God at Work Devotional

A 3-Step Biblical Recipe for Mental Health

In this often quoted verse from Isaiah, we see 3 biblical steps in a recipe for mental health, if we look at its ingredients in reverse:

Step 1: “because they trust in you”

Putting our trust completely in God is of foremost importance.  By completely, I mean 100%.  Not, ‘I trust God but the doctor's word is more important’.  Not, ‘I trust God but my financial advisor’s guidance is more valuable’.   Trusting God must be in every aspect of life.  In fact, we do a great injustice to God by compartmentalizing our life.  Let’s be wholly committed to Him and Him alone in all aspects. 

I consider my life verse to be Proverbs 3:5:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Pay attention to ‘all’ in this verse.  All means everything.   All our trust must be in God.

Step 2:  “whose minds are steadfast”

Achieving a steadfast mind is not by chance or through some random blessing.  It's practiced. It's intentional.  We need to train our minds daily by digesting the Word of God so our minds become transformed to God’s purpose and will.  We are instructed of this discipline in Romans 12:2:  “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Step 3 “You will keep in perfect peace”

I was intrigued a few years back when I looked up the Orthodox Jewish Bible translation for this verse and learned that “perfect peace” is translated “shalom shalom”…wow, peace multiplied by peace!

Also, consider that ‘shalom’ is actually more than the English word ‘peace’, which we often use to describe the opposite for conflict.  It means much more.  Shalom encompasses wholeness of mind, body and spirit, including welfare, safety and prosperity.  This is what God provides for our mental health divinely and freely.

So, are you in need of mental health restoration as much as I am?  Let’s apply the recipe and put these 3 Biblical steps into practice:

1. Fully Trust in God

2. Meditate daily on His Word

3. Accept His Shalom

Story of Challenge and Hope

Dean's Journey

Trusting God's Plan Over Yours

Dean's story begins in the vibrant landscape of South Africa, where he was born into a devout Hindu family. His parents had practiced their ancestral faith for generations, finding comfort in familiar traditions and rituals. But life had a way of testing their deepest beliefs.

When Dean's mother fell seriously ill, she turned to what she had always known—prayer to the Hindu gods she had worshipped since childhood. Day after day, she prayed with increasing desperation, seeking healing and relief from her suffering. Yet despite her faithful devotion, her prayers seemed to echo into silence. No relief came. No healing followed.

It was during this season of physical and spiritual struggle that something extraordinary happened. Dean's mother experienced a vivid dream—one that would change the trajectory of their entire family. In this dream, she encountered God in a way she had never experienced before. The dream was so powerful, so undeniably real, that it compelled her to do something completely outside her comfort zone.

Against everything she had been raised to believe, Dean's mother found herself walking into a Christian church. She sat quietly, listening to words about a God who loved her, who heard her prayers, and who offered hope beyond her current circumstances. When she returned home that day, she couldn't contain what she had experienced. She shared every detail with Dean's father, describing the peace she had felt and the sense of God's presence that seemed so different from anything she had known.

Intrigued by his wife's transformation, Dean's father agreed to accompany her to church. Together, they began a journey of discovery that led them both to accept Christ as their Savior. Their conversion was genuine and life-changing, but they demonstrated remarkable wisdom in their approach to their son. Rather than pressuring Dean to follow their newfound faith, they simply lived out their Christianity before him, allowing their transformed lives to speak for itself.

For six months, Dean observed his parents' new faith with curious eyes. He watched as their relationship with each other improved, as peace replaced anxiety in their home, and as joy became a regular visitor where despair had once lived. It was during this time of observation that Dean began reading the Bible for himself, drawn by the changes he witnessed in his parents.

As Dean read Scripture in the quiet of their South African home, God began speaking to his heart. The same God who had reached his mother through a dream was now drawing Dean into a personal relationship. Dean's conversion wasn't dramatic or public—it was a quiet, personal encounter with Christ that happened in the sacred space of his own heart.

Fast forward into his life as a successful family man and entrepreneur. After years of following the Lord’s path, God called him, his wife Michelle and two daughters, to take a leap of faith that would test his obedience and trust. The call was clear: leave South Africa and move to France for 5 years. Never having lived far from his family, this direction seemed both exciting and terrifying.

Dean obeyed and made the move to France, but as time passed, fear began to take root. The isolation from friends and family, and not to mention his funds that were quickly depleting, all began to weigh on Dean.

The walls seemed to be closing in around him, and instead of crying out to God for strength and guidance, Dean made a decision he would later regret. He abandoned God's plan and returned to South Africa against God's will.

Shortly after moving back to South Africa, Dean's mother passed away. Not only was he grieving the loss of the woman who had first introduced his family to Christ, but he was also experiencing the spiritual distance that comes from disobedience. Dean later described this as the loneliest time of his life—a season where he felt cut off from God's presence and approval.

The combination of grief and spiritual distance created a perfect storm of regret and longing for restoration. Dean realized that his fear had cost him not only God's best plan for his life but also the comfort and peace that comes from walking in obedience.

Eventually, God opened another door for Dean—this time for him and his family to move to America. But this move would be different. Dean had learned from his previous mistake and made a commitment that would define the rest of his journey: he would listen to God completely.

Your story of faith can inspire others and bring God’s Kingdom to earth in our life and business.

Contact us to share your story.

Tech Update

Electromagnetic Fields and Radio Frequency

Financial Update

Japan’s Trade Agreement

President Trump recently announced a "massive" trade deal with Japan that establishes reciprocal tariffs at 15% on Japanese imports to the United States, reduced from the previously proposed 25% rate.

This agreement is particularly significant for the automotive sector, where tariffs on Japanese cars have been lowered from 25% to 15%. However, tariffs on Japanese steel and aluminum—key industries for Japan—will remain at 50%. The deal also includes Japan's commitment to invest $550 billion in the U.S. economy.

Economic Impact and Trickle-Down Effects

The $550 billion investment represents nearly 14% of Japan's 2024 GDP, making this one of the largest foreign investment commitments in U.S. history. According to the White House, this deal "will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs" across multiple sectors.

The investment will be directed toward Trump administration priority sectors, including energy, semiconductors, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and shipbuilding. Japan's top trade official confirmed that the $550 billion could support semiconductor factories in the U.S., including Taiwanese chip plants that align with Japanese supply chain needs.

The trickle-down effects will be substantial. Japan is already the single-largest source of foreign direct investment in the United States, with $754 billion deployed as of last year. This additional investment is expected to result in the following benefits:

• Manufacturing Revival: Direct job creation in semiconductor fabrication, energy infrastructure, and shipbuilding facilities

• Supply Chain Strengthening: Enhanced domestic production capabilities in critical minerals and pharmaceuticals

• Regional Economic Growth: Communities hosting these facilities will see increased local spending, housing demand, and service sector expansion

• Technology Transfer: Advanced Japanese manufacturing techniques and processes will benefit American workers and companies

To understand the significance of this agreement, it's essential to recognize Japan's economic standing. Japan remains the world's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and purchasing power parity, constituting 3.7% of the global economy in 2024. However, after decades of rapid post-WWII growth, Japan's economic expansion has stagnated since the 1990s, with GDP figures fluctuating between 4 and 6.3 trillion U.S. dollars.

Japan's economic journey mirrors the broader challenges of developed nations grappling with demographic shifts, technological disruption, and global trade tensions. The country that once epitomized the "Asian economic miracle" now navigates a more complex landscape of moderate growth expectations and policy normalization.

This trade agreement represents more than economic policy—it reflects the delicate balance of international relationships and mutual dependence. For Christian business leaders, this situation offers profound lessons about stewardship and wisdom in uncertain times.

Economic agreements, like market conditions, can shift unexpectedly. While we plan and negotiate in good faith, our ultimate security rests not in trade deals or economic projections, but in God's sovereign provision.

As we observe these developments between two major economies, we're reminded that "the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

Whether tariffs rise or fall, whether economies expand or contract, our calling remains constant: to steward resources wisely, treat all parties with integrity, and remember that earthly kingdoms and their trade agreements are temporary, but God's kingdom endures forever.

Share your thoughts in the comments section. We enjoy reading them all:

Health Nuggets

SUNLIGHT - Time for a Rethink

Did you know that 15 minutes in the sun every day can improve your health? 

Studies have shown benefits including a reduction in non-cancer mortality, no increase of melanoma (skin cancer), and it can improve our mitochondria. 

It is the BEST natural way to get your daily Vitamin D, which a great majority of Americans are deficient in.

To learn more, check out this YouTube video with Dr. Roger Seheult, who covers many topics, including the sun’s health benefits.

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

Prayer Corner

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We believe God meets our needs, beyond what ‘we ask or image’, through Holy Spirit working in and through us.

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