How Jesus Handled Stress

When He called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:34-37)

This doesn't say anything about following after man or man's ways. It says; Follow Me (Jesus).

Jesus came to give us a life of wholeness and fullness. He never run around in a panic. He was able to live at peace. He is our example, so how do we handle stress?

1. Identification: Know who you are. Children of God, His creation.

Jesus knew who He was. He spoke to the people and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads to life" (John 8:12).
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).
Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall never hunger again (John 6:35).

Don't let others tell you who you are!

2. Motivation: Know who your living for. Most people like "stuff." Are you living for self, others, or God?

I of Myself can do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me (John 5:30).
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him (John 8:29).

We can't be all things to all people. We all have expectations of who or what we are suppose to be. No one can pressure us without our permission. We don't have to live according to pressures and expectations of others.

There are amazing things God wants us to do. He is shaping us to do them.

He has given each of us SHAPE:

S-spiritual gifts
H-heart
A-abilities to perform
P-personalities
E-experiences

We all live for someone or something. Live for the right One.

3. Vocation: Know your calling. We are all called out to live different roles (we can't do it all). We are all unique and special.

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love...(Ephesians 4:1).

What is contributing to your calling? Do that. Use the gifts He has given you. Your personality and your experiences.

4. Concentration: Focus on what matters most. If satan can't get you to be bad, he will keep you busy, blurry, and distracted.

Jesus was focused, knew what He was called to do and did it confidently.

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem...(Luke 9:51).

What we consider important usually doesn't matter for eternal purposes.

5. Meditation: Listen to God. Take the time to be alone with Father God, communicate (talk to) and listen. Give Him quality time.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35).

So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed (Luke 5:16).

Ask Him if He has anything to say to you, then LISTEN to Him. Don't let worldly things distract you.

6. Collaboration: Join a small group. Life is made for us to be together. We serve a relational God. Jesus modeled it.

Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons (Mark 3:14-15).

Believing you don't need anyone and thinking you can do it alone is selfish human pride.

7. Recreation: Take time to recharge, to rest your body.

And Jesus said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).

He makes me lie dow in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul...(Psalm 23: 2-3).

We need to make time to rest and relax. If we don't, God will make us one way or another.

8. Salvation: Give your life to Jesus Christ.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

What drives your life? What causes you to do what you do? Are you driven by pressures of this world or by purpose, God's purpose? Do you realize your spiritual potential that lies within you?

Don't let the voices of this world drown out the "still small voice" of Jesus.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting ALL your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

Jesus doesn't want us living a life of pressure and stress. Find rest for your soul. Accept what He has done for you on the Cross.

Making the Most of Your Mind

Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (any false idea that controls your mind such as fear, guilt, envy, impatience). We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

• Don’t believe everything you think. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) There are things that come to our mind that’s just not true. We have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves. Our brain tells our eyes what to see. It’s important what we put into our minds.

• Guard your mind against garbage. “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.” (Proverbs 15:14) Good food gives good results-bad foods give toxins with bad results. Whatever you resist persists. Focus on good. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil.) “I will not look at anything wicked. I hate those who turn against you, they will not be found near me.” (Psalm 101:3) (Philippians 4:6-8)

• Never let up on learning. “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.” (Proverbs 18:15) Become a questioner…ask questions! “Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.” (Proverbs 10:14) Even a broken clock is right twice a day… ”Those who get wisdom do themselves a favor, and those who love learning will succeed.” (Proverbs 19:8)

• Renew your mind daily with God’s Word. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you.” (Isaiah 26:3) We need daily encouragement with the Word of God.

• Let God stretch your imagination. “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17) “Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes). May He be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of His master plan of salvation for the church through Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1Peter 1:13) You have to have a dream, a vision! God will always give us what we need to accomplish His purpose.

THE (SCIENTIFIC) DEATH OF JESUS

May His love embrace your heart. May His eternal light guide your path. May his sacrifice strengthen your soul.

At the age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death...

At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus, unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet.

Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrist. Not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breathe.

Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain so He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breathe. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the
suffering, the courage. Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours!

Can you imagine this kind of suffering? A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds. From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side...But do we realize His wounds were actually made in his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even large nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear. But before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the
flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and his beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns cut deeply into His scalp. Most men
would not have survived this torture.

He had no more blood to bleed out, only water poured from His wounds.

The human adult body contains about 3.5 liters (just less than a gallon) of blood.
Jesus poured all 3.5 liters of his blood; He had three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into His chest...

All these without mentioning the humiliation He suffered after carrying His own
cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones (the cross was almost 30 kg of weight, only for its higher part, where His hands were
nailed).

Jesus had to endure this experience, to open the Gates of Heaven, so that you can have free access to God. So that your sins could be "washed" away. All of them, with no exception!

Don't ignore this situation. JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

Accept the reality, the truth that JESUS IS THE ONLY SALVATION FOR THE WORLD.

God has plans for you, show all your friends what He experienced to save you. Now think on this! May God bless your life!

"Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me before others, I also will deny before My Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).

I love God. He is my source of life and my Savior. He keeps me alive day and night.
Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Have a Happy easter and may God richly bless you!

Processing Your Destiny

God's destiny for your life is good, not disasterous.

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans of peace and not of evil, plans to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. In that I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes and His judgments that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God shall bless you in the land which you go to possess....I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life, that both you and your desendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

Will you follow God's plan or your plan in life? Life or death? Blessing or cursing?

How do you possess your destiny?

You must prepare a plan. Like the old saying goes, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."
Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keeps the law, happy is he (Proverbs 29:18).

You'll never experience your destiny if your stuck on the past ~ it's gone, move on!

What do you need to let go of? Don't allow that to become the focus of your life. Get ready to receive from God (Joshua 1:1-11).

When you make a plan, you usually achieve it. What would you like to see happen in your life, your marriage, your finances, your spirituality? Where would you like to see your life go?
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3).

You must build your life completely on God's Word, not just the foundation.
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10)

You must courageously step out in faith. God will show up faithfully.
You will experience battles and blessings. The battles are to hel you grow in your character. Smith Wigglesworth said, "Great faith only comes through great trials."

No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous...(Joshua 1:5-6).

What Jordon River/obstacle do you need to overcome? If God tells you to do something, step out in faith.

Have I not commanded you to do this? So be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9).

Fear will stop you from starting, discouragment will keep you from going forward.

God keeps His promises. Step out in faith.