Abide Network

Abide Network Mental health coaching and education community offering accessible, affordable, and biblical services to anyone in the world. http://linktr.ee/abidenetwork

Connect and grow with the help of licensed professional counselor Jennifer Jill Schwirzer.

02/04/2026

Self-control isn’t something we force or claw our way toward. Instead, the love of Christ begins to push out unhealthy desires and behaviors. 

Scripture calls us to grow - adding to our faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge self-control. Then self-control leads to perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and ultimately love. 

Two different biblical gift lists include self-control, showing how essential it is to spiritual maturity. The original Greek word for self-control, enkrateia, comes from kratos, meaning strength. True self-control means living with strength - the ability to contain and guide our responses. 

Without it, Scripture compares us to a city with broken walls - vulnerable and unprotected. 

Have you ever felt that moment when emotions overflowed, reactions escaped, and everything seemed to break down? Biblical self-control isn’t about white-knuckling behavior. 

It’s about strength formed through love, growth, and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

It Gets Better.
There is hope.
There is help.
There is healing.
Visit Abide.Network for free faith-based mental health resources and get connected with trained Christian coaches who care.

Grab our latest free resource to help you right now! “The 7 Deadly Psychological Sins” Abide.Network/Freebie





What can laughter teach us about the One who created it? Do we sometimes overlook humor in Scripture? At this week’s Foo...
01/30/2026

What can laughter teach us about the One who created it?
Do we sometimes overlook humor in Scripture?

At this week’s Food for the Heart, Elise Harboldt invites us to consider how humor offers a unique glimpse into God’s affectionate and playful heart, helping us understand His character and connect with Him in an unexpected yet deeply meaningful way.

About the Speaker:
Elise Harboldt is a PhD Candidate at the University of Cambridge whose research examines the impact of religious perfectionism on mental health. She holds master’s degrees in theological studies and biblical counseling and is a registered nurse with experience in mental health and lifestyle medicine. Bringing together academic research, clinical experience, and theological insight, Elise is passionate about helping people cultivate a healthier, more grace-filled relationship with God.

Join us Fridays at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET at abide.network/food-for-the-heart
Watch the full session on YouTube: youtube.com/

Tag a friend who needs encouragement today.





Do My Thoughts and Feelings Define Who I Am?with Joanne McDermott, LSW, NutritionistFriday, Jan 23 • 5pm PT | 8pm ET At ...
01/22/2026

Do My Thoughts and Feelings Define Who I Am?
with Joanne McDermott, LSW, Nutritionist
Friday, Jan 23 • 5pm PT | 8pm ET

At this week’s Food for the Heart, Joanne will present a hopeful and grounding conversation about the inner life of the mind. She will explore how thoughts and emotions influence us without holding ultimate authority over who we are. Drawing from psychology and faith, Joanne will help listeners understand that intrusive or negative thoughts are temptations rather than verdicts, and that freedom grows as we learn to respond with discernment, grace, and trust in God’s power at work within us.

Speaker Bio:
Joanne McDermott is a Licensed Social Worker (in MA) and a Board-Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor with over four years of experience helping individuals uncover the root causes of their health challenges. Through personalized diet and lifestyle modifications, guided by the principle that “Food is Medicine,” she has helped many manage, reverse, and even eliminate disease.

As a trained Mental Health Coach with Abide Network, Joanne also integrates mental and emotional wellness into her work, recognizing that true healing involves both the mind and body. By combining nutrition, psychology, and Bible-based spiritual guidance, she supports clients in achieving complete and lasting wellness.

Learn More/Follow Joanna: https://linktr.ee/journeytoabundantwellness

Schedule a free consultation with Joanna:
https://shorturl.at/Gr62I

Join us Fridays at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET at abide.network/food-for-the-heart

Watch the full session on YouTube: youtube.com/

Tag a friend who needs encouragement today.

New: Private ConsultationsI’m opening my Tuesdays for a few private consult spots for people who feel stuck, overwhelmed...
01/22/2026

New: Private Consultations
I’m opening my Tuesdays for a few private consult spots for people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure about their next right step.

This is for you if:
• You’re carrying a lot and need space to sort it through
• You want grounded guidance that honors faith and mental health together
• You’re facing a decision, pattern, or situation that needs clarity now

What happens in the consult:
• One focused, personal conversation
• Insight into what’s really going on beneath the surface
• Practical next steps you can act on
• A calmer, steadier sense of direction leaving the call

People often say they leave feeling clearer, supported, and less alone.

Spots are limited and offered on Tuesdays only.

If this feels timely, comment CONSULT (in all caps) and I’ll send you the details privately.

01/20/2026

A new deliverance ministry has formed within my extended church community. I’ve been around long enough to have seen a few of these things, some good, some not so good. Allow me to help equip you to exercise discernment.

I want to take just one aspect of this recent iteration because it falls within the scope of my expertise. That aspect is how this new movement regards negative emotion. Apparently, this group is doing what so many demonology groups have done, and that’s --they see demons everywhere. Specifically, it is being taught that all negative emotions are evidence of a demon that must be cast out.

Negative emotions are a normal, and even necessary part of human life. I can think of no more effective way to discourage us than to catastrophize them. This greases the highway to secondary disturbance, where we become disturbed, then become disturbed about being disturbed. “I’m a Christian, I’m supposed to be happy all the time!” “I should never feel fear. God condemns fear!”

Not every negative emotion, even lingering, excessive negative emotion, gives evidence of a demon. In fact, most negative emotion overload begins with unhealthy habits of thinking and functioning. Changing those habits involves, not a one-time exorcism, but dispatching and replacing those habits in an ongoing process we call sanctification.

Put the word “deliver” in the comments for a link to more info.

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