cohort that will be starting in September. This is a small group online program where, over four weeks, we learn and practice effective prayer methods and effective anxiety and stress management practices—including faith-based somatic practices and basic strategies in which we learn how to truly give our anxieties over to God.
Over the course of the four weeks, we learn to develop our own spiritual rhythms, how to pray effectively, and how to make our spiritual habits fun and enjoyable. This is very exciting. It's going to be our third round of doing this type of group, and it has been my joy to get out from behind the mic, the blog, and the books to meet many of my readers and listeners and help serve them in this way.
To register, go to sherryelaine.com/cohorts. Here's how registration works. When you scroll down a little, there is a form to fill out to enroll for the free course—which is a full course.
Free Enrollment vs. Upgrade Option
With free enrollment, this is more of a self-paced experience. You'll have access to the content on your own schedule, and you'll also be invited to two live Zoom sessions where you can join and ask your general questions about the practices or about setting rhythms that work for you.
After you submit the free registration, you will be provided an option to extend your access with an upgrade. Right now, for just $27 (going up to $37 by Tuesday), you can upgrade your experience. With this option, you receive more paced guidance and support. You'll be part of small group coaching sessions, get daily reminders of what to practice, and receive suggestions for each day. You'll also get a downloadable workbook and readable transcripts of all the lessons—almost like a book version of the course that you can download, take notes on, and refer back to anytime.
Here’s my favorite part: with the upgraded option, you also get two guided coaching sessions, live. One is focused on the
journaling method I teach specifically for anxious episodes or stopping
negative thought loops, and the other is a guided prayer journaling session.
With the cohort, and especially with the upgrade option, it’s about taking the
next step—signing up for accountability and connection. This helps you
establish spiritual rhythms and truly take your thoughts captive, while
implementing practices that can help you release stress and gain more energy.
We can all learn from books and videos, but
often when we do it alone, we don’t follow through. With the extra upgrade,
you’re going to do it—and it’s going to be fun because we are doing it
together. We’ll share about our experiences in real time. And remember, it
takes 21 days to establish a new habit. This group lasts 28 days—so you’ll be
good to go after the four weeks. I’ve seen the freedom and peace these
practices bring, and I’d love for you to join us. You can find all the details
and register at sherryelaine.com/cohorts.
Today’s
Teaching
Now, picking up from last week, let’s get into today’s teaching. Last week we started a two-part series on how to ask God for help when you’re full of anxiety, stress, or overwhelm. We talked about two practices—breath prayers and writing prayers ahead of time—that can help us slow our minds and reconnect with God even in the middle of a stressful or anxiety-producing event.
[You may always listen to the blog articles on the Faith & Soul Care pod player. You may also find the podcast on your preferred podcast platform and you can listen on the go.]
Today I want to share two more practices that are just as practical and biblically based.
Praying in Silence with the Spirit
The first practice is praying in silence with the Spirit. Just like it sounds,
you get still, you close your eyes, and you request and let the Holy Spirit
intercede on your behalf. Have you ever been so overwhelmed that you couldn't
even form the words to pray? Maybe your thoughts were tangled, things felt like
they were spinning out of control, or your emotions felt too heavy even to
speak.
Romans 8:26 gives us a beautiful promise: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us
through wordless groans.” The Greek word translated “helps” describes
someone coming alongside you to lift a heavy load. That’s what the Holy Spirit
does for us, especially in our weakness.
So when we are suffering from anxiety and
don’t know what to pray, instead of forcing ourselves to sort out our thoughts,
we can simply do this: sit quietly or lay down, focus on God’s presence,
breathe slowly, and whisper, “Holy Spirit, please pray for me. Please intercede
for me. Please lift up the words I don’t even know to ask for. You know what I
need before I even ask.” Then rest in the silence, knowing that the Spirit is
interceding on your behalf and you are deeply heard.
Visualizing
Giving Your Worries to Jesus
The second strategy is visualizing giving your worries to Jesus. This practice
is based on 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your
anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” Visualization is an excellent
evidence-based method to calm the brain and remind yourself that there is
safety and that help is available from God.
Here’s the practice: close your eyes and
imagine yourself holding each of your worries in your hands—your family
concerns, your finances, your health, your work. Picture them as heavy rocks or
bricks in a large sack. Then picture Jesus standing in front of you. Toss that
heavy sack toward Him. See Him catch it, smile, and say, “Thank you for
trusting Me with these heavy concerns.”
Imagine the weight lifting off you as He takes
it. This simple visualization helps your body and mind process the release of
your burdens and signals that you are choosing to give your worries to Christ,
who is willing and able to carry them.
Closing
Encouragement
In closing, when you are stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, remember—these
anxious moments are not a condemnation, they are an invitation. An invitation
to stop, to turn your eyes back to Jesus, and to let Him carry what feels too
heavy for you.
Philippians 4 promises that when we bring our
requests to God—even in silence, even through visualization—His peace will
guard our hearts, minds, and souls in Christ Jesus.
Closing
Prayer
“Lord, for the one listening today who feels pressed down under the weight
of anxiety, remind them that they are not alone. Thank You for Your Spirit who
prays for us when we have no words. Thank You, Jesus, for inviting us to cast
every burden onto You. Fill these listeners with Your peace that passes
understanding, and let them feel the relief of knowing that You will carry the
weight on their behalf. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”
Gratefully,
Sherry
Resources Mentioned:
Faith & Soul Care Foundations Cohort: sherryelaine.com/cohorts
Cohort Expanded Upgrade Option: sherryelaine.com/thankyou
Author's Books: HERE, on Amazon
Main Site: sherryelaine.com