https://odb.org/MY/2023/03/28/stress-to-peace
If we needed to do something, whether in church or at work, there would be some pressure to do it well and thus there is stress. Naturally, we want to meet the expectations of those around us. There will be pressure to conform and to perform. The key, in my view, to doing well is preparation. The more we prepare and train for it, the better we will become, and that applies to work or ministry like leading worship or preaching from the pulpit or participating or leading a cell group discussion.
I just finished preaching a message in church last Sunday from Acts 9 on Paul’s road to Damacus experience. I had infused my own life experiences with God to illustrate His heart in choosing Paul, who was uniquely placed, to reach out to the Greek speaking world of the Gentiles, and for the first time in preaching, I ran out of time! I usually struggle to fill up the allocated time. Thus, in my spiritual journey in ministry, I have, in my own eyes, progressed in speaking even though as I had shared; I write, sing, and play the guitar better than I speak! In other words, I have now done better in preaching from the pulpit from the day I had to read from a prepared text to nowadays when I still write out my message, but I use the written text more as a prompter. I’m still a long way from preaching off the cuff, but I know I’m getting there! Was there stress in going up to the pulpit to preach? Yes, of course there was. But the more we prepare and the more we internalise, the better we will become. Also, the more we do and practice, the better we will become.
Besides work and ministry, another aspect of life that stresses us out is just the things and occurences happening around us. Life just revolving as we know it, the earth just turning on its axis as it journeys around the sun and as a result a day becomes the next and becomes a week, a month and a year. Life goes on, and time moves on. Thus, we worry about our future, our children and things like when will Christ come again and what are we doing preparing for His coming? Are we ready? Are our children and loved ones ready? If the great tribulation materialises, will we be able to stand firm for our faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Or will we crumble under the pressure of life and take the mark of the beast and bow down to the anti Christ?
Do not be anxious over anything – in all things present our requests to God, in prayer and supplication and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. That’s Paul in Philippian 4:6-7. In other words, trust God in every situation and thus, trust God that we and our loved ones will prevail in times of great tribulation that we will remain true to the faith until the day of Jesus Christ.
Ronnie's Thoughts 