September 1999
September 27
Daniel 10:17-19 (NIV)
How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." Again, the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."
In this story from the book of Daniel, a vision of Christ ("the one who looked like a man") appears before a very stressed-out Daniel. Daniel was SO stressed he told Jesus that he could hardly breathe (did you know that dyspnea and/or hyperventilation are signs of stress???). But, as Daniel spoke with Christ (we speak to Him when we pray) and Christ spoke with Him (He speaks to us through His Word - the Bible, through circumstances and through other believers) Daniel regained his strength!
Don't you want to regain the strength that stress has stolen from you? Of course you do. And, you can. Get on your knees and ask Jesus Christ in you life. Ask HIM to shoulder your burdens. Ask HIM to be your strength. WHY? Because HE IS YOUR STRENGTH!
September 15
1 Peter 5:7 (TLB)
Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.
Jesus often said to take His yoke, because it was light and to give Him your load. Isn't it great to know that HE wants us to give Him our stress. Not just a little bit of it, but He says ALL YOUR WORRIES AND CARES. This terrific verse from God's Word also tells us that He is always thinking about us and knows everything that is causing stress and worry in your life. God wants you to give Him your worries. As you trust Him, you will find that your worries become fewer and your stress is relieved.
-Chaplain Skip
September 6
1 Peter 1:2 (TLB)
Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children. And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please him. May God bless you richly and grant you increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear.
Check it out. God's Word tells us that as believer's (drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit), we will be granted increasing freedom from all anxiety and fear. Get this now... increasing freedom from ALL anxiety and fear!
We all sometimes seem to have so much stress built up in us that we feel like we could explode. Then, add to that, the "belly-churning" that occurs as you walk into a dark alley looking for the alleged shooting victim.
Well, good news believers! God tells us that he will make us stress-free and as an added bonus for serving Him, He will make us fear-free as well!
If you are not yet saved, I have Good News for you. Jesus loves you very much and His Holy Spirit is drawing you to Him. To learn more, click here.
It is my prayer that the verses we discuss help each of you as it has helped me deal with the amount of stress we are all faced to deal with.
The folks at the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation can also help.