You shall be called… the restorer of paths to live in. – Isaiah 58:12
If you haven’t had the opportunity to read the first two parts of “Stressed Out!”, now would be a great opportunity to do so. If you have read them, it’s never a bad idea to do a quick review. You can read them here:
Today we continue the series with four more proven techniques to manage stress, lower dangerous Cortisol levels and live a happier life:
As I read through various news articles related to the current anti-prayer culture war, my mind raced to memories of words I learned from the Biblical book of Revelation many years ago. The Apostle John relayed his vision of the future as given to him by God. He told of a day when the world would be in turmoil and people would stubbornly resist the call of God.
The refusal to repent is nothing new. We see it with Cain who failed to master his sinful thoughts before following through and murdering his brother Abel. The builders of the tower of Babel thought they could reach God without His help, and were scattered because of it. Noah preached the whole time he was building the ark. God didn’t want to bring the flood, but people continued in their anarchy and destruction. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah resisted the visitation of Angels and sought to harm them instead of receiving the grace that was available.
In part 1 of “Finding Happiness,” we talked about how the conventional (worldly) approaches to happiness are falling far short of their promises. I provided four practices that lead to happiness. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read the first part or need a quick review, you can find it here:
Today we will conclude with four more ways you can discover more happiness in your life. Here they are:
As we discussed in “Diagnosing Unhappiness,” people are more unhappy and unfulfilled than ever, despite all of the supposed reasons why that should not be the case. For students of the Word of God, this is not at all surprising.
Over and over again in the Bible we see what I like to call, the law of opposite actions. For example, Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) He also said, “…whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25) Jesus also tells us to, bless those who curse us and to pray for those who spitefully use us. (Matthew 5:44)
Is modern religious teaching correct? Should we simply give up on the idea of holiness and pursue happiness without concern for consequences?
There is a message coming out of churches today that God’s Grace is all that matters. There are a lot of reasons for this message, but none are scriptural. In fact, for all the buzz about new revelation and understanding of the Bible, the truth is, it is not even new. Paul confronted this idea in his letters. He warned them that claiming salvation was not enough. They needed to live right. (Gal 5:18-21, Eph 4:17-19, 1 Co 9:27, 2 Co 12:21)
From pulpits to news shows they cry, “God has changed!” Okay, they don’t say it quite that way, but that is the bottom-line. Most people simply accept this at face value and move on, but is it true? Are the pundits on-track? Has God really changed?
The premise typically goes something like this, “God was a God of Judgment in the Old Testament and a God of Grace in the New Testament.” Though often repeated, it is simply not true. God is neither capricious nor single-minded. We were created in His image and we clearly understand that judgment and mercy are not antithetical concepts. There are times when justice demands judgment, and other times when mercy is right and proper.
I recently read a well-worded article written by a pastor about why he didn’t preach repentance. He pontificated eloquently about how such sermons place our focus in the wrong place and how thoughts concerning our failures diminish God’s marvelous work of grace.
I don’t know if this particular reasoning is the consensus of everyone in the modern grace camp, but there certainly appears to be a large number of Pastors and teachers who are avoiding the topic of repentance. I understand how appealing it can be to take our eyes off our short-comings and focus instead on the wonderful mercy and grace of God. Indeed, we should all spend more time reflecting and demonstrating our thankfulness for what the old song calls, “grace that is greater than all our sins.”
Back in January I attended a prayer conference with leaders from multiple denominations. It was a powerful life-changing event. Unlike so many prayer meetings where most of the time is spent in teaching or even idle chit-chat we did something amazing – we prayed! We prayed individually, we prayed in small groups and we prayed together corporately.
We spent time in prayer asking forgiveness for our short-comings, we spent time praying for each other and we spent time asking God to prepare us for the days ahead. It was during this conference that I had the tremendous opportunity to see an early screening of the movie War Room and learned that it would be released in the fall.
In the wake of the recent tragic deaths and injuries in Paris, Colorado, California and other locations, there appears to be a consensus building within a significant segment of the population. Public figures, news articles and blogs outline the outrageous behavior and call for a variety of solutions ranging from simply recognizing the activity as meaningless, to calling for an all-out cease and desist. So what is this alarming behavior that is of such great concern in these critical times? – Prayer! Continue reading “The Appalling New Threat”
With iPhones, iPads, 4K TV’s, Entertainment on Demand, Air Conditioning, International Cuisine and so much more, one might reasonably think that we would be the happiest generation ever. We work less, have easier lives and are exposed to more self-help resources than anyone could have imagined just a few short years ago.
My friends in Kenya – you know the land of hakuna matata (”No Worries”) – have a very hard time contemplating why ANY American would ever feel sad or depressed. The truth, however, is far different. Our generation has possibly more cases of depression, suicide and stress than any before.