The Bible says, 'He who covers his sins will not prosper. But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy' (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). Sin not dealt with ultimately stops us moving forward. Unresolved guilt can eat away at our confidence like acid. But there is an answer: 'Whoever confesses and forsakes [his sins] will have mercy'. Confess to God! He already knows what we've done - he's just waiting for us to deal with it.

'God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all' (1 John 1:5 NCV). When a light is switched on in a room, we may see dust and bugs scattering. And when God gets involved in our lives, he'll reveal things we may prefer not to see; things we've been hiding, even from ourselves. We can easily be deceived, especially about ourselves. We don't want to deal with our faults, and we don't enjoy having them brought to light. Privately we feel condemned about them, but at least we feel like they're hidden.

Anything hidden has power over us because we fear it could be discovered at any moment. Let's refuse to live that way.

So what now? The best and most liberating thing you can do is face what God wants to redeem and heal in you. David said, 'So I confessed my sins and told them all to you...Then you forgave me and took away my guilt' (Psalm 32:5 NKJV). Live free from guilt and shame; lay it all out for God today.

When we listen to or read God's word but don't apply it to our lives, we're basically cheating ourselves. That's because:

(1) We settle for knowledge rather than experience. The Bible says, 'If you don't do what you know is right, you have sinned' (James 4:17 CEV). What does that mean? When we know the truth but don't act on it, we're not simply making a mistake or exercising poor judgement - we're sinning! (2) We compare ourselves with others. Paul writes, 'Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won't need to compare himself with someone else' (Galatians 6:4 TLB). When we compare ourselves to others in our Christian circles, we create a comfort zone of our own perceived inadequacy, which means we rob ourselves and others of the opportunity to do the unique job we are made to do in God's Kingdom.

(3) The word moves us briefly but doesn't change us permanently. There's nothing wrong with responding emotionally to spiritual truth. But if we do so without changing our behaviour, our spirituality boils down to nothing more than an uninspiring emotional experience. (4) We substitute communication for transformation. We talk the talk but don't walk the walk. We think if we speak eloquently and convincingly about Scripture, we're covered. But we're not!

So what now? Do yourself the biggest favour: 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says' (James 1:22 NIV).

Stress is always trying to trip us up and reduce us to a heap of trembling, useless mush. What should we do? (1) Immerse our exhaustion. Let's try a bubble bath. Or a shower can help 'wash away' fatigue and revive our body and brain. The water's invigorating feeling on our skin helps to spread resilience to our spirit. We may think, 'That doesn't sound very spiritual.' Job's friend Zophar would disagree - he said to Job, who had more troubles than we'll ever see: 'You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away' (Job 11:16 NLT).

(2) Ask for help. Let's delegate chores and responsibilities if we can. When everyone does their portion, no one is left depleted. 'Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble' (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT).

(3) Give up the perfectionism. Nobody's perfect except Jesus, and we're not him. Let's let some things go, then tomorrow a few more. Over time, those chores will stop nagging at us, and we'll feel the stress in the pit of our stomach disintegrate.

So what now? You'll never be totally stress free, but you can learn to cope with it and conquer it. Jesus said, '"I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world' (John 16:33 NCV).

Here are three effective strategies to help combat stress. (1) Place ourselves on our daily to-do list. Let's set aside time aside each day to renew, regroup and restore. Let's distance ourselves from the stress source, by stepping out for a walk to refresh our brain, or singing a favourite song or whatever else helps us to chill. And let's persevere when other events threaten to crowd us out. We are important - let's learn to value ourselves.

(2) Lighten up! The Bible says, 'The joy of the Lord is your strength' (Nehemiah 8:10 NKJV), and when our joy goes, so does our strength and ability to cope. Some people think Christians should always be serious, humourless and quiet. But Jesus rose from the grave, and that's the best reason in the world to celebrate! Let's feel free to be joyful!

(3) Relax stiff muscles with five-minute stress-relievers throughout the day. Let's stop thinking and move! Stretch out, bend over, roll the tense shoulders, chase the dog - let's get that invigorating blood flowing throughout the body while our mind takes a mini-break. Or, let's turn up the praise music and dance while pushing a vacuum cleaner...or sing while stirring the food on the stove! Physical activity triggers the brain to secrete beta-endorphin, which helps calm us.

So what now? You're not meant to live under stress. The Bible says, 'You will go out with joy and be led out in peace' (Isaiah 55:12 GWT). This comes straight from the mouth of the one who created and redeemed you.

Check out these headlines. Man in desert discovers burning bush that can't be extinguished. Sea opens and thousands walk through on dry land. Killer giant downed by teen with slingshot. Three young rebels survive blazing furnace. Man brought back from the dead after four days. City walls mysteriously fall. Preacher swallowed by giant fish and lives to tell the tale. Prophet caught up to Heaven in a fiery chariot. These are not from the TV news; they're true adventure stories from Scripture.

Adventure means 'exciting and dangerous undertakings'. When we embark on a spiritual adventure, we can expect God to use tests to build our faith in amazing ways. The Bible talks about those 'who through faith conquered kingdoms... shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength' (Hebrews 11:33-34 NIV).

What about when we're not feeling adventurous, or don't feel good enough to share the Gospel? Have a read of Hebrews 11; it's packed full of accounts of God's servants who managed to see past their inadequacies to the promise-filled adventures God had for them.

So what now? Think of a time where you waited for the perfect opportunity to share your faith. Ask God to help you to push past your waiting and take steps into the adventure of sharing the good news of Jesus.

How do we renew our minds? One pastor writes: 'The way to upgrade your mind is to download Scripture. Doctors...of the National Institute of Mental Health did a fascinating study asking subjects to perform a simple motor task - a finger-tapping exercise. As subjects tapped, the doctors conducted an MRI to identify what part of the brain was being activated. The subjects then practised the finger-tapping exercise daily for four weeks. At the end of the four-week period, the brain scan was repeated. In each instance, it revealed that the area of the brain involved in the task had expanded. That simple task - a finger-tapping exercise - literally recruited new nerve cells and rewired neuronal connections. When we read Scripture, we are recruiting new nerve cells and rewiring neuronal connections. In a sense, we are downloading a new operating system that reconfigures the mind. We stop thinking human thoughts and start thinking God thoughts.'

'Think the same way that Christ Jesus thought' (Philippians 2:5 CEV). How do we do this? Paul says: 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs' (Colossians 3:16 NKJV). Through preaching, teaching, reading and singing, our brains are rewired with God's word, and we develop the mind of Jesus. And that means we end up doing his will instead of being led by our own will.

So what now? Keep 'rewiring' your mind with God's word. Play or read out Scripture often - you'll find your God thoughts become more top of mind.