Believe it or not, you can live a life that is free of the negative effects of stress. God actually promises a way to have a peaceful, happy mind no matter how stressful your circumstances.
The prophet declared to God, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You“ (Is. 26:3, MEV).
The Bible provides a strategy for living free from the negative effects associated with stress. You can live in God’s wonderful peace every day of your life, no matter what disappointments you face, what pressures you must endure and no matter how many difficult, stressful circumstances surround your life.
It almost sounds too good to be true, but it’s not. Take a look at some strategies from the Bible that promise peace—no matter what!
Renewing Your Mind
Not everyone experiences the same stress reactions to the same life events. For one person, speaking in front of a large group feels like a fun challenge, but it makes another individual a nervous wreck. If one person’s relaxation is another person’s stress, then circumstances are not the sole cause of stress. Your individual perception of the events in your life plays a vital role in your experience of stress as well.
Therefore, a powerful strategy for conquering stress is to deal with the roots of stress in your own life by beginning to change your own perceptions and reactions to circumstances. This powerful strategy is taken directly from the Bible. The apostle Paul declared:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2).
With God’s help, we can develop new, less stressful ways of thinking. Doing so, in fact, is a command from God’s Word. It says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph. 4:23, MEV).
Renewing the mind is nothing more than breaking the thought patterns and ways of thinking and perceiving life’s circumstances that cause us stress. I call these stressful patterns “stinking thinking.”
Don’t let a mountain of stress avalanche down upon your life and health. There’s so much you can do to conquer that mountain and rise to the top. God never intended for stress to rob your life of happiness and peace.
Why not determine right now to begin implementing these mental strategies for conquering stress:
- Practice time management
- Reject perfectionism and unrealistic expectations
- Reject rigid words
- Just say no
- Learn to delegate
Living stressed out is not God’s best for you. His wonderful Word says:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus“ (Phil. 4:6-7, MEV).
With God’s help and some wise strategies, you can develop entirely new, stress-free ways of living your life.
Excerpted from Don Colbert’s book, The Bible Cure for Stress, published by Charisma House. {eoa}
Don Colbert, M.D., has been board-certified in Family Practice for over 25 years and practices Anti-Aging and Integrative medicine. He is a New York Times best-selling author of books such as The Bible Cure Series, What Would Jesus Eat, Deadly Emotions, What You Don’t Know May Be Killing You, and many more with over 10 million books sold. He is the Medical Director of the Divine Health Wellness Center in Orlando, Florida, where he has treated over 50,000 patients.
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