CHAPTER 5 Decisions You Make and Steps You Take

Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time.

—Lyndon B. Johnson

When you woke up this morning, you probably made some decisions. You decided how many times to hit the snooze button. You decided what outfit you were going to wear. You decided how many cups of coffee to have. But there were some other decisions you didn’t get to make (even though I bet you wish you could have). Let me show you what I mean…

When you woke up this morning, did you get to choose what the weather would be like today?

Did you decide how light or heavy traffic would be on your way to work or when you were driving around town running errands?

Did you have a say in what news headlines would flash across your television set or fill your Twitter feed?

How about the mood of your spouse or your coworkers? Did you get to choose what kind of mood they would be in when they met you for lunch?

I guess those are kind of silly questions. Neither you nor I get to make those types of decisions. If we did, the temperature might be a few degrees warmer, the traffic would certainly be much lighter, the news would be filled with positive, feel-good stories, and our spouses and friends would always be in fantastic moods. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

The truth is we don’t get to make any of those external decisions, but that doesn’t mean we’re victims of our circumstances. We may not be able to choose what happens in the environment around us, but we can certainly choose how we respond to it. And the decisions we make on a daily basis go a long way in determining the kind of life we are going to live. You can make decisions and you can take steps to change how you view your circumstances and how you respond to them.

Think of it like this:

• If it’s raining outside, you can take care of the inside chores you need to do but have been putting off.

• If traffic is heavy on your normal route, you can choose an alternate route to save time.

• When the news is negative and depressing, you can look for other media outlets that report better stories.

• If your friend is in a terrible mood, you can lift her spirits by encouraging her rather than letting her mood affect you.

These are some simple examples that illustrate a greater point: Even though you can’t control every situation you face, you can control how you face it. You can take steps to determine what kind of life you are going to live. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it this way: “Nothing external to you has any power over you.”1

So many people who are overloaded by stress, pressure, and anxiety in life feel like victims. They wrongly assume everything is everyone else’s fault and there is very little, if anything, they can do about it. Their jobs are too stressful. Their friends are unsympathetic. Their kids are too demanding. Their pasts are hard to get over. Their spouses are uncaring. The list goes on and on. But do you see the common theme? Burdened, overloaded, stressed-out people are focused on the circumstances around them rather than the steps in front of them.

I want to encourage you today. If you feel burdened and troubled in life, with God’s help, you can take a step to change your outlook and overcome your situation. You are not a victim. No matter what you’ve been through, you don’t have to give in to the pain of the past or the pressures of the present. You can decide to take steps in order to live a new life in Christ filled with peace and joy.

Do What You Can Do and God Will Do What You Cannot Do

We began this book by talking about the importance of trusting God in order to keep ourselves from being overloaded in life. We looked at how vital it is to let God have control and I encouraged you to remember that God is working tirelessly on your behalf. It is a great comfort to know that God will always do His part. But guess what? You have a part to play, too! Isn’t that exciting? We all have an assignment from God and He always gives us the grace (undeserved favor and power) that we need to do our part.

Trusting God, and waiting on Him, is not a passive activity. There are always steps you can take… even when you’re waiting on God. Specifically, there are always steps you can take to overcome stress. (I’ll give you some specific steps in a moment.) If you do what you can do, then God will do what you cannot. Do your part to reject every worry and anxiety and God will come through in ways that will amaze you.

I study diligently for my sermons, and when I stand up to present the material, quite often I hear myself saying things I did not even know that I knew. What happened? I did my part and God came through supernaturally with some things to make the message even better. Had I been lazy or passive and thought I didn’t need to prepare, those supernatural things would not have happened.

So many people don’t take any steps because they don’t know all the steps, but you don’t have to have it all figured out to take an action step. Rather, you get to decide to be active or inactive. You don’t have to worry about the part you don’t know how to do—just do the part you know. Your faith-filled actions are seeds you sow. Sow your seed in faith and God will bring a harvest at just the right time.

You don’t have to be prepared to do the entire job by yourself; just prepare yourself to do the best that you can do and remember that God will add what you don’t have. So let me say it one more time: If you will do what you can do, then God will do what you cannot. For example, if you need a job, you can go look for one. That is something that you can do, and if you do it, then God will help you get the right job. You cannot make a company hire you, but God can change the heart of the king (those in charge) even as He changes the course of the water flowing in rivers (Proverbs 21:1). God will give you favor!

A little boy gave his lunch and Jesus added His power to it and fed thousands of people (see John 6:9–13). The boy didn’t have enough to feed the crowd, but he did what he could and Jesus did the rest.

Every Step Is Important But…

The Bible is a book full of action. There are many stories of God acting miraculously on behalf of His people, and there are many promises of His divine intervention in our lives; however, there are also many stories of regular people just like you and me taking steps (physically and spiritually) in order to pursue God’s best in their lives.

To give you examples, I will remind you about the children of Israel who marched around the city of Jericho once a day for six days—and seven times on the seventh day (see Joshua 6). These obedient followers of Joshua took a lot of “steps” before God gave them a great and miraculous victory.

Or consider the woman in Luke, chapter 8, who had been sick and bleeding for twelve years. You may remember her story. Even though she was considered “unclean” by the religious laws of her day, she didn’t let that keep her from taking action. This woman moved through the crowd, pushing past every person who stood between herself and Jesus. She “stepped” right up to the Lord in order to touch the hem of His garment to receive a miracle.

And consider the men in Capernaum who carried their paralyzed friend to see Jesus (see Mark 2). These men had incredible faith and determination. Even though the house where the Lord was teaching was filled to capacity, they refused to give up. These dedicated friends climbed the “steps” to the roof and lowered their friend down into the house in order for Jesus to heal him. That is some serious determination and a great example of taking action steps.

I want to look at another story that I think will help you get started today in your pursuit to overcome stress. You see, every step you take is important, but perhaps the most important step is the first one. Because if you can take the first step, it gives you confidence to know you can take a second step… and then a third… and then a fourth… and so on. Before you know it, you’ll be going farther with God than you ever thought possible.

Matthew, chapter 14, tells us the familiar story about Jesus’ disciples being caught in a terrible storm. Verses 24–25 show us how they spent the night fighting for their lives on the Sea of Galilee as the unrelenting storm raged all around them. (Talk about a stressful situation!) But even though the disciples thought they were alone, they weren’t. The Bible tells us that in the fourth watch of the night (between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.) Jesus came walking to them on the water. Of course, the disciples were terrified. Not only had they been fighting this storm all night, but now they thought they were seeing a ghost. (The stress just keeps building!)

While the other disciples are panicking, Peter says something amazing in verse 28. He cried out to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Of course, you know the story. Jesus responds to Peter by simply saying, “Come!” In other words, Jesus said, “I’ll do My part, but I want you to do your part, too. You get to choose. Are you going to sit in fear or are you going act in faith? Come on out!” And that’s when it happened…

Peter took a step!

Can you imagine how difficult that first step must have been? From the boat to the water? From the known to the unknown? Peter was stepping out in faith, regardless of the circumstances around him. I imagine he had doubts. There may have been a part of him that thought, This is absolutely crazy! But Peter chose not to live stuck in passivity. He took a bold first step.

Of course, Peter’s stroll on the water with Jesus was short-lived. He walked with Jesus on the water at first, but eventually, the wind and the waves distracted him and he took his eyes off the Lord. As he began to sink, he cried out for help, and Jesus rescued him before calming the storm. But even though Peter’s faith faltered, it was still greater than any of the other disciples who never got out of the boat, and it teaches us a great lesson today—even when our faith fails, Jesus still rescues us. If we take the steps He asks us to take, He will always help us reach our destination.

Maybe as you’re reading this today, you feel like you’re dealing with a storm in your life. Maybe you know what it’s like to be afraid and unsure of how things are going to work out. And maybe you understand how easy it is to do nothing because you’re afraid of where that first step might take you.

If that’s the case, I want to remind you that as long as you focus on the storm rather than on God’s promises for your life, you’re always going to be frustrated, afraid, and stressed out. But God has a better life in store for you. And if you want to live His abundant, confident, joy-filled life, it’s time to understand that you have a part to play. You can’t sit back in fear and passivity; instead, you can act in faith and take that bold first step. You may not be sure how it’s going to work out. You might not know what the next step is going to be. But if you do your part, there is one thing you can know for sure: God promises He will do His part in your life.

It Might Look Like This

Every process has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And each of these parts is important. If you are going to really enjoy the life Jesus died to give you, you’ll need to learn the importance of starting well (beginning), being consistent (middle), and finishing what you’ve started (end). None of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes from time to time, but the more we study the Word and the closer we get to God, the more we’ll learn to be balanced in each of these areas.

For the purposes of this chapter, I want to give you some practical ways to have a great beginning and take a big first step against stress today. No matter how intimidating the circumstance or how hectic your life may seem, you can do your part today to reject an overloaded life and receive God’s promises for you and for your family. Here are a few ways to do that…

Your First Steps to Defeating Stress:

1. If your finances are a source of constant stress in your life, decide to start a budget (or reevaluate your current budget). What is something practical you can do to solve the problem? Cut an expense that is a luxury. Look for a new way to make some additional money. Ask someone who is good with finances to look at your budget and give you some suggestions.

2. If there is someone who is driving up your stress levels by constantly hurting your feelings, do something nice for them—send them a kind note, buy them lunch, tell them something you appreciate about them, or begin praying for them on a regular basis. By doing these little things, you are taking steps of faith and obeying God’s command to love your enemies.

3. If a nagging health problem is leaving you feeling stressed out and run down, start an exercise routine. No more excuses. Set aside time each day to get the exercise and care your body desperately needs. Rather than making excuses, make a plan… and stick to it. You may think that you simply don’t have the energy to exercise. You feel too bad, or you’re too tired. But I often find when I go ahead and begin to exercise, I start to feel better. Exercise takes energy, but it gives you back more energy than it takes!

4. If the demands of work are overwhelming and causing you to feel overloaded, do something about it. Delegate some tasks, reevaluate your systems, or talk to your boss. (Your boss may not even realize how much you are doing or how it is negatively affecting your personal life.) Instead of complaining how overworked you are, look for ways to be more efficient and how to make the most of your time each day.

5. If you’re disappointed your church hasn’t recognized your gifts and what you have to offer, start volunteering in a ministry that interests you. They may not even know what you are passionate about or gifted to do. Rather than sitting back and waiting for someone to approach you, take a step and start serving with a great attitude.

6. If you have a big project to do and it is causing anxiety because you don’t know where to begin, make a plan. Write down some small daily goals that will eventually add up to a big success… and then meet those goals each day. Don’t try to do it all at once. Do a little bit each day until your ultimate goal is met.

7. If you constantly feel “under the gun” or under stress and you can’t pinpoint the exact reason, start making some biblical daily confessions. Rather than getting up each day, talking about how bad things are, begin each day declaring God’s Word and His promises over your life. “I am more than a conqueror!” (Romans 8:37) “God will provide for my every need!” (Matthew 6:26–33) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” (Philippians 4:13)

These are just a few examples, but as you can see, there are so many ways you can step out in faith in order to live the life Jesus died to give you. God is going to do His part, but He wants you to do your part, too. You may not have all the answers and you may not get it right every time, but if you’ll determine to take a step, God is going to meet you along the way. Remember, you don’t have to live a life burdened with stress and frustration. Instead, you can live a happy, peaceful, overcoming life. It’s just a matter of what steps you are going to take. The choice is yours… you get to decide.

Things to Remember:

You don’t get to choose what happens around you, but you do get to choose how you respond to it.

The decisions you make and the steps you take each day determine what kind of life you are going to live.

If you’ll do what you can do, God will do what you cannot.

When you take a step for God, even if your faith fails, God won’t let you sink.

No matter how intimidating the circumstance or how hectic your life may seem, you can do your part today to reject an overloaded life and receive God’s promises for you and for your family.

Did you know?

Stress can make acne worse. Researchers say stress-related inflammation rather than a rise in sebum (the oily substance) is to blame.2