Strangling Stress
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Stress is a stealth killer. Stress sneaks up on a person and causes the heart rate to go up and the arteries to constrict, which in turn increases the blood pressure. Increased blood pressure leads to heart attacks or strokes. Stress will increase your cholesterol which can lead to the hardening of the arteries. Stress also increases sugar levels in the blood and in the long term, can lead to Type 2 diabetes. Stress will weaken the body’s immune system which will make your body more susceptible to disease. All of these stress factors can be created by worrying about our problems.
So the moment we discover this stealth killer we need to take immediate and aggressive action to get it out of our lives. The word that comes to mind is to “strangle.”
Strangle- choke, smother, stamp out, extinguish life
Tonight lets look at Strangling Stress in our lives and in the church.
Text; Philippians 4.1-9
1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Paul reminds the church of how much joy he takes in them and how he longs to see them. He also reminds them to stand fast in the faith because he has heard of some stress that has cropped up in the church between to women.
1. Help Eliminate the Conflict; 2-3
1. Help Eliminate the Conflict; 2-3
Here are two women who were faithful workers with Paul advancing the gospel and now they are at odds with each other and causing strife in the congregation.
Euodia means “prosperous journey”
Syntyche means “pleasant acquaintance”
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
Whatever the problem may be, Paul encourages the brethren to help them resolve this issue before it causes great harm to the Body of Christ.
How we help people who are at odds with one another work towards a solution?
1. Compromise. This approach to a disagreement looks for common ground. It requires each person be willing to give a little, but neither should have to do all the sacrificing. Neither person gets everything, but both get something.
2. Concession. This means one person does all the sacrificing or giving in. If, however, the concession is made through pressure or coercion, the resolution will not last. Concession must be the free choice of the person making the concession.
3. Can it. This approach is for people with an irreconcilable disagreement. They put the disagreement “on a shelf” for a time, agreeing to disagree. This last resort also carries the possibility of church discipline if the two parties continue in strife.
Higle, T. C. (2006). Journey into Stress-Free Living: A Study of Philippians (p. 52). Marietta, OK: Tommy Higle Publishers, Inc.
19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
2. Enjoy the Day; 4-5
2. Enjoy the Day; 4-5
Since stress is mostly attitude then we need to learn how to focus on the big picture instead of just the problem.
Take the piece of paper you were given when you came in. Put a dot right in the middle of that paper. When you look at that paper now, what do you see? The dot. That dot only represents your problem while the white space represents your blessings in Christ! Quit focusing just on the problem and start paying attention to your blessings!
24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.
If we will focus on the blessings then our attitudes will change from stress to gentleness.
3. Pray Persistently and Patiently; 6-7
3. Pray Persistently and Patiently; 6-7
Anxious- to be troubled or to worry, to divide or cut into pieces, to choke
Paul says we need to pray for these situations, for the parties involved, for the church and for ourselves that the peace of God will guard us instead of stress destroying us.
Prayer in any situation is not a one and done deal. We have to be persistent and be patient waiting on God to respond. But while we persistently pray, God’s peace begins to overshadow our stress!
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
4. Change the Way We Think; 8-9
4. Change the Way We Think; 8-9
Strangling stress involves a deliberate, conscious choice to let our minds be saturated with the positive, good things Paul lists here.
Remember in Chapter 3 when Paul made an exchange of the things he once thought were gain [his Hebrew heritage, Pharisee] for the one thing that was good, “Jesus”. That’s what he’s talking about here.
If you think good thoughts, how will you feel? Good, right? If you think praiseworthy thoughts, you will go around praising and encouraging people, not gossiping and criticizing. If you focus on truth you want be destroyed by lies. Think of the stress that will take out of your life!
Paul says, “Look at me!” Stress should be my middle name, but I won’t allow it.
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he....
We need to put in practice what Paul has said. Eliminate the conflict, enjoy the day, pray persistently and patiently and change the way we think.
Close;
Someone once said, “Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character reap a destiny!”
Based on your thought life, what is your destiny? Stress or peace with God?