Learning Not to Worry or Stress

Some time ago I wrote a blog entitled "Fear or Faith", talking about how important it is to choose not to fear, particularly in scary situations.  Recently, however, I have been much more aware (thanks, in part, to Joseph Prince teachings on "letting go") of everyday, "ordinary" worry and stress, which could be argued to be forms of fear.  The Word says that Jesus came to give us not just peace, but His peace (John 14:27).  He said in the next breath, "Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." 

I suppose I have never really tried to actually apply this verse actively to anything but really frightening situations.  I have begun to be more aware of my heart...for instance, on the long 40-minute expressway drive daily to babysit at my daughter's home, I noticed I would feel tense in a lot of traffic, or when the roads were wet or slick, or when trying to merge into a crowded lane.  I began receiving Jesus's peace in these situations, and purposely calming my heart, casting my care.  When my son called, newly alone in a foreign country, unsure of his decisions and his next steps, headachey and probably homesick, my husband and I prayed when I hung up and I purposely chose to quiet my heart and my worry.  I even told God I was depending on Him to prove His Word once again to me.

Fear most often takes the form of worry.  In an excellent illustration by Joseph Prince, he pictures God's blessings and supply as always flowing toward us, sort of like water gushing through a hose connected to a fully-turned-on tap.  Joseph says by worrying and stressing, it's as if we take our hand and s-q-u-e-e-z-e that hose hard, cutting off the supply and blessings.  It feels like we should worry and be concerned; but the truth is the exact opposite.  To experience God working in the situation, we have to let go!  Then we release the flow again, and we will see the hand of God.

I don't know about you, but living life without worry and stress is really beginning to appeal to me.  Just like anyone, letting go is a bit scary in itself at first.  But it is my hope that I will continue to see the real-life benefits of guarding my heart from worry, stress, or fear.  The more I do, the more my confidence will build, and I will actually live more and more the abundant life that Jesus came to give me, without earning one speck of it.  Nothing better than that!

What Makes Jesus Unique from Any Other Religious Leader

It becomes clearer and clearer to me that what makes Jesus unique from any other religious leader is that He didn't come to teach right and wrong; He came to pay (super-abundantly) the penalty--MY penalty--for sin. The natural, restful outcome of receiving His finished work is the desire, but more importantly, the ability to live life fully. ("I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.") I know it sounds crazy, but it's taken me many, many years to see how easy it really is and to begin walking in power.