Sunesis Ministries
Overcoming Stress
By Stuart Pattico
© 2005 Stuart Pattico. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without permission from the author.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge a little tract that helped me in preparing this document. It is called ‘Overcoming Stress’ by Christian Equippers, and I recommend it to all readers.
Introduction - What is Stress?
Stress can be simply defined as the tension caused by demands on our mental, emotional, or physical energy. The apostle Paul explained the stress he experienced in the following terms:
“We were PRESSED out of measure” (2 Corinthians 1v8).
Stress is something that we are all familiar with. It is a problem that affects both Christians and non-Christians alike.
A lot of the time we will know when we are under stress. However, it is also true that sometimes we are unaware that we are pushing ourselves beyond what we can bare. It is therefore wise to look out for some of the common symptoms that are associated with stress. Some of the symptoms of stress include:
There are many possible sources of stress, including:
If we do not deal with stress, then stress will deal with us!
The accumulated effect of longstanding stress can eventually lead to a state of disillusionment, arising from a sense of utter mental, emotional, physical, or even spiritual exhaustion.
How to Overcome Stress
The good news is that all stress can be overcome through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul said:
…they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5v17)
Paul clearly states that in life, we are to reign. Therefore, things such as stress are not to reign over us, but we are to reign over them.
The basis for our victory in every area of life is the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. On the Cross, Jesus bore all the suffering that humanity experiences. As Isaiah prophesied:
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
On the Cross Jesus received all the punishment that we deserve because of our sinfulness. He did this so that all the good He deserves because of his righteousness, might be given to us. When we turn from our sins and put our faith in Him, this good is made available to us.
We see then, that the Cross is a place of divine exchange. Jesus received bad, and in exchange for that bad, God gives us good. Jesus took our sin, and in exchange for that sin, He offers us His righteousness. Jesus was beaten, and exchange for His stripes, He offers healing. Even so, Jesus bore all the stress associated with life, and in exchange for that stress, He offers us His rest. As Jesus said:
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It is indeed good that our Lord offers us rest from the burdens of life. However, Jesus clearly specified three conditions or steps that we must take if we are to experience this rest. Jesus said:
Firstly, we must go to Jesus. We must be willing to hand over all our burdens to Him. It is only through Him that we enter true rest.
Secondly, we must take His yoke. This is a figure taken from the use of oxen, and hence signifies service. We must serve Jesus Christ if we wish to experience His rest.
Thirdly, we must learn of Him. We must follow the various teachings in the Bible in order to fully experience His rest. As we do what God says, He will give us rest.
Fortunately there are some very clear and helpful guidelines in the Bible that will help us to overcome the stress that we face.
I. View Circumstances from God’s Perspective
A great deal of stress can be alleviated or minimised by viewing our circumstances from God’s perspective. The moment we do not see our life situations the way God sees them, we become susceptible to stress.
We must grab hold of this awesome truth:
“All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8v28)
We must reprogram our mind to think in accordance with this. Perhaps the first words that come out of your mouth each morning should be:
“All things work together for my good, because I love God and am called according to His purpose”.
You should do this until you automatically respond positively to negative circumstances. On many email systems there is an ‘automatic reply’ function. Even so, this needs to be our automatic reply to negative circumstances that come our way.
We can only set up this automatic reply system by continuously filling our hearts and minds with the Word of God. I am reminded of Mary and Martha. Whilst Martha was troubled with cares of this life, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His Word (Luke 10v38-42). We too must sit at the feet of Jesus, and allow His Spirit to teach us as we read His Word. The promises and counsel in the Bible provide us with a rich storehouse of stress-relieving comfort and peace. We must therefore confront life’s problems, dilemmas, and uncertainties with the reality of God’s Word. When we firmly fix our confidence on God’s answers to life’s problems, we have an effective safeguard against stress.
We must also understand that suffering is often a necessary part of the Christian journey. Jesus did not only suffer as our substitute, but also as our example. To this end, the apostle Peter writes:
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
It is worth noting, that Peter does not have in view here sickness or disease. Suffering and sickness are clearly distinguished in Scripture (James 5v13-14). In his epistle, Peter is writing to believers who were enduring harsh and unfair treatment because of their faith in Jesus Christ. He reminds them that when we suffer in this manner, the end result is that we stop sinning. When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out. Even so, when we are squeezed by various trials, the evil that is within us comes out. We therefore need to know that whatever hardships we may go through, there is a purpose. God is working in us, to make us more and more like Jesus.
Not only do we need to know that our trials are for a purpose, we must also know that they are only for a season! The Bible says,
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Ecc 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Ecc 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Therefore, your trial will not last forever; it will only be for a time, so that God’s purpose may be fulfilled.
So, in order to view things from a godly perspective, we need to:
II. Pace Yourself
“… and let us RUN WITH PATIENCE the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12v1)
We must set a proper pace for our life if we expect to finish our race. There are many people who are always rushing here and there, forever being busy with many things, yet having little to show for their labour. We do not all grow spiritually at the same speed. In this, we need to be patient with ourselves and with God, otherwise we will soon find ourselves becoming frustrated and stressed. On this note, the Bible declares:
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As long as we are in Christ and seeking Him with our whole heart, we can be assured that God is working in us, even when we feel we are not making any progress. When we feel that way, we need to deliberately make the effort to thank God that He is working in us.
Some years ago, I was concerned that I was not making enough spiritual progress in comparison to some fellow believers. As I was praying, I began to see a vision of a 100m sprint. We began to run, and at different parts of the race, different people were winning and loosing. However, somehow we all finished at the same time. The lesson was very clear: don’t concentrate on others, just run your race with patience, and the Lord will see to it that we all finish together.
We must not only be patient with ourselves, but also patient with one another. Another cause of stress is impatience toward others. We must remember how patient God is with us, and show that same patience to others. This will relieve us of a lot of stress.
III. Redeem the Time
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, REDEEMING THE TIME…” (Ephesians 5:15,16)
We must budget our time and spend it in the most beneficial manner. This may require eliminating activities, re-evaluating priorities, saying “no”, and restructuring our time.
We must also guard against procrastination, as it is written:
Pro 6:9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
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If you can do something now, do it now! Otherwise things will soon pile up and become a future source of stress!
IV. Physical Rest and Relaxation
“… for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day HE RESTED AND WAS REFRESHED” (Exodus 31:13)
We must take the time out to rest and relax. Rest and relaxation are strong antidotes for stress. Without occasional breaks from our busy schedules, we subject ourselves to increasing stress. We burn the candle at both ends and eventually burn out. This kind of rest is not just a few hours sleep, it is when we purposefully take out time to do nothing except relax! We know that we have rested enough when we feel refreshed.
V. Prayer
“BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let you requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4v6-7).
A great deal of stress is the direct result of shouldering the burdens of life without turning to the Lord in prayer. A great definition of prayer can be found in the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel the prophet. There was a man named Elkanah, who had two wives – Hannah and Penninah. Penninah had children, but Hannah was barren. Penninah used Hannah’s barrenness to provoke, vex and stress her year after year, insomuch that she became very bitter and sorrowful. The Bible then says that Hannah poured our her soul to the Lord. The Lord heard her, and caused her to conceive and give birth to Samuel, who became a great prophet in
We too, must learn to pour out our soul to God. We must open up ourselves to Him in prayer, and let Him know what we are going through. This is for our benefit, not His, for He already knows what is going on. However, as we pour out our soul, and leave the matter in His hands, we are relived of the stress and can enter into His rest.
It is important to note, that as we pour out our soul to God, we must do it with thanksgiving. As we give Him thanks, it will activate our faith, as we recall His faithfulness in the past. We are thus empowered to be able to thank Him that He is working out our current situation, and even to thank Him for His faithfulness in the future.
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VI. Fellowship
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER, as is the manner of some…” (Hebrews 10v24-25)
Various studies have indicated that interaction with loved ones and friends helps relieve the pressures of stress. We must therefore endeavour to spend regular times with friends and loved ones, doing things together, sharing with each other, having fun, and enjoying yourself.
Of course, we must be careful of the company we keep. For some people will simple be further sources of stress!
VII. Deal with any unresolved sins
1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
One of the causes of stress is anxiety or fear. Man first became afraid when Adam and Eve sinned. They were so afraid that they hid from the presence of God. When we have unresolved sin in our lives, we cannot have the confidence in God we could otherwise have. We thus become more susceptible to stress.
We should therefore confess our sins to God, enabling us to receive His forgiveness and cleansing.
Holding unforgiveness and bitterness in our hearts is also a great source of stress. We should therefore forgive those who have sinned against us, even as God has forgiven us.
VIII. Turn the other cheek
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One of the great sources of stress is conflicts with others, and one of the best ways to avoid conflict is to turn the other cheek. When anybody does us bad, we should do them good!
“Pursue peace with all men” (Hebrews 12v14)
IX. Watch your health
If we neglect or unconsciously abuse our bodies, we can suffer the consequences of stress. We must exercise regularly, get a proper amount of sleep, and maintain a balanced diet. A balanced diet consists mainly of breads, grains, fruits and vegetables, with smaller amounts of meat/protein and dairy products. Sweets and fats should be kept to a minimum. An unbalanced diet will simply lead to a whole host sickness and disease, and will make you more susceptible to stress. Eating healthily should therefore be important to anybody who wants to enjoy life, and wants to serve God.
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We must ask ourselves this: Is my current diet to the glory of God? It is not only important to eat the right things, it is important also to abstain from the wrong foods. We should minimize the intake of caffeine drinks, fizzy drinks, fried food, sugar products, excessive salt and junk foods. Our bodies serve an important purpose as the residence of the Holy Spirit. Judging by the amount of junk that we feed ourselves, it is a sad truth that we seem to treat our cars better than we treat our bodies. If we treated our cars with as little respect and understanding as we do our bodies, they would not be running!
Conclusion
To summarise, here are the steps we must take to enjoy God’s rest, instead of life’s stress!
Written by Stuart Pattico
© 2005 Stuart Pattico. All rights reserved.