Stress is a pressure we feel that can lead to a place of deep anxiety, or distress. So how do we cope with stress? We are to ‘cease striving’ and know that God is in control. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to intouch.org/tv.
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in touch the Teaching Ministry of Dr
Charles Stanley reaching the world with
the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on in
touch confidence in the midst of
distress
the year was 1944 and I was in the
eighth grade
we run a war and we were fighting in the
Pacific and also in Europe it was a time
of great distress and turmoil in this
country
many things were rationed food and some
clothes and Automobiles and tires and
all those kind of things
it was a time of great distress because
many American young men
who are dying on foreign Shores it was a
time of great stress because people did
not know what was going to happen
because of all the things we were
hearing about the war and what was going
on and oftentimes people would sit in
the evening and listen to the news while
they were eating dinner and it was a
troubled sometime because oftentimes
they give reports of where this
particular division was and what was
going on in the fighting
one morning my social studies teacher
walked into class and laid our books
down and picked up a Bible and she said
we’re going to do something different
this morning
and she began to read
and I remember thinking she’s about to
cry
and then she told us that listening the
night before she’d heard the news and
her husband
was in a particular division which they
talked about they were in a very bloody
battle and she was afraid
and you know I don’t remember my
teacher’s name
but I have never forgotten that song and
how many times I’ve turned to it when I
was going through some difficult you
know some fearful time I remembered
Psalm 46 so I want you to turn to it if
you will because this is a wonderful
Psalm of encouragement
and I want to talk about confidence in
the midst of our stressful times in life
going through distressful times and this
is a word of encouragement and the
psalmist says beginning in verse 1 God
is our refuge and strength a very
present help in trouble therefore we
will not fear though the Earth should
change and though the mountains should
slip into the heart of the sea though
its Waters Roar and foam and though the
mountains Quake at its swelling Pride
there is a river whose streams May glad
the city of God the holy Dwelling Places
of the most high God is in the midst of
her she will not be moved God will help
her when morning Dawns the Nations made
an uproar the Kingdom’s tottered he
raised his voice the Earth melted the
Lord of hosts is with us the god of
Jacob is our stronghold come Behold The
Works of the Lord who has wrought
desolations in the earth he makes Wars
the Seas to the end of the Earth he
breaks the bow and cuts the spear into
he burns the Chariots with fire
see striving and know that I am God I
will be exalted among the Nations
I will be exalted in the Earth the Lord
of hosts is with us the god of Jacob is
our stronghold what a wonderful word of
encouragement to us now all of us
experience stress in our life
and all of us go through situations and
circumstances and we think the stress is
more than we can handle and so we will
do one of two things when we Face
stressful periods in our life and so
what I want to talk about in this
message today is how they confidently
walk through those difficult times that
are so stressful so distressing to us
and there are two ways that you and I
can walk through them and I first of all
want to talk about the most natural way
that is what is the natural way to
respond to stressful difficult trouble
sometimes in our life well the most
prominent way that we choose is to
strive against them and I want to Define
two or three terms if I might first of
all we think in terms of stress stress
is pressure that we feel
it is either pressure that we feel sort
of against us or we are being tugged and
pulled in two different ways and then
there is what we call distress which is
sort of the same thing except when I
think about distress I think about the
fact that that stress has brought me to
a place of real deep anxiety and
anxiousness in my soul and pain in my
feeling when we think in terms of
striving striving means to contend with
striving means to fight against a
striving means to put forth a strong
effort towards something and so when we
think in terms of striving the scripture
says here see striving and know that I
am God now it’s interesting In this
passage that he gives us and uses nature
as an example to describe what happens
when there’s great turmoil and he says
if you’ll notice in verse 2 therefore we
will not fear though the Earth should
change and though the mountains slip
into the hearts of the heart of the sea
and though its Waters Roar and foam
though the mountains Quake It is
swelling Pride what he’s referring to
here is this the stressful times that
come when there are when there are
earthquakes he says the whole mountains
begins to slide into the sea when there
are tidal waves he said the foam of the
sea and as it hits the mountains he says
the mountains even Quake at that then he
moves on past the blessing that he’s
going to take care of his own kingdom if
you’ll notice in verse 6 he says the
Nations made an uproar the Kingdom’s
tottered and then God raised his voice
and the Earth melted that is either in
Troublesome natural calamities in times
of war and bloodshed and violence and
all the rest and then though those
stresses stressful appearance that you
and I have in our life we wake up on
Monday morning we see what the schedule
is we know the situations and
circumstances that maybe we’re going to
have to face sometimes those stressful
situations of the result of finances
trouble in the home trouble with the
children for example trouble in the job
and sometimes the pressure may be so
strong
stronger than you think you could
possibly bear but when you and I learned
this lesson when we put it to the test
when we practice it not saying that
you’ll do it the first time just right
when we begin to understand
the way he intended for us to live you
know what it doesn’t make any difference
what the devil throws at you it doesn’t
make any difference how heavy the
burdens may appear to be it doesn’t make
a difference what appears to be the
cause of that stress God Almighty will
enable you to triumphantly victoriously
quietly peacefully walk through that
stress so that stress does not become
distressed but it turns into an absolute
listen Indescribable immeasurable peace
and inner quietness that you won’t be
able to understand you won’t even be
able to explain it you just know that
when almighty God says he is our refuge
he is exactly what he promised now what
in the world is this all about look at
what he says
he says here that we are to know God
if I should ask you today how many of
you know God more than likely probably
95 99 of the people naked raised their
hand because what you mean by that is
that you have trusted Jesus Christ as
your personal savior therefore as a
result of that you know God well no
question about it that is the way you
begin to know him you begin to know him
by placing your trust in his son Jesus
Christ as your savior well what about
the unbeliever when you say to him do
you know God more than likely the
unbeliever would say yes I know God and
they would begin to tell you that they
pray and that God answers their prayer
and they would tell you that they
believe the Bible which they do not know
and most of them don’t really believe
and so they would tell you all the
reasons they know God which you know
that’s not true
now I understand listen I understand why
a person who has never trusted Jesus
Christ as their savior understand why
they don’t know God now they think they
do well they’ve read they’ve read the
Bible they think well you know I believe
God’s a Creator I believe he started all
this stuff and yes I believe that his
son died on the cross and yeah I believe
all these things that I hear Christians
say about God yeah I believe all that
but they don’t know him you see listen
believing some things are bad and does
not make you know God
but I don’t want to deal necessarily the
person who does not know him who’s an
unbeliever I want to deal just for a
moment with a person who says yes I’ve
trusted Jesus Christ as my savior but
the issue is not if you trusted him as
you save you but do you know him listen
he didn’t say see striving and trust him
as your savior he said see strive listen
he says see striving and do what he says
and know that I am God
now
let me ask you a question more than
likely most people here and more than
likely you may be a believer you’ve
trusted Jesus as you saved you know that
you’re Christian
if I should ask you tell me
what do you know about God do you do you
know him personally
having trusted Jesus Christ is your
savior here’s what people do they say
I’ve trusted him as my savior I know
he’s my savior and most Christians I’m
afraid no Jesus Christ as their savior
the Forgiveness of their sin they go
into heaven when they die and that he
will help them in time of trouble and
the answer’s prayer
did you know that God isn’t he’s not
satisfied he’s just knowing that much
about him if you love someone you want
to know them and if you if you love
someone and you want them to love you do
you want them to know you God wants us
to know him because he knows that is the
heart and the core that is the real
listen that’s the bottom line of being
able to walk through all kinds of
difficult and stressful situations no
matter what form it may take no matter
what source it may be the key listen to
be able to walk through it victoriously
with peace in your heart is to know this
God
so what I have to ask is this if I
should say to you do you know him yes I
do if I gave you a piece of paper and a
pencil and said to you right on the
sheet of paper everything you know about
God
that you could defend with the word of
God that’s how I know that you know it
you see if I say well I don’t hear what
you know and you say well listen I heard
him say this and I heard her say that
I believe that’s not believe that but
what do you know what do you know how
much do you know God do you know him
personally is an intimate friend do you
listen
he wants us to know him not only is our
savior but the Lord and Master of our
life and most people just want to know
him as Savior they don’t know him as
Lord you see most Christians they’re not
interested in knowing him as Lord they
want to know him as Savior and provider
and protector and if they need to know
anything else they’ll let him know
that’s not the way God wants us to know
him he says see striving and know that I
am God
know that I’m not only your savior but
your master and your lord know that I
love you unconditionally know that the
Forgiveness of your sin cost me my only
begotten son know that I have attributes
beyond the mercy but I’m a just God that
I am omnipotent and omniscient I’m the
president that I’m a loving heavenly
father and I see you as one of my
children I have a will and a plan for
your life I want the best for your life
at every situation I will chastise with
you when you disobey me I want you to
understand my ways and how I operate
what motivates me I want you to know
that I have the best in mind for you I
want you to know that when you’re
hurting in pain
and suffering and difficulty that if you
allow me I will turn that into something
good for your life I want you to
understand the principles of the
scripture I want you to understand my
word I want you to know those men and
women in the Bible and how I worked in
their lives I want you to be observant
of me I want you to absorb me I want you
to be absorbed by my word I want you to
think the way I think I want you to know
what I think that’s what he means when
he says he says see striving and know
that I am God
well that brings me to this question
when he says see striving and know that
I am God well who is this God listen to
what he says he says here’s the god you
can trust in
watch this verse 1. he is that Refuge
he’s a place to which I can run
he is my strength when I am very weak he
is a present help thank God he said
present and notice what he says in
trouble that means the Hebrew means in
tight places when I get in a tight place
and I feel the pressure and I feel the
stress he says what he says he is a very
help very present help when I’m in a
tight place then if you’ll notice what
he says
not only that but he says he says in
verse 7 he is our stronghold and if you
notice twice he says verse 11 and verse
7 he is with us now I want you to turn
back to Psalm 18 for a moment and I want
you to notice something here this
psalmist the psalmist against here and a
different light but notice what he says
in the first verse I love thee O Lord my
strength the Lord is my rock and my
Fortress and my deliverer my God my rock
in whom I take refuge my shield and the
Horn of my salvation and my stronghold
what do these Psalms say that’s what
they say
that when you and I come to very
stressful and distressing times on life
look who we have look who this is this
listen this is this this is Elohim
infinite in power this is Jehovah God
absolute in his faithfulness this is the
lord of the universe he is the master of
all things and this is The God Who says
I will be your strength I will be your
Refuge I am your stronghold I’m your
rock I’m your horn I’m your Shield I’m
your salvation I’m everything you need
you don’t have to strive you don’t have
to fight you don’t have to contend you
don’t have to struggle trust me rest in
me that is the message I have two
choices I can either strive with life
or I can rest in the Lord Jesus Christ
my blessed savior to be everything I
need no matter what the issue is this is
the god he says he says I want you to
know me he says he says cease you’re
striving because this is this is the god
I am
now what we have to ask is this if if
what what do we mean by knowing him we
said listen not just the know him not
just to know about him but to know him
in a personal way now listen if you know
someone personally you have relationship
with them and the and listen the better
that relationship the better you know
them which brings us when he says when
he says see striving and know that I’m
God the next question is all right how
do I get to know him well let me ask you
this how do you get to know anybody
how do you get to know someone
number one you spend time with them
you spend time with them that’s the way
you get to know someone he says be still
and know that I am God that God you
serve I want you to know that I am God
I want you to know me as God
you spend time with them
and you know what no one knows what he
knows no one can do for us what he can
do there is no one who can quiet my
spirit like he can there’s no one who
can lift me out of a distressful moment
just like that like he can talking to
someone else at times may help no one
listen no one can can enable you to rest
in the midst of difficulty that’s not
going to go away
you can’t shake it you can’t run away
from it you can’t loose yourself from it
you’re stuck in it
how do I live with peace and contentment
and joy and indescribe listen
Indescribable Joy when it appears to be
that we’re stuck in something I’ll tell
you how when you know him you can live
in anything believe me you can listen
I’m not listening I want to make I want
to make this statement very clear I’m
not saying that you should live in a
situation where you are being physically
abused in such a fashion that it is
dangerous I’d never say that I’m talking
about those things that other than that
just because something’s tough and hard
and difficult neither am I saying that
you should never walk away from
something if God tells you to walk away
you better get out God’s not going to
ever tell you to violate his word that’s
the key he will never tell you to do
something that violates the word of the
Living God
how do I know him you spend time with
him how do I know him here’s how I know
him I find out what he thinks I will
never know you till I find out what
you’re thinking
because that’s who you really are so how
do I find out what God’s thinking I get
in this book that tells me what he’s
thinking or I listen to a message I’ll
read another book or something that
tells me how God is thinking how does
God think
how do I know him I observe what God
does in other people’s lives I observe
also what God does in my own life
because you see one of the ways that we
discover what God’s like
is to watch what he does in our life and
then some time will go by and we’ll turn
around and we will say God what are you
doing in my life help me to understand
what’s going on you see if I become
observant of what God is doing in other
people’s lives I will learn something
some powerful lessons I will learn how
God thinks I will learn what God means
when God When God says this is what I
want you to do well why would you ask me
to do that you see I will understand who
he is and what he’s like when I begin to
understand how God thinks my friend
listen you will never understand how God
thinks until this word becomes something
that you don’t just read to say you read
through the Bible but that you begin to
absorb you begin to look between the
lines and say God what were you saying
what were they feeling how did you work
in Abraham’s life in Moses life and
David’s life in Daniel’s life how did
you work in Paul’s life how did your son
operate he certainly was not striving
Jesus could walk through the most
awesome hardship and difficult in trial
in life and what there was this
overwhelming sense of inner peace and
quietness you know why because Jesus was
never striving with his father he knew
him he says if you’ve seen me you’ve
seen the father I’m the father of one no
Strife no contention no war no conflict
no striving he had an absolute perfect
relationship
if I’m going to get to know him I’ve got
to spend time with him I’ve got to find
out how he thinks and then you know what
if I’m going to know him I’ve got to be
able to tell him how I think Lord this
is what I’m thinking this this is the
way I see it this is what’s going on in
my life I’ve got to be open and
transparent then you know what if I’m
gonna if I’m gonna know him I’ve got to
be able to listen not just tell him what
I think then I’ve got to take time to
listen to hear him respond to what I
think and how I feel and you say well
now God never spoke to me audibly he
doesn’t have to he’s greater than that
listen don’t limit God to speaking
audibly God knows how to speak listen
straight from his Spirit straight to
your spirit and bypass anything that is
audible he is an infinite God
we listen you listen to each other
with your ears you listen to each other
as we say it with our heart with our
spirit we listen to God listen we listen
to him Spirit to Spirit listen there’s
nothing there’s nothing tangible it’s so
perfectly intangible so absolutely
perfect goes straight from his Spirit to
your spirit we know God has spoken to us
you have prayed and cried out and asked
God lord what shall I do you know what
he says from Spirit to Spirit we begin
to understand we begin to know what this
God is like we go through difficult at
heart we get thrown into we get thrown
into stressful situations how do we on
how do we learn who God is when we watch
how he maneuvered the circumstances of
our life at that moment to bring us out
and they give us Victory how do we know
him when we understand what he’s doing
when we are when we are suffering the
chastising hand of God what is he doing
he’s teaching us something about himself
he said well he’s teaching us something
I don’t like he’s teaching us how much
he loves us he’s teaching us that he
loves us so much he will not allow us to
get by with sin he loves us so much he’s
going to crowd me right back into the
center of his will
be still he says and know that I’m God
well how do I know which is the right
God that God listen the god that fits
the description of the word of God is
the right God there are lots of people
they will tell you they believe in God
because they’ve got their own Gods
the only problem with that God says that
God’s can’t think can’t speak can’t work
not infinite not anything clay the
figure listen the figures of a person’s
mind some dream they have of some God
that listen man-made Gods fit man-made
theology man-made theology always listen
always without exception man-made
theology always
indulges the flesh in some fashion God’s
theology that is the truth of God is
that which is holy and righteous and
good that which lifts me up not allows
me to pull myself down to know this God
is to know listen the most important
thing I will ever know
is to know the god of the Bible and
therefore listen if that’s if that is
the most precious of all knowledge then
I should spend more time learning
something about who he is than wasting
time wasting precious valuable time
listen when you and I die we’re going to
leave this world and everything that’s
in it
everything I’ve learned that applies
this world won’t make a bit of
difference when we and I stand the
presence of God everything we have
learned about him everything we have
learned in our personal experience with
him it will all be important for all
eternity what is this life but uh listen
it is a brief period of schooling to
discover who this God is we’re going to
spend eternity with think about it
eternity we’re going to spend with him
if you love someone love your husband
your wife or someone you love dearly you
could probably say you know what I’d
like to spend eternity with this person
because I love them so much well I’ll
tell you something you’re going to spend
eternity with God
and this is the time to get to know him
the truth is if I’m going to live with
peace if I’m going to live without
striving I am going to have to learn
listen who is the who is this God what
is he about in my life as I think about
for example the people in the scriptures
and this is where we learn a lot about
God think about this for a moment
think about where do you find Moses you
find him in the wilderness
where’d you find David up on the
hillside with the Sheep
where do you find Elijah down by the
Brook
where do you find Isaiah in the temple
receiving a vision from God where do you
find Ezekiel Down by the River where did
you find Jesus so often up in the
mountains talking to the father where
did you find the Apostle Paul in Arabia
alone listening to God John on the Isle
of Patmos banished by the Roman Emperor
banished to the Isle of Patmos alone to
be with God my friend listen carefully I
cannot tell you
I can tell you but I cannot tell you
effectively enough
the most important moments in your life
and my life
the moments that not only help me to
understand who God is and what he’s like
but the moments that most quiet in my
spirit
the moments they can cause all the rush
and the hurry and the stress and the
distress
and the frustrations and the fears and
the anxieties the absolutely dwindle
into nothing
are those moments
and Stillness
and quietness and allowing my trust
level to reach its Pinnacle to be able
to say father
I lay that down thank you dear God I
don’t have to handle that thank you that
you said you are my refuge you’re my
strength
you are my ever-present help and trouble
you are my stronghold you the one to
whom I can run you’re my Horn of Plenty
you’re the rock upon which I stand
absolutely immovable you’re the shield
to protect me you my deliverer in every
single Battle of life
you know when you and I’ll get our best
glimpses of him
when we get quiet
and we get along with him and we just
say father I want you to show me
yourself
and even when you’ve been through a very
difficult storm
listen when you find yourself in great
distress and turmoil
if you want to step out of that quickly
here’s what you do
you remind yourself
don’t strive against this just get still
rested in him
trust him to handle this for you
our omnipotent omniscient I’m the
present God who says listen he is my
ever-present help in time of trouble he
will enable me to face this confidently
courageously victoriously
in such a fashion that I will come out
knowing him better deepen my love for
him and my relationship to him
and with a perfect peace that is
absolutely beyond comprehension
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