Some people have already accepted stress as the "new normal," according to Pastor Rick Warrren, but he said that Christians should not be weighed down by stress since they have God on their side.
He even quoted Psalm 46:1 which says, "God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him." The pastor then shared seven spiritual actions that Christians should follow in order to handle ongoing stress.
The first is to look to God to meet all one's needs instead of other people. "They're going to let you down, and that's a big stresser. There's no one who could possibly meet all your emotional needs. Only God can meet all of them. Let Him," he urged.
The second is to obey God's instruction about rest - do six days of labour, then rest on the Sabbath. He said that rest is so important that even God himself did it, and Christians should always follow his lead.
The third is to recharge one's soul with beauty. Warren said that God created so many beautiful things for mankind to enjoy, such as nature and sounds. People just need to take a step back from their daily lives and enjoy God's wonderful gifts.
The next healthy habit should be a no-brainer, but sometimes people forget that they can go to God for guidance. "Not being able to make up your mind is a common source of stress. If you're wavering back and forth about a decision right now, pray to God for wisdom. Read the Bible. Then wait, be quiet and just listen. At the right time — maybe not immediately — God will put the idea in your mind," Warren guaranteed.
The fifth action is somewhat difficult, since it involves complete trust. But Warren said that there should be no doubt when it comes to trusting God in the dark valleys. There will be a lot of difficult times in life, which Christians could either respond to in fear or in faith. Warren said that fear leads to stress while faith leads away from stress.
The sixth action is to let God be the defender. "Conflict is another major source of stress. Some people in your life just don't like you. They will criticise you and attack you. Our natural response is to attack back. Instead, God tells us to trust Him and let Him defend us. That's what Jesus did. That's what we need to do," said Warren.
Lastly, expect God to finish what He started. People should always remember that God has their best interests at heart, and if the path ahead seems very dark, people should always believe that the journey is not over yet and that the best is yet to come.
