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- Feb 9, 2004
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Charles Stanley Sermon
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.
Walking With Greater Confidence
Hebrews 11:1-31
It’s the Lord’s desire that we walk by faith. Yet if we consider our lives honestly, most of us will find a number of areas where we struggle to trust Him. Some days it’s easy to relinquish control, while at other times we quickly take matters into our own hands.
Thankfully, our heavenly Father is patient and loving. His Word clearly teaches that sanctification is the process of making us holy, not just the end result. Children are a great illustration of how this works. When toddlers learn to walk, they start by pulling up on something, standing, and then taking a step. Inevitably, they fall, at which point we help them back up so that they can keep progressing. In the same way, God shows us how to live according to our faith in Him, but we’ll make mistakes. Falling and getting up again are part of the learning process.
The Lord teaches us, but we also have a role. Our responsibility is to study Scripture, get to know God’s nature, and learn His promises. As we do these things, our confidence in God grows, enabling us to make choices requiring us to believe in and lean on Him. When we step out in faith and experience Christ’s provision and dependability, our trust grows.
Consider the responses, actions, and decisions that you’ve made in the past few days. How many of those were led by the Spirit? How many were human reactions done from self-reliance? Living on the basis of trust in Christ requires belief and action. As you allow Him to lead, faith will grow.
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.
Walking With Greater Confidence
Hebrews 11:1-31
It’s the Lord’s desire that we walk by faith. Yet if we consider our lives honestly, most of us will find a number of areas where we struggle to trust Him. Some days it’s easy to relinquish control, while at other times we quickly take matters into our own hands.
Thankfully, our heavenly Father is patient and loving. His Word clearly teaches that sanctification is the process of making us holy, not just the end result. Children are a great illustration of how this works. When toddlers learn to walk, they start by pulling up on something, standing, and then taking a step. Inevitably, they fall, at which point we help them back up so that they can keep progressing. In the same way, God shows us how to live according to our faith in Him, but we’ll make mistakes. Falling and getting up again are part of the learning process.
The Lord teaches us, but we also have a role. Our responsibility is to study Scripture, get to know God’s nature, and learn His promises. As we do these things, our confidence in God grows, enabling us to make choices requiring us to believe in and lean on Him. When we step out in faith and experience Christ’s provision and dependability, our trust grows.
Consider the responses, actions, and decisions that you’ve made in the past few days. How many of those were led by the Spirit? How many were human reactions done from self-reliance? Living on the basis of trust in Christ requires belief and action. As you allow Him to lead, faith will grow.
