The third key to living stressless

Hello! Can you believe it? We are moving on the the third and final key to living stress-less today. Now, it will take some time to hit all the great points, so don't worry, we have lot's more time together.

Welcome back to A Good Bible Study: Stress Less. Let's pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, Abba, you know our hearts. You know the burdens each of us carries, the ways in which we have felt stress and pressure. Lord, show us in Your Word how to live the life of joy and compassion that you intend for us. Help us to remember to authenticate, recuperate, and now activate our bodies, minds and spirits to be powerful and intentional in our lives. Most of all, lead us to know how to love You, and please You, and then to go out there and do it! In the name of Jesus, amen.

The third key to living a life free from stress is Activate!

Think about it: You can spend time praying and meditating on your authentic self all day, and you can rest and let your creative juices perculate till they are spilling over, but what good is any of this unless you put it into action and do something with it?

Proverbs 23:7 says that as you think, so you will act.

Joyce Meyer, in her book Joy Redefined: Loving Others says, "But along with our beliefs, what's most important is how we treat other people we encounter along life's road. It's the truest test of what we believe."

The Word tells us that our fruit, our actions, are an indication of our inner thoughts and beliefs.

So, it's truly a continuum: change our thoughts and feelings through becoming an authentic being of God (the first key); and also keep refreshed by regularly recuperating and refilling our bodies, minds and spirits - both in the Word and physically retreating and resting (the second key); and finally, show the evidence of that internal change by taking action.

You know, I am a big fan of thinking positively. We can choose what to dwell on so why not choose to believe the best: the best of God, the best of others, and the best of ourselves and our future.

But, if we sit around all day believing the best is coming, but never go out to meet it and never bring our best to fruition, then let's be honest, we are just dreaming.

Now we can focus our action on a variety of things. We can choose what will drive our behavior. Some things will bring us more joy and satisfaction, and others will drive us right back to bitterness and despair.

Read Matthew 7:15-18. Jesus says if you want to know what's driving a person, look at their fruit, their actions, what comes of their efforts.

We've got to be very careful because being authentic, meaning being true to our intended purpose and nature (as intended by God) results in activating our gifts and talents to produce good fruit, fruit that blesses our lives, and the lives of others.

Using our gifts to serve God's purpose for us leads to pleasure, joy, satisfaction, and contentment. Using our gifts to serve selfishness (really the purpose of Satan) leads to anger, greed, bitterness and eventually the loss of everything we gained.

Read Galatians 5:19-25

List here the fruit of the flesh (selfishness):
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 and the like and . . . those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Now list the fruit of God's Spirit:
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Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its (selfish) passions and desires. If we live (daily) in the Spirit, let us also walk (have our intentions and actions reflect) in the Spirit."

How do we know if we being authentic, and if we are recuperated and filled up with the Spirit? We need only look at our behavior, and the results of our actions.

Let's pray:

Lord, I want to live in Your Spirit authentically. I want to be recuperated and refilled by Your Spirit every day. And I want my actions to reflect Your Spirit, instead of my selfish nature. I thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, sent by Your Son, Jesus to comfort and guide us if we accept the gift of His sacrifice, His payment for our sins. I do, Lord. I know that nothing good is in me without You.

Thank you for paying the price for my selfish sinful thoughts and actions. I ask Your forgiveness now, and I am equally thankful for I know even as I ask, that You have already given it. I gratefully accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and open my heart to Your Holy Spirit to live within, and walk with me daily. When my fruit is good, let me dance with joy in knowing I am living out my purpose and using the wonderful gifts you've given me. When my fruit is rotten, I ask you to open my eyes immediately and break my heart with remorse so I can turn off that path, and run back to You! In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Friend, beloved, I hope you prayed along with me and meant every word. If not, then I ask you to simply pray for God to change your heart, so that you can. Love, Karen

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