140 DEALING WITH S.T.R.E.S.S GOD’S WAY. Luke 12;25

King Jehoshaphat heard that he was to be attacked by three different armies. Talk about stress! You need to read his story which you will find in (2 Chronicles 20) and follow his example. When life gets overwhelming; just take a look at his response. By using the word STRESS we can learn the following lessons.-:-- S = is to SEEK God’s guidance, (2 Chronicles 20:3) “Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord” years prior to this, when his father King Asa faced a similar threat, He had responded by collecting all the silver and gold from the temple and his palace then used it to bribe one of the raiding kings to defect to his side. That only solved the immediate problem - but not without negative consequences. Although the invasion endeavour was abandoned God became very angry at king Asa’s reliance on another king to help him conquer his enemies. See (2 Chronicles 16:1-9) So He pronounced Asa’s punishment for the rest of his reign. “In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” there are always consequences to the decisions we make, (good or bad) He would live with the stress of constantly being at war Because he had not sought God’s council So for this reason, his son decided he wasn’t going down the same road as his father!! Do you stress out attempting to figure out a solution instead of finding out how God wants you to handle it? Think of the last major problem you faced. Did you rely on the opinion of other people or, your own ideas or’ was your first thought to seek God on the matter and see how He wants you to deal with it. (Jeremiah 29:13) reads God’s promise this way”You will seek me and find me, WHEN you search for me with all your heart” So first talk to God about it. SEARCH,SEEK and then FIND. T = TRUST what God tells you. (2 Chronicles 20:17) “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves and stand still and see the salvation of the Lord… Do not fear or be dismayed; Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” God’s way of resolving our problems can frequently go against our logic, maybe that’s why we are hesitant to approach Him in certain matters. Why would God instruct Jehoshaphat’s army, (which was clearly no match for three armies,) to show up prepared for a battle they were not intended to fight? It didn’t make any sense at all. Many times God will tell us to position ourselves to deal with a demanding task or problem which we feel quite inadequate to handle. But our challenge is to obey Him and position ourselves to win. How do we do that? (1) You position yourself when you choose to go to university, even though you haven’t been a top achiever at high school (2) You position yourself when you resign from your job at God’s urging and start a new business, even though a long line of clients or customers are not waiting in the wings. (3) You position yourself when you sit at your computor each day to write a book you have always desired to write without a head full of knowledge, but with a heart full of faith that God will join you there with His word His , understanding and His knowledge. God’s instruction is to position ourselves for victory. He wants us to show up, so that He can show himself strong on our behalf. See (2Chronicles 16:9). R= REMEMBER: Past victories, notice how King Jehoshaphat prayed, (2 chronicles 3:4) “Are you not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of the land before your people Israel, and gave it to the descendents of Abraham your friend forever.” If God has ever performed a miracle for you or someone you know, He can do it again. So read His Word which will strengthen your faith by recalling His great deeds and achievements (E) =EXALT: God above the problem. (2 Chronicles 20:3-4) “O Lord God of our fathers, are you not God in Heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you.” In his anguish Jehoshaphat asked rhetorical questions, that exposed how big his God was when compared to his problem. Sometimes it’s difficult to look past the problem, especially when the reality of it is so close and clear. You need to try and blind yourself to the problem itself, and put God in its place with all His Magnificence, Glory and Power. Do you get the idea? S =SOLICIT: The prayers and support of others, in (2 Chronicles 3-4) we also get that Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast throughout all Judea… They came to seek the Lord. The King didn’t ask the people for their opinion but for their prayers, because sincere prayer is what moves the heart of God. (S) =STAND: on the promises of God, When you do, you can say like the Psalmist in (Psalm 119;143) “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.” I believe that’s God’s formula for reducing and eliminating STRESS all we have to do is use it. Yes, there are many other ways. But I recommend you try God’s way, first if for no other reason but that it’s free. And you might even benefit in more ways than the one!! Thank you for reading these words on dealing with Stress “God’s way”.I truly hope they help. God Bless Phaline. -----------------------