Stress Free Living

Philippians 4:4-7

Stress has become a way of life for many. We live in a world of stressed out people. Some people even claim that they need stress in order to function properly. They claim that they need stress to push them to excellence. But they are still stressed out.

We are living in an age of anxiety. Today we talk about burnout like no other time in history. There are more emotional disorders as a result of stress and anxiety than ever before. What can we do about it? Is it possible to live a stress free life? Can we rise above the pressures of life?

Does Christ make a difference? Most Christians would say that he does. If he does, then what difference is the making in your life? Are you to be different through the power of Christ? Does Christ make a difference in how you handle the pressure and stresses of life?

In our text today the great apostle gives us a number of commands to follow and enlightens us as to the result of following those commands. We find in these commands the keys to stress free living. As we put these principles into practice our character is further transformed into the image of Christ. Let’s look in these characteristics of stress free living.

God wants us to have joy! That’s right, God wants us to have joy. It is important for us to understand this and to realize that it is true. Not everyone believes this. In fact, some people view God as a killjoy. They see him as a crotchety old man waiting for us to make a mistake so he can smack our hand. They see God as someone trying to keep us from having any fun.

But this is a misunderstanding of who God is. It is a wrong view of God. This should not be surprising, because there are so many wrong views of God. Most people do not really have a proper understanding of the true God. I remember hearing Philip Yancey say that whenever someone came up to him and declared, "I don’t believe in God!" that he would reply, "Tell the what kind of God you don’t believe in; I probably don’t believe in that kind of God either." The truth is that many people have mistaken notions about God. They get them for many places, sometimes even from Christians themselves.

We know from the Bible that Jesus wants us to have joy.

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:11 NASB)

Jesus told us that he wanted our joy to be full. In other words, he has not come to take away our joy, but rather to give us joy. In another place he said that he had come to give us abundant life. He didn’t come to give us the capacity to merely exist. He came to give us life, abundant life. He came to complete our joy, to make it full. This is what the Bible teaches.

In our text, we are told to rejoice always. Always? Is this possible? Can he be serious? How can we possibly do this? Well, I will admit that it looks pretty tough. And if he means that we are supposed to rejoice for everything that happens to us, it is impossible. But that is not what he is saying.

There is another passage of Scripture, in Thessalonians, where we are told that we should give thanks in everything. We’re not told to give thanks for everything. We are told to give thanks in everything. There is a big difference. If I was to trip and fall down the stairs and break my leg, God doesn’t expect me to give him thanks for the broken leg. I would not say, "God, thank you for this broken leg that hurts so much." But I might say, "God, thank you that I didn’t break my neck!" You see, in every bad situation there is something for which we can be grateful.

We can always be thankful for God’s mercy, for his grace, for his love, and for his perfect provision for every situation. We are blessed beyond what we realize.

Let me ask you a question. What brings you joy? Think about that. Meditate on that. Focus on that. Write it down. Post it on your bathroom mirror so you can remind yourself of all that you have to be grateful for. And rejoice in it.

Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT)

As you begin to rejoice, you will begin to be encouraged. Remember, there is always something for which to rejoice. Ask God to give you a rejoicing heart.

We must also develop a gentle spirit. Our gentleness is to be evident to all. It should characterize our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. It certainly characterized his life.

Gentleness is not weakness. In fact, I really believe that gentleness is a characteristic of strength. It takes a strong person to truly be gentle.

Gentleness is a lack of striving, of arguing, of demanding and manipulating. It shows strength of character. It shows that you have security in what you believe. When someone knows what he or she believes, there is no need to argue about it. If someone doesn’t agree with us, our faith is not shaken. There is no need to panic. We can be calm and gentle.

Gentleness also helps us communicate God’s truth to others.

And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 2:24-25 NIV)

You really can’t argue people into heaven or into believing the truth. And Jesus never tried to do this. He simply stated the truth and left it with the people. If they believed it, fine. If they did not, he did not shout it a little louder; he simply let them think about it.

When you argue, you simply escalate the stress. In Proverbs 15:1, we are told that a gentle answer turns away wrath. It takes two to argue. We must make our case without strife, arguing, and manipulating. When we do, we reveal that we are trusting God. We also reveal the character of Christ.

Remember, a gentle spirit reflects the character of Christ, and becoming like Christ is the goal for every Christian. That is our calling. When the world looks at us, we want them to see something of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Another essential element in developing a stress free lifestyle is cultivating an unanxious attitude. The exhortation is "do not be anxious about anything." In our culture of anxiety, here is another command that sounds impossible.

Charlie Brown and Linus were sitting around talking one day. Charlie said to Linus, "I worry about school a lot." He thought a little longer and then said, "I worry about worrying so much about school." And upon further reflection he concluded, "My anxieties have anxieties!"

Perhaps all of us can identify a little with Charlie Brown. We all have anxieties. What are yours? What do you worry about? What are your anxieties? People worry about so many things today. They worry about their jobs. They worry about money. They worry about their marriages. They worry about their children. They worry about the past, the present, and the future. They worry about paying their bills. They worry about their investments. And they worry about their retirement. They worry about their health. They even worry about their relationship with God.

What good does worry do? The simple answer is none –– none whatsoever. The truth is that you generally can’t change what you worry about. All your worrying is wasted.

So I tell you, don’t worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? (Matthew 6:25 NLT)

The real antidote to worry is simple trust in God. God loves you. God is in control. God wants the best for you. You can trust him with your life and with your fears. So why worry? Trust God instead!

An unanxious attitude comes from faith in the goodness of God. As we relax and rest in God’s perfect plan for our lives, we will find that worry and anxiety disappears in the light of his love.

In order to really be free from anxiety, however, we must develop a prayerful lifestyle. This is what makes an unanxious attitude possible.

The message is simple –– Don’t panic, pray! Take the time that you would spend worrying and spend that time in prayer. Replace worry with prayer. Pray so much that worry has to take a number and stand in line.

We are exhorted to pray about everything. In other words, there is nothing too small to pray about. We are never bothering God with things too small for him to be concerned about. And we are encouraged to come to him and cast all our care upon him.

Cast your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 NIV)

You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern. (Phillips translation)

The way you cast your cares on him is by prayer. It is through prayer that we lay our burdens at Jesus’ feet. It is much like the release we get when we share a need or burden with a friend. Even sharing the burden makes a difference. A load is lifted from our shoulders. And so it is with God. Sharing our burden in prayer rolls that burden off of our shoulders onto God’s.

So don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. Prayer must become a lifestyle for us, not simply an emergency response to a crisis situation. Prayer, you see, brings us into communication with God. By prayer we come to know God personally. By prayer we come to be able to hear his voice. Prayer changes things and it changes you. And prayer makes things happen. God answers prayer.

You do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:2 NIV)

One of the major reasons why people do not receive what they need from God is that they do not ask God for what they need. We need to ask. And we need to keep asking until our prayers are answered, either by a no or by a yes. Remember, there is nothing too big for God to handle or too small for you to pray about.

The result of all of this is peace –– a peaceful mind. And this is a rare thing in our world. We live in a world of turmoil. All you need to do is take a brief look at the nightly news. Bad stuff happens. It happens every day. It happens everywhere. It happens in our town, in our neighborhood, to people we know. It even happens to us.

But for us, as Christians, there is a promise of peace. It is a peace that transcends all understanding. In other words, this is a peace in the midst of turmoil. It is a peace that enables us to rise above the circumstances. Listen to the words of Jesus.

I am leaving you with a gift–– peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27 NLT)

Jesus wants us to have the kind of peace that sets us apart from others in the world. He wants us to have a peace that amazes the world. He wants his peace in us to be a testimony of his reality and his power. The key is found in Isaiah.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT)

The perfect peace comes when we keep focused on God. We must fix our attention on God, not on our circumstances. We must pray, read his Word, meditate upon his promises.

And we are also told that God’s peace will guard your heart and mind. The word translated "guard" is a military term. It means to set up a garrison around. In other words, God protects our hearts and minds like a military army protects its vital resources.

A peaceful mind is a testimony to the world of God’s power in our lives. It is the result of a rejoicing heart, a gentle spirit, an unanxious attitude, and a prayerful lifestyle. It is the opposite of the stress filled life that many live today. We can live a stress free life by trusting Christ for everything.

Copyright © 2001 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.

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