Outline - Dealing With Stress

1. Ill ~ One day Linus and Charlie Brown are walking along and chatting with one another. Linus says, "I don't like to face problems head on. I think the best way to solve problems is to avoid them. In fact, this is a distinct philosophy of mine. No problem is so big or so complicated that it can't be run away from
   
2. Stress is an external force, not an internal one.
   
   1. Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary – stress is a transitive verb 1 : to subject to physical or psychological stress <stressing the equipment> <this traffic is stressing me out> 2 : to subject to phonetic stress :
      accent 3 : to lay stress on :
      emphasize <stressed the importance of teamwork> intransitive verb
      : to feel stress <stressing about the big exam> —often used with out
      
   2. Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary STRESS, v.t. To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties. [Little used.]
      
3. Stress is a chosen response to external circumstances.
   
   1. Ex 14:13-14 ~ hold your peace (How does one hold peace?)
      
   2. Pro 17:14 ~ think about where your choices take you (inner conflict is a slippery slope)
      
      1. Spock – "What you want is irrelevant, what you have chosen is at hand."
         
      2. Self-pity can become a comfortable sty in which we wallow
         
      3. During a thunder storm that contained high winds, a giant oak tree was blown down. The tree was thought to be in perfect health; that is, from outward appearance it seemed to be in good health since it was almost perfectly shaped and full of green leaves. However, the massive tree could not withstand the stress of the high wind because of deterioration on the inside. What started as a tiny corruption at the center of the tree had spread until that tremendous tree was so weakened that it was toppled by the wind. One may reach a point where he forsakes God altogether. It is because he (like the tree) has decayed on the inside. Perhaps the deterioration is the product of being ignorant of God's grace, or worse, knowing of it and failing to utilize it. (Ps. 119:9–11). With pure hearts we will be able to stand the stress of temptation and the stress of everyday living.
         
   3. 2 Co 5:17-20 ~ living in light of our identity
      
      1. Ro 5:1-5 ~ glory in tribulations
         
      2. 2 Co 12:6-10 ~ trusting the sufficiency of grace
         
      3. Gal 2:10-11 ~ frustrating grace and ourselves
         
      4. TESTING THE STABILITY ~ In order to realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the stress of the storm.
         
4. You're making choices anyway, why not choose wisely?
   
   1. Choose peace rather than conflict
      
      1. Ps 42
         
      2. Phil 4:4-9
         
      3. Trying times often bring to light the quality of our inner self. The new creature vs. the persona we have created and are intent on broadcasting
         
      4. Oilcloth and linoleum may both look bright and shiny, but under the stress of daily wear the cheap oilcloth soon wears out, while the inlaid linoleum gives good service for many years. The stresses of life soon show up the shoddy material of which human peace is made, but stress only brings out more brilliantly the divine peace that Christ brings to the heart.
         
   2. Choose contentment
      
      1. Phil 4:11-13 ~ in whatsoever state you are in
         
      2. You'll never find contentment by external circumstances -" A fortune-teller studied the hand of a young man and said, "You will be poor and very unhappy until you are thirty-seven years old." The young man responded, "Well, after that, what will happen? Will I be rich and happy?" The fortune-teller said, "No, you'll still be poor, but you'll be used to it after that."
         
      3. Phil 3:8 ~ it's amazing what the replacement principle can do (placing other's interests above your own)
         
   3. Choose meekness, not pride
      
      1. Meekness – lowliness & humility – not making a big deal about "I".
         
      2. (Prov 16:18) "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
         
      3. 
         (Prov 29:23) "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit."
         
      4. Pro 13:10 ~ only by pride cometh contention
         
      5. (Mat 11:28-30) "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. {29} Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. {30} For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
         
      6. Eph 4:1-3 ~ Paul too
         
   4. Choose gratitude
      
      1. 1 Thess 5:18 ~ In everything give thanks
         
         1. Eph 5:17-20 ~ understanding what the will of the Lord is
            
   5. Choose service not self-pity
      
      1. Ro 15:1-7 ~ where service takes us
         
      2. To live through a period of stress and sorrow with another human being creates a bond which nothing seems able to break. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
         
      3. Phil 2:1-8 ~ Christ example
         
      4. Heb 12:1-2 ~ who for the joy
         
      5. 2 Co 8:1-5 ~ how it can play out in our lives
         
   6. Choose joy, not unhappiness
      
      1. Neh 8 ~ Nehemiah told Israel the joy of the Lord is your strength
         
      2. When you're laughing, your attention is focused. You can't do anything else. Everything else, whether it's depression or stress, stops. Robert Leone
         
      3. Ro 14:15-19 ~ serving in joy leads to peace
         
      4. Ro 15:13 ~ joy and peace in believing
         
      5. 2 Co 1:24 ~ helpers of your joy, for by faith ye stand
         
      6. Phil 2:17-18 ~ Paul's example
         

It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. Agnes Repplier