[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Increase comes from God

[Devotional] IN HIS PRESENCE: Dealing with stress

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 

Meditation verse: 

“Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”  (Mathew 11:28). 

It’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work and we are focusing on Stress.  Stress is an adverse reaction that we have when excessive and sustained  pressures or other types of demands are placed on us either at work or outside  work. It is not an illness, but a natural reaction to excessive pressure. You  become stressed when you perceive that you lack the resources, whether  physical, psychological, or financial to cope with the demands of your life.  Certainly, you would experience a certain level of pressure in the cause of your  daily existence, but this should not be interpreted as stress. Up to a certain level,  feeling pressured can keep you on your toes or motivate you to meet deadlines.  However, when the pressure becomes excessive, it leads to stress. 

The earliest signs of stress are changes in your mood, behaviour, or level of  productivity. It could be a decline in performance, loss of motivation to perform  tasks, moodiness, restlessness, irritability, or a lack of interest in your  appearance or general affairs. Physical symptoms also emerge, and these  include stomach upsets, tension headaches, backache, skin irritations, high  blood pressure and heart disease. 

Why not do a stress check-up today to see if you are in danger of a mental or  physical breakdown, by taking a holistic look at your life. How well are you  coping with the physical and emotional demands of your job and life in general?  Are you working to the exclusion of any rest? Are you happy or constantly  worried? Do you enjoy your work? Are you overly anxious about any situation  or do you feel under excessive pressure in any area of your life? If you think you  are, talk to God about your concerns right now and then seek professional help.  The bible advises you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and  supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and  the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and  minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7). You have a great High Priest who is  touched with the feeling of your infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, come  boldly to His throne of grace today and cast your cares upon Him, for He cares  deeply for you.

 

IN HIS PRESENCE is written by Pst (Mrs) Oke Chinye, Founder of The Rock Teaching Ministry (TRTM).

For Prayers and Counseling email rockteachingministry@gmail.com

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