1 Peter 5:6-11 – “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.”  NASB

Who today is not under “stress” or “pressure” of some kind?  Oh, I know that some will put on the “super-spiritual mask” and say – “I trust God, so that does not apply to me.”  However, if that were true then Peter would not have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen these words of instruction for believers regarding how to handle LIFE! 

So, let’s take the masks off and get real – – We all face Stress, Pressure, Anxiety, Troubles, Difficulties, and Problems from time to time.  I am not saying all the time but from time to time. So how do we deal with them?  The key in this passage is the difference between Life and Death; between Victory and Defeat; between Being a Help and Needing Help!  As in everything in life, we are always presented with choices, this is no exception.

He tells us several simple things that will save our lives, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually:

1. Humble yourselves under the Mighty Hand of God – – (You day will come when He will raise you up above the fray).
2. Cast – “throw (literally or figuratively).  This comes from a root word that means to “fling with a quick and deliberate hurl” and means to “deposit or place” something.  This something is your cares, troubles, anxieties, fears, frustrations, difficulties, problems, etc.  They are to be placed or deposited in the hands of God.  They are to be hurled, flung, or tossed upon Him – You Don’t Get to Keep Them!
3. In the process stay Alert, Prayerful, and Conscious of God and His Person, Power, Presence, and Promise.  Why?  The devil wants to distract you.  He cannot stop God and if you follow the prescription, he cannot stop you.  He can only Distract you.
4. Know that you are not alone – Multiplied millions of others are going through the same (not exactly the same but difficulties) experiences too.
5. IT IS TEMPORARY – Providing we follow the prescription.  We can perpetuate the problem by continuing to focus on it, keep it to ourselves, try to handle it in our own strength, and fail to Give it to God!

Therefore, the choice is yours – – You can do what Peter prescribes when you face stress, pressure, problems, anxieties, difficulties, calamities, etc. or you can continue to do what you have done far too long and try to handle it and find that it Only Gets Worse and Handles You! So, you can Handle it (by giving it to God) or get Handled by it (by doing it yourself).  What do you choose? 

May the Lord bless you as you go through your wonderful day!  Blessings!