Reaction to Stress

TEXT: 1 Kings 18:17-46

Were the heroes of faith in the Bible any different from the present-day child of God? Scripture tells us in James 5:17 that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. He was an example of how a Christian, even today, can react in times of stress and pressure.

QUESTIONS

1. As we read the story of Elijah, what are some of the stressful situations in which he found himself? How did he handle each of them? Particularly note 1 Kings 17:1,3,7,17; 18:17-24.
2. What did God promise Elijah when he faced Ahab after the 3-1/2 years of drought (1 Kings 18:1)? What did Elijah do when this didn’t happen immediately?
3. What attributes were shown by the three Hebrew children when they refused to obey the king’s edict to bow down to his idol? See Daniel 3:16-18.
4. What did Jesus do when He was falsely accused and reviled for doing good? Since He was the Son of God, do you feel the stress and pressure He went through was any less serious than what we may feel? See Hebrews 4:15 and 1 Peter 2:21-23.
5. How do most people react when they are reproved for something and realize they may have deserved it? How do most people react if they are accused of something of which they are completely innocent? Justified or unjustified, reproof can cause stress. In what way should a Christian react to stress? See 1 Peter 2:18,20.
6. What are some of the situations that may arise in our present-day society that can induce stress and tension in one’s life?
7. What are some ways people have tried to combat stress in their lives, as compared with what a Christian can do?
8. What does the Bible instruct us to do when the cares, anxieties, and pressures of life come upon us? See Matthew 6:25; Philippians 4:6-7 and 1 Peter 5:7.
9. What kind of Christian witness are we displaying when we meet the crises and tests of life as God would have us meet them?
10. The outcome of giving in to stress can be physical distress and in some cases a total breakdown. According to Philippians 4:7-8, there is something we can do to counteract the pressures and stresses of this life. List several stressful-type situations that might come to us and, using this Scripture, explain what you could do to lessen the stress.