Nothing exposes our own spiritual deficiencies --and sometimes outright spiritual poverty--more than the pressures of life. If you are buckling under pressures resist the urge to just "get away from it all" as a solution. Unless by that you mean to remove yourself from the situation temporarily for a few hours for meditation and prayer with God Himself.
Don't think that just a change of scenery or pace will solve the problem. There is no doubt that these can be a temporal restoration just as the reason we have a "day of rest". The greater benefit for this pause from normal activities however was to draw ones focus back to God.
Often we will use our work, television, sports, hobby, or other escapes aways to get away from our pressures of life. We must not teach through this example to "get away from it all" as a valid way of handling problems. When facing pressures of life we should stop to draw closer to God --He is the One of it all when we are under pressure.
So if a believer has a renewed mind about his pressures, he can consider them a source of joy.
Don't think that just a change of scenery or pace will solve the problem. There is no doubt that these can be a temporal restoration just as the reason we have a "day of rest". The greater benefit for this pause from normal activities however was to draw ones focus back to God.
Often we will use our work, television, sports, hobby, or other escapes aways to get away from our pressures of life. We must not teach through this example to "get away from it all" as a valid way of handling problems. When facing pressures of life we should stop to draw closer to God --He is the One of it all when we are under pressure.
So if a believer has a renewed mind about his pressures, he can consider them a source of joy.
- "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." --2 Corinthians 12:9-10 [Remember God's purposes for the pressures.]
- "Gird up the loins of your mind" --1 Peter 1:13 [That means to restrict our thinking to God's perspective only and change our response accordingly. Ouch!
Any believer can experience that joy if he handles his pressures God's Way. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." --Isaiah 26:3
[This timely lesson on dealing with life's pressures has given me a biblical base in working through them without falling apart or exploding from them. I have been learning so much but when situations arise I haven't been so good with the applications. Please, Lord, help me.] As previously stated in Part 1 these excerpts are from Jim Berg with my thoughts added in brackets.
[This timely lesson on dealing with life's pressures has given me a biblical base in working through them without falling apart or exploding from them. I have been learning so much but when situations arise I haven't been so good with the applications. Please, Lord, help me.] As previously stated in Part 1 these excerpts are from Jim Berg with my thoughts added in brackets.
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