Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 NASB

WHEN YOU FEEL STRESSED

The word stress was originally an engineering term used to refer to the amount of force that a beam or other physical support could bear without collapsing under the strain. In our time, stress has been expanded to include mental and emotional tension.

Stress is a normal part of everyone's life. God has created us to withstand a certain amount of pressure and tension. The problem comes when we push beyond our limitations and head toward doing permanent damage to ourselves.

Peace is meant to be the normal condition for every believer in Jesus Christ. He is the Prince of Peace, and in Jesus we find our own inheritance of peace. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit, which He gives as we live in obedience to His Word.

The peace Jesus gives operates in good times or bad, when you are abounding or being abased. His peace operates in the middle of a storm.

God's Word For You

Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own.

You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.

He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].

Isaiah 40:28-29

REFRESH THE WEARY

The first key to handling or overcoming stress is to recognize or admit we are under it. Though I was constantly having headaches, backaches, stomachaches, neck aches, and all the other symptoms of stress, I found it very difficult to admit that I was pushing too hard physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I was doing the work I felt God wanted me to do without actually seeking I Him to find out which work He wanted me to do, when He wanted me to do it, and how much of it. If we abuse ourselves we will suffer the consequences.

Although the Lord gives power to the faint and weary, if you are worn out from continually exceeding your physical limitations, you need physical rest. The Lord may mercifully give you supernatural energy in particular instances, but you are in disobedience when you abuse your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.

If you want God to flow and work through you, you need to take care of your body so God can use you. If you wear out your body, you don't have a spare in the drawer somewhere to pull out!

The anointing of God lifts when you operate outside of His promptings.

Copyright © 2001 by Joyce Meyer

Tags: Christianity, Christian Devotionals

About the Author

JOYCE MEYER has been teaching the Word of God since 1976 and in full-time ministry since 1980. She is the bestselling author of more than fifty inspirational books, including How to Hear from God, Knowing God Intimately, and Battlefield of the Mind. She has also released thousands of teaching cassettes and a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. More