Activated June 2004

8/14/2019 Activated June 2004

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ESCAPE

STRESSRelief at last from thepressures that undo youGO SLOWYOULLGET THERE QUICKER!How to get more donewith less wear and tear

THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDONWhat to expect and when

CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE YOUR WORLD.


2/16

For a wide range of books and audioand video productions to feed yoursoul, lift your spirit, strengthen yourfamily, and provide fun learning timesfor your children, please contact oneof our distributors below, or visit ourWeb site at www.activated.org

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2004 Aurora Production AGAll Rights Reserved. Printed in Thailand.www.auroraproduction.com

Unless otherwise indicated, allScripture quotations in Activated arefrom the New King James Version of the Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

When other versions are quoted,some typographical changes havebeen made for the sake of clarity anduniformity.

In a 1968 episode of the original Star Trek, thecrew of the starship Enterprise encounters anintergalactic species whose lives are far fasterpaced than those of their human counterparts.But there is a price. At this level, they areeasily damaged, Captain Kirk observes, as if accelerated living burns them out. Star Trekscreators apparently were making an observationabout where the mounting pace of modern life wastaking usand they may have been even moreright than they realized.

The World Health Organization recently pre-dicted that by the year 2020, half of the top 10medical problems worldwide will be stress related,and another recent study found that 54% of peopleworldwide now complain of stress at work. InJapan, the modern era has coined the new words

karoshi and karojisatsu death from overworkand suicide from overwork.

Stress is a very real problem that affects all of us to varying degrees. Perhaps the most dauntingaspect of stress is the way it is self-perpetuating.Just thinking about how to get out from under itputs us under more stress.

There is a way out, thougha sure and simpleway of escape. Its so simple, in fact, that manypeople make the mistake of dismissing it beforetrying it and therefore continue on in their stressed-out state.

Come to Me, Jesus says, and you will ndrest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and Myburden is light (Matthew 11:2830). Just a fewquiet moments with Jesus can melt away the ten-sion, bring peace of mind and spirit, and put thesituations that lead to stress in proper perspective.Can it really be as simple as that? Youll never knowwhat sweet relief awaits you till you try it!

Keith Phillips

For the Activated family

VOL 5 ISSUE6June 2004

EDITORKeith Phillips

DESIGNGiselle LeFavre

ILLUSTRATIONSDoug Calder

PRODUCTIONFrancisco Lopez

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

a ctivated CHANGE YOUR LIFE.CHANGE YOUR WORLD.

2 activated VOL 5, ISS


3/16

HOW OFTEN DO WE FINALLY REACH A STATE OF PEACE-FUL CONTENTMENT and then wish we could hang out asign that says, Do not disturb?

Of course we cant prevent disturbances or stressfulsituations, but when they come, the Bible says the Lordcan give us peace inside. You will keep him in perfectpeace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts

in You (Isaiah 26:3). If we turn to Jesus, He will giveus peace. If we are spending time talking with Him inprayer, reading His Words, or even just thinking aboutHim, the Bible says the reward is peace.

In another place it says, Be anxious for nothing, butin everything by prayer and supplication, with thanks-giving, let your requests be made known to God; andthe peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus(Philippians 4:67).

At times it may seem impossible for us to remainpeaceful inside. Just coping may be difcult. But Jesusis the Prince of Peace and He says, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do Igive to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let itbe afraid (John 14:27). So when you feel like hanging aDo Not Disturb sign on your forehead, remember Hehas a special brand of peaceeternal, deep, tangible. And its available for the asking.

CHLOE WEST

WHEN LIFE FEELS LIKE A TINY, WINDOW-LESS ROOM and its four walls are closing in, you can create a window of escapethrough the Word of God.

As you read and meditate on the Word,as you believe My promises and claimthem as your own, you open a window

to the spiritual realm where wonderfulthings await you. The warm sunshine of My love will melt away the tension.

Like a breath of fresh air, the softbreeze of My Spirit will clear your mind.Crystal-clear streams of truth and poolsof wisdom will refresh your spirit andmind. New vistas will open before you. You will see things from the heavenly perspective and thrill to the new pos-sibilities and challenges before you. You will nd new faith and inspiration. Thatstied feeling will give way to exhilara-tion and a passion for living. The wordsthat I speak to you are spirit, and they arelife (John 6:63).

Learn to turn to the Word when youfeel bottled up, and My Word will set youfree (John 8:3132).

JESUS

e s c a p e s t r

activated VOL 5, ISSUE 6


4/16

hardly stand itthe pressures are so great!People talk about the strain theyre under,and it can be seen on their faces. We areliving in the rapids of time. The speedand relentlessness with which we move ismost remarkable, but it takes its toll on ourbodies, minds, and spirits.

As I tried to get quiet in my soul today, Irealized how much stress and pressure hadgotten into me. But I know where I can ndrepose. Websters Dictionary denes reposeas a state of being at rest. Other meaningsare freedom from worry; peace of mind;calmness; tranquility.

That sounds so nice, but how does oneget to that state? How are people going tond such repose when theyre on the runand in a rush all the time?

take time in Gods pres-ence, when I read His Word and search theScriptures, and when Isearch my own heart andspend time in prayer, thepeace that He promises isrestoredsweet rest andrepose that only God cangive. The remedy takesall that strain out of thespirit; it relieves unrest of mind and tension of body.

So many people in this jet-propelled age haveto take tranquilizers tocalm themselves down.I read recently of a man

from work and said to his wife, I cant believe all ththings that happened inthe ofce today! Ive beenunder such strain, suchtension, that I can hardly stand it! Give me one of those pills to calm medown. So she gave himthe pill, but just aboutthat time the phone rang and he was ordered tocome back to the ofcebecause a very importantcustomer was ready togive a big order. So he saidto his wife, Where arethose pep pills? Ive got

Rest ANDRepose

BY VIRGINIA BRANDT BERG

H E COULD THEN REFRESH OUR SOULS ,CLARIFY OUR THOUGHTS ,

AND TAKE AWAY THE STRAINED FEELING .



5/16

to have one! People take one pill to pep upand another one to calm down.

Pressures are many, and some peoplehave no other recourse but to pop pills. Butthe Christian does have another recourse!

The Christian has his quiet timethe timeof meditation with God that will cool thefever of this hectic rush. But we have to doour part to get quiet with the Lord. Here aresome verses that demonstrate this reality.

Moses said to them, Stand still, that I may hear what the Lord will command concern-ing you (Numbers 9:8). He had to get thosearound him quiet before he could even hear what the Lord wanted to say to them.

In 1 Samuel 9:27, the prophet Samuel said

to King Saul, Tell the servant to go on aheadof us. But you stand here awhile, that Imay announce to you the Word of God!

In counseling and praying with people, itcan be so hard sometimes to get them quietenough to listen to Gods Word. A wonderfulverse about that is 1 Samuel 12:7, where theprophet Samuel says to the people, Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord.

In Job 37:14, God says,Stand still and considerthe wondrous works of God.

David talked about

meditating and com-muning with God atnight or rst thing in themorning, before the rushof the day begins. Medi-tate within your heart on your bed, and be still(Psalm 4:4). And Godsays, Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm46:10).

If only we would getto this quiet place so we could seek Godspresence and read His Word! He could thenrefresh our souls, clarify our thoughts, and takeaway the strained feel-ing. Some people think its a waste of time to

stop to meditate, to stopand pray, yet millionsthroughout the ages havefound that only in thepresence of God couldthey nd rest and peaceand subdue every symp-tom of pressure.

Prayer makes availablethe power of God thatcan take all the strain outof life. Wont you think about it? His Word saysthat they who believeenter into the Lords rest(Hebrews 4:3). Gods

Word goes on to say,There remains there-fore a rest to the peopleof God (Hebrews 4:9). You dont have to wait forHeaven to get that rest! You can have it right now!God bless you and bring you into His place of per-fect peace.

WHATWHATI NEEDI NEED

MARCIA, AGE FOUR, was my Sunday morning commit-ment. Today Marcia had exhausted my surprise bag of coloring books and puzzles in the rst seven minutes.

Even the candy failed to hold her attention for more thanthirty seconds.

I took Marcias face in my hands and, looking intoher eyes, whispered, What do you need to make youhappy today?

Returning my gaze, she whispered, I need to siton your lap!

I took her in my arms. She nestled down until hersoft cheek rested against the skin of my neck, and she

barely stirred for the next hour.I remember days when my own behavior was an

adult version of Marcias. I was restless, dissatised,impossible to please. When that happens again, I hope

I will be as wise as Marcia and as honest about my needs.My restlessness melts away when I rest in Jesus.

AUTHOR UNKNOW



6/16

OH, THAT DITCH AGAIN! I was driving home andas I had done every day

for monthshad to drivevery slowly over a dip inthe road to avoid a bone- jarring jolt.

My car was due for ageneral servicing, so Itook it to the mechanic Iregularly go to. As he gotbehind the wheel to pull itinto his shop, I was feeling pretty good about myself for having rememberedto have my car serviced.He had moved it only inches, however, whenhe stepped on the brakes,turned to me with a look of surprise, and asked,How can you drive yourcar like this?! Your shock absorbers are gone!

My reex reaction tothe instant diagnosis wasto question the mechan-ics motives. How could hebe so sure, so quick? Butsince the car was 10 yearsold and my past experi-ence with this mechanicgave me no reason tomistrust him, I asked him

to check the shocks andreplace them if necessary, which he did.

Oops, that ditch again. As I was driving my newly serviced car home, my mind was somewhereelse and I didnt think toslow down for the familiardip until it was too late.I braced myself for theinevitable impacttail-bone to oor and car body to wheelsbut hardly felt that old ditch. Themechanic had been right.I had gotten so used todriving my car with noshock absorbers that I hadforgotten what it was liketo have them.

If you drive only ongood roads you hardly need shock absorbers,

but when the road getsrough or you come toone of those bone-jar-ring dips or potholes, itsa different story. Isnt lifea lot like that? Most of the time, thank God, theride is pretty smooth. But what about when we losesomeone close to us, or

SHOCK ABSORBERSsuffer a business failure,or an injury shakes ourlives? What if there is a

power failure and we arestuck in an elevator forhours, or we nd our-selves in an earthquake orother disaster? What kindof shock absorbers canhelp us make it throughincidents like these in onepiece?

Ask the Man who walked the rough andrugged road to MountCalvary and gave His lifethere for you and me. Heshould knowand Hedoes. Come to Me, all you who labor and areheavy laden, and I willgive you rest (Matthew 11:28). These thingsI have spoken to you,

that in Me you may havepeace. In the world you will have tribulation; butbe of good cheer, I haveovercome the world(John 16:33).

So many peopledrive through life withabsolutely no shock absorbers, carefully trying



7/16

He will keep in perfect peace

all those who trust in Him,

whose thoughts turn often to

the Lord (Isaiah 26:3 TLB).

to avoid every bumpand hole in the roadthat could give them

a jolt. They try to only drive on the smoothestroads because they know theyre notprepared for any suddenbumps. They dont havethe peace that Jesusoffersshock absorbersfor their earthly vehicle.Maybe they dont evenrealize they need shock absorbers, or how much wear and tear thesethings can spare them.

There are going to bebumps on the road of life. Thats inevitable. But with Jesus loving handsunderneath you, youllhardly notice them. Youcan just relax, enjoy the

ride, and arrive safe andsound at your nal des-tination.

Put yourself in Hishands, and see the dif-ference it makes.

MATTHEW NANTES IS AVOLUNTEER WITH THEFAMILY IN GREECE.

BY MATTHEW NANTES

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Jesus, when I feel weak, tired, or out of sorts, Youre right there to put Your arms around me, tocomfort me, and tell me that everything is goingto be okay. You reach down and soothe my rufednerves, melt away my worries and fears, and blowaway the confusion that surrounds me.

Thank You for blessing me so! Im so blessedto have Your peace. Thank You for delivering mefrom the worries of the world. Thank You for Yourpeace that passes all understanding.

Thank You that I dont have to take a pill tond relief from the stress of a busy schedule. AllI have to do is take You. Thank You that I can justsit down for a few minutes with You and feel Yoursoothing touch that gives me strength to continueon in my busy day.

Thank You, wonderful, wonderful Jesus, for Your touches of love that melt away the mountainsof obstacles and problems. And thank You, too,that when I feel good, You make me feel evenbetter! I love You!

I HAD

GOTTEN SO

USED TO

DRIVING MY

CAR WITH

NO SHOCK

ABSORBERS

THAT I HAD

FORGOTTEN

WHAT IT WAS

LIKE TO HAVE

THEM.



8/16

bitten off a bit morethan I could chew.But Tristan wassure he wanted acastle cake, knights

and all, and I wanted to makehim happy, so I shot up a quick prayer asking the Lord to helpme and give me talents I dontnormally have.

Before I knew it, his birthday was upon me, and I set to work

on the cake. Book in hand, Itried to follow the directions asbest I could, but soon realized why there was only a draw-ing of this castle cake, not aphoto graph, as with most of theother designs. There was a gulf between concept and nishedproduct, and I was adrift andsinking! My cake was lopsided,the icing didnt stick well, and

the turrets werent equal inheight or diameter. I couldntnd any toy knights, so I settledfor a Lego gure of a man on ahorse.

I felt so under pressure anddiscouraged! Poor Tristan , Ithought. Hes going to be sodisappointed! Hes been looking forward to and talking about his

Through

ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE MYSON TRISTANS FOURTH BIRTH-DAY, I talked with him abouthow much he had grown up inthe past year, how much he hadlearned, and how proud I wasof him for the progress he had

made. Then we talked about hisbirthday and what he wantedto do for his party. As usual, I lethim choose what kind of birth-day cake he wanted.

Last year he chose a caterpil-lar cake, as at the time bugsfascinated him. That cake wasnttoo difcultjust a string of crescent-shaped cake pieces with bright, multicolored icing. I

expected him to choose some-thing equally simple this year,so you can imagine my chagrin when, after looking througha book with imaginative cakeideas for children, he chose theknights and castle cake.

I looked at the detailed draw-ing, read over the explanation,and felt immediately that I had

knights and castle cake all week,and now look what hes going to get! Things never turn out the way I want them to! Tristan is sure to be one unhappy little boy when he sees his mothers versioof his dream cake!

I nally nished the cake,adding the nal touches as bestI couldpaper ags, cook-ies along the top of the wallsthat were supposed to look like

stones but kept falling over atawkward angles, and grassmade from shredded coconutdyed with food color that some-how turned out a muddy mossy color. I was done, but felt likecrying.

I cleaned up my mess anddecided Id better let Tristan seethe cake, to prepare him for theembarrassing moment when

he and his friends would see itat the party. As Tristan enteredthe room, I studied his expres-sion and prayed for just theright thing to say to cheer himup and help him not to take itso hard.

Tristans eyes widened and,to my surprise, a huge smilespread across his face. Wow,

bright, multicolored icing



9/16

Mom! Its so cool! heexclaimed. Its just what I wanted!

I nearly burst intotears as he went over tothe cake, inspected eachpart, and said it was exactly the way he wanted it to be. Thenhe ran over and hugged me,thanked me for making it forhim, and lifted his hand to hismouth as if to tell me a secret. I

bent over to let him whisper inmy ear.I love you! he said, and then

ran off to tell his friends about what hed just seen.

After he left the room I satthere a while, thinking about what Id just experienced. Inthose few minutes I was taughta lesson that can take a lifetimeto learn. How many times hadthe Lord chosen to let things inmy life turn out differently thanI had hoped or imagined? How many times had my dreamsseemed to turn out a littlelopsided, distorted, with piecesmissing? How many times hadI questioned God and not fully accepted or appreciated whatHe had done for me?

Eyes of a Child PARENTING FROM THE HEART

Oh, thatI can learnto see lifethrough

the eyes of a childfull

of faith, hope,love, and posi-

tiveness, instead of seeing theimperfections. Oh, that I canlearn to see the good and the wonder of it all. I stayed in

that magic moment as long asI could. Drinking in the sceneof that misshapen cake beforeme and the fresh memory of Tristans sweet reaction, I askedthe Lord to forgive me for my recent negative outlook on lifeand to help me see things the way my son had seen that cake.

Then a funny thing hap-pened. As I stared at the cake,

it took on a cartoon quality andI actually began tolike it!! Bestand mostimportant,Tristan likedit. It was his birthday,after all.

O H , THAT I CAN LEARN

TO SEE THE GOOD A

THE WONDER OF IT AL



10/16

IN QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE shall be your strength (Isaiah 30:15). There is noth-ing in the Bible promoting hurry. The only verse I know that seems to advocate rush-ing is, The kings business required haste(1 Samuel 21:8). But for that one Scripture,I think there must be a hundred that tell usto go slow, or words to that effecteven totake it easy!

Jesus said, Come to Me, all you wholabor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learnfrom Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart,and you will nd rest for your souls. ForMy yoke is easy and My burden is light(Matthew 11:2830). When you get undertoo much pressure and too much tension,too heavy a burden and too hard a yoke, itsnot Gods fault. Its somebody elses fault, or your own.

Maybe thats why God created donkeysas an object lesson. They are plodders.They are very slow, but they have moreendurance and can carry heavier loadsthan horses. They are the workhorses of thebackwoods. They can negotiate trails thathorses would kill themselves on, carrying loads for miles that a horse couldntespecially not a racehorse.

go slowyoull get there quicker

BY DAVID BRANDT BERG



11/16

The Lord promises Hispeople spiritual rest.

Exodus 33:141 Kings 8:56aHebrews 4:9

Resting in the Lordbrings complete restrest of body, peaceof mind, contentmentof heart, and spiritualwell-being.

Psalm 23:23aPsalm 55:18aPsalm 116:7Isaiah 28:12a

There is one conditionfor receiving the restthe Lord promises:Come to Me!

Matthew 11:2830Hebrews 4:11a

We cannot do theMasters work withoutthe Masters power.

2 Chronicles 20:12bPsalm 20:7Psalm 84:5a

Psalm 127:1a2 Corinthians 3:45Isaiah 40:29,31

To get the Masterspower, we must spendtime with the Master.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Psalm 105:4Psalm 138:3

Isaiah 30:15aIsaiah 41:1a

Resting in the Lordmeans giving our caresand concerns to Himand letting Him carrythem.

Psalm 55:221 Peter 5:7Hebrews 4:10

Resting in the Lordmeans taking time tomeditate on the Lordand His wonders.

Genesis 24:63aJob 37:14bPsalm 104:34Psalm 143:5

Resting in the Lordmeans humbling our-selves before Him.

Psalm 46:10Isaiah 57:15Micah 6:8

Take time to be holywholly His.

Luke 10:3842Psalm 27:4Psalm 84:10aProverbs 8:17John 14:21bJohn 16:27aJames 4:8a

FEEDING READINGR E S T I N G I N T H E L O R DRESTING IN THE LORD

Racehorses can sprint for a few roundsaround the track, and thats it! Theyreextremely high-strung, nervous, and are just not workhorses. Theyre not plodders,

and theyre not load carriers. But pack mules and donkeys areand theyre asstubborn as they come! You cannot rushthem. You have to do it slowly, in their time.They just plod along, but they do it andthey get there. Its like the old story of thetortoise and the hare: The tortoise was slow,but he got there.

You may choose intensity and speed; Illtake the low road and the slow road. Youcan take the high road and get there rstif you want toif you get there at allbutIm going to take the low road and the slow road, and Im determined to get there inone piece, no matter how long it takes.

I cant count the times Ive told taxi driv-ers, Go slow and youll live longer. Live fastand youll die quicker. That certainly istrue. Doctors and health experts have saidthat pressure and tension are killing people,and that many of todays illnesses are frompressure and tension. Pressure and speedare killing people through heart trouble,nervous trouble, and high blood pressure.

Lord help us to go slow! We shouldnt waste time, but we need to trust the Lordinstead of being rushed and impatient.Patience indicates slowness, plodding along, doing our work persistently and not wasting time, but also not getting fretfuland worried and all worked up about it.Impatience is marked by speed, hurry, rush,

haste, push, pressure, tension! Patienceshows faith. Impatience shows lack of faith.Impatience shows that we dont think the job is going to get done unless we hurry andpush it and rush it.

But if weve got faith that Jesus is going to help us take care of it somehow, we canafford to be patient and go slow and do itright.



12/16

ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, the strugglebetween the forces of good and evil willclimax in a cataclysmic battle known as Armageddon. Some scholars speculatethat the Battle of Armageddon will involvenuclear weapons.

The word Armageddon comes fromthe Hebrew har megiddn , hill (or height)of Megiddo, a reference to a site in north-ern Israel, east of Haifa. This mount over-looks the Valley of Jezreel and the Plain of Esdraelon.

Events leading up to the Battle of Armageddon will involve an empire headedby a powerful Devil-possessed dictatorknown as the Antichrist, who will ariseand take over much of the world (Daniel

image of the beast to bekilled (Revelation 13:15)The False Prophet willalso enforce the mark of the Beast economicsystem, under which noone will be able to buy orsell unless they receive apersonalized mark in theirforehead or right hand(Revelation 13:1617).

This will bring onthree and a half years of great tribulation, suchas has not been since thebeginning of the worlduntil this time, no, norever shall be (Matthew

ENDTIME INSIGHTS

The Battle of

Armageddon

8:2325; 11:2124). Afterthe rst three and a half years of the Antichristsseven-year reign, he willdeclare himself God anddemand that the whole world worship him (2Thessalonians 2:34). The Antichrists chief minister,referred to in the Biblesbook of Revelation as theFalse Prophet, will erectan image of the Antichrist,an image referred to as theabomination of desola-tion, which will bothspeak and cause as many as would not worship the

WHERE IT FITS IN

ENDTIME EVENTS



13/16

24:1521). Neverthe-less, some nations willrebel and war against the Antichrist government,refusing to bow downto its satanic leader orreceive his mark (Daniel11:4044).

Immediately after thislast three and a half years,Jesus Christ will return inthe clouds of Heaven withpower and great glory(Matthew 24:2931) torescue and resurrect all

of those who love Him!His people will then risefrom the earth in power-ful, immortal resurrectionbodies and join Jesus inHeaven for a great victory celebration, the mar-riage supper of the Lamb(1 Corinthians 15:5152;1 Thessalonians 4:1617;Revelation 19:79).

Meanwhile, the wickedforces of the Antichrist will suffer hell on earthas God pours out His judgments on those whocruelly persecuted Hispeople and brought suchdestruction to others(Revelation 16:111). Buteven after suffering Gods judgments, the wickedof the world will refuseto repent or turn to God,but rather curse Him allthe more (Revelation16:811).

The armies of the Anti-christ will gather in the Valley of Jezreel, aroundthe height of Megiddo,

Armageddon, to waragainst the armies of thenations that oppose him(Revelation 16:1216). Thecourse of the battle willrun from Megiddo to thevery gates of Jerusalem(Joel 3:1014; Zechariah14:15).

At this time the Lordand all His resurrectedsaints from all the ages will come ying down onpowerful heavenly whitehorses to destroy the Anti-

christ forces and rescuethe opposing armies(Revelation 19:1121;Zechariah 14:15; Ezekiel39:1722). So horrible will be the carnage thatit will take seven monthsto bury the dead in Israelalone, and seven years toremove all the wreckageof the battle (Ezekiel 39:916).

The Antichrist andthe False Prophet will becaptured and taken fromthe Battle of Armageddonand tossed directly intothe lake of reHell(Revelation 19:20;Daniel 7:11). Satan, whopossessed the Antichrist, will be imprisoned in thebottomless pit for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:13).

The Lord and Hisresurrected saints, Hissaved people of all ages, will then work together with those on earth whosurvived the Battle of Armageddon to rebuild

a new and better world,setting up the kingdomof God on earth (Daniel7:18,27; Revelation 2:26;20:4,6). Only then, underthe supreme rule andreign of Christ, will all wars nally cease and the world at last be governedfairly and well with true justice, liberty, peace,plenty, and happinessfor all. Jesus shall judgebetween the nations, andrebuke many people; they

shall beat their swordsinto plowshares, andtheir spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not liftup sword against nation,neither shall they learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4).Complete disarmamentat last!

This period will lastfor 1,000 years and istherefore known as theMillennium. The cursethat came upon the earth when man fell into sin willbe removed, and the earth will be restored to itsoriginal Garden of Edenstate. The lion will liedown with the lamb andthe leopard with the baby goat, and a little childshall lead them (Isaiah11:67).

Are you ready for thesecoming events? If not, you can get ready now by receiving Jesus into yourheart and studying His Word.

BY JOSEPH CANDEL

The Lord

and all Hisresurrected

saints from

all the ages

will come

ying down

on powerful

heavenly

white

horses.



14/16

Q: Im under pressure at work and pressure at

home, pressure to succeed, pressure to provide formy family, and pressure to be a good parent andspousepressure from every side. So often I justdont know how to cope! What can I do?

A: Stress is becoming an almost inescapable part

of modern life almost , because there are things onecan do to avoid getting under undue stress or living ina state of constant stress. While some of the followingtips apply to everyonegetting sufcient exercise oreating the right kinds of foods, for exampleotherson this list can give Christians a special edge becausethey bring Jesus into the equation in a very real andpersonal way.

Jesus is the Christians counselor, coach, businessmanager, intercessor, executive secretary, personaltrainer, condant, and best friend. In short, He is every-thing the Christian needs to contend with the stressthat has become part of modern living and to comethrough a winner!

Stress Reducers for Christians

ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS Tips for StressReduction

Pray. Make quiet time withJesus a daily habit.

Go to bed on time; getenough sleep.

Get up on time soyou can start the dayunrushed.

Say no to projects thatwont t into your timeschedule, or that willcompromise your mentalhealth.

Delegate tasks to otherswho are capable.

Simplify and declutter yourlife.

Allow extra time to dothings and to get toplaces.

Pace yourself. Spread outbig changes and difcultprojects over time, whenpossible; dont lump thehard things all together.

Take one day at a time.

Concentrate on thingsyou have direct controloveryourself and yourhabitsrather than onthings that you have littleor no control over.



15/16

WHERE TROUBLES CANT

TOUCH YOU

Submariners tell us that no stormsever reach very deep into the ocean.The water is perfectly calm a hundredfeet down, no matter how high thebreakers may rise on the surface. There

is quiet in the depths that no surfacestorms can disturb. This is possible,too, in human lives; there can be seren-ity and peace within, undisturbed bythe storms of the world. Jesus is ourpeace (Ephesians 2:14).

If you havent yet metthe Prince of Peace, Jesus,or received His forgivenessand gift of eternal life, youcan right now by prayingthe following:

Thank You, Jesus, for paying the price for my mistakes and wrongs, so Ican be forgiven. I ask You

now, dear Jesus, to pleasecome into my heart, forgive

me, and give me Your gift of eternal life. Amen.

Get organized so everything has its place.

Separate worries from concerns. If a situation isa valid concern, nd out what God would haveyou do about it. If youre worried about somethingthat you cant or shouldnt do anything about,then put it in His hands.

Live within your budget; dont buy things on creditif you dont have to.

Have backupsan extracar key in your wallet; anextra house key buried inthe garden; extra postagestamps; extra batteries for yourashlight, cell phone, etc.;back up your computer les.

Carry Gods Word with you toread while waiting or duringspare moments.

Take your work seriously, butyourself not at all.

Laugh.

Use the time while driving orriding in your car to listen toBible-based cassettes, CDs, orMP3s that can help improveyour quality of life.

Keep a folder of favoriteScriptures or inspirationalreadings on hand.

Slow down.

Remember that the shortestbridge between despair andhope is often a hearty ThankYou, Jesus!

Dont take on new work untilyou have taken care of timelymatters that are still pending.

Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nipsmall problems in the bud. Dont wait until its time to goto bed to try and pray.

Remind yourself that you are not the general managerof the universe.

Get enough exercise.

Every night before bed, think of at least one thing youregrateful for that came out of your day.

Develop a forgivingattitude. (Most people aredoing the best they can.)

Be kind to unkind people.(They probably need itthe most.)

Eat right.

Thank God for whatscoming, because Hewont send you anythingthat you and He canthandle together.



16/16

CONTROLTaking backTaking back

Theres so much thatyou need to do each day,so much that you wantto do, and so much thatothers expect of you. You

feel pulled in all directions.Pressure. Tension. Anxiety.Will it ever stop?

It wont stop on its own,but you can break the cycle.

You dont have to remainentangled in the unendingstruggle to do more andhave more. Life doesnt haveto be a daily crisis. You dont

have to be the prisoner of unrealistic expectations. LetMe help you regain controlof your life.

The root of the problemis simple: You try to dotoo much, more than ishumanly possible, andyou put your mind, body,and spirit under pressure

they were never meant tohandle. Its time to reassess.Determine what thingsmean the most to youyourprimary long-term goals andresponsibilitiesand whatother things are essentialto achieve those things.Channel your energies intothose things, and let go of the rest. Once youve donethis, the pressures that onceseemed unbearable will startto dissipate.

Do you want a new leaseon life? You can have one,but you have to be willing tolet go of the pressures thatdrive you now. Its up to you.

FROM JESUS WITH LOVE

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Activated June 2004