All Stressed Out?

THIS WEEK’S BOLD STEP DEVOTION

It sounds counterintuitive, but researchers have found that one of the keys to de-escalating stress in your life is to continually expose yourself to stressful situations. The term is called “practicing stress,” which essentially means putting yourself in situations that push you out of your comfort zone on a regular basis so that your body can adjust accordingly. Here are some examples:

• Running a marathon
• Climbing a mountain
• Singing karaoke

I’m sure there are many more examples that we could add to the list, but the bottom line is that stress can have a healthy or unhealthy effect on our lives, depending on how we deal with it.

We read in Luke about Jesus’ interaction with two sisters, Mary and Martha, who have transformative journeys through their individual struggles. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to Him, while Martha was distracted and stressed by the preparations for their guests. Jesus addresses Martha with these words in Luke 10:41: “Martha, Martha . . . you are worried and upset about many things.” Essentially, Jesus was telling Martha the importance of making His presence a priority, like Mary was doing, even in the busyness and stress of life.

We will all face stress of various kinds, from everyday pressures to bigger challenges, but how we choose to respond to them can make all the difference. In our message at the link below, I share three ways in which unhealthy stress can rob us of the vibrant life God has for us, wreaking havoc on our body and our mind. Discover peace at Jesus’ feet, beginning today.

Listen to the sermon series: Real Peace

Part 1Part 2

Ministry Update from Mark

Friends, I’m so thrilled to share how God moved in the lives of men right here on the campus of the Moody Bible Institute a few weeks ago. Our staff felt led to host a conference solely for Spanish-speaking men, where they could come together for a time of encouragement, teaching, worship, and fellowship. This inaugural event, Levántate Conference 2023, saw over 1,100 Spanish-speaking men from all walks of life gather together, some meeting Jesus for the first time! Praise God!