For all of us stress comes from many areas of life. We experience what seems like too much pressure with family or with work demands or work colleagues. Our sleep is disturbed, and we walk around with an uncomfortable level of anxiety. For most of us dealing with stress contributed to our drug and alcohol use, which eventually led us into addiction. The key to effectively handling stress is to lean on God’s power at the initial stage of any problem.
The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” (Lamentations 3:22-24 NLT)
Strength to overcome stress will come as God stabilizes our emotions with His peace, infuses our hearts with His joy, and provides us with His wisdom to deal with any hardship in life. It’s important to admit we’re stressed, first to God, and then perhaps to someone we trust. God is with us. God cares. God has promised to act on our behalf when we give our will and life over to His care.
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
When we are under stress, we need to be aware of those things we tend to project into a situation, things that currently don’t exist, but are based on familiar worries and fears. We need to allow past events and hurts to go, and only concentrate on today's real challenges. Perhaps we need to set reasonable priorities and let some things go. Many of us dislike asking for help. This, however, may be a time to reach out for help and live in the reality of today.
God says: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isaiah 43:1-3 MSG)
Prayer: Loving God, you know me and the pressures and stresses I face. Help me to trust You and let go of these stresses. Help me to be realistic about what is, and what I can achieve. Strengthen me in my resolve to develop wisdom in the handling of all my affairs. Amen
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