4. OVERCOMING STRESS

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Start with an Icebreaker Question

To start off your small group, briefly share your response to the following question:

What serves as a stress reliever for you? Share with your group. (i.e. stress ball, quiet time, long drives, etc.)

What to expect

At this time, please prepare for the DVD teaching of this small group session. Take out a pen or pencil to write down notes on the next page. Press PLAY on your DVD.

Let’s get a big picture of what we’ll be learning today…

Life’s obstacles and challenges can cause so much stress. In the midst of our busyness and every day chaos, God gives us a way to overcome! In this session, we’ll learn how God wants us to set our eyes on Him and overcome the stress in our lives!

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VIDEO NOTESMost of our stress comes from our use of:

1.) ______________________

“This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5:25-28)

2.) _____________________

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

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Answers: 1.) Time 2.) Money

I will never know how to spend my time and money until I:

i. Live with a sense of __________________ and ____________________.

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.” (Psalm 39:4-5)

“The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

ii. Put ______________________ first.

“Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” (Psalm 90:12)

“But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

iii. Keep my ________________________________.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1-2)

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Answers: i.) purpose, energy ii.) first things iii.) heart set on heaven

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VIDEO NOTES (cont.)

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONSAt this time, please break into smaller groups of 2-4 for the discussion question section. Have a great discussion!

1.) On a scale from 1-10 (1 = poorly, 10 = very well), how well would you say you handle stressful situations? Circle ONE and share with your group.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 [Poorly] [Very Well]

2.) In his video message, Pastor Chris Hodges provided us with promises and principles from the Bible to help us deal with stress in our lives. The two main causes of stress in our lives are how we spend our time and how we spend our money. Think about the last time you were stressed out. Did the situation relate to money or time in any way? Share with your group.

3.) Since we don’t have enough time or money to do everything, we must learn to eliminate non-essential things from our lives. In the video message, we were encouraged to develop a habit of looking at our schedules, seeing if it’s in the right balance, and make some decisions. Is there anything in your schedule that is causing you unnecessary stress and God might be asking you to remove it from your plate? Share with your group.

4.) “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

This scripture serves as a great reminder that contentment is a key step toward overcoming our stress about money. What is ONE thing you some times take for granted that you can learn to be content with? Share with your group.

6.) We also learned from the video teaching that we should live by putting first things first. There are so many things we can do with our time and so many ways we can spend our money, but it’s important to know how to prioritize what we’re pouring our energy into.

What are your top 5 priorities in life? List them on the lines below.

1. ____________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (cont.)

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Group Prayer Requests:

Name Request

________________ ______________________________________________

________________ ______________________________________________

________________ ______________________________________________

WHAT WILL YOU DO?But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

As we evaluate the priorities in our life, the best way to overcome the causes of our stress is to put God first in everything we do.

This week, consider doing the following things to put God first:

i. Devotions: Complete the devotional pages for this week

ii. Volunteer: Get involved and serve at any area at church. Visit Guest Services on Sundays in both of our locations for serving information.

CLOSE IN PRAYERTake a few minutes to close your time together with prayer and to pray for each other’s prayer requests. Below is a sample prayer to read if you choose to. You can also choose to write down each other’s prayer requests to remember throughout the week.

Sample Prayer:“God, thank You for giving us a way to overcome our stress. We want to put You first in every area of our lives including our time and our finances. We know that when we get our priorities in order with You at the top, You help us to overcome everything. Help us to know our ultimate life purpose so that we can invest our time and money accordingly. We want to make a difference for Your Kingdom here on earth. We pray these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

S C R I P T U R E… “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

O B S E R V A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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A P P L I C A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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P R A Y E R… __________________________________________________________________________________

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DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 1

DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 2S C R I P T U R E… “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:1-2)

O B S E R V A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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A P P L I C A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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P R A Y E R… __________________________________________________________________________________

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S C R I P T U R E… “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” (Psalm 90:12)

O B S E R V A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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A P P L I C A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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P R A Y E R… __________________________________________________________________________________

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DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 3

DAILY DEVOTIONS: DAY 4S C R I P T U R E… “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.” (Psalm 39:4-5)

O B S E R V A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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A P P L I C A T I O N… __________________________________________________________________________________

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P R A Y E R… __________________________________________________________________________________

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