ManageYourEmotionsBook8.5x5.5_RevJULY.indd

special prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit . . . that I may be clothed with power from on high by the indwelling of the Spirit in my heart.” 63 As a mature believer and faithful servant, she knew that the only way she was going to endure in that stressful, volatile, pagan environment was through the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus gathered with His stressed out disciples on the night be- fore the crucifixion, assuring them the Helper was on the way (see John 14:16). Helper is rendered Comforter and Counselor in other translations, which means that He was ready to fill, guide, guard, and strengthen them in Jesus’ absence. That same Spirit that was available to King David, Lottie Moon, and the disciples is available to you as well. If you’re a be- liever in Christ, the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in your life; and one of the main roles He desires to carry out in your life is to provide relief when the situations seem unbearable.As renowned pastor and evangelist D.L. Moody said: “You might as well try to see without eyes, hear without ears, or breathe without lungs, as to try to live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit.” 64 Finally, in your quest to shift from stressed to blessed, an- ticipate your eternal home . In typical David fashion (see Psalm 16:11), he moves from the present to the future through his state- ment, “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). David has absolute assurance that a better life awaited than the one he was experiencing. Keeping one eye on earth and the other toward heaven helped him through a constant barrage of trials and tribulations. In that great Hall of Fame of Faith chapter, Hebrews 11, we discover that even though the early men of faith (i.e.Abel, Enoch, Noah,Abraham) died before receiving all that God had promised them, they “welcomed them from a distance.”They realized they would one day live in a “better country” than the one they inhabited,

68