Counseling Through Your Bible Handbook (69 page)

“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind”

(E
CCLESIASTES
4:6).

Slow down
and nourish your spiritual life.

— Remind yourself daily to “be still, and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46:10).

— Open lines of honest communication with God about your concerns, needs, and fears.

— Set aside time daily for personal prayer and Scripture meditation.

— Memorize Scripture that builds assurance of God’s love (Psalm 36:7; Jeremiah 31:3; John 14:21; Romans 8:39).

“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees”

(P
SALM
119:71).

Stop

Stop
and look at the real reason you are experiencing stress.

— Do you try to meet your own needs instead of waiting on the Lord?

— Do you think God cannot accomplish His purposes without your overachieving?

— Do you seek self-worth through proving your adequacy and effectiveness?

— Are you Spirit-led or people-pressured?

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ”

(G
ALATIANS
1:10).

Stop
, confess, and turn away from any known sin in your life.

— Do you manipulate or control others?

— Do you feel envious or jealous of others?

— Do you express your feelings inappropriately?

— Do you overreact to criticism?

— Do you have impure motives?

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy”

(P
ROVERBS
28:13).

Yield

Yield
to God’s sovereign control over your circumstances.

— What is God doing in your circumstances?

— In what way does God want you to change?

— How does God want you to respond?

— Do you have impure motives?

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the L
ORD
; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases”

(P
ROVERBS
21:1).

Yield
to God your rights and expectations.

Dear God,

— “I yield my right to control my circumstances.”

— “I yield my right to be accepted by others.”

— “I yield my right to be successful.”

— “I yield my right to be heard and understood.”

— “I yield my right to be right.”

“Trust in the L
ORD
with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”

(P
ROVERBS
3:5).

Resume Speed

Resume speed
, living in the presence of God.

Dear Lord God,

— “I choose to let Christ live His life through me.”

— “I choose to live in the present, not worrying about tomorrow.”

— “I choose to refocus my thoughts away from my pressures to Your purposes for allowing these pressures.”

— “I choose to have a thankful heart regardless of the pressure I feel.”

— “I will choose to call on You, Lord, for wisdom and peace.”

— “I will choose to commit to talking less and listening more.”

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him”

(P
SALM
62:1).

On your journey through life, don’t miss the SIGNS God has for you. When stress is signaling possible burnout…

SLOW DOWN and turn from danger…

STOP and ask for directions—God’s…

YIELD the driver’s seat to Christ…

RESUME SPEED, trusting in the Lord.

—JH

Ecclesiastes 4:6

Matthew 11:28-30

Galatians 3:3

Romans 12:2

Galatians 1:10

Proverbs 14:30

Psalm 18:6

2 Corinthians 12:9

Philippians 4:6-9

For additional guidance on this topic, see also
Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Anger, Critical Spirit, Decision Making, Fear, Financial Freedom, Hope, Identity, Overeating, Salvation, Self-worth, Suicide Prevention, Worry
.

D
espair has overtaken you. Trapped and terrified, darkness descends…and then you see it: the ditch of self-inflicted death. This gaping pit looms large, presenting a perilous path to the absence of pain and to much-desired peace. You feel like no one understands, no one really cares.
But God does!
He is grieved by your suffering and longs to come alongside you to help you, to restore hope, and to bring healing. Suicide is
never
God’s will for your life—He has a unique purpose and plan for you that validates your value and significance.
You
matter to Him.

“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the L
ORD
, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’”

(J
EREMIAH
29:11).

Downcast: Early Stage

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God”

(P
SALM
43:5).

Distressed: Advanced Stage

“Surely no one lays a hand on a broken man when he cries for help in his distress”

(J
OB
30:24).

Despairing: Danger Stage

“Why, O L
ORD
, do you reject me and hide your face from me? From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair”

(P
SALM
88:14-15).

We are each born from the seed of Adam and doomed to continue in sin and destined for death. But we no longer have to be slaves to this self-destructive tendency. In Christ we have a new inheritance and a legacy that provides power over sin and the gift of eternal life. (See
Biblical Counseling Keys
on
Identity
and the book
Seeing Yourself Through God’s Eyes
by June Hunt—for more information, see page 448.)

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death”

(R
OMANS
8:1-2).

When suicidal thoughts overtake you, it’s important to have a plan. Determine, in advance, to take the following steps. They will protect you from the dark ditch of suicide—Satan’s counterfeit solution to your pain—and point you toward the Road to Transformation. Step by step you will discover God’s peace, and a life that is well worth living.