Stress is a part of life Series
“Stress is predictable” [voorspelbaar]
We know by real life experience that stress is real
If we see only the problems, we will be defeated; but if we see the possibilities in the problems, we can have victory.
Warren Wierske
By Pastor George Lehman
We are talking about the first of the 5 fascinating facts about stress.
James 1:1-2 (Amp) – James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad [among the Gentiles in the dispersion]: Greetings (rejoice)! 2 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.
What??? James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials.
I think most of us count it joy when we escape the trials of life – not when we fall into them. We count it as misery.
Experiencing stress is not “if”, it’s “when” it will happen
Stress is predictable, it is inevitable [onvermydelik], inescapable and unavoidable. Stress happens and God through His word encourages us.
God does not want us to be defeated He wants us to be Hopeful – Victorious.
In fact, you can read the bible from cover to cover, and nowhere will you find the promise that life will always be trouble free or that we’re immune to stress.
There are those who teach falsely that if we’re living the Spirit-filled life…
…we’ll have only smooth sailing on the sea of God’s will.
John 16:32 (NIV) – “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. (We need to learn this)
Jesus Himself warned us:
John 16:33 (LB) – I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.”
It’s not just a promise to know it’s a truth, but to believe it by faith.
Yes, Stress is predictable. We can’t avoid it, but it can actually be good for us. We know it’s real; so, let’s make the best of it.
Stress can, for instance, be a motivating factor:
To make changes in our life.
To change our habits or our lifestyles. – Sin contributes greatly to stress
However, too much stress coupled with not knowing how to deal with it can be detrimental – mentally, spiritually, and physically.
We see this in Elijah’s life (1 Kings 19). After boldly calling fire from heaven and destroying 450 Baal prophets.
Queen Jezebel in…
1 Kings 19:2-4 (LB) – 2 she sent this message to Elijah: “You killed my prophets, and now I swear by the gods that I am going to kill you by this time tomorrow night.” 3 So Elijah fled for his life; he went to Beersheba, a city of Judah, and left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, travelling all day, and sat down under a broom bush and prayed that he might die. “I’ve had enough,” he told the Lord. “Take away my life. I’ve got to die sometime, and it might as well be now.”
High stress levels in our bodies over long periods of time can cause high blood pressure, ulcers, heart disease, headaches, and many other health issues.
Although stress is predictable, it can have negative outcomes.
But stress can be a friend not a foe.
Consider that God never calls on us to work harder than He did in the creation event……He took the seventh day off.
Many of our physical challenges are the result of our own bad decisions, bad habits or negative thoughts.
Isaiah 26:3-5 (LB) – 3 He will keep in perfect *peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! 4 Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength. 5 He humbles the proud and brings the haughty city to the dust; its walls come crashing down.
*Peace is the natural neutralizer for stress
Philippians 4:4-5 (NIV) – 4Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Philippians 4:6-7 (LB) – 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.
No matter who we are or how long we have journeyed in the Christian faith, we will face stress.
The sooner you realize this fact, the sooner you can learn to deal with it biblically.
The New Testament writers constantly reminded us that trials are a part of life. They are predictable.
Peter put it like this:
1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) – 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Paul really understood the trials of life.
Acts 20:19 (NIV) – I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.
Our Saviour, Jesus, knew stress – even He wasn’t exempt from trials.
Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) – For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.
Just before His crucifixion He said to His disciples:
Luke 22:28 (NIV) – You are those who have stood by me in my trials.
Yet we never see Jesus anxiously pacing up and down with His hands in His hair, stressed out.
Rather we see Jesus go spend time in prayer with His Father – a lesson for us.
As followers of Christ, we will encounter two basic kinds of trials:
Trials of correction.
Trials of perfection.
God allow them both.
Ask Jonah – he got into a major storm of correction.
He learned his lesson, corrected his way and was used mightily by God.
What about the disciples who obeyed Jesus – got in the boat and sailed across to the other side?
They were caught in a storm of massive proportions and feared for their life.
Jesus walked on the water, stilled the storm, and strengthened their faith.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13 – These stressful situations are ‘common to man’.
Once we realize stress is predictable [voorspelbaar], as in unavoidable, we can learn to deal with it.
Jesus’ words:
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) – 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
