S.T.R.E.S.S. (3)

R – Remember past victories. Notice how King Jehoshaphat prayed: “Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?” (2 Chronicles 20:7 NKJV). If God has ever performed a miracle for you or for anybody else, He can do it again. So read His Word and strengthen your faith by recalling His great deeds. E – Exalt God above the problem. “O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” (v. 6 NKJV). In his anguish, Jehoshaphat asked rhetorical questions that exposed how big his God was compared to the problem. Sometimes it’s difficult to look past the problem when the reality of it is so close. If you close one eye and put a coin over your other eye, you can blind yourself to something as big as the sun. Getting the idea? S – Solicit the prayers and support of others. “Jehoshaphat…proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah…they came to seek the Lord” (vv. 3-4 NKJV). Jehoshaphat didn’t ask the people for their opinions but for their prayers, because that’s what moves the heart of God. S – Stand on the promises of God. When you do, you can say like the psalmist, “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands” (Psalm 119:143 NLT). That’s God’s formula for stress – now use it.