Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Use Stressful Times to Reach People for Christ

Political uncertainty, economic decline, and the damaged remains from a violent season of hurricanes and unsuspected earthquakes. Of the many words we could use to describe the effects of these harsh realities in our lives, perhaps one of the most fitting would be...stress. In addition to the "usual" day-to-day stress of getting our children to school on time or closing a business deal, we are now faced with the responsibility of selecting a president we feel is competent in leading our country forward, and we as a nation are grasping for tangible ways to survive a continual downward spiral in the economy. And still for some, each day is the reality of having everything and everyone that was meaningful to them taken away and they are left wondering why and where to turn for help.

With so much stress to deal with, people are searching for something or someone to hold onto that will provide them with a sense of stability, and they are realizing more and more that what worked for them before has no guarantee of working for them now. What people really need is a way to replace the word stress in their experience with another word - peace, and a peace that is un-losable and will sustain them through anything.

Recently, one of our team members experienced a flight in which the turbulence was so bad that the stewardess was only able to maneuver from the front to the back of the plane by taking a hunched down position and grasping the arm rests on either side while going down the aisle, one slow step at a time.

The turbulence on that plane describes the lives of so many around us...the ground is shaky and just like the stewardess who had the armrests to hold onto, they are grasping desperately for something that will anchor them through life's storms. They need an anchor that will not budge when the tide is high and the stock market is low...an anchor that will keep them secure when everything and everyone else around them seems to crumble. And that anchor can only be found in a relationship with the One who invented peace. He is the One the Scriptures refer to as the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6 and we are promised that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39 ).

As we continue to move rapidly toward the closing of another year, remember that the one Anchor Relationship we have that gets us through each day is the one Anchor so many around us need but don't have. Perhaps you've experienced heart-break and pain in your life that you could have never gotten through without your Anchor Relationship. Have you stopped to consider that God may want to use your pain as a bridge into someone else's life that is also in need of an anchor?

Here's a prayer for you to consider as you go throughout your day, but be careful because it may change your life forever. Believing that God wants to use even your most difficult life experiences for His glory, this prayer may open doors for you to share Christ's love in ways you never dreamed were possible. We call this the three-open prayer and it is based on Colossians 4:3-4 and Ephesians 6:19 .

The first part goes something like this, "Lord, Open a door." To ask God to open a door means to ask Him for a natural opportunity to use your hope story (how God brought you through your pain) as a bridge into someone's life that is in need of an Anchor. It's a natural opportunity to talk with others about your faith and God's faithfulness to you.

The second part goes like this, "Lord, open their heart." Begin asking God to bring you across the paths of people whose hearts are open and in need of change.

Third, "Lord, open my mouth." That's the tough part! Ever notice how much peanut butter grows on the roof of your mouth when you begin to talk about Jesus? But God can give us the strength to overcome our fears and inadequacies and He desires to use us in ways that the lost world needs the most.

Begin praying the three-open prayer daily, and be prepared for God to use your life in ways that only eternity can measure! God may have you in a unique place in time to help bring peace to those whose life is defined only by stress.