252 – Acts
16: How to Handle
Stress
In order to handle stress, I need
to trust that…
God loves me
I am convinced that nothing can ever
separate us from God’s love… Nothing in all creation will ever be able to
separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. ROMANS 8:38-39 NLT
God has a plan
For I know the plans I have for you,”
says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a
future and a hope. JEREMIAH 29:11 NLT
Life will not always make sense
… there was a young disciple named
Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. Timothy
was well thought of by the believers… so Paul wanted him to join them on their
journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be
circumcised before they left… ACTS
16:1-3 NLT
God uses difficulties to help direct
me
Next Paul and Silas traveled through
the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them
from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to
the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again
the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. ACTS 16:6-7 NLT
You can make many plans, but the
LORD’s purpose will prevail. PROVERBS
19:21 NLT
That night Paul had a vision: A man
from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come
over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once,
having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. ACTS 16:9-10 NLT
Even the most irritating people
are loved by God
One day as we were going down to the
place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller
who earned a lot of money for her masters. She followed Paul and the rest of
us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come
to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so
exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. ACTS 16:16-18 NLT
God
will use my most hurtful experiences to save others
Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas
and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. A mob quickly formed against
Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with
wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were
thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon
and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and
the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open,
and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors
wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill
himself. But Paul shouted to
him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights and ran
to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs,
what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with
everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him
and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer
cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household
were immediately baptized. ACTS 16:19-33
NLT