FROM STRESSED TO BLESSED
50 Days of Transformation - Part 2 (Physical Health)
Rick Warren
February 1-2, 2014
“Peace of mind makes the body healthy.” Proverbs 14:30 (TEV)
“A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life.” Proverbs 14:30 (NLT)
Sometimes it is not what you eat, it is what eats you that messes you up.
You are far more complex than what you eat, or the activity level you keep.
Doctors say if more patients would handle their stress, guilt and resentment, they would not fill the hospitals beds as much.
Stress can drain the life out of you.
Stress harms health.
FOCUS on the focus!
Proverbs 13:30
"Peace of mind makes the body healthy."
"A relaxed attitude can lengthen one's life."
Figure out how to lower the stress and tension and increase the peace of mind and relaxation.
Research shows these are major areas of stress:
- Worry
- Work
- Money
- Problems
- Relationships
- Indecision
- Loss
- Opposition
- Fear
PSALM 23 (These 6 verses are the antidote to stress)
1.Habit: Look to God for all my needs.
Affirmation: I will trust God to meet all my needs.
“The Lord is my shepherd, so I have all I need.” Psalm 23:1
“Since God did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up
for us, won’t he also surely give us everything else we need?”
Romans 8:32 (LB)
Stress happens when I look to others to meet my needs instead of God.
That person has limitations and will fail then I will be disappointed and frustrated.
Worry is the warning sign that I stopped looking to the Lord to meet my needs.
God can meet all my needs, since HE has all the resources!
Jesus said he can meet all our needs according to His riches in glory.
There is nothing too difficult for God. All your needs are the same to Him.
You matter to God, since He sent His son Jesus to die for you, your life is important.
Stress reduction begins with God.
Isaiah 30:15
"The Sovereign Lord says, 'Only in returning to Me and waiting for Me, then you will be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength."
Not worry, stress, pressure, etc.
Trust God to meet every need.
2. Habit:I need to obey God's instructions about rest.
Affirmation: I will take one day a week to rest and worship. .
I trust God by resting
“He makes me lie down . . .” Psalm 23:2a
“Six days are set aside for work, but every seventh day you must rest
completely, even during your seasons of plowing and harvest, you
must observe a Sabbath day of rest.” Exodus 34:21
Most of our stress comes from over working.
We worry about keeping up and are insecure about our future.
We all violate this command by the pace of our life and to do lists.
God could have created us to not need sleep.
We spend 1/3 of our lives asleep.
God wired us to require sleep.
God rested on the 7th day and he set the example for all of us.
Jesus said, "Man was not made for the Sabbath, rather the Sabbath was made for man."
The day of rest is for our benefit to restore our health.
Every time you don't rest and worship, you violate the 10 commandments which is right up there with murder and adultery, etc.
If you don't take time off, your exhausted body will make time off.
Sometimes God makes you lay flat on your back to look up.
My best requires rest.
Exodus 34:21 "Six days are for work, but every seventh day you must rest completely..even in your busy season..you must observe a Sabbath day of rest."
“You’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble,
reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst;
the beautiful, not the ugly.” Philippians 4:8 (Mes)
During the French Revolution they abolished the Sabbath. Then a few years later they restored it since the health of the nation was burned out.
Jesus took breaks and retreats with and without his followers.
Take time apart or your will come apart.
The devil doesn't take time off, if I didn't I become like a devil.
On Your Sabbath Day:
- Rest my body
- Refocus my spirit - worship, fellowship, confess, pray
- Recharge my emotions
3.Habit: I recharge my soul with beauty.
Affirmation: Beauty increases my health.
“He makes me lie down in lush green meadows and leads me
beside calm, quiet waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3a
Just thinking about beautiful scenes is refreshing and relaxing.
Man was made to live in a garden.
No wonder you feel closer to God in nature. God created it.
You recharge your soul with the beauty in music, nature, art.
Music and art is the greatest argument against evolution because there is no purpose in it except to satisfy our souls.
More music, art, books have been written about God than any other subject.
You are more like your Creator when you are creative.
Fill your minds with anything true, noble, repuatable, compelling, the best, beautiful, etc.
Because of sin there is alot of evil and brokeness in the world.
The more reasons to add beauty to our lives.
Whatever you give your attention to will determine the level of stress in your life.
If you focus on the media it will create stress and adversarial topics is the hot topics to drive audiences.
If it bleeds it leads in the media.
Start your day with worship, not the media/news.
Go outside daily and walk, enjoy the outdoors.
Take up art or music.
Music and art are stress relievers and add beauty to your life.
4. Habit: Go to God for guidance.
Affirmation: I will seek God first for all my decisions and what I need to do.
I trust God to guide me.
“He guides me in the right paths for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3
Indecision paralyzes you.
A double minded person is unstable in all their ways.
James 1: Says God will give you wisdom and guidance when you ask, pray, read God's word and wait.
God will guide me at the right time.
It may not be now.
God is never early nor late.
His timing is perfect.
Say: "Lord willing... I will do ____"
5. Trust God in dark valleys.
Loss causes stress
Grief helps you recover.
If you don't grieve you get stuck at that stage emotionally, because you stuffed it.
Fear is not a good thing. 365 times the Bible says "Fear not!" Because fear paralyzes you.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff
comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
The shadow is always bigger than the source.
Wherever there is a shadow there is light.
Turn your back on the shadow and gaze upon the light.
Whatever is scaring you - turn your back on that shadow and look upon Jesus, the light of the world.
The rod and staff are tools of the shepherd
to guide and protect the sheep.
You can trust Him in the shadows and valleys.
“When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do.”
Psalm 142:3 (TEV)
6.Habit: God is my defender.
Affirmation:
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies,
and you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5
Conflict and opposition causes stress in your life.
Nit picking, critical, negative people can discourage you.
This makes you doubt yourself.
Satan is the accuser... it is from the pit of hell.
Critics are the least important people in your life.
Little people belittle people. They reveal the smallness of their dark hearts.
Great people make you feel great!
It takes a lot of faith and humility to rest in God instead of taking matters into your own hands.
You are more like Christ when you do not retaliate. Jesus remained silent when he stood falsely accused to be killed on the cross.
“How I love you, Lord! You are my defender, my protector, and my strong
fortress. In you I am safe. You protect me like a shield.” Psalm 18:1-2
King David, while running for his life from his enemies.
When you focus on God as your defender and your stress will diminish and your joy will increase.
The bible says to refuse to criticize, talk back God pours more grace and anointing and power into you.
Decide: Would I rather get even or get power? Would I rather be right or win?
God often blesses people you don't even like.
7.Habit: I expect God to finish what He starts in me.
Affirmation: God is in control. Ultimately everything will work out for His purpose.
“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
Some folks are passive or active. Both must learn to rest, trust God. Some are "what if??? people".
Jesus: “COME to me, all you that are weary and are carrying
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (RSV)
When I’m “yoked” with Christ, we move together in the same direction and at the same speed.
Cross beam for 2 to pull a load together, not alone.
The purpose of the yoke is to relieve my stress and help pull you through it so it is lighter.
Take His yoke and learn from Jesus.
Slow me down Lord.
Write down at least 3 goals. Consider including keeping a Sabbath day of rest and worship once a week.
"Slow Me Down Lord"
Slow me down,Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, admidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the sighing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down to look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend or to make a new one;
To pat a stray dog,
To watch a spider spin a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life’s enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my great destiny.
Wilferd A. Peterson
THIS WEEK IN YOUR SMALL GROUP:
Six Reasons Your Health Matters To God
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