Post by Cindy on Jan 12, 2016 11:22:02 GMT -5
I found this article in my bible notes. I had posted it on our old board, but when I checked the link for the article, it's no longer available. Since I had permission to post it before though, I'll go ahead and post it again as it was very good and explains it much better than I have.
What The Bible Says About Overcoming Stress and Worry
Jesus didn't say that once we built our house on the rock that everything would be perfect. No, He said that a flood came in torrents smashing against the house. The key is that the house was built on the rock of Jesus, and the rock of putting His words into practice. Is your house built on Jesus? Did you dig your foundation deep into Him, or was the house hastily erected? Is your salvation based on a prayer you prayed once or is it growing out of a committed relationship to Him? Do you come to Him every day, every hour? Are you putting His words into practice in your life, or do they lie there like dormant seed? "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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." Romans 12:1-2
Until you have fully committed yourself to God, until your foundation is dug deep into Him, you will never be able to discern what His perfect will is for your life. When the storms of life come, as they are bound to do, you will only worry and fret and walk around with an ache in your back. Who we are under pressure reveals who we really are. The storms of life wash away the thin veneer that we present to the world and expose what lies in our heart. God, in His mercy, allows the storms to hit us so we will turn to Him and be cleansed of the sin that we were never able to perceive in times of ease. We can either turn to Him and receive a soft heart in the midst of all our trials, or we can turn away and harden our heart. The hard times in life will either make us pliable and merciful, full of faith in God, or angry and brittle, full of doubt and unbelief.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Ultimately, there are only two motivating factors in life: fear or faith. Until we truly know that God is for us, loves us, cares about us personally and hasn't forgotten us, we will base our life's decisions on fear. All fear and worry stems from a lack of faith in God. You may not think you are walking in fear, but if you aren't walking in faith, you are. Stress is a form of fear. Worry is a form of fear. Worldly ambition is rooted in a fear of being overlooked--of being a failure. Many relationships are based on the fear of being alone. Vanity is based on a fear of being unattractive and unloved. Greed is based on a fear of poverty. Even anger and rage are based on the fear that there is no justice, no escape, no hope. Fear breeds selfishness, which is the exact opposite of God's character. Selfishness breeds pride and indifference to others. All of these are sin and must be dealt with accordingly. Stress arises when we try to serve both ourselves (our fears), and God at the same time (which is impossible to do). "Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain...In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat." (Psalm 127:1-2).
The Bible says that when everything else is stripped away, only three things remain: faith, hope, and love--and that love is the greatest of the three. Love is the force that drives out our fear. "There is no fear in love but perfect love drives out fear, for fear has a torment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18). The only way we can get rid of our anxieties is to look them in the eye and deal with them at the root. If we desire for God to make us perfect in love, we will have to repent of every bit of fear and worry that we have clung to instead of Him. We may not like to face some of those things that are in us, but we must if we are ever to be free from them. If we are not merciless with our sin, it will be merciless on us. It will drive us like the most wicked of slavemasters. Worst of all, it will keep us from communion with God.
Jesus said in Matthew 13:22, "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." It is extraordinary what tremendous power there is in even the littlest things to distract us from God. We must stand our ground, and refuse to let the thorns choke out the seed of the Word. The devil knows that if he can distract us with all the cares of this world, we will never be a threat to him or fulfill the call that is on each our lives. We will never bear any fruit for the kingdom of God. We will fall far below God's intended place for us. Yet, God wants to help us to do our best in every situation that we face. That is all He asks--that we trust in Him, put Him first, and do the best we can. After all, most other circumstances that we worry about are beyond our control anyway. What a waste of time worrying is! If we only worried about the things that we have any direct control over, we would reduce our worrying by 90%!
Luke 10:41-42 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Paraphrasing the Lord's words in Luke 10:41-42, Jesus is saying to each one of us, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Choose what is better and it will not be taken from you." Isn't it wonderful that the only thing that cannot ever be taken from us, is the only thing we really need anyway? Choose to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to His words and learn from Him. By so doing, you are putting a deposit of true riches into your heart, if you guard those words and put them into practice. If you are not daily spending time with Him and reading His Word, you are opening the door of your heart to the birds of the air who will steal the seeds of life deposited there, and leave worry in their place. As for our material needs, they will be taken care of when we seek Jesus first. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow will take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:33.
God has blessed us with a most powerful tool; His Living Word, the Bible. If used properly, it is a spiritual sword; separating our faith from our fear, drawing a clean line between the holy and the vile, cutting away the excess and bringing forth the repentance which leads to life. Stress merely indicates an area of our life where our flesh is still on the throne. The life that is totally submitted to God is marked by the trust born out of a thankful heart. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
We must get our mind off of ourselves and the problems we face and onto the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. One of the miracles of a life transformed by God is that we can be thankful always, and praise Him in all situations. This is what He commands us to do, for He knows better than we do that the joy of the Lord is our strength. God does not owe us anything, but He has made a way for us to receive every good thing anyway, because He loves us! Is that not a reason for celebration and thanksgiving? "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer and enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19. "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy soul with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5
Won't you take some time right now to re-commit your life to the Lord? If you don't know Him, ask Him into your heart. If you do know Him tell Him that you want to know Him better. Confess your sins of worry, fear and lack of faith and tell Him that you want Him to replace those things with faith, hope and love. No one serves God by his own strength--we all need the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit to permeate our lives and continually lead us back to the precious cross, back to the Living Word. You can make a fresh start with God, starting this very minute. He will fill your heart with a brand new song, and joy unspeakable and full of glory!
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up (leap) like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2.
Posted with permission:
bible.com/bibleanswers_result.php?id=127
For more information on how to replace worry, fear, stress, etc with faith, hope and love, see:
Taking Thoughts Captive
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Isaiah 40: 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Psalm 121:1-8 I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.......The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Isaiah 50:10-11 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment
What The Bible Says About Overcoming Stress and Worry
Jesus didn't say that once we built our house on the rock that everything would be perfect. No, He said that a flood came in torrents smashing against the house. The key is that the house was built on the rock of Jesus, and the rock of putting His words into practice. Is your house built on Jesus? Did you dig your foundation deep into Him, or was the house hastily erected? Is your salvation based on a prayer you prayed once or is it growing out of a committed relationship to Him? Do you come to Him every day, every hour? Are you putting His words into practice in your life, or do they lie there like dormant seed? "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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." Romans 12:1-2
Until you have fully committed yourself to God, until your foundation is dug deep into Him, you will never be able to discern what His perfect will is for your life. When the storms of life come, as they are bound to do, you will only worry and fret and walk around with an ache in your back. Who we are under pressure reveals who we really are. The storms of life wash away the thin veneer that we present to the world and expose what lies in our heart. God, in His mercy, allows the storms to hit us so we will turn to Him and be cleansed of the sin that we were never able to perceive in times of ease. We can either turn to Him and receive a soft heart in the midst of all our trials, or we can turn away and harden our heart. The hard times in life will either make us pliable and merciful, full of faith in God, or angry and brittle, full of doubt and unbelief.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Ultimately, there are only two motivating factors in life: fear or faith. Until we truly know that God is for us, loves us, cares about us personally and hasn't forgotten us, we will base our life's decisions on fear. All fear and worry stems from a lack of faith in God. You may not think you are walking in fear, but if you aren't walking in faith, you are. Stress is a form of fear. Worry is a form of fear. Worldly ambition is rooted in a fear of being overlooked--of being a failure. Many relationships are based on the fear of being alone. Vanity is based on a fear of being unattractive and unloved. Greed is based on a fear of poverty. Even anger and rage are based on the fear that there is no justice, no escape, no hope. Fear breeds selfishness, which is the exact opposite of God's character. Selfishness breeds pride and indifference to others. All of these are sin and must be dealt with accordingly. Stress arises when we try to serve both ourselves (our fears), and God at the same time (which is impossible to do). "Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain...In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat." (Psalm 127:1-2).
The Bible says that when everything else is stripped away, only three things remain: faith, hope, and love--and that love is the greatest of the three. Love is the force that drives out our fear. "There is no fear in love but perfect love drives out fear, for fear has a torment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18). The only way we can get rid of our anxieties is to look them in the eye and deal with them at the root. If we desire for God to make us perfect in love, we will have to repent of every bit of fear and worry that we have clung to instead of Him. We may not like to face some of those things that are in us, but we must if we are ever to be free from them. If we are not merciless with our sin, it will be merciless on us. It will drive us like the most wicked of slavemasters. Worst of all, it will keep us from communion with God.
Jesus said in Matthew 13:22, "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." It is extraordinary what tremendous power there is in even the littlest things to distract us from God. We must stand our ground, and refuse to let the thorns choke out the seed of the Word. The devil knows that if he can distract us with all the cares of this world, we will never be a threat to him or fulfill the call that is on each our lives. We will never bear any fruit for the kingdom of God. We will fall far below God's intended place for us. Yet, God wants to help us to do our best in every situation that we face. That is all He asks--that we trust in Him, put Him first, and do the best we can. After all, most other circumstances that we worry about are beyond our control anyway. What a waste of time worrying is! If we only worried about the things that we have any direct control over, we would reduce our worrying by 90%!
Luke 10:41-42 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Paraphrasing the Lord's words in Luke 10:41-42, Jesus is saying to each one of us, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Choose what is better and it will not be taken from you." Isn't it wonderful that the only thing that cannot ever be taken from us, is the only thing we really need anyway? Choose to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to His words and learn from Him. By so doing, you are putting a deposit of true riches into your heart, if you guard those words and put them into practice. If you are not daily spending time with Him and reading His Word, you are opening the door of your heart to the birds of the air who will steal the seeds of life deposited there, and leave worry in their place. As for our material needs, they will be taken care of when we seek Jesus first. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow will take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Matthew 6:33.
God has blessed us with a most powerful tool; His Living Word, the Bible. If used properly, it is a spiritual sword; separating our faith from our fear, drawing a clean line between the holy and the vile, cutting away the excess and bringing forth the repentance which leads to life. Stress merely indicates an area of our life where our flesh is still on the throne. The life that is totally submitted to God is marked by the trust born out of a thankful heart. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27
We must get our mind off of ourselves and the problems we face and onto the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. One of the miracles of a life transformed by God is that we can be thankful always, and praise Him in all situations. This is what He commands us to do, for He knows better than we do that the joy of the Lord is our strength. God does not owe us anything, but He has made a way for us to receive every good thing anyway, because He loves us! Is that not a reason for celebration and thanksgiving? "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer and enables me to go on the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19. "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy soul with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:1-5
Won't you take some time right now to re-commit your life to the Lord? If you don't know Him, ask Him into your heart. If you do know Him tell Him that you want to know Him better. Confess your sins of worry, fear and lack of faith and tell Him that you want Him to replace those things with faith, hope and love. No one serves God by his own strength--we all need the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit to permeate our lives and continually lead us back to the precious cross, back to the Living Word. You can make a fresh start with God, starting this very minute. He will fill your heart with a brand new song, and joy unspeakable and full of glory!
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up (leap) like calves released from the stall." Malachi 4:2.
Posted with permission:
bible.com/bibleanswers_result.php?id=127
For more information on how to replace worry, fear, stress, etc with faith, hope and love, see:
Taking Thoughts Captive
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Phil 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
Isaiah 40: 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Psalm 121:1-8 I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.......The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Isaiah 50:10-11 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment
!!
