According to sources I have been reading this week, the number
one cause of Christians feeling deflated in their walk with God, is
stress. I want you to recognize stress
in your life as a tool of Satan that keeps you from using your God-ordained
talents to build up the body of Christ.
We all experience stress from our jobs, our work, our duties at home, and
countless other ways, but it continues to zap the strength of most of us. The sad part is after we take care of all our
"other things," we put God on the back burner because we are too
tired or just ran out of time.
While I will never claim to have answers that will fit every
life, I have accumulated a list of several things to help us overcome stress. Admittedly, these things will occupy a little
of your time, but they are the things that will help us overcome our stress and
feel better about meeting all of our responsibilities.
1. Do some reading. Maybe one of the classics you have never read
before, or any book that interests you. Devotional
books that help you in your Christian walk are also good. You do not have to read the whole book, nor do
you have to spend hours in the book. It's
a time of relaxation and you would be surprised at how much you can accomplish
after reading for a half hour.
2. Listen to your favorite music. I know everyone's tastes are different when
it comes to music, but some find listening to classical music very relaxing.
There are also numerous Christian radio stations available in our area which
play a wide variety of traditional and contemporary Christian music. Again, this isn't something you do for hours,
rather a half hour or so that you can remove the worrisome things from your
mind and relax.
3. Go for a walk. Now this is something we all probably need,
but this can be more than a walk. If you
walk in your neighborhood, every house you pass, every address on your block,
you can silently say a prayer for the people that live there. They can be people you know, or total
strangers, but every household I know of could use the prayers of their
Christian neighbors.
4. Think and meditate about something funny.
Laugh out loud if you wish. If you have
young children or grand-children, they are excellent sources for saying and
doing things that are funny. They
actually become the source of relieving your stress while you are thinking
happy thoughts.
5. Exercise.
Another one we all probably need.
During the time you do your sit-ups, memorize the books of the Bible. While you are "moving to the
oldies," quote some Bible verses.
Everything we are doing takes energy, so we are actually exerting energy
in directions to help us overcome our stress.
Some of these things may seem foolish. You may think of other things that you can do
for a half-hour that will be successful at relieving your stress. Just remember during everything you do, you
are to honor God in your speech and in your work and in every other
activity. He has provided everything we
need to keep our lives wholesome, active, and especially lives that bring him
glory. Stress has no place in the life
of the Christian.
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