A Gentle Whisper -- Listening for the Voice of God Johnny Almond 5 years agoMarch 3, 2020

Stress Management

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it]
and He will sustain you.
Psalm 55:22 THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE

I am infinitely superior to all the idols the world worships. False gods of the heart cannot satisfy your deepest yearnings. No-gods are less than nothing. You do not pray to the god whom you may or may not know, as the Babylonians did. You do not have to take a shot in the dark and petition the god whom it may concern, as those pagans did. I am the One and Only God—and I am concerned about you!

You can cast all your anxieties and concerns and worries on Me— rest assured I care for you affectionately and watch over you day and night. You can be sure I am always thinking about you—it matters to Me what happens in your life. Let Me have your cares, and you can live carefree. This approach to living is far more effective than the naïve philosophy that advocates “don’t worry, be happy.”

Often you are care-full, when you could and should be care-free. Here is My recipe for peace—pray about everything that concerns you; tell Me what you need; thank Me for My answers; focus your mind on truth, honor, right, purity, loveliness, and excellence. If you do this, you will enjoy the pleasure of My company and experience My calm.

When you were a child, you had trouble blowing up balloons. You did not seem to have the breath for it. Now that you are grown up, you still have some trouble with balloons—and with life’s frustrations. When weariness takes all the wind out of your sails, I can re-energize you and pump you up by My Spirit Wind. When you are all worn out, the Breath of Heaven can lift you up. Here is My formula for a worry-free life—prioritize living for Me and make My kingdom your primary goal, and I will take care of the rest.

When the peace of God is elusive, your trouble is that you keep attempting to carry your own cares, and in the process you get crushed under the heavy, impossible load.

If you will give your cares to the God of peace, I will carry them—and you. Submit to My gentle mastery as you reread My cordial invitation to you: Come to Me all who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.

Let go of your stresses and let Me sustain you—I will bear your burdens on My strong shoulders and make your heart lighter than air.

I manage the universe—do you think I cannot manage your stress?

Johnny

Johnny R. Almond earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey and a Diploma in Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge. After pastoring churches for a decade, he served the Air Force as a military chaplain in worldwide assignments. After retiring from the military in 2000, he began serving as pastor in Virginia. He currently serves as pastor of Hull's Memorial Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He and his wife, Beverly, have four sons, three grandsons, and three granddaughters.