Stress: Part 4 — A ‘Time With God’ Audio Devotion

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Transcript

Good morning.

Let’s take some time with God together. When you put God first in your day, you find it easier to put Him first in your life. The Bible talks about setting your mind on the things above where God is.

And you know you set your mind at the beginning of the day, as people have said, you don’t tune your instrument after the concert is over. You tune it first, right, to be ready for the concert, and in the same way you need to tune your mind, set your mind on things of God at the beginning of the day, and that’s what we do each weekday morning at this time. And all this week we’re talking about stress.

Stress

What are you facing in your life today that is stressful for some of us? Those stresses are small things. Some things due today. It may seem like a big thing, but in comparison to other people, sometimes they are at the end of their wits. They’re about to have a breakdown and their life is falling apart.

Both of these are real to us, aren’t they? Stressful situations. We’ve been looking all week at a story in the life of Elijah the prophet in the Old Testament of the Bible. When he had been faithful to God, he’d faced some very stressful situations, and then to cap it all off, Jezebel, the queen has threatened to take his life.

He’s running for his life. He’s panicking. He’s out of energy. He’s at the end of his rope. He doesn’t know what to do.

He runs, and the first thing he does is he just gives up and lies down and falls asleep. He wakes up and God has sent an angel to give him something to eat. And then he falls back asleep and the angel comes again and gives him something more to eat. And through that rest and refreshment, he’s carried along for 40 days after that.

The first thing you need to do in your life when you’re facing enormous stress is to try and carve out some rest in your life. The second thing you need to do, what Elijah did was talk to God about your stress. Don’t hold it in. Don’t bottle it up. You need God, to talk to Him. Even the act of talking to God acknowledges that God is there and that changes your perspective. It makes you realize when I can’t turn to any anyone else- there is still God, and God can make a difference in this situation.

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Well, when you talk to God about it, here’s the next thing. Let God change your perspective.

Here’s what happened in the life of Elijah. He said to God, I’ve been so jealous for you. The people of Israel had forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, killed your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to kill me. And God said, go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.

And behold, when he did that, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains. And broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind, an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire, the sound of a low whisper like a gently blowing breeze.

And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave, and behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?

He said, I’ve been so jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. The people of Israel have forsaken your covenant. He goes over it all again. They’ve thrown down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even only I am left, and they seek my life to take it away. The Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king of Assyria.

And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.

And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death. The one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave 7000 people in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.

Well, God is saying you’re not alone, Elijah, and I am here and I’m going to act and bring judgment and justice.

Relax.

And Elijah’s perspective was changed from his time with God, and yours will be too.

I’m John North.

To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.

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