Stress affects all of us in different ways and it comes from different directions. But when stress is constant and not released, researchers say that it results in anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, muscle tension, and heart disease. Obviously, monitoring stress and finding relief from it is something that needs to be on our radar. What’s fascinating to me is that recent research points in the same direction that the Bible has prescribed for thousands of years.
The tendency is to view verses about hope like the decorations of the Bible – pleasant thoughts that aren’t very functional. But getting serious about hope is one of the primary means God has given us to make progress in personal growth and maturity.
Nobody wants to look back on their decisions with regret, but often we struggle to understand the right direction. I read one article that gave a list of ways to make better decisions. It began with the following:
Don’t fear the consequences
Go with your gut instincts
Consider your emotions
If God doesn’t care and it’s all up to us, maybe that’s the best that we can do. It’s not hard to see how that advice for decision-making could end very, very badly, however. The Book of Proverbs gives us a far more reliable grid through which to process our decisions. Consider these 3 principles.
When it comes to money, we often fixate on more. Selfishness affects us. We’re influenced by unhealthy attitudes toward our finances. The Israelites weren’t all that much different. They famously grumbled and complained to Moses when they didn’t get enough food, but God worked to turn Israel into a generous nation. Seeing how He worked in their lives reveals how He might transform us today.