From the world of Joyce...

So...I found this in my email today. I think it is a blog from Joyce Meyer...but I
loved it so much I wanted to put it here for others to read. So...Enjoy!

"I've learned something in my own pursuit of a stress-free life: If I want peace
rather than the pressure of stress in my life, I must choose to seek direction
from God in every situation. Our God is a God of peace. He'll always lead us
toward peace and joy, not anxiety and frustration. Therefore, we have to be
listening for His voice. By following His voice, we can find peace and
overcome the stress that so many are dealing with today.

To find peace in our lives, we simply need to obey the
promptings God gives us each day. A prompting is a "knowing" deep down
on the inside, telling us what to do. First Kings 19:11,12 refers to this knowing
as a still, small voice. A prompting isn't a whack on the head with a hammer!
In 1 Kings, the Lord didn't use the great and strong wind, the
earthquake or fire to prompt Elijah. His voice came to Elijah as a sound
of gentle stillness and a still, small voice. A prompting doesn't even
have to be a voice at all. In fact, God often gives direction by
speaking to your heart rather than to your ears.

Since a prompting is very gentle, some might question whether or not
it's from God. When you're unsure about a prompting, it's often easy to
ignore it. One time after I had been shopping at the mall for three or
four hours, I sensed that God was saying, "You need to go home now." I
had only purchased half of the eight items on my shopping list, so I
ignored the prompting and kept on shopping.

The remaining items on my list weren't immediate needs. But, like many
determined, goal-oriented people, I wasn't about to leave that mall
until I purchased every item on my list. I had come for eight items, and
I was going to leave with eight items! I didn't care if I had to be
dragged out of that mall; I wasn't leaving until every item was crossed
off my list! And I wasn't going to listen to any voice that said
otherwise.

I remember reaching the point of being so tired and upset that I wasn't
able to think clearly. All I wanted to do was finish shopping and get
out of there. It was almost more than I could do to remain civil to the
other shoppers and clerks in the store. I was stressed out!

Looking back, I can't remember how many times I've done that-stress out
because I've pushed beyond the prompting of the Lord. I can always tell
I've gone too far when I'm not able to practice even the most basic
manners-politeness, kindness and self-control. If I simply had obeyed
the prompting of the Lord when I heard that still, small voice telling
me to go home, I would've easily relieved the stress from the situation.
Instead, I pushed my way through in my own determination to achieve my
goal, and I ended up bringing stress on myself and everyone around me.

If we'll simply learn to listen to God and do what He says, we'll
discover that things will go well for us. No matter what the situation,
we need to listen to God and obey His voice. Proverbs 3:6 states: In all
your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and
make straight and plain your paths. You may not understand the reasons
that God is asking you to do certain things, but as you listen to His
voice and obey His direction, you can experience a peaceful calmness as
your stress level begins to decrease. So listen up...and de-stress!"