Restore Ministries, Inc.
  • Home
  • Restore Journal/Magazine
  • Spotify Playlists
  • Retreat FALL 2025
  • Events
    • Photo Gallery
    • Testimonials
    • Past Retreats
    • Reunion Pics
    • Thanksgiving Video 2017
  • Who We Are
    • Doctrinal Beliefs
  • Blog
  • Contact us
  • The One Thing Home Study
  • Book Us!
  • Donate
  • Melissa's Memorial Fund
  • Beauty & Truth Retreat 2024

Monday Musings
​Devotional Blog

Stress-free?

7/8/2013

2 Comments

 
Picture
Ephesians 6: 11,12 
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

6:40 am – I have slept longer than usual. 

My eyes slowly open to view the blue glowing clock numbers from a horizontal position.  I realize that I’ve slept past 6am and I am aware of my eyelids opening slowly and how soft my pillow seems.  Suddenly…

This “How does one live a stress-free life?” question pops into my head.  What a jolt!  I think to myself, Really?!  I’ve barely opened my eyes?  Is this how I’m going to start my day?!  The stress has already grabbed me by the thought of having to answer this question, knowing that it’s on my mind, and thinking that I must be stressed to even go there; and it’s only been a couple of seconds!  Geeezzz!

It was Wednesday morning when I awakened from a deep sleep and those words instantly formed in my mind.   It was almost simultaneous with opening my eyelids.  In the exact same moments, I quickly began to answer my very own question. Within the first few seconds of awakening, I realize I’m waking up later that normal, I’m greeted by a deep question, I argue what to do with it, I have a sudden answer to the question, and then in my minds eye, a flood of scripture verses rapidly organized into an acronym.  STRESS-FREE!  It amazes me how quickly the mind can think and respond.  As I lie there, I began to formulate a great debate in my mind.  Why on earth am I thinking these thoughts as soon as my eyes open?  God, should I get up and write? What are you saying?  Do I have feelings of stress? I certainly do now!  Thoughts are coming so fast it is as though I am speaking them fluently in rhythm as though I were playing a well-memorized piano piece.  I rush down the stairs repeating the words, as I am still groggy from sleeping so deeply.  I don’t want to forget!  And so I write the answer to my question and all of the thoughts that accompanied it.
Picture


“How does one live a stress-free life?”  It is simple to know and understand but difficult to do.  “Live in step with the Father!”  Below are the verses that flooded my mind and heart as God organized them into this acrostic:  
                                stress-free


S – Stand fast in the liberty with which Christ gave to make us free.  Don’t be entangled with
 the yoke of bondage and don’t use this freedom for fleshly purposes but rather use it to serve one another.  Galatians 5:1  (paraphrased)
What is it that binds and entangles us - keeping us in bondage?  It seems to me that it is the “Should-a, would-a could-a” of life that keeps us tangled up, bound up, and paralyzed.  These excuses surround us daily and often we are not even aware of them in our thoughts, language, and actions.  
  • I should have, but… I didn’t have….           
  •  I would have, but…what if…..
  •  I could have, but…I’m not…..
Shake off that negative way of thinking.  God has given us all of the tools we need to live a life that honors Him.  It’s what we do with the tools that count.  

2 Peter: 1-11
1Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.5Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.10Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;11for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
T- Thanksgiving –  Give thanks to God for everything…
                                                                   All things good and even what seems bad.    
Picture
 
“In everything give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
                                                            1 Thess.5:18


R – Restores – “...He restores my soul…” Ps. 23:3
Meet with Jesus by the quiet still waters, not just during the times when the water seems to be raging.  He wants to quiet your anxious heart. He makes you lie down to refresh and restore your broken and weary soul.  Take time to rest and be restored.
Picture
E - Encourage one another.  
When you take your eyes off of self and focus on the needs of others, you tend to be happier.  
1 Thess. 5:11 “Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up…”  and Heb. 3:13  “But encourage each other day after day…”

S - "Sing and make melody in your heart."  Eph. 5:19 
It’s hard to be stressed and anxious when you are singing and have a happy heart that joyfully makes melody unto Him.
S – Surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit – 
         James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  1 Peter 5: 6-10  
~ The hyphen here reminds me to "Selah."  To pause and think about.  
It is a moment for separating myself.  A time for resting, pondering, letting something soak in.  Resting is something that doesn't naturally come to me.  I often view it as a waste of time.  This is a lie that satan would have you believe.  Resting is important physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually!  You actually ARE DOING something when you take the time to be rejuvenated.  A healing begins to take effect.  Do you take time to rest?  Psalm 91 has been at the front of my thinking for a couple of weeks.  Click on the link and read it as you rest yourself.  Psalm 91 (NIV)
F – Forget the past.  Let it go.  God forgives and forgets.  Can you allow yourself to do that?  The weight can be too heavy and will weigh us down if we don't let it go.  Allow yourself this freedom in Christ.  You will be able to run more efficiently without the extra baggage!

Phillipians 3: 13b, 14 …Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Picture
R – Remember God’s faithfulness.  
                         "Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits." Ps.103:2

Ps. 91, Lamentations 3:22-24, ESV The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

When you take time to journal His faithful deeds toward you, you have something to help you remember.  I love this story found in Joshua 4.  How quickly do we forget ALL of His blessings!
Joshua 4:1-8, 20-22 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’” 
Click here to read the whole chapter. 
Joshua 4
E – Endure hardships.  
                   2 Timothy 2:3, 10 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.  
God never promised that things would not be difficult; however, He has given us His Holy Spirit to be our guide, comfort, and shield.  His Word is full of encouragement for us and life lessons from others long ago.  Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
E – Exercise your faith.  We must build our faith muscles!  Walk in faith.
James 1:2,3 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

                                             1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith…
Picture
So the above steps and scriptures are what God gave me to help in trying to live a stress-free life.  As I have reflected during the writing of this blog, I didn't realize that stress was beginning to affect me or really that I even was stressed.  It always seems to be the little things in life that cause it and then it manifests itself within my body.  Last Monday I began to get a stupid fever blister.  It's always a sign of stress in my life.  Waking up with that question was definitely God inspired; and the fact that I remember each detail so vividly as the acronym flashed before me.  It is also comforting to know that I had every scripture verse tucked away in my heart and mind (thought I did have to look up the addresses!) ready for God to bring them to remembrance at just the right time!  There are stressful situations at every turn.  When you are tempted with stress, ask God to bring these scriptures to your mind.  I hope they help comfort you as they have me.  Together, perhaps we can better live "stress-free!"
In His Care,
Sherry

Picture
If you would like to receive the "Monday Musings" RESTORE blog each week via email, please sign up and    enter your email address in the upper right hand corner.
  •  Instantly a box will appear for you to type in the Goofy letters as you see them and hit "submit."  It will tell you that you need to go to your email inbox and click the link to verify/activate.
  •  Open your email. You should have mail from Google Feed Burner. 
  •  Click the link given and immediately you will see a message pop up that says "Thanks for Subscribing..."  YOU ARE DONE!!!
 We'd also like to hear from you, how God is blessing your life through RESTORE Ministries, and how we can pray for you.  Please fill out "Contact Us" in the menu bar.  

2 Comments
Anthony link
12/22/2020 11:31:02 pm

Thankks for sharing

Reply
Bloomington Doors link
7/26/2022 01:18:29 pm

Hi greeat reading your post

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Sign Up to Receive our Blog via email.

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    RSS Feed

    Click to set custom HTML

    Archives

    July 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All




    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo from DDFic
  • Home
  • Restore Journal/Magazine
  • Spotify Playlists
  • Retreat FALL 2025
  • Events
    • Photo Gallery
    • Testimonials
    • Past Retreats
    • Reunion Pics
    • Thanksgiving Video 2017
  • Who We Are
    • Doctrinal Beliefs
  • Blog
  • Contact us
  • The One Thing Home Study
  • Book Us!
  • Donate
  • Melissa's Memorial Fund
  • Beauty & Truth Retreat 2024