Stress Relief - Preparation in Solitude

"Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14 (HCSB).

I try to start every morning with some time alone with God. I spend time in reading His Word, and then talking with Him. As I have so often taught - two things to do every day - Read Your Bible and Pray.

You can take time anytime during the day for getting alone with God, but saints down through the ages have found that rising first thing in the morning and spending time with the Father prepares them for whatever comes their way during the day. We start our day God-centered, and then our minds and hearts continue through out the day focusing on Him. He takes this time to help us be prepared for whatever comes our way during the day. He can equip us for the day.

Starting now, plan on setting aside some time first thing in the morning to connect with God. To let Him establish and develop your hearts and minds for what is coming that day. It will reduce the anxiety and frustrations that you will face during the day - because you are prepared.

Stress Relief - God longs for our time

Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) - Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 

We are the only thing listed in the Scriptures that is created in the image of God. And because of this, He wants to spend time intimately with each of us. No other created thing has this privilege. He wants us to come and be quiet with Him. And, when we do this, we will find that He becomes very intimate with us.

It is in these quiet times with God that we see the as Paul refers to Him in Philippians 4:9 - "the God of peace will be with you." He speaks of this in Romans 15:33 also. It is this God of peace who will calm all of our worries, our fears, and the stress of life. He will remove them and give us a calmness of soul and a peace of mind.

Today, take the time to get quiet with Him, alone with Him, and listen to Him - and we shall see Him provide sweet fellowship and shower peace upon our being. Don't rush it - linger and enjoy the presence of God.

Stress Relief - Listening to God's Voice

Mark 6:32 (MSG) - "So they got in the boat and went off to a remote place by themselves."

Solitude. We spoke of that yesterday. I pray that you took your list from Monday and got alone with God. We need to consistently find times when we can get into a "remote place by" ourselves. Finding a place that we can draw aside with God and be alone with Him. Jesus spoke of going into our "prayer-closet" to talk with God. He often went out into a solitary place to be alone with God. Why?

There are many distractions in our world today. These distractions will hinder our time with God. Wait you say, I can talk to God any time and any place. Yes you can - and should. However, drawing aside into a solitary place allows you to stop and hear God speaking to you. We spend too much time talking to God instead of God talking to us. We are told about Susanna Wesley - she was the mother of 19 children (two being John and Charles Wesley). She found it hard to find a place of solitude in her small home. She would pull her apron up over her face, and the children soon learned that she was not available at those times. What was she doing? Escaping from the chaos of those around her? She was spending time praying for each of her 19 children, and listening to God for His directions.

Today, take the list you made on Monday, the one that you took before God yesterday, and find a solitary place with this list to hear God directing you. {A word of caution, it may need to be repeated for a number of days before you begin to hear the voice of God over the many distractions that you allow around you.}

Stress Releif - Solitude With God

Matthew 14:22 - 23 (HCSB) - "Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone."

God wants us to release our stress into His hands. Charles Stanley has taught that God wants us to see that the solution for stress is solitude with God. When we learn to release our concerns and cares unto Him, we will discover a great reduction in our level of stress.

We need to start our journey of release and refreshment by going to God and spending time with Him in solitude. Psychology Today addressed this concept by making a difference between loneliness and solitude. "Loneliness is marked by a sense of isolation. Solitude, on the other hand, is a state of being alone without being lonely and can lead to self-awareness."* Biblically, solitude can mean to draw aside and focus entirely upon God without any other distractions. This allows us to totally connect with God. The sweet psalmist David speaks to this in the 16th Psalm. He says in verse 8, "I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved."

Spending time with God in solitude doesn't mean we will never stress again - but it will help us to view our problems and stressors from God's point of view.

Today, look at that list you made on Monday, and consider taking time to be in a solitude relationship with the Father and look at the stressors from His point of view.

* http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200308/what-is-solitude

STRESSSSSSSSSSS

1 Peter 5:6 - 7 (HCSB) - "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you."

We live in a fallen, sinful world - and because of this we can never escape from the pressures and stress around us.  Some stress (called eustress) is actually good for us. It is the stress that helps us to strive forward, to accomplish things in our life. Other forms of stress (called distress) is not helpful, and causes us physical, emotional and spiritual issues. So, how do we handle stress? Doses God's Word help us any in this?

Peter assures us that we have a God who cares, who is willing and able to handle all of our stress in life. He wants to help us - if we are willing to let Him. So, let us consider over the next few days some important lessons in letting God handle our stress.

Today, ponder over what causes you to be stressful. Make a list of those things that you stress over. Get that list ready, and over the remainder of this week we will seek four important lessons for handing that list over to God.