Dealing With The Mess Of Stress

What is stress? In our definition of stress we discriminated between stress, stressor, stress reaction, and strain.

* Stress = a general concept describing a "load" on the system, usually external, but can also be initiated internally.

* Stressor = a specific problem, issue, challenge, personal conflict (External/internal)

* Bill Collectors or bills, People (bully, wayward child, spouse), Task or project on the job, Contest, Research or term paper

* Stress Reaction = an individual response to a given stressor (physiological, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, signs and symptoms)

* Parents – The way you respond when your child has broken that important “thing” in your home

* The way you respond when people “pluck your last nerve.”

* Strain = this is when the stressor exerts prolonged stress on the system (overload), fatigue, precursor to illness

* Unresolved problem(s), Due dates, Leaky roof, Ongoing contention in relationships

What does the Bible say about stress? The Scripture presents stress as the state of mind wherein one is concerned about something or someone. This state of mind may be the genuine concern one has for a person or thing:

The Apostle Paul experienced stress in the ministry

(2 Cor 11:28 NKJV) besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

The Stuff of Stress

What causes stress? Stress is a load on the system that usually results from worry or anxiety.

“Worry” –the Greek word translated “anxious” in Philippians 4:6 means, “to be pulled in different directions.”

There are people and circumstances in our lives that compete for our attention and pull and stretch us in different directions. For example:

* You’ve got to work to support your family but your job keeps you away from your family”

* You want to have a closer walk with God but your spouse says you shouldn’t spend so much time in church away from your family”

What is stress? Stress is a load on the system that usually results from worry or anxiety.

Stress manifests itself in many physical ways:

* General symptoms - Fatigue, aches and pains, crying spells, depression, anxiety attacks, sleep disturbance.

* Gastrointestinal Tract - Ulcer, cramps and diarrhea, colitis, irritable bowel.

* Glandular System - Thyroid gland malfunction.

* Cardiovascular - High blood pressure, heart attack, abnormal heart beat, stroke.

* Skin - Itchy skin rashes.

* Immune System - Decreased resistance to infections and neoplasm.

The Source of Stress

Where do wrong thinking and wrong feelings come from? Bad thoughts and bad feelings come from three sources:

World - We buy into the world’s way of thinking and feeling. We begin to rationalize in our minds, "Yeah, I do deserve a break today…" "That's right, I do want it my way."

Wrong thinking and feeling that leads to stress comes from the world which plays to this next source:

Self - Self says, "I want it; I deserve it; I must have it!" The stress comes as you seek to have your way with people, circumstances and things.

The third source of bad thinking and feelings that lead to stress is the devil:

Devil - The devil is the great deceiver.

* He can trick you into thinking wrong is right and right is wrong. He is the one who tempts you to doubt the love and concern of God.

* He will deceive you into thinking and feeling that people are against you when they are not and that people are with you when they are not.

* He is the one who says, "Everyone's doing it" when in reality, everyone is not doing it.

* He is the one who uses fear as a weapon against you.

Wrong thinking and wrong feelings, which lead to stress, come from three sources, the world, self and the devil. And just as there are three sources of bad thinking and feelings, there are three conditions that must be met in order for one to conquer worry and experience the secure mind: Right Praying, Right Thinking and Right Living.

Right Praying

(Phil 4:6 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

(Phil 4:7 NKJV) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

“Worry for nothing” or “Don’t worry about anything…” Remember, “worry” –the Greek word translated “anxious” in Philippians 4:6 means, “to be pulled in different directions.”

“Don’t be pulled in different directions by anything…” This reminds me of a form of capital punishment called Draw and Quartering.

Draw and quartering was an ancient means of punishing that involved tying horses to each arm and leg of a person and then whipping the horses to make them run off in four different directions. The person being drawn and quartered almost always died.