Stress is now a common issue around the world, and many quick solutions people try don’t really help. We often look for a deeper strength to deal with stress effectively. On this episode of Christianityworks, Berni Dymet shares with us that true strength comes from God, who gives us the tools we need to handle life’s pressures.
Stress can have a big impact on our lives, changing how we feel, how we interact with others, and even our overall mental health. It’s important to think about how we respond to stress. Do we show happiness or sadness? A negative outlook can stop God’s power from working in our lives.
‘If you’re someone who spends more than just a little time down in the dumps,’ says Berni, ‘that is having a real impact on you. It’s also having an impact on the people around you. It’s impacting your relationships with them. That’s pretty far reaching, because if we damage relationships, we damage career prospects, we damage marriages, and we damage our children.’
Our emotions can change how we see things. Feeling down can make everything seem worse, like wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day. But the Bible offers us wisdom, saying that worry can drag us down, but joy can lift us up. God truly cares about how we feel. The Bible tells us that we can trade our worries for peace through prayer and gratitude (Philippians 4:6-7).
True Strength comes from God
‘By praying instead of worrying,’ says Berni, ‘and laying our concerns openly before God, He will replace the fear and the stress with His peace. And it won’t just fill our hearts, it will actually guard our hearts and minds. Imagine God’s peace, standing guard outside your heart and mind to keep worry and stress away.’
One powerful example of this is the Bible story about Hannah, mother of Prophet Samuel. In her culture, having children was very important, but Hannah couldn’t have any. Even though others made fun of her, she turned to God and prayed with all her heart. Through her prayers, Hannah found peace, even before God answered her.
‘We don’t have to have perfect faith before we go to God,’ says Berni. ‘We don’t have to be all full of confidence and self-assured and have it all together. He just calls us to come as we are and pour it all out to Him. We should never, ever be afraid to do that.’
Berni believes the key to overcoming stress lies in our relationship with God. When we share our problems with God and accept His peace, we gain a joy and strength that go beyond our struggles. By keeping our focus on God instead of our troubles, we feel the amazing power of His Spirit, which brings us clarity and hope.
‘One of the most stressful things we can do is rebel against God,’ says Berni. ‘But when we repent, when we turn back to God, He promises us the power of the Holy Spirit. The greatest stress master of them all.’
Listen to Berni’s full message below:
