8 Survival Skills for Changing Times – Part 2-6

Off-Load Stress – Part 6: Stress throughout this Decade

This decade could be years of stress for many of us. The changes in our culture have hardly been all for the good. And because stress can kill a person, a key survival skill is knowing how to successfully off-load it.

“Hold on. My worries are hardly on as grand a scale as you’ve been talking about. My kids aren’t into singing together von Trapp style, and we’re not trying to figure out how to escape over the Alps. The facts are that: (1) We don’t own a mansion for some enemy to hang his big flag on, and (2) I don’t look much like Julie Andrews (or Christopher Plummer). We’re just simple people trying to figure out how to buy the kids clothes for school and whether we’ll have enough cash for groceries next week. Can you relate to that? Our problems aren’t spectacular, but they’re very real to us.” My answer is that your stress and my stress are probably not the same. But apparently Jesus knew a lot of people in your position. He says in Matthew 6:

 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [The implication is that obviously you are!] …Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (vv. 25-26, 34).

Our Lord is saying two things here. First, He is assuring us that God is concerned about matters as basic as food and clothing. In the model prayer Jesus taught His disciples, He instructed them to pray, “Lord, give us this day our daily bread.” Second, Christ is telling us we shouldn’t pick up tomorrow’s problems prematurely. So the off-loading of stress I’m talking about is not meant to be done on a weekly basis, but every day. That’s important.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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