#NUTSHELL – JANUARY 24th — STRESS CHECK – 2 Samuel 22: In - TopicsExpress

#NUTSHELL – JANUARY 24th — STRESS CHECK – 2 Samuel 22: In our time-driven culture, stress is an inevitable part of life, so we have to learn to manage it. Let’s look at what God says about stress and how we are to handle the reality of a stress-filled life, and still maintain that inner peace that God promises. One of the best antidotes to stress is seeing God’s purpose in the difficulties He allows in our lives. James counsels us that “we are to consider it all joy when we face trials of various kinds, because these will produce something good in us.” The “good” God wants to do is to conform us to the image of Christ. He may use certain situations to develop one of the fruits of the Spirit in us. Knowing that God uses every situation even the petty, irritating situations of life to teach us to become more like Jesus helps us to feel less stressed by things we cannot control. Consider what God is doing in your life (James 1:2-4). Jesus tells us not to let our hearts be troubled or afraid (John 14:27). So we must “guard our hearts” (Proverbs 4:23). Stress has a way of orienting us toward the things that are wrong in our lives. We need to be on guard against negativity and pessimism. There are times when we will not understand God or His ways (Isaiah 55:8), but He gives us enough information about His character that even when we do not understand or are confused, we can rest in His faithfulness and His holy goodness. He delights in us when we trust Him, even when we do not understand (Habakkuk 3:17-19). We must take time each day to check our thinking and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).