Dealing With Stress (3)

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)

Stress comes with daily living.  Problems will show up without notice. Knowing this we need to plan ahead how we are going to handle the events that life brings.  We need to arm ourselves with the knowledge that God is aware of all our circumstances, they are no surprise to Him.  With this in mind we can offer up prayers for wisdom and strength to endure what has surprised us, and perhaps even shocked us.  We have an enemy of our soul who lurks around seeking someone to destroy.  Be prepared to defeat him with the word of God.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)

Satan’s desire is to drive us to breaking point as he tries to deceive us into thinking we can, or must, handle our stress in our own ability and cleverness. He brings about fear in our inmost being by diminishing our trust in God by having us focus on the problem and our inability to handle it. The key to handling stress is to lean on God’s power at the initial stage of any problem. God's strength comes as He stabilizes our emotions with His peace, infuses our hearts with His joy, and provides us with His all-sufficient wisdom to deal with any hardship in life.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  (Ephesians 6:10-11 NLT)

God has given us the tools we need to stand firm in His power in every stressful situation.  Let’s not neglect to use them.

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