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Researched
and Composed by
Gabriel “Venom” Wilson, BSc. (Hons), CSCS
Introduction
Seyle (1930) suggested that stress could be broken down into two
elements—distress and eustress. Distress was the damaging effects caused
by stress, and could result in a decline in performance for athletes, or
promote pathogenesis (diseases). Eustress was the advantageous effects
of stress, and promoted growth and development. The first 5 papers of
this series supported this hypothesis. The deleterious effects of stress
were identified in part 4; the beneficial effects of stress were
discussed in part 1 and 5. Eustressors include physical activity, which
can result in beneficial adaptation such as muscle and bone growth.
Distress includes an impaired immune system, cancer, and impaired
performance, and can be a result of consistent worrying and irrational
thoughts.
Paper 5 of this series discussed stress management, which should be
implemented to decrease distress. This series would be completely amiss,
however, to not discuss the most effective stress manager—Jesus Christ.
In this context, the purpose of this paper was to discuss how to use
spiritual principles to manage stress. A second purpose of this paper
was to identify distress and eustress elements in ones spiritual life,
according to the Bible.
Important note
The Psalmist Lamed said, “I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy
commandment is exceeding broad.” Psalms 119:96-96. In this context, it
is beyond the scope of this paper—and any paper in fact—to discuss all
the benefits that God has to offer us for managing stress. However, it
is the hope of the current author that the readers may benefit from the
tips that are given, and that it will motivate them to study scripture
and pray to God themselves to find more treasures on this topic.
Spiritual
Eustressors
A helpful model for this next section is the general adaptation theory.
As you recall from article one, this theory suggests that stress is
composed of three phases: alarm reaction, stage of resistance, and stage
of exhaustion. During alarm reaction, the introduction of a stressor
leads to a decrease in performance. Following this is the stage of
resistance, in which the organism’s defense mechanisms fight to gain
resistance. This is known as adaptation and is characterized by elevated
levels of homeostasis. Lastly, if the stimulus is continuous then the
individual would plateau or experience maladaptation. The maladaptation
according to Seyle reflected similar symptoms to the Alarm reaction
stage, and was the result of a depletion of the organisms defense
mechanisms caused by chronic stress (Wilson and Wilson, 2005, a).
What is unique about this model of stress is that it discusses the
beneficial aspects of stress. As discussed in article one of this
series, stress is often given a bad rap, but it is absolutely essential
to our growth. Without stress, our bones and bones would atrophy; and we
could never learn. In this context, it is clear from the bible that God
allows us to go through difficult situations, in order to allow us to
grown. Consider the following verses.
1 Peter 4:12-19
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings;
that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are
ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part
he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
James 1:2-12
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
It is clear from scripture, that we will face trials, and difficult
times. And further, it is through these times that we shall grow.
Now, I want you to pay attention to something. Notice how the bible
focuses our attention towards why we are going through these
stressful situations. Instead of complaining or acting like these things
are strange, Peter and James say that we should rejoice, because it is
these situations that are going to make us grow. Thus, we should focus
on how to handle the situations, instead of letting these situations
steal the joy out of our lives, turning into a distress.
What is interesting is that Psychologists are supporting what the bible
was recommending to do thousands of years ago! This is essentially
social engineering, which was discussed in article 5 of this series.
Several examples of how to properly and improperly handle stress will be
discussed further on.
Distress
There are several possible sources of distressors in Christians lives.
In the aforementioned section, if we allow difficult situations to bring
us down, this can easily turn into a distress. This will be elaborated
on more momentarily, but first, I want to focus in on one common source
of distress for Christians.
Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect.
The bible gives countless instructions on how Christians can be
prosperous, and successful in their spiritual lives. And Christians are
instructed to do their best to live a holy life. But many Christians let
this commandment develop into a horrible stressor.
The bible says that all have sinned, and fall short of the glory
of God. Therefore, all Christians are bound to sin in their lives. But
the question is: how do we handle our sins? Well, unfortunately, many
Christians respond inappropriately. They often times will beat
themselves up continually over the slightest of sins “I am so stupid for
doing that sin! I should have never done that, why am I so stupid!” As
will be displayed in the next several paragraphs, not only is this
mentality unscientific, and unhealthy, it is unscriptural.
Accepting Grace
Often times, Christians will tell me, “I know I am saved, but I just
don’t feel saved…” while Christianity does involve feelings and
emotions, salvation is not a feeling—it is a free gift.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:
We are told to walk by faith and not by sight. Therefore, we should not
base our salvation on how we feel. It is just something that must be
accepted. The bible says that Christ did all of the work, and all we
must do is accept it. Therefore, are we given permission to sin?
Absolutely not! Paul discusses this in Romans and includes that, “31 Do
we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish
the law.” But many Christians put the cart before the horse. The bible
says we are working as a result of salvation—not for salvation. People
that do not accept this, and try to earn their salvation are under
constant stress, because it will never happen. We read in the bible that
we are all sinners, and none of us are worthy of salvation. So trying to
achieve our salvation through works is a losing battle, bound to result
in increased stress.
What many Christians fail to understand, is that Christianity is a
journey. We are not born perfect; in fact, Psalms says we are born in
sin. Isaiah says we must learn to do well (Isaiah 1:7); The Lord says he
will teach us and guide us in the way we should go (Psalms 32:8); Psalms
19:12 says “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret
faults.” The above scriptures from James and Peter suggest that we must
go through a process to become perfect; Hebrews 12:4-7 says that the
Lord chastens every one of his children for our mistakes, and that in
fact, if we are not chastised by the Lord, we are not his children,
implying that all of us are bound to make mistakes. And a hundred more
scriptures could I show on this topic. The take home message is this: we
are sinners, and we will make mistakes. We are not perfect, yet;
the path to perfection is a process, and it is one that God entirely
understands. He does not expect you to be perfect when you come to him.
If you were perfect, then there would be no need for Christ’s sacrifice.
But we are not, and this is why we are saved by grace, and not by works.
This is summed up nicely in the following verse.
Romans 4:1-8
1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by
works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith
the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom
God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
This is my favorite verse in the entire bible. It demonstrates how God
understand our week state, and is incredibly pitiful towards us.
Psalms 103:6-18
6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all
that are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto
the children of Israel. 8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to
anger, and plenteous in mercy. 9 He will not always chide: neither will
he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heaven is
high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the
LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14 For he knoweth our frame; he
remembereth that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a
flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16 For the wind passeth over it,
and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. 17 But the
mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear
him, and his righteousness unto children's children; 18 To such as keep
his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
Many Christians view God has a harsh and cruel God. But this is not the
God of the bible. The God of the bible is kind; understanding, and so
incredibly merciful. He understands what we are going through on earth,
and the temptations we deal with. In fact, he understands it better than
anyone else ever will. Because he went through more temptations than we
shall ever go through in our lives.
Hebrews 4:14-16
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is
passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like
as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need.
Jesus was given every single temptation a man could be given on earth,
yet, he never sinned once. He understands what we are going through. And
guess what? He has a solution to the problem. If you allow God to work
in your life, he will develop you into that perfect man of God he wants
you to be. But it is a process, and you must be patient with yourself,
just as God is patient with you.
Effective and
Ineffective Stress Management Techniques
The following paragraphs will discuss several ways to effectively and
ineffectively handle stress, according to the bible.
One of my favorite Christian books is John Bunyan’s Pilgrims progress. I
have listened to it on CD at least a dozen times, and highly recommend
it. The story is about the Christian journey, or pilgrimage. Our main
Characters name is Christian. As I have listened to this CD, I have
noticed one problem with Christian—he beats himself up all the time. He
would constantly ponder his past mistakes, and dreadfully sob, or be
angry with himself. This was best portrayed during one seen in the book,
where Christian loses his bible, and he must travel back to get it. On
the way back, we are told that he continually beat himself up, calling
himself names such as a full, sinful, and, sluggard. And there are many
other times he repeats this scenario throughout his journey.
Many Christians do the same thing today. When they make a mistake, they
respond by beating themselves up. And they are constantly beating
themselves up over past mistakes. Sadly, many Christians just won’t
forgive themselves, and even believe they cannot be forgiven.
But is this biblical? Not only is it unbiblical, it is unscientific.
To review what we learned in article 5, Beck identified that people had
learned, automatic thoughts to stressors. These thoughts are often
harsh, negative, and irrational. They are not well thought out, and
often fallacious. Lastly, they can harm us emotionally, and
behaviorally.
How does the bible say we should respond when we sin, and what should we
think about?
First, Jesus says that all sins, no matter how wicked they may
be, will be forgiven men if they repent (Mathew 12). So that dispels the
myth that we cannot be forgiven. When we sin, the bible instructs us to
repent. This means to turn away from our sins, and move back on the
right path. Second, we are to ask for forgiveness from God. Nowhere in
the bible are we instructed to beat ourselves up. In fact, just the
opposite. Consider the Apostle Paul.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me,
for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who
was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained
mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our
Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ
Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus
Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which
should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 17 Now unto the
King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul says he was the king of sinners! Yet, Christ forgave him. And this
was to be an example for us, on how all of us could be forgiven. Now,
did Paul dwell on his past mistakes? Let’s look…
Philippians 3:1-14
1 Finally, my
brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me
indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware
of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3 For we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have
no confidence in the flesh.
4 Though I might also
have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath
whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5 Circumcised the eighth
day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the
Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6 Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the
power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being
made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I
count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul completely disowned his past. He refused to dwell on it. He
allocated all his attention on the future, and to becoming more like
Christ.
Consider the Church of Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some
of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Now, consider this parable by Christ.
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus
saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until
seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto
a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he
had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten
thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord
commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he
had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and
worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee
all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and
loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out,
and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence:
and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me
that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and
besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should
pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were
very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then
his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked
servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest
not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had
pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the
tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise
shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts
forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
The take home message is this: when we are saved, Christ separates our
sins from us as far as the east is from the west. And if we sin again,
all we need do is repent, and ask for forgiveness, and he shall forgive
us. And then, we should do our best to live Holy lives before God.
So what is it that we should ponder on, then?
Philippians 4:1-9
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue,
and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things,
which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do:
and the God of peace shall be with you.
This is a consistent trend throughout the bible. Instead of beating
ourselves up, we need to focus on the positives.
The same thing applies for worrying about difficult situations. Consider
this scripture.
Matthew 6:25-34
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life,
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what
ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do
they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can
add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither
do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe
the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the
oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall
we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these
things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye
have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take
thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof.
We should not spend our time stressing and worrying about all our
problems. First, it is unearthly; and second, it is faithless. The bible
says we should put our worries on Christ.
It is funny, Christ came to remove the Burdon of the law from us, yet
many Christians are still living under the burden of it. As Peter said
in Acts chapter 15, “10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke
upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were
able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” I challenge those who are
stressed and burned, to accept Christ’s offer. He wants to take that
stress away from you!
Matthew 11:28-30
28 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.
In John Chapter 17 we read that Christ prays that our joy may be full.
In Romans chapter 8 we read that, “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.” Consider this verse.
Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,
to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and
grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is
the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in
us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all
ages, world without end. Amen.
I would challenge the reader to find a scripture that says Christians
should be living stressful lives. Guess what? It does not exist! The
bible is entirely anti-stress!
Another problem with stressed Christians is this: when we ponder on all
our faults, we often fail to recognize our strengths. And what happens
is we miss an opportunity to thank God. In Hebrews 13:15 we read, “By
him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” In other
words, we should be continually giving thanks to God. Take time to
ponder the good that he has done in your life, and how he has
changed you. It is so silly to focus on the bad things in your life,
when there are so many wonderful things that have happened. Let us
instead focus on what God has blessed us with, and be grateful to him
for it.
Another problem with stressed Christians is that they begin to lose
their testimony.
Have you ever been around someone that just makes the entire room
gloomy? It seems like every day they have a frown on their face, or
something horrible happened to me. No one wants to hang around a person
like that; let alone be like them.
There is no greater testimony a Christian can show than a stress free
life. Christ says we are to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14),
that all men shall know we are his disciples if we love one another
(John 13:35), and that the second greatest commandment is to love your
neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:49). But how can we love our neighbor
as ourselves, if we do not love ourselves? And how can we be the light
of the world, when we are stressed all day?
Now, let us consider some more examples in the bible on how to correctly
and incorrectly handle stress.
King David was called a man after Gods own heart. He was one of the
greatest characters in the bible. But he committed one of the most evil
sins discussed in scripture. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, the
wife of Uriah the Hittite, and then had Uriah killed in battle to hide
his sin. The Lord responded by taking the son Bathsheba bore him away;
yet, he also put away David’s sin and forgave him.
So how did King David respond to this? We read that he went and fasted,
and prayed for mercy from the Lord that he would spare his child. He
remorse so bitterly, that his servants were terrified to tell him when
the child died. But when he found out, they were shocked at his
response.
2 Samuel 12: 20 - 23
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and
anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of
the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he
required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. 21 Then said his
servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst
fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was
dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. 22 And he said, While the child was
yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will
be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead,
wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him,
but he shall not return to me.
What king David is showing here, is the fruitlessness of stressing over
past sins. He instead moved on with his life, and ended up doing many
more great things in the Lord. Further, he ended up having King Solomon,
the wisest man to ever live, through Bathsheba.
Now, consider Job. The Lord allowed Job to be tempted by Satan. Satan
took his children; riches; animals; and harmed his body physically with
a great plague. At first, Job responded remarkably well, “20 Then Job
arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the
ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's
womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned
not, nor charged God foolishly.” But then, he spoke foolishly along with
his friends for 30 plus chapters in the bible, starting at chapter 3,
“1 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.” In response to
this, the Lord harshly rebuked Job for his ill-advised words.
Nonetheless, he forgave Job, and abundantly blessed his life at the end.
Consider Moses. We read in Psalms 106, that Moses was not let into the
promise land because of his ill advised words to the Lord, because the
people were constantly complaining to him, and stressing him out.
And there are numerous other examples in scripture.
Summary
3 John 1: 2
2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper
and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The sum of the matter is this: God allows us to go through trying
situations to turn us into the man or woman in Christ that he wants us
to be. And the bible wants us to live a happy and healthy life, void of
distress.
Keep it Hardcore,
Venom
Vice President of ABCbodybuilding.com
Venom@abcbodybuilding.com
References
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Bible. King James
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Refer to Part 1-5
of this series for the remaining references.
© ABC
Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
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