Today, I’m introducing an author who is new to me, Elizabeth Musser. I found her story so true for many of us. Here’s Elizabeth:

“When I am Weak, I am strong I have never thought of myself as a strong woman. Strong-willed maybe, stubborn, yes, prideful, sure. But strong in the positive sense? Nope, not hypersensitive me. As a creative soul, I had struggled for most of my life with dark thoughts that often spiraled into despair. I often heard voices whispering You are a failure, you never do enough, guilty, guilty, guilty!
I loved Jesus, and I had seen His hand in my life in hundreds of ways since He called me to Himself when I was a child. But the dark thoughts and the voices came back. As a young wife, mother and missionary, I had a wonderful breakthrough in my spiritual life when God began revealing to me the concept of renewing my mind. When struggling with false guilt heaped on by the Accuser, I needed repent of those spiraling thoughts, call on Jesus and then replace the lies with the truth.
How thankful I am for the way the Lord brought more mature saints into my life to help me form what I call ‘a battle plan’. I learned through God’s Word what it meant to ‘take every thought captive’ and to ‘set my mind on things above’.
Practically, that meant I identified the things in my life that most often sent me spiraling into despair: comparison, desire to control, jealousy, worry. I began not only memorizing God’s Word, but meditating on it. I wrote out a list of things my husband could do when he saw me becoming ‘weak’. One of the most helpful was to suggest I go for a walk, to get out into nature with Jesus and let Him lift my eyes to the hills and to Him. God’s Word calmed the voices.
On my own, I will never be strong. I will still succumb to the voices. But I am NOT on my own. I love what Jesus said to Paul, concerning his thorn in the flesh. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul concludes, “Most gladly therefore I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me… for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (II Corinthians 12:9-10, emphasis mine.) There is not a lot of room for pride when I see God using me in spite of myself. I know it is not because of me but because of His strength in me, and then, God gets the glory. How cool is that?

WORDS UNSPOKEN, Bethany House Publishers, c2009, available now Which voice will she listen to? Lissa Randall’s future was bright with academic promise until the tragic accident that brought her plans to a screeching halt. Eighteen months later, she still can’t get back behind the wheel, hearing subconscious whispers of Never good enough and All your fault. A casual recommendation to Ev McAllistair’s driving school sets in motion a cascade of events . . . until Lissa begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, life isn’t as random as she’s thought. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Words Unspoken introduces a cast of unforgettable characters who must choose whether to listen to voices that entice them towards greed, depression, and anger or to a still small voice that offers hope.

For more information about Elizabeth and her novels, please visit her website at www.elizabethmusser.com.”

Thanks, Elizabeth. I often think of 2 Timothy 1:7--For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”