Cool Under Pressure
I.
We got a command to BE
SOBER-1 Peter 1:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, 1 Peter 5:8
A. Be cool under pressure
1.
Sober-Calm and collected in
spirit, temperate, dispassionate
(unmoved by feelings, composed) circumspect
(looking on all sides, watchful, attention
to all the facts and circumstances of a situation, and to the natural or
probable consequences of an action, with a view to a correct course of conduct,
or to avoid danger)
2.
Psalm 27:3 MSG-When
besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When
all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool.
3.
Jeremiah 17:8 MSG-Serene
and calm through the droughts
4.
Psalm 112 MSG-Heart
ready, trusting in God, Spirit firm, unperturbed, Ever blessed, relaxed among
enemies
B. 1 Peter 1:13-Get your
mind prepared and be sober (Gird Up Your
Loins-Prepare and strengthen yourself for what is to come)
1.
Prepare
yourself for how you’re going to respond to negative reports, unchanging
circumstances, pressured times (That’s what we’ve been doing in this series,
bracing up our minds to be sober)
a. You cannot over prepare
– If you have a plan for every what if, then you’re going to be
prepared
2.
Be holy-Is it holy to freak out
and lose it and be overly emotional and governed by your emotions and get into
unbelief?
a. Holy-Sacred, implying some special relation to God, pure,
inspires reverence and awe-Matthew 8:10
II.
Being calm and collected
in spirit and being circumspect/aware go together because when you lose it the
thing your most aware of his how you feel and not what’s going on around you;
the enemy wants to get you so consumed with your feelings and how you feel that
you are unaware of the victory he’s gaining in your life; He wants to get you
so frantic, so frustrated, so upset that you lose your ability to function in
faith and do the things you need to do to overcome him
A. Do you understand what’s
going on when you’re losing it, what you’re doing, the 411?-Proverbs
17:27
1.
Excellent spirit-Valued, precious,
rare, splendid --- 1 Peter 3:4-A quiet spirit is precious to God
a. Proverbs 17:27 ERV-Those who know what they are doing remain
calm – If you know that being troubled
gives the enemy access and staying in faith is what allows God to sustain you
then you’ll do everything in your power to remain calm and not lose your peace
1)
Look:
the only way you’re going to come out of this on top is to stay in faith
b. Proverbs 17:27 VOICE-Those with knowledge know when to be
quiet, and those with understanding know how to remain calm
2.
Psalm
37:8-9-Losing it and freaking out and going in the tank is only going to make
things worse
a. MSG-Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes
– it only makes things worse
B. When you get emotional
and yield to fear (stress, heaviness, being troubled, anger) it affects your
ability to function (in faith) and faith is what wins
1.
People
will get in situations where they lose it or go in the tank and it affects
their ability to function in faith and while they yield to those things they
are completely unaware of the fact that they still need to function in faith
– Wake up! You still got to fly this thing!
2.
EX:
Stress on a pilot affects his ability to function so they put the pilot through
many stressful situations in the simulator to teach him how to function
properly in pressured situations, so that the stress he’s feeling doesn’t
affect his flying; You can’t let the pressure you are feeling affect your faith
C. Situational awareness
– Be situationally aware, Be circumspect-Exodus 23:13
1.
Circumspect-Looking on all sides,
watchful, attention to all the facts and
circumstances of a situation, and to the natural or probable consequences of an
action, with a view to a correct course of conduct, or to avoid danger
2.
Ones
ability to look and respond to a changing environment – What’s happening?
What’s happened? What might happen?
3.
LOOK
– THINK – ACT
4.
What
you focus on grows – You want to focus on solutions on things that work
a. Focus on your faith,
focus on what you need to do to overcome – Don’t focus on how you feel or
what the problem is
b. EX: If I asked you to not
think of a pink fluffy elephant you can’t help yourself – you’re brain
doesn’t distinguish between dos and don’t so fill brain and headspace with dos,
things that you want
III.
The level of ability that
you have be sober says much about where you truly are spiritually and where you
are in maturity
A. Ephesians 4:14-A child
can get upset about anything at anytime and can do it quickly
1.
The
instruction here is to stop being childish and agitated mentally and tossed by
the waves
a. Child-Childish, untaught, unskilled; Tossed-Agitated mentally, Tossed by waves
2.
When
you’re tossed by the ways you go where the wave says you go – You’re
being governed by something else, not in control of yourself
a. Romans 8:14-17-Mature
sons of God are led by the spirit of God, not governed by their circumstances
and emotions
3.
How
easily we get upset/troubled, how often we are upset/troubled, what we get
upset/troubled about says a lot about our faith and our maturity; If you’re
staying upset, aggravated, annoyed, depressed, hurt that’s saying something
about you
4.
Ecclesiastes
7:9-Don’t be quick to be angry (sorrow, vex, grieved, irritated, troubled,
agitated, disquieted)
B. Psalm 131-My soul is like
a weaned child, the child is weaned off of milk, the soul is weaned off of
fretting
1.
1-My
heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in
great matters or things too high for me; Pride will have you exercising
yourself in matters too high for you
2.
2-My
soul within me has been weaned off of fretting-How much you fret shows your level
of maturity
a. MSG-I’ve cultivated a quiet heart – This quiet spirit is
something you cultivate
b. 2-I have calmed and
quieted my soul (AMP)
3.
3-Hope-He’s weaning himself off of
fretting and getting on that new diet of trust
a. Trust, expect – You’re level of faith, trust has everything
to do with your level of maturity and if you’re easily upset and trouble, it’s
because you don’t trust God and you’re a child
C. When you’re easily upset
and troubled it’s saying something about you
1.
1
Kings 21:4-Ahab came to his house heavy
(sullen, sad, implacable-cannot be pacified or made peaceable) and displeased (vexed, sad, fret, enraged,
angry, sad looking) b/c Naboth wouldn’t sell him the land and he fell across
the bed, put his face in the pillow, wouldn’t eat
2.
1
Samuel 1-Hannah was sorrowful, grieved, frustrated, she wept and wouldn’t eat,
she was fretting and troubled, she was in bitterness of soul, discontented,
heavy, angry, chaffed, miserable, full of anxiety – What does this say
about her? How mature she is? How strong her faith is?
D. The level of faith and
maturity you walk in can be easily determined by watching how quickly you get
upset, how easily you get upset and what you get upset about; When stuff
happens that shakes everybody else and you felt too but didn’t let it trouble
you that says a lot about you
1.
Isaiah
50:6-7-I set my face like a flint; Isaiah 53:12 (MSG)-He looked death in the
face and didn’t flinch
2.
2
Corinthians 4:8, Acts 20:23-24-Paul said we’re troubled on every side, but not
distressed and none of these things move me
a. 1 Corinthians 13:11-It’s
time to put away childish things like being troubled and upset and agitated so
quickly, so easily
IV.
Relax, Be still, know
that He is God
A. Psalm 46:1-11-Be still
and know that I am God
1.
1-Refuge-Shelter from danger, trust; Help-Succor, assistance, one who helps;
Trouble-Distress, adversity,
tribulation, affliction
2.
2-Therefore
we will not be troubled – That’s in response to verse 1
3.
3-In
response to all this turbulence Selah-Pause,
Calmly think, make light of, toss aside
4.
6-11-Theses
verses are encouragement to help you be still and know that he his God –
Relax
a. CEV-Calm down and learn that I am God;
GW-Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God!;
NET-Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!; VOICE-Be still, be calm,
see, and understand I am the true God
5.
4
Reasons why you should be still/4 things to know that He is God
a. Hebrews 4:13-All things
are exposed and defenseless to Him
b. Genesis 18:14-Nothing is
hard for him
c. Psalm 118:6-He’s on your
side
d. Hebrews 13:6-He will not
fail you
B. We got to relax-Relaxing
demonstrates that you’re trusting and it puts your faith on display
1.
Matthew 6:30 MSG-What I’m
trying to get you to do here is to get you to relax.
2.
Jude 1:1-2 MSG-Relax,
everything’s going to be alright; rest everything’s coming together
3.
Proverbs 1:33-MSG-First
pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy – you’re in
good hands
4.
Proverbs 3:25-VOICE-Stay
calm; there is no need to be afraid of sudden disaster or to worry when
calamity strikes the wicked
5.
Nehemiah 8:11-Be quiet,
calm down, this is a special day. Don’t be sad.
6.
Exodus 14:14 ERV-You will
not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.
C. Talk to yourself, talk to
your soul-Psalm 116
1.
3-Sorrows
of death, Pains of hell, trouble and sorrow, deliver my soul – He’s
experiencing pressure on the inside
2.
4,6-He called upon the
Lord in his time of distress
3.
7-He talked to his soul in
his time of distress
a. Psalm 116:7 VOICE-O my soul! Return and relax.
b. Psalm 116:7-8 MSG-I said to myself, “Relax
and rest.
c. Psalm 116:7 ERV-My soul, relax! The Lord is caring for you.
4.
8-10-His
soul got delivered and he’s stayed in faith
D. Psalm 37:7-Rest in the
Lord, and wait patiently for Him
1.
Rest-Be silent, be still,
make quiet – Wait Patiently-Twist,
whirl, dance
a. AMP-Be still before the Lord; wait patiently for Him and
entrust yourself to Him
b. VOICE-Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and
set things right.
c. YLT-Be silent for Jehovah and stay thyself for Him
2.
5 MSG-Open up before God,
keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever
needs to be done; He’ll validate your life in the light of day and stamp
you with approval at high noon