Annie's "Burst your Bubble" Page
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"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:"
~1 Peter 1:8~

Do you ever let other people's words and actions upset you?
It's really hard not to let other people upset us. Isn't it?
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone's words were spoken in
kindness?
People can, will and do take away our
peace and joy of the Lord.
Others can only take away your JOY "IF" you let them!!!
It isn't easy to change the way you react to people but it can be done.
It's not the action that's the problem it's "our" reaction to the action that's the problem.

"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words."
~Ecclesiastes 5:2~

We should listen and respect the opinion of others even if they disagree with us. Of course not everyone will listen or understand what you have to say. And even if they did would it really make a difference? We can't make everyone like us and we waste an awful lot of energy try to make them. Not everyone is going to be your friend or have your best interest at heart. The only way to change a person is to let the Lord change them.

As children we heard the phrase: "Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me." Whoever coined that phrase certainly had a tougher skin then many of us do. Unfortunately most often it is the people closest to us that hurt us the most. Words!!!!! We know that the Bible tells us that words can be "sweet as honey" and yet they can also "cut like a knife". Did you know that you will have to account to the Lord for EVERY word that comes out of your mouth? The Bible says a lot about the "tongue" and "words".


Can you imagine what it would be like to have everyone's words spoken in a kind and encouraging way? Well we can't change everyone else but we can start changing ourselves "one word at a time". If change doesn't start with us then we won't see any change.

So when someone starts spouting horrible and hurtful words DON'T react with the same tone or words. Remember to use HONEY and not VINEGAR. "Kill them with kindness"

ALWAYS REMEMBER that the LORD will DEFEND you and you don't have to justify your own actions to anyone. The Lord can defend you without your help.

"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me."
~Psalms 59:1~

So let's think about that for a minute. Someone has just said something very hateful about you or taken your words out of context. How will you respond? Here are just a few of the things you could choose to do:

1) Defend yourself
2) Justify your actions
3) Tell them that they are wrong
4) Do nothing
5) Just listen
6) Argue with them
7) Cry
8) Reply with a question
9) Walk away
10) TRUST the LORD to defend you

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."
~Genesis 50:20~

"It is not the ACTION that is the PROBLEM it is YOUR REACTION to the ACTION that is the PROBLEM."


Ask yourself these questions:
1) Can you fix the problem?
2) Can you change the situation?
3) Will defending yourself change their mind?

Remember we are not to take action on our own. The Lord will take care of things in His due time.

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."
~Romans 12:19~

Here are a few PRACTICAL TIPS for you on how NOT to let other people
"BURST YOUR BUBBLE". I hope this will help you.


Have you ever seen a duck in a pond?


Have you ever heard of the phrase "DUCK DUCK"?
The next time someone says something that hurts you,
instead of "reacting" remember the words DUCK, DUCK.

Duck Duck!!!! Duck Duck???
What does that mean?


Have you ever seen ducks in a pond? Do you remember the image of when a DUCK sticks its head under water? After a DUCK puts his head in the water he comes up and shakes off the water. The water literally rolls off his back. So instead of letting people and words upset you stick your head under that water figuratively. Hold your breath and just stop. Remember that when you are under the water you can't hear things. Usually when you put your head under water you have a purpose in doing so and are generally looking for something. You need to look for and to the Lord as you pause to gather your composure. You also need to "shake off the words" that the person has just said that are hurting you.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me......."
~Philippians 3:~

The only way that you can do this and make it work is with the JOY of the Lord. WHY? Because "the joy of the Lord's is your strength". And what is the "Lord's strength"

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
~Nehemiah 8:10~

Do you remember these songs?

"The Joy of the Lord is my strength.
The Joy of the Lord is my strength.
The Joy of the Lord is my strength.
The Joy of the Lord is my strength."

I got the JOY JOY JOY JOY down in my heart."
Where?
Down in my heart.
Where?
Down in my heart.
I got the JOY JOY JOY JOY down in my heart.
Where?
Down in my heart to stay.
And I'm so happy.
So very happy.
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart."

When you need that STRENGTH the BEST weapon is the WORD OF GOD. That is why you need to be memorizing Scripture. To use as a weapon. Remember that it is part of your "armor" as a Christian. You have a powerful tool that will do battle for you. In the fight against flesh and blood but also against things that are unseen and principalities.

Did you know that the Lord puts a "hedge of protection" around you?
Did you know that the Lord dispatches angels to protect you?

Live is a battle. We are supposed to take it one day at a time. Sometimes even one hour or oven one minute at a time. You are not in that battle alone. You are not defenseless either. The battle is often beyond what we can see or understand at the time.

The other person whom you have ALLOWED to steal your Joy may NOT even be trying upset you but they still have upset you. If you even tell them what they said later they probably won't ever remember what they said. When someone does say something hurtful you may consider repeating what they just said out loud. Then say that "this is what I heard you say" and next ask them if that is what they meant to say. Remember that it is not the action that is the problem but YOUR reaction. So how are you supposed to REACT or ACT?

As Christians we are not suppose to be guided or controlled by our EMOTIONS or FEELINGS but by OBEDIENCE!!! How are we supposed to do that? First as Christian's we need to be FAITHFUL in PRAYER and reading the SCRIPTURES.

For example:
Obedience is stopping at a red light. Feeling would be "I don't THINK that there are any cars coming so I will just not stop at the stop sign. Results would be a car accident.

OK lets get back to our main premise: BURSTING BUBBLES...

It doesn't take very much to "
burst a bubble" does it? Bubbles are very fragile and delicate. You can burst a bubble very easily. Sometimes two bubbles can hit each other and not pop but then again they can just pop all by themselves.

If it doesn't take much to "burst a bubble" then it shouldn't take much to "steal your joy" or rob you of your peace right? WRONG.


A book that I read years ago has really impacted my life. It is called "Lord change me" by Evelyn Christiansen. I have mentioned it before on some of my pages but it seems rather appropriate for the topic of this page too. The concept is that the "problem" is not really everyone else but instead the problem is you. So if you pray and ask the Lord to change you then the way that you look at yourself and others will be totally different. That is such a great way of looking at things.

Now don't create a bigger problem by blaming yourself for what is happening or allowing someone else to blame you. Don't buy into someone else's anger and don't let someone else's obsession or problem become your own.

Have you ever been talking to someone and they say that YOU "have a problem" with something. You kind of stop right there in the middle of their sentence and think......gee what are they talking about......that is their problem not mine. Well that is called "projection". Often it can be transference too. Anyway what I am trying to say is that you shouldn't WORRY about what others think of you or are saying about it. I know that it is easier said then done. Ultimately you can't please everyone. You don't really think that you can make others like you, do you? Don't think so. That is an unrealistic goal. But isn't it wonderful to know that the Lord loves you and He is your best cheerleader?

Remember that Christian's are not PERFECT just FORGIVEN. Unfortunately Christian's can and are very unhappy and hurtful people. People have a tendency to kick people when they are down. Strange I know. It really is almost slander when you think about it. But instead of wasting all that energy trying to please others and be what you "think" they want you to be and do...... LISTEN TO THE LORD.

My friend Franni shared this with me:
"
Jesus was perfect and not everyone liked him! So we surely can't expect everyone to like us if they didn't all like Him."

Don't allow people to hurt you. It is so easy to let people take away our joy BECAUSE we TAKE everything PERSONALLY. Everything IS NOT ABOUT YOU!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes the reason we take it personally is because we have been blamed or verbally abused for years. A husband tells a wife that it is HER fault that HE LOST HIS TEMPER. When in all actuality she did NOTHING. When we get to heaven we can't blame someone else for our actions. Remember when someone does that to you it is generally a problem that they are dealing with and PROJECTING it on you. Related Pages: Pride & Obedience to God


Great Quotes:
Vickie shared these great quotes:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." --Eleanor Roosevelt

"Some people find fault like there was a reward for it." --Author Unknown

"Every person should have a special cemetery lot in which to bury the
faults of friends and loved ones." --Anonymous

"It is easy to be an angel when nobody ruffles your
feathers." --Barbara Johnson

"Most people are willing to change, not because they see the light, but
because they feel the heat!" --Barbara Johnson

"Worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with
yesterday's troubles."  --Barbara Johnson

"If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you will die a lot
of times" --Barbara Johnson

"Fear is the dark room where negatives are developed." --Barbara Johnson

How to Capture the Thought:

Let's determine to make a good effort and to tackle this problem head on!!!!!!!

The thought and concept are based on the Bible verse: 2 Cor. 10:5
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"

The reason that you capture the thought is so that you can stop it from "replaying" and blaming yourself for something you didn't do or have any control over. Here is a way to change your pattern of worry and it involves you having to "capture the thought".

1) STOP
2) Take your hand and grab the words in the air.
3) Then say "In the name of Jesus Christ my Savior I capture that thought & Rebuke it".  Your WORD gives me the authority & says that I have not because I ask not.........I am asking now.
4) Say a Bible Verse out LOUD.  Like "I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me" or "what time I am afraid I will trust in thee" or "perfect love casteth out all fear". Related Pages:
Warfare of Saints & Annie's Armor of God Page


What is JOY?
How would you define it? There are a lot of different "JOYS"!!!!
Is it the famous cookbook - the Joy of Cooking?
Is it the
Joy of Pepsi?
Is it the
Joy of the Game?
Is it
Calcutta known as the City of Joy?
Is it just a name? Is it Regis's wife
Joy Philbin?
Is it the comedian
Joy Behar from "The View"?
Is it the song
"Joy to the World" from the 70's?
Is it the popular and expensive perfume
Joy?
Is it the "
Gateway to Joy" that is the name of Elisabeth Elliot's site and radio show?
Yes I could go on and on..........but how about a few questions on a personal note:
Have you ever felt JOY?
Is it a feeling?
Is it an emotion?
Is it to be trusted?
Will it last?

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
~Nehemiah 8:10~

Here is what Merriam Webster Online defines JOY:

Thesaurus says this about JOY:
Entry Word:
joy
Function:
noun
Text:
Synonyms PLEASURE 2, delectation, delight, enjoyment, fruition, joyance
Related Word ecstasy, rapture, transport
Antonyms sorrow; misery

There are 155 verses in the Bible with the word JOY in them.

"Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous:
and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. "
~Psalm 32:11~

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary has a page about Joy.
Here is a great quote from their page:
"Joy is a response to God's word (
Psalm 119:14) and his reward to believers (Isa 65:14) and their strength (Ne 8:10)."

JOY is also one of the
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT mentioned in the Bible.

There are 9 fruit of the Spirit!
There are 2 verses with them mentioned:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
~
Galatians 5:22-23~
"For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;"
~Ephesian 5:9~
Related:
Fruit of the Spirit from Baker's Evangelical Dictionary
Annie's "Take the LOVE Test" Page

Now hopefully you understand a little better about what JOY really is. Try not to let others steal your JOY or PEACE that the Lord gives without measure. Never let anyone BURST your BUBBLE any more. Remember that there are always more bubbles to blow. The Lord is our never-ending source of JOY not ourselves or our emotions.

We have come to the end of the page. How should I conclude or close this page? It's hard for me to decide. I am certainly not the expert on being able to deal with people who tend to "burst my bubble" but I am not perfect. I am just forgiven. I don't have to know how to deal with things perfectly or completely. All I have to do is to TRUST in the Lord, seek Him and do the very best that I can. He will "instruct and teach" us all in the way that we should go when we seek Him CONSTANTLY and CONSISTANTLY!

Dad shared this verse with me yesterday:
"who He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him"
~Hebrews 11:6~

Don't waste another day!!! Always remember that this may indeed be your last day you have here on earth. You don't know what will happen tomorrow. You may "think" that you do know and "plan" every detail of your life but only the LORD knows for certain what will happen each day despite our "free will". The Lord only promises us today. Don't waste today or tomorrow but don't worry about today or yesterday either. Take this saying to heart: Today is a GIFT ..... and today is a PRESENT.


Salvation is a FREE gift........but you first must receive it!!!!!!

If you have read this far on my page and you are not a Christian then please stop right now. Ponder for a few minutes what would happen if you died tomorrow. If you got to heaven and they asked you WHY you should be allowed to enter......what would you say?
It is not on your own merit that you go to Heaven. The ONLY thing that you can do to assure your admittance is a very simple yet profound action. To ask the Lord Jesus Christ to become the Lord and Savior of your life.

Without doing that you will never truly have JOY or PEACE in your life. You may "think" that you have found a way to be HAPPY but it will always lack CONTENTMENT. It would only be a poor substitute and imitation of the "PEACE THAT PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING".


Just click on the lovely gift box above to find out how to become a Christian, and receive the JOY and PEACE that only HE can give you.

It is a FREE gift from God. "For by GRACE are you saved through faith, it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. Here is a link to "The Four Spiritual Laws" part of Campus Crusade for Christ. This page and site will follow up on your decision if you become a Christian and they have wonderful resources. You can click here and read my personal testimony at "Annie's Testimony Page".

As Christians we are to be like children and have that "child like faith". Remember that you are not perfect. You will fall down like a toddler learning to walk. So when you don't "think" and decide to "act" or "react" with emotions you can be assured that you can come to the cross and learn your burdens and mistakes there. 1 John ... assures us that we can and are expected to DAILY ask for forgiveness and then to LEAVE it with the Lord.


Today is a NEW day for you to "seek the Lord and His strength". Is the LORD really the LORD of your every word and action of your life? Even though we are suppose to be "child like" we are not to stay stagnant. One of the ways to grow in your faith is to let the Lord be in TOTAL control of your life. It isn't easy. I know that I personally have been and continue to learn to DAILY trust in the Lord to provide for me and for all of my needs. I am sure that many of you understand and know that it is sometimes an hour by hour life of trusting or even moment by moment. Don't just live your life, make your own decisions and actions first and come to the Lord after and say: "Lord PLEASE bless this decision"!!!

Go to Him FIRST not just as an after thought!!!!!!!!!!

"Seek peace and pursue it..........
"Ask, seek and knock and the door will be opened.

"WASTED WORRY makes for a REGRET FILLED not just REGRETFUL life." --Annie

"When you are enduring struggles in your life remember that you can always find "courage" in the "encouragement" of others." --Annie

"Always try to find even just one good thing in a bad situation. It really does help change your attitude and outlook." --Annie

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."
~Zephaniah 3:17~


Related Pages by Annie:
Annie's "Don't Worry" Page
Annie's Comfort Page
Annie's "Lovely Christian Ladies" Page
Annie's Email Encouragers Page
Prayer & the Email Encouragers Page
Annie's Bible to the Rescue Page
"Annie's Testimony Page"
A Message to you from Heaven
Annie's How to Cope with Grief & the Holidays Page

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