[[RELENTLESS WITH NICK VUJICIC: OVERCOMING STRESS]
Hi, there, it’s Nick Vujicic here with the ministry of Life Without Limbs.
Yes, I was born without limbs, and it’s not like one day I woke up and looked at
myself in the mirror and said, “What happened!” I knew as a kid I was born this way. No
doctor knows why I was born this way. My parents don’t know why, and when kids ask me
what happened to me, I just say, “Cigarettes!” Look, having limbs is awesome! It’s an
awesome idea that I used to dream and dream and dream about because I thought if I just
had arms and legs then I would have no stress. Well, we understand that
many people with arms and legs still deal with this
thing called stress, and welcome to this Relentless Series. We have
branded it such as such where I am talking about some things where we can
either hold onto the good things that we know we is
true through the Bible, to hold onto the good things,
hold onto the faithfulness of God, but then also, some of these series, like
this one, is specific to overcoming things, overcoming stress, overcoming
despair, overcoming anger. We’ve just done a couple of those in the past
months, and I hope you’ve been encouraged, and please, if you’ve been encouraged,
make sure you share it with someone else. And today’s message, I think is relevant for everyone. You know when
we’re talking about life, and we’re talking about the ups and downs,
it’s always about, you know, about stresses of life—the stress of what people think of me,
the stress of what I think of me, the stress of, you know, with 2020, and all the ups
and downs, and changes of uncertainty. You know, a lot of unknowns and the scariest
thing about the unknowns is how long will the unknowns remain
as unknown. And, you know, there’s a point where we
need to understand how we are human. We do have emotions to
process that, not to suppress it, and not to bottle it all up and
then blaaaaaaaaaaaa! Explode! But how do we deal with that? You know, God
never said that I’m going to give you a life with no stress. He’s going to give you a life
of abundance, right? More abundant, which means higher highs and lower lows, and I don’t know
anyone in the Bible who had a stress-free life. I mean, literally, we understand that everyone is human with a soul, spirit,
mind, and body. We all go through pain and suffering, and especially
when loved ones are going through something, or you know, things that we depend
on and take for granted, are now gone! Our job—the way we even do life.
When we go through different changes, stress highjacks us, and understanding how our
body reacts to a challenge or demand, or even change. If you don’t understand what stress is,
look, I mean, there is obviously some positive stress that can help you
to avoid danger or meet a deadline and all of that,
but seriously, when you sometimes are just trapped in this merry-go-round
of constant stress, anxiety, frustration, anger—it’s like your thinly stretched, your
bandwidth can only take you so far. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t do
my life alone, and I’m not a lone ranger. For me, even being the person who goes around
the world, you know, trying to encourage people to never give up, to know that God’s with
us, that no matter what we face that our God is bigger than our problem, and it’s us, I
think, reminding ourselves how big God really is. And You know, how many
times we look back and say, “Well, wait a second! That’s was so unexpected, and that’s why it was so stressful.” Or maybe
something happened or someone said something, and it triggers you, and
you realize, “O, my gosh, the reason I am stressed is because something happened to me 5 or 10 or 15 years ago that’s
building up that stress of an undealt issue. For me, I’ll tell you two stories in my personal life.
First of all, 2020 was quite difficult. You know, everything around me, changed, and the one
thing that I know that always remained was the faithfulness of God. I knew that God had not
left me. I knew that God hadn’t found 2020 anymore surprising than 2019. He knows exactly
where I’m at. He knows exactly what I’m feeling. But somehow, it’s almost like but I can’t
connect my faith to my head sometimes. And it’s like, “Man, my head’s like so thick
sometimes!" You know, it’s like you look at the people trapped in the desert and the wilderness
for 40 years where they forget about the faithfulness of God and the presence of God that He will always provide for
you, so chill out, man! But it’s still hard!
Do you know that, I mean, even in 2020, this year I had almost like a relapse of
the reality of having no arms and no legs? Do you know it sucks having no arms and
legs? And I know deep down that really the issue is my heart, my mind, and my spirit. You know, just sometimes,
especially with my kids, I want to pick them up, I want to play with them. I want to be able, you know,
drive a car, and take them to school, and there are just some things
that, you know, kind of pricked me, in the last couple of months, because,
you know, my wheelchair breaks down, I’m looking for new caregivers. We’re transplanting our whole family out
of state. I mean there’s a lot of change, and in that change, it is so like I was crippled
by fear, but, man, it’s been a little hard! And I’ve been a little angry. And I’ve been a
little stressed. Now how do we, like, "destress." One of the greatest ways that I’ve destressed
for me is to call a friend, personally. You know, I have a couple
friends, maybe 2 or 3 that I call maybe 2 or 3--maybe twice a month, let’s say. Two or three people I call twice a month to
see how they are doing. They ask I’m doing. I know they’re praying for me every single day. Asking people to pray for you, and knowing that
they’re praying for you, and you just sharing with them in confidence, you know that they are just going to take it to
the Lord. You know, they may or may not be able give
me advice, but just to know that a brother knows what I’m going through. Sister, if you need another sister, God's
going to provide you another sister to talk to because that’s why family is there. Brotherhood, sisterhood, we are here for each other,
and Nick could not do this alone. And with all the, if you will, the rhythm
of what we’ve been doing, whether it is on the ministry side, and go and preach the Gospel and
not knowing how we’re going to preach the Gospel if the stages close up and in
that trust, and in that prayer, within our ministry, we’ve taken it
before the Lord, and now we’ve seen that any quarantine regulations or restrictions and
limitations have only actually fast-tracked our long-term goals to help us reach
another billion souls for Jesus Christ. 7
We are still seeing people in the prison ministry
are giving their life to Jesus, getting trained and start another Bible study in another prison. Like, it’s awesome, man!
Like God’s still moving! God’s still in control! And
when we’re talking about, you know, Nick motivationally
speaking, and doing some other things that actually make a
living, if you will, for most of the living for my family and provision, we
know that God’s the God of provision. He always pays for what He orders. There's
always provision for vision, and He’s never going to change. He’s always going to provide for my family. He's always going to
direct me. He's not just playing hide and seek, right? But it
just sometimes takes time. Time—not just to talk to friends, but to
process things. Maybe you’ve never journaled, and you need to start journaling.
I love journaling! That helps me. I love turning on worship music when I just don’t even know what to say and I internalize a lot, and I
don’t even sometimes talk to 85
00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,520 my wife about what I’m feeling.
I just turn on that worship music, and let it play. Let it play in my
office. Let it play in the house. Sometimes I used to sleep to
worship music because of my anxiety. We all go through ups and
downs. Yes, this evangelist, who talks about the power
of God, still is human! We’re all human. We’re not super human, and
that’s the beauty where I’m not telling you the exact keys and how I did it, it’s how
God helps us all to overcome all adversity, all stress, all anxiety, where we can cast
all our cares upon Him because He loves us! You know, for me, focusing in on the circumstance
sucks. The more you focus on the circumstance, the bigger it seems, and the smaller you seem.
But it’s not about how big the circumstance is compared to you. Remember, it’s about comparing
your circumstance to the ALL awesome power and all-knowing, almighty, most high living God,
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so stop focusing on your circumstance. Focus on God.
You know I love it when we feel like God needs our help and we get the wakeup call,
“God don’t need Nick for nothin’!” God don’t owe anything to Nick! God doesn’t need to explain to Nick why 2020
is happening and why this and this and this is
happening, and if he's losing money here and this is happening, and this tragedy happened, and that person dies, and this
closes up, and this stops happening, and that long-term dream dies, and this
and this and this is changing, and you’re not going to have this. God is saying, “Do you trust me?”
That’s a beautiful thing when Peter was focusing in on the circumstance, right? And he looked
at the waves when he’s walking on the water, and he sees and feels the wind when he focuses
on the circumstance, he starts sinking! My brother, my sister, don’t focus on the
circumstance. Fix your eyes on Jesus Christ, and sometimes we’re like, man, “I just gotta
do something to get a different result.” “I gotta, you know, do something to change my circumstance."
Now sometimes, God allows us to go to our circumstances. Sometimes He doesn’t take the thorn
from your side. Sometimes, He allows you to go through storms and
ups and downs so that you actually depend on Him the
most to understand His faithfulness and that His grace and His mercy
covers you, and so that you can adore Him! You know Martha in Luke 10:39-42, you know,
Mary and Martha, I mean, totally distracted, right, by serving in the busyness. Martha was doing this,
doing that, doing this, doing that, doing this, doing that, trying this,
trying, toiling and just…. Mary was just sitting. Now
can you just fold your arms and, you know, you lost a job and you’re
stressed and you’re just going to stay in bed and hope that God gives you a job?
No! But there is this balancing understanding
that there are sometimes when God wants us to do something, right? Because there
are some things that is our job in us making the decision to do what God’s called us
to do, and to put our hands and feet in action. But then we sometimes in stress get so highjacked by emotions, we're caught in this merry-go-round
of nonstop activity, and we stop when we’re burnt out, and then it’s too late!
Don’t wait till it’s too late. Stop being a Martha where you’re just doing, doing, doing, without just
being. You are a human being, not a human doing, and God don’t need
you doing a thing. He will tell you to do everything you can, right? When it’s in your control, if you will, to do something or make it
right with your enemy, or pray, or give, or encourage
someone else, you've got to do, you know, what God’s called
you to do in action because faith without works is dead,
but when we are talking about stress, do you know what we need to do? Sit. Stop. Breathe, and remind yourself,
God’s in control. It’s going to be ok. You know, sometimes we need visuals. Sometimes we need like…I think I’m actually
going to buy one of those anklets, you know, one of those wristbands, you know, like “Chill out, dude.” Something that’s a
little bit more like "Christian-ease" like, “Dude, I’m in control, says God." Right?
Something like that—just a little humor, just like, “Nick, relax! I’ve got this!” “Nick, it’s ok. Trust me.”
You know, and it’s this catching of yourself. It’s not saying that you’re never going to have
stress. It’s not the saying that you’re never going to have those emotions.
It’s catching that thought. that. It's holding that thought
captive, and then replacing it with an action or a word from the Lord, or a time of worship, time of silence,
a time of meditating, a time of remembering what God has done,
remembering what God has given you, remembering that He will always give you what you need,
and when you don’t get what you think you need, just go to WWW. Ready? Wait. Word. Worship.
WWW Wait. Word. Worship. Wait on the Lord. Cast your cares upon Him. I Peter 5:7 – “Casting all you anxieties on
Him because He cares for you. Do you believe that God in Heaven cares for you? He cares for you, not because of what you did, not because
of what you’ve done. He cares for you despite of
the bad things you’ve done. He loves you right now, and He’s given you all
the promises that you could hold onto in full confidence, which is the Bible, the Word. Hold on.
Hold onto a verse that your spirit leaps in! Start, you know, maybe memorizing Scriptures.
What’s the Scripture you’re going to memorize for yourself? I remember that I used to do that
a lot, especially when I am in a lot of stress. Worship. If you’re tired of the
worship music you've got? Ok, then find a new song. Don't ever think
that worship itself gets tiring. Remind yourself who He is. He is
the King of kings and Lord of Lords. You don't have to hide from
upcoming, difficult moments or being stressed about the
future. Just do what you can today. Do your best and trust
God in the rest with relationships, deadlines. Maybe you have to reset your
own expectations on manageable goals. Help yourself to deal with your stress, psychologically. Maybe you need to talk to a counselor. Maybe you need some help.
Maybe you need some accountability. What’s the one thing now that you
can focus on—a short-term, mid-term, long-term goal. God’s with you.
My friend, I’m talking to you, for those of you who know God. If you really know
God, then you really believe He's in control, then you take time to pray, you take time
to die daily to yourself, and live for Him. Remember the cross, remember your salvation,
and remember that God Almighty's watching over you, and He'll not let you go
through more than you can handle. My believing friend, let me say an
encouraging prayer right now. Lord Jesus, we thank You so much for those of us
who know You ,those of us who love You, who have trusted You, We thank You, Lord, that
You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. We thank You, Lord, that there is no
problem or circumstance greater than You. We pray, God, right now, for stress, anxiety,
depression, addiction, affliction, oppression, Father, all these things to flee, in the mighty
name of Jesus, and we thank You, Lord, that it's Your relentless pursuit of Your love for us,
Your relentless pursuit of a purpose that You're building in us, and in these times of storms and trial, You're only purifying
us, strengthening us, and helping our dependency on You.
We thank you, Lord, that we would lean upon You more.
We thank you, God, that You're in control. Help us, Lord God, to
catch ourselves in moments of stress. Help us to wait upon You. Help us to put some worship music
on and hold onto Your word the promises of God. Help us, Lord God, to find that friend who's
going to encourage us and pray for us when we cannot even pray for ourselves. We pray, God, to
take away our stress and help us to manage that. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
You know, for all of you out there who don't know Jesus as your Lord
and Savior, I tell you, if I didn't believe in the God Almighty, the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, whose Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, I wouldn't be where I am today.
You know arms and legs or not, I’m going to have stress, but man, forget
about the little things of this world! Forget about
2020 for a second. Forget about the depression and even the attempted
suicide that I had at age 10 feeling alone, feeling like there was no hope for me here
on earth because of bullying at school. No arms and legs was nothing compared to
the biggest disabilities of all which was sin and death, and Jesus Christ, the living
Son of God, He came down as God in the flesh, born of a virgin birth, and He came
as a human. He knows what fear is, stress is, and everything that a human has
ever experienced. He knows our suffering. He knows, and He took it all
on, and He took all on. He took all the sin of the world on His shoulders. It was one sacrifice, the atonement
of all the sin of the world through the blood of Jesus Christ on a cross.
He died for three days and rose again and in that, He helped me to be free indeed of
the two biggest stresses of life, devastations, tragedies, disabilities, defining moments of our
soul—it’s sin and death, and I’d rather have peace with God in my soul without arms and legs than have everything that the
world could ever give me. Peace that I have, and even in the
moments of stress, I know He's with me. I know He's never left me, and He never will, and maybe you're walking this walk alone, and you
don't want to walk this long walk alone anymore, and you don't have to. Jesus is waiting for
you to say, “Trust me! Come walk with Me!" So right now, if that's you, would
you bow your head and close your eyes? Say, “Lord Jesus, I come to you today, and I'm
so sorry of all of my sin. Please forgive me. I want to know You! I want to live for You. Help
me to stop what You want me to stop, and help me to do what You want me to do, but God fill me right now with Your Holy
Spirit. Give me a hunger to read the Bible, to seek You and to find You.
Teach me, God, how to pray and how to live day by day. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Friend, if you just said that prayer, i just want you to know that God has heard your prayer,
and we'd love to connect with you. In fact, I've got some really exclusive videos
that could be sent to you over the next seven days if you simply get your cell phone out. If you live in the US to
text the word “Jesus” to the number 66866. or click the link below. If you said that prayer and you
want to start that faith journey with Jesus, and you did say that prayer,
and you want to know what God's plan is for your life, please again text “Jesus” to the number
66866 or click the link below, and for everyone else, please go to lifewithoutlimbs.org and
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know how the Nick Vujicic Ministry of Life
Without Limbs is continuing to preach the Gospel to the world. one soul at a time.
Thank you for your prayers and your prayer for consideration to financial supporters to
continue to reach the nations for Jesus Christ. Please share this with someone else, and I'll
see you next month. Thank you for joining us this month for
Relentless. If you need prayer, you can send us a prayer request or chat online with one of our trained coaches through our website.
To watch any of our previous Relentless videos, you can find them on the Life
Without Limbs YouTube Channel. If you are new to a relationship with Jesus
or you just want to grow on your faith, check out Life Without
Limbs resources, either the book Unstoppable or one of
our daily devotionals. For more information about our ministry,
visit us online at lifewithoutlimbs.org. We're so happy you joined us, and we look
forward to seeing you next month for Relentless!
