Page 8 - MyFaith Mag April - May web 2016

ENJOYING EVERYDAY LIFE
STRESS 101Management
It seems that stress is the disease of the
century. Products and programs to manage
stress are a multi-billion dollar business,
whether the “cure” is medicine, counseling,
books, seminars or classes. But I’ve discovered
that God’s way of managing stress is the most
effective way to live.
Jesus says in John 14:27 (AMP): “Peace I leave
with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not
as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let
your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let hearts] contains the power to save your souls.”
My perfect peace calm you in every circum-
stance and give you courage and strength for
every challenge.]”
I know what it’s like to live under the burden
and pressure of stress, and I know what it’s like
to have God’s peace. I can honestly say that
I will do whatever I have to do to have God’s
peace in my life, because it is not God’s will for Word—reading it, meditating on it, getting it
us to live with stress all the time.
It’s easy for us to feel like we can’t avoid being we talk, which changes our attitudes, and then
stressed-out because it’s just the way the
world is today. But the truth is just because
stress is a disease of our culture doesn’t mean
we have to adopt the ways of our culture and
live the same way.
We have two options: We can continue to be
stressed-out until we fall apart, or we can learn
how to receive the peace Christ gives in every
circumstance, rather than letting stress get into
us.
THE CURE FOR STRESS
For many years, I lived with constant stress. I
was sexually abused by my father throughout
my childhood. Then when I left home at the
age of 18, I married the first man who came
along because I was afraid no one else would
want me, and that led to five years of misery.
He ended up abandoning me. By the time I was
23 and met Dave Meyer, I was a mess! I was
worried, full of fear, insecure and had a poor
self-image. So I tried to find value in what I did around us but by the leading of the Holy Spirit,
and became a workaholic.
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Over time, I developed physical problems,
like frequent headaches and backaches, and I
created problems in many of my relationships
because I was unhappy and hard to get along
with. I finally came to the place where I decided
that I would not live that way any longer.
Whatever it took, I was going to have God’s
peace and live a peaceful life.
James 1:21 (AMPC) says, “…In a humble (gentle,
modest) spirit receive and welcome the
Word which implanted and rooted [in your
Although I was a Christian during this time of
my life, I needed to “get saved” in my soul—my
mind, will and emotions. I needed to renew my
mind with the Word of God so I could know the
Truth and be set free from the root issues of
my stress.
This is how it works: When we study God’s
deep down in our hearts—it changes the way
we think. This causes us to change the way
our behavior changes. At this point, the things
around us—our circumstances—can’t control us
anymore.
GET TO THE ROOT OF YOUR STRESS
Being set free from the pressure of stress
begins with God’s Word, but we also have to
understand that if things are going to change
in our lives, we will have to take responsibility THE INNER AND OUTER LIVES
to change them with God’s help. So the first
thing we need to do is pray and be willing to
hear what He has to say about the real root of
our problem. If you’re already doing your part,
then be determined to trust God to fix things.
But if you’re not walking in wisdom or you’re
doing things a certain way just because that’s
the way everybody else is doing it, then follow
the direction He is speaking to your heart to
make a change.
We must pray and obey! This means we make
a commitment not to live based on the culture
who lives in us as born-again believers in
BY JOYCE MEYER
Christ. Our mind-set should be: With God’s
help, I’m ready to make a change. Then as we
do what He shows us to do (or what He shows
us not to do), we’ll be able to live in peace.
Pursue the peace Jesus is offering you today.
It’s not the kind the world gives—the kind you
have as long as your circumstances are the way
you want them to be. The peace Jesus gives
makes you calm and undisturbed on the inside,
in your soul, no matter what’s going on around
you. Study other scriptures about peace, like
Philippians 4:6-7, Colossians 3:15 and 1 Peter
3:11. Put your trust in God completely and enjoy
the life Jesus died to give you. Through Christ,
you can learn how to manage the stress of this
world, instead of letting stress manage you!.
CHANGE YOUR APPROACH
AND GIVE YOUR SOUL A
VACATION!
One of the most comforting scriptures in the
Bible is Matthew 11:28. In this verse, Jesus
tells us, “Come to Me, all you who labor and
are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will
cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and
refresh your souls.]” I think it’s interesting to
note here that Jesus said He would “ease and
relieve and refresh” our souls, not our bodies.
It sounds like He’s saying we need to give our
souls a vacation.
We all have two lives: an inner life and an
outer life. Your inner life is your soul life, which
includes your mind, will and emotions. Your
outer life is your physical life. And while God
cares about every detail of your life, He is more
concerned with your inner life than your outer
life.
I have found that it’s possible to give your body
rest but not your soul. For example, have you
ever had trouble going to sleep because you
were worrying about a problem and couldn’t
stop thinking about it? This kind of activity just
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