GOT STRESS?
"The population of this country is 200 million. 84 million are retired. That leaves 116 million to do the work. There are 75 million in school, which leaves 41 million to do the work. Of this total, there are 22 million employed by the federal government. That leaves 19 million to do the work. 4 million are in the armed forces, which leaves 15 million to do the work. Take from that total the 14.8 million who work for state and city governments and that leaves 200,000 to do the work. There are 188,000 people in the hospital at any given time, leaving 12,000 to do the work. Currently, there are 11,998 people in jail. That leaves just two people to do the work - you and me. And you’re just sitting there listening. No wonder I’m tired and stressed!"
I lived and worked in a homeless mission for over four years. While I was there I went to a store one day to just get out of there and clear my mind. I saw a couple walking down the street fighting, screaming and yelling, and fussing with each other. I went to the mall and saw a mother screaming at her small child and picking him up by the arm and hitting him. We live in a stressful sinful world every day and every where we go. Like the commercial says, “Got Milk?” My question today is “Got Stress?”
Let’s Pray
I. Paul wrote to the Philippians who were stressed out about a lot of things.
A. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
1. To be anxious means to be pulled in different directions
2. It’s when life has a grip on you instead of you having a grip on life
3. It’s this out of control feeling that leads to major stress
a. And stress is unhealthy physically and spiritually
b. Leads to bad decisions leads to bad relationships which leads to sin and sin leads to death
c. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
4. When we ignore stress it will works it’s way out in a negative form or fashion.
a. We need to learn to lean on God for strength
1. Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
2. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
3. ALL THINGS; NOT SOME; NOT WHEN; OR IF; BUT; ALL THINGS.
II. Conditions must be met if we are going to deal with stress
A. First of all we must pray about everything
B. When stress comes up; look up; and start a conversation with God
1. The night before Jesus was crucified he went to the Garden of Gethsemane talk about loaded down with stress (knew He was going to die)
a. At some moment during that midnight hour an angel of mercy came over the weary body of Jesus in the garden
1. Luke 22:43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
b. As He stands, the anguish is gone from his eyes
c. His fist will clench no more. His heart will fight no more.
d. The stress is gone; the battle was won.
2. And what did He do? He prayed!
3. Luke 22:42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."
a. Jesus had stress beyond anything we could even imagine
b. He had the redemption of all mankind on His shoulders as He prayed
c. Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. (Key word in truth.)
d. Prayer is your communication with your heavenly Father
e. The victory over stress and everything has already been won
4. Many think victory was won on the cross at Golgotha.
5. Many think victory was at the resurrection at empty tomb.
6. The battle was won in Gethsemane.
a. The sign of victory was Jesus at peace in the olive trees.
b. For it was in the garden that He made his decision.
c. That He would rather die for you than live eternity without you.
7. Prayer brought victory in many places throughout the bible when there was stress
a. Paul and Silas in prison – chained down and beaten
1. Acts 16:25-26 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
8. Peter when he was in Joppa in the book of Acts the pressure was on Peter (40-41)
a. Acts 9:40-41 But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
Little small children like to show everything they have and everything that fascinates them. Regardless of how big or small they want to show you. We should be the same way with our heavenly Father we should want to take everything to Him in prayer, show Him every part of our life and every decision we make. You must surrender every part of your broken life. No matter how small and insignificant it may seem God needs every single part of you total being. He needs every piece of your broken dreams and heart. Only if He has all the pieces can He put it all back together again. Some pieces will be in different places, but He made you and only He can put you back together again in a perfect way.
III. We must be thankful about everything
A. Do you thank God for everything He provides for you in your life?
B. Your family, friends, church, job, haling your body, a place to live?
1. As a parent I love the gratitude I get from my children
2. When I do things for my children they expresses love and gratitude
3. It just makes sense that God likes to hear us express our gratitude to Him.
C. You can have the peace of God that Jesus had in the garden
D. The peace of God is not something you can make, buy, or earn
1. It is a result of a heart and soul that is totally surrendered to Him
2. When we bring our lives under God’s authority by turning away from sin and seeking Him with our whole heart we receive something priceless
3. The peace of God with an unconditional love
a. The only way you can have THE PEACE OF GOD is to be AT PEACE WITH GOD.
E. Guard your hearts and minds
1. I am referring to your heart as the core of your total being
2. The central part of your life is the heart where all emotions and feelings are derived
F. Our emotions have a powerful influence over us
1. They’re so strong that they can effect not only our physical and mental life but also our spiritual life
2. To be at peace with God doesn’t mean you will always have control of your emotions
3. That they will never have control of you
a. But it does mean that when they do get control you turn to God to get you back under control.
Some time ago I was driving to my house and was coming down the highway and a truck pulled right out in front of me I had to swerve off the road to avoid a head on collision. When my car got off the pavement I started sliding out of control and it wasn’t until I slowed down and got back on the pavement that I got control again. (I would like to say praise the Lord was the first thing out of my mouth but it wasn’t.) That’s a lot like life. You’re going along fine then all of a sudden something pops up and your whole life seems to be out of control. We need to slow down and get back on track. Thank God that nothing is ever too out of control for Jesus. He has always got everything under control and in our emotional spin outs we can look to Him for help.
G. The enemy doesn’t want you to feel the peace of God and he certainly doesn’t want you praying for help from God either
1. That’s why it’s got to be a decision that you make right away, right now from this day forward
2. In moments of weakness we make decisions based on your feelings.
3. But if you decide right now then when stress strikes you’re going to turn to God in prayer.
4. The decision will already be made and it is more likely that you will follow through with the right decision.
IV. Stress is a mental thing
A. The Holy Spirit is constantly whispering truth to us in our hearts
B. While the enemy is constantly whispering lies to us. (The great deceiver; on your shoulder)
C. Your prayer life will determine who you listen to
D. At one time I thought right living all started with right thinking
1. I finally learned that right living starts with right praying.
E. What are you filling your time with?
1. Are you filling it with prayer, spiritual guidance, and the Word of God?
2. Or the lies and deception of the enemy
3. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4. What kind of magazines, books, music and movies are you into?
5. Everything we put into our mind affects the way we think.
Right praying and right thinking leads to right living. Once Satan controls your mind he controls your every part. God hears every prayer. Psalms 116:2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. He might now always give you the answer you want, but He does hear you. Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing. You need to learn to be prayer conditioned.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 `For I know the plans that I have for you,´ declares the LORD, `plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.12 `Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. (NASB)
2 Chronicles 7:14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NASB)
There is a definite reason and purpose for you being in this mission at this time and this day. I want to close with an illustration by an Author Unknown that is asking you if you can sleep when the wind blows?
Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.
Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.
"Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.
Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."
Enraged by the old man’s response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. Even the shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.
The farmer then finally understood what the hired hand meant when he said “I can sleep while the wind blows”. He returned to bed to also and slept while the wind blew.
MORAL:
When you’re prepared, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We should secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God.
May times we get stressed out and worry about things that we have no need to worry about. God has everything all figured out and the victory has already been won. There really is no wonder why we can’t always figure things out on our won. Proverbs 20:24 Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?
Prayer
