“How To Deal With Stress”
Matthew 6:34
Several weeks ago on my return trip from Houston, Texas, I came upon a strip of highway that was under construction. Two lanes had narrowed down to one with concrete abutments on either side. The posted speed limit slowed from 70 miles per hour down to 40. Another sign had been posted that warned all motorists that fines issued in a construction zone would be double!
Since I did not want to get a ticket that I could not afford to pay, I slowed down to the posted 40 miles per hour. All cars and trucks ahead of me soon disappeared from sight; but, behind me, they began to pile up. Right on my bumper was an eighteen wheeler, and another was behind him! Within seconds, I knew that it was either break the posted speed limit and drive 70, or get run over by an angry truck driver! With no place to turn off….and nothing else I could do….I put my foot on the gas and rushed through the 11 mile long construction zone under great duress.
We live in a complex world that rushes madly onward. You are expected to either “push, pull, or get out of the way.” There are times when we feel that we are about to be “run-over” because we simply can’t keep up with the demands that are made upon us. Many of us are “worn out physically; maxxed out financially; stressed out emotionally; and burned out spiritually.” We have come to the end of our rope and there doesn’t seem to be enough rope left to even tie a knot so that we might hang on!
As we look at this very familiar passage of scripture, we find that Jesus is offering some sound advice to men and women who were very much like modern man, today. They had hopes and dreams that were often shattered by the realities of life. They had worries and frustrations that piled upon them; leaving them not knowing exactly how to cope. Jesus’ advice to them was simply this: “Don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. Don’t be anxious about it, or even give thought to it.”
Surely there were some gathered there that day who thought, “That is easy enough for Jesus to say. He is God, and therefore knows what the future holds. As God, He has an endless supply from which He can draw. He can turn water into wine; break bread and feed the multitudes; heal every manner of sickness and disease. But, we are humans with weaknesses and frailties; with fears and concerns. We are limited in ways that He is not.” Beloved, all of this is true, but our strength does not lie within ourselves, but within God, Himself.”
This morning, as we look into the Word of God, I want us to consider four things that we might do to effectively deal with the stress in our lives. God’s Word, in the matter of stress, has a solution, just as it does for any other problem we might experience.
First, in order to deal with stress, we must concentrate on things that can calm.
Someone wise person once coined the phrase: “What you don’t know can’t harm you.” I suppose that statement is true because what you don’t know simply cannot play on your mind. We have often talked about the fact that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare, and the battlefield is the mind. It is with negative and destructive thoughts that Satan fights against us as he fills our minds with negative thoughts that create worry and frustration and cause our minds spin out of control.
The word concentrate is key in relieving stress. All too often our concentration, or focus, is misdirected. We tend to focus in on the negative thoughts because we want to stand in readiness against that which threatens us. But, as we think of the negative, instead of finding relief through solutions, we become more and more overwhelmed. Weighed in the balance of our mind, whatever we focus on becomes greater in power and influence.
For that reason, our focus does not need to be on our problems, but on the God who is able to solve our problems. We need to concentrate on His person, His power, His protection, and His provision. We need to claim from His Word that He “…is our refuge and strength; a very present help in the time of trouble. And….even though the earth shakes, and the waters swell, God is still in control of all things - even us individually!”
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the believers at Philippi, exhorted them in 4:8, saying: “…whatsoever things are true; whatsoever things are honest; whatsoever things are just; whatsoever things are pure; whatsoever things are lovely; whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
A paraphrase of Paul’s exhortation might be something like this: “If there be any intrinsic character-building value, or anything worthy and commendable in something: let such fill your mind.” So much of what we give our attention to is negative and destructive. We tend to have thoughts that draw us away from the knowledge that God loves us and is always there for us. Negative thoughts create in us a sense of insecurity.
So…..how do we change our thought process? By deliberately changing our focus! Rather than seeing ourselves as powerless, we must visualize ourselves as powerful; yet, recognizing that our power is not in and of ourselves, but in God, and in His Word.
In his letter to the believers at Corinth, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Paul wrote:
“for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exhalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;…”
Beloved, our weapons for fighting the spiritual warfare of our faith are prayer and the sharp two-edged sword of the Word of God. Through these two things we are mighty. Through prayer and the Word of God we wield a power that Satan cannot stand against. The things that serve as strongholds in our life and choke the life out of us come crashing down when we wait before God in prayer and in His Word. Why? Because God’s Word distinguishes that which is true from that which is a lie! Through the Word of God the lies that Satan uses to fill our minds come crashing down because they cannot stand against that which God declares to be true. So….concentrate…..on that alone which can calm us.
Secondly, cooperate with inevitable conditions. The “Serenity Prayer,” which most of us know, reads like this” “Lord, help me to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things that I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”
It is certain that there are many circumstances and situations in our life that we cannot change. They are beyond our control and power. Therefore, we are faced with a choice: We either accept them, or we allow them to drive us to distraction through worry and frustration.
Many people, today, are suffering from undue stress because they fight against the inevitable. Let me illustrate.
· With certainty, we are all going to grow older. We are all going to wrinkle and sag in places we wish that we wouldn’t. Worrying about it will change nothing.
· With certainty, most of us will experience physical ailments; some of which will be debilitating. Worrying will change nothing because this body was made to decay and vanish away. Its just too bad that most people don’t understand that this is a demonstration of God’s love to have made us mortal!
· With certainty, we will experience the loss of loved ones; the loss of possessions or wealth; the loss of ability; and other losses too numerous to mention. All the advance worrying in the world will change nothing because such losses are a part of human life.
Therefore….we must accept the situations that we are powerless to change, and simply trust God in the process.
The apostle Paul experienced many inevitable situations. Because of his stand in the gospel of Christ he faced persecution. In his letter to the believers at Corinth, he describes some of those situations in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 .
“Of the Jews five times I received forty stripes save one. Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness, and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”
What terrible situations. Yet, Paul declared to the believers at Philippi that he had learned in whatsoever situation he found himself, to be content. My question is: “How?” Because he had also learned that God’s grace was sufficient for him, and that his own weakness would be made perfect in God’s strength. He also learned, as he declared to the believers at Rome, in Romans 8:28 : “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, and who are the called according to His purpose.”
Beloved, it is only when we know and understand that God is in control of every situation; and that God does all things, or allows all things for His own good will and purposes that He might glorify Himself through us, that we will learn to cooperate with the inevitable. Such cooperation will relieve us of the stress that can render us ineffective for God.
Thirdly, show concern for the cares of others.
Last Sunday morning I mentioned the fact that we are fast becoming a godless nation of people whose only concern is for themselves. We are often apathetic concerning the hurts and needs of others, turning our backs to walk away because we have enough troubles of our own.
If we would follow the example of Jesus, we would care for the difficulties of others. Even if we cannot do anything financially, or physically, we can always do something emotionally. We can offer moral support, or prayer support. Most people are encouraged simply when they know that somebody cares.
During the early ‘70’s at the height of the “Jesus Movement,’ we used to sing a song entitled, “Pass It On.” The first verse reads like this:
“It only takes a spark, to get a fire going. Then all of those around can warm up in its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love; once you’ve experienced it . You spread His love to everyone. You want to pass it on."
As I read Paul’s letter to the believers at Corinth, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, I come to understand that Paul had a desire to minister to others because he had been ministered to by Christ. God’s love, and comfort that Paul had already received for himself, was something that Paul wanted to pass on. He wrote:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
Beloved, what we have experienced is never to be held in secret, but to be shared with someone else, who, when we minister to their hurts in the day of trouble, we will forget about our own.
Last of all, we find relief from our stress when we Trust God will all our concerns, and at all times.
Experience is the best teacher, and something I learned the hard way is that I cannot always fix my own problems. There are those problems which are simply bigger than me. I don’t have the knowledge, the ability, or the resources to alter them. But, praise God for this one thing. It does not matter how big our problems may be, God is bigger still.
He is the Great I Am; the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He is the God of All-power and Might. He is the strong and mighty tower; the place of refuge; the One we can run to and find shelter under His wing. He is our Father, the One who loved us enough to reconcile us unto Himself through the Sacrificial death of His only begotten Son. He is the One who promised that he would never leave us, nor forsake us.
Even in the worst situations, the greatest of calamities, we can conquer our stress and fears when we acknowledge His presence at all times. Oh, we may not be able to see Him, but we can feel Him when we draw near to Him in faith.
The psalmist, in Psalm 62:8 said, “Trust in Him at all times.” And, it was Solomon who wrote and said: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Beloved, surely, walking in faith with our hand held firmly by our loving Father, is the greatest stress relief there is!
I wonder this morning what kind of problems you are experiencing in your life. What things have come over you that cause you to be stressed? The only way that you will find relief is to change your focus from self to God…from the problems at hand to the “Problem-Solver,” as you accept every situation with the understanding that God is, indeed, in control.
