Power From Above // Stress Busters, Part 4

Stress is affecting so many people – in fact, it’s a global pandemic. And what we’ve all discovered is that the shallow, band aid solutions that the world offers us, simply don’t work. What we need is power. Power to deal with the stress in our lives, once and for all.

 

Have a Cheerful Heart

Sometimes we need to be pretty direct, pretty blunt about dealing with the blockages in our lives that are interrupting the flow of the power of God in our life. Because God means to bring all His power to bear to deal with the stress that we suffer from, but sometimes, we’re working against Him and then we’re wondering – hang on, where’s that power that Jesus promised? So …

… Sorry to be a bit blunt here, but it doesn’t hurt every now and then we need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves some questions like that. So – are you one of those people that exudes joy or sadness; a positive outlook, or a negative outlook; encouragement or discouragement? Which one are you? Are you a sad sack? Or do you fluctuate between the two – up on the mountain-tops one day, down in the dumps the next?

The reason I’m asking is that if you’re someone who spends more than a little time down in the dumps, then it’s having an impact on you … it’s having an impact on the people around you … and it’s having an impact on your relationship with them. That’s pretty far-reaching. Because if we damage relationships, we damage career prospects, we damage marriages, we damage our children.

This is serious stuff. Stress is debilitating and a negative, untrusting attitude that focuses on the problem rather than the on the God who can make all the difference, interrupts the power that He wants to pour out on us. On top of that, the world wants us to believe that we can wave a magic wand and make stress disappear.

Here’s what one of those body and soul web sites recommends. Ten quirky stress busters it’s called. Chew gum, eat chocolate (oh that’ll be just fine and dandy when you come down off your sugar high), get a cat, keep a diary, do some yoga, hum a tune, blow up a balloon, snack on walnuts (Well, that is a lot better than sugar filled gum and chocolate I have to admit), have a laugh or ring your mum.

Oh please … stress is so much deeper and more profound in our lives. It’s a constant companion for many, many people – everything stresses them, or if not everything, then they go through prolonged periods of stress over one or two very important issues or situations in their lives.

You’ve probably figured out that eating walnuts (as good as that maybe for you) is not going to solve the problems in your life or relieve your stress. At least I’m hoping you have.

You see the world’s answer to stress is to conjure something up out of nothing. Or to apply en external band-aid, to heal a deep, internal wound.

Have you ever had this experience? You’re driving along in the car and it’s bright and sunny – so you pop your sunglasses on. But gradually the clouds roll in and at some point you’re thinking, it is so dark and gloomy today. Then you realise you’re wearing your sunnies so you take them off and it’s only then you realise that it’s nowhere near as dark and gloomy as you thought it was. Sure the clouds have rolled in, sure it’s overcast, but not that dark and gloomy.

The attitudes of our hearts are a lot like those sunglasses. Some people are walking through difficult times, with a gloomy, darkened heart, and so the whole experience feels about a hundred times worse than what it really is.

God knows that and that’s why He’s concerned over the state of your heart. Have a listen to some of the things He says in His Word about what’s going on in your heart:

An anxious heart weighs you down, but a kind word, cheers you up. (Proverbs 12:25)

.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}