Daily Bible Verse

Have you ever felt anxious about something? Maybe you had a test in History class that just seemed too overwhelming, or maybe it was whether you’d be asked to the Homecoming Dance by your crush. Whatever the case, anxiety can affect us all.

Sometimes anxiety is so bad in your life that it’s all you can think about. When that happens, anxiety can just feel overwhelming.

As Christians, we should be challenging ourselves to do what today’s Bible verse says, be anxious for nothing.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

The idea of not being anxious can really seem almost impossible. What about if you don’t get asked to the dance? Isn’t that going to be bad for your social life? How about that History test? If you fail won’t that mean that you don’t pass the class? How do you really go about life not being anxious?

The answer lies in today’s verse. We should be going to God with our concerns. Instead of being anxious, we are to present our requests to Him. We should be letting God do the carrying of the things that overwhelm and consume us.

So today, challenge yourself to not be anxious. Instead of anxiety, choose to focus your attention on Jesus.

Challenge: Change the focus from the problem to the answer, Jesus.

Pray: Jesus, today I choose to not be anxious. I’ll take my problems to you in prayer. Help me to see that you’re the solution to the challenges I face, in your name I pray, Amen.

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 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” – Mark 4:40 (NIV)

This week we’ve talked a lot about stress. One of the things we see about stress is that it is really based in fear. We might fear that we don’t have enough time to get the things done we need to do. There can be stress we feel because of pressure that others put upon us and we fear that we won’t be ab le to measure up to their expectations.

Regardless of the source of the stress in our lives, sometimes that stress can feel so overwhelming we don’t really know what to do.

That’s where Jesus comes in. See just like the disciples in a stressful situation, Jesus is there. And he has the answer you need for the stress you face.

So instead of questioning Him, wondering if He really loves you, or losing faith in God, you can begin to trust in Jesus instead. Know that He does love you, He wants the best for you, and He is the answer to what stressed you out. Go to Him, get His wisdom and His help and know that He will see you through the storm you face today!

Today’s Truth: Jesus is the answer for your stress.

Read: 3 Practical Ways to Deal With Stress

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. – Mark 4:39 (NIV)

Stressful situations stink. When you’re overloaded with schoolwork and then your mom asks you to help out around the house with extra chores, it can almost feel like too much. You might wonder can you really make it?

Here’s the truth: You can make it. But the good news is that it’s not all up to you to make it through. The good news is that you don’t have to carry all the stress and burdens of life on your own. Jesus came to bring you peace, and a good life. So you can rely on Jesus for help when life feels stressful.

It often helps to put your eyes on Jesus. Remind yourself of His goodness and all the things He’s done for you. Then go to Him in prayer and ask Him for wisdom to get through the stressful situation. He will show you what you need to do, and give you supernatural wisdom to get through the things that stress you out.

Today’s Truth: Jesus Has a Solution For What Stresses You Out

Storms come to us all. When you face one, it’s easy to often wonder if God really cares about you. You might feel like He’s really far away from you, or that He doesn’t hear you or care when you’re faced with something really tough. The disciples felt the same way when they were faced with a storm.

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” – Mark 4:38 (NIV)

Here we see the disciples questioning God’s love. They asked Jesus if He cared that they were about to drown. That is a bit of a funny question because they were here with the son of God. He had come to the earth to give His life for them. That was the act of ultimate love, and yet during a storm, they began to question God’s love.

That’s easy for us all to do. When we are in a difficult season and we wonder, does God hear? Does He really care about what we’re going through?

The truth is that God does care. He sent His son Jesus for us. He loves us and want us to have a good and full life. So when you begin to question whether God hears or cares, realize that those are lies. The truth is that He does care. He came to the world because He cares for you. Whether your problem is big or little, Jesus cares and wants to help you in each difficult situation that you face.

Today’s Truth: Don’t Question God’s Love in a Storm

This week, we’re exploring stress, and how we as Christians should handle the stresses of life. As you know, stress comes to us all, and it’s usually not at the best times. It’s when you’ve already got a tight deadline on your history project that your English class assigns an extra paper to write, causing you lots of stress.

So how do you handle the stresses of school and stress of life in ways that bring God glory and point others to Him?

One of the best ways comes from looking at the account of Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4:35-41.

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

One of things we see from this account is that in stressful situations like these, we have a choice. We can be like Jesus, and choose peace, or we can be like the disciples and choose panic.

Both Jesus and the disciples faced the same storm. The storm was real, and the disciples were in real danger, and had every reason to be afraid. Jesus did too. But His response was different. He chose peace. Instead of looking at how bad the situation was, He exercised faith.

He chose faith and seeing God as bigger than the scary situation. Then He stood up and took authority over the storm.

You can do the same thing when you’re faced with stressful situations. You can choose to panic or you can choose peace. Today, challenge yourself to choose peace. God’s peace is greater and enough for you in every situation you face.

Today’s Truth: You Can Choose Panic or Peace in your storm.