Power Point with Jack Graham

Jack Graham - Turning Your Stress Into Strength

March 8, 2026 | 27:29

Dr. Jack Graham's mission is to glorify God by introducing Jesus Christ as Lord to all people.

#WordofGod #PromisesofGod #Encouragement #Stress #PeerPressure #Strength #Purpose #Addiction #Emotion #JackGraham

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Power Point with Jack Graham | Jack Graham - Turning Your Stress Into Strength | March 8, 2026

♪♪♪
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There is no person that god cannot save!
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There is no promise that god will not keep!
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There is nothing that our god cannot do!
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♪♪♪
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You know, it used to be said that baseball and apple pie and
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Maybe chevrolet once represented all that was good
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About the american way of life. and now baseball is interrupted
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By cell phones and apple pie comes from the microwave and
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Hardly has time to fill the house with aromatherapy.
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In today's message, we're going to seek to discover the peace
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Of god, that shalom, that god gives us when we're stressed to
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The max and we wonder if we can get through. i want to
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Encourage you, as always, to look to god's word.
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So let's dig into the message right now and see how we can
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Turn our stress into faith.
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♪♪♪
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So many people today are living with chronic stress, pressure.
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In fact, so much that we're breaking down, we're burning
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Out, and yes, christians have stress, too. and when we
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Realize that god made us to find our help in him... god so
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Made us to find our rest in him, we can actually "turn our
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Stress to strength", and that's the title of this message. and
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You can begin turning to isaiah chapter 30 and verse 15 because
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That's going to be our primary text today.
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The purpose of this message is to help you understand how to
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Turn that stress that we all feel into strength. the
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Pressure that we have in life can actually be powered up to
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Your advantage.
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Now some people... they sort of live on stress and like it. i
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Mean, because stress can be exhilarating, stress... stress
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Can be exciting. the adrenaline gets flowing and we can even
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Become adrenaline addicts. we... we love the adrenaline,
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Especially if you're a type a personality like your pastor. i
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Mean we kind of live on the stress. i once proudly said,
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You know, i don't get stressed; i give stress. i've since
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Changed my mind of that because i do know the impact of stress
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On my own life. but, you know, there's this excitement.
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There's... stress can be a motivator.
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But it can also be a monster that can take us down, and even
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Take us out. and so many people today are under such pressure.
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They're living under all kinds of pressure. and someone
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Defined stress as that gap that exists between what we must do,
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What we want to do, which we need to do, and our ability to
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Do it. so that gap is the stress gap. and we often find
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Ourselves overwhelmed. we often find ourselves overloaded in
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Life. we're just carrying too much weight emotionally,
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Spiritually and even physically. and stress will
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Actually kill you if you keep living this way. all kinds of
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Physical illness including heart disease and cancer and
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Diabetes and sleeplessness... insomnia. you name it.
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In fact, i was startled to read this week that about 70, up to
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Maybe even 90 percent of people who visit their primary care
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Doctor are there ultimately because of stress-related
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Illnesses. amazing, isn't it? [it] can impact your body as
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Well as your mind, and, of course, your soul. and even if
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Stress doesn't kill you, this chronic stress... this constant
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Pressure in your life... even if it doesn't kill you, it will
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Make your life miserable, robbing you of joy and peace
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And contentment, and even your faith at times!
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But you don't have to live this way.
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Isaiah 30, verse 15 is a prescription. it's a go-to
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Verse for me, especially when i find myself stressed. "for thus
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Said the lord god, the holy one of israel, 'in returning and
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Rest you will be saved; (he's calling his people to come home
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To rest. and he said), in quietness and in trust shall be
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Your strength. (there it is; underscore that in your bible.)
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"in quietness and confidence or trust is your strength." he
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Went on to say, "but you were unwilling...!" so, the choice
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Is yours; you have a choice to make. will you find your rest
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In returning to the lord and in quietness and confidence turn
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Your stress into strength?"
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Quietness... here's the formula, here's the
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Prescription: quietness plus confidence equals strength...
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Quietness plus trust equals strength. now the meaning of
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Quietness here is not just being quiet [chuckles] or
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Silent, but rather it speaks of the cessation of activity. just
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Stop! stop all the running around! and god says in psalm
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46, "be still, and know that i am god." in quietness... god
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Wants his people to stop constantly running from him,
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Running around from him, and to take time to rest the soul.
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Some americans were on a safari and they were pushing every
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Day... like so many americans, we do that. we're pushing,
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Pushing, pushing. and everyday they were up before the sun and
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Going again on this safari and to the end of the day. and one
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Particular day, several days later the guides weren't
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Getting up. they were still in the tent. these men said, "come
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On, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!" the guides said,
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"no, we don't go today because today we let our souls catch up
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With our bodies." that's good advice, to let your soul catch
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Up with your body! to turn down the rpms because the result of
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Too much movement, too many rpms is the wearing down of the
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Body of the soul.
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Exhaustion is so common. it's one of the most common things i
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Hear from people today, “i'm just so tired; i'm just so
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Exhausted”, whatever the cause. and as a result of the
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Exhaustion and tiredness comes the tenseness and the emotions
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That are out of control, and often the first thing we want
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To do when we're feeling this stressed is to double down and
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Just try harder, work harder to work alone. and as that
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Bricklayer found out, that never works. when you're
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Carrying too much weight and holding onto a rope and you
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Don't know what to do with it. so, what is the answer?
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The apostle paul tells us in 2 corinthians chapter 4, that
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Though pressure is all around and the physical man is
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Breaking down, he says, “the inner person is renewed every
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Single day.” the core of you, the character, the center of
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You can be renewed. your spirit can be renewed day by day. you
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Can actually in your weakness find strength. that's what he
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Is saying. he said, “when i am weak, i am strong.” how? by
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Turning that stress into strength. now i have two parts
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To this message today. one is the physical side of turning
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Your stress to strength, and the second part is the
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Spiritual side of turning your stress to strength.
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So, number one, the physical side. there are some things you
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Can do physically to help you turn your stress to strength.
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One, is i'm simply going to call rest, r-e-s-t... rest.
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Don't discount the power of sleep to replenish and restore
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Your life. christians who find themselves constantly going,
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Staying up late, burning the midnight oil, getting up
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Early... in fact, the psalmist talked about it in psalm 127
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And verse 2. he said: "it is vain that you should rise up
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Early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious
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Toil, for he gives to his beloved sleep."
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We are stewards of our body. "do you not know that your
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Body," the scripture says, "is the temple of the holy spirit?"
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Don't abuse it; don't misuse it. take care of your body.
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Your body belongs to god! and that includes the proper rest.
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Paul said, "we are his workmanship, created in christ
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Jesus unto good works..." we... your body is the workmanship of
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God; it is a precious treasure of god, from god. and what and
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How can do the good works that god wants us all to do if our
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Bodies are worn out and wasted from too much stress, too much
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Pressure, and too little rest? i'm determined to take care of
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My body that i can keep serving god faithfully as long as i
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Live. so, rest.
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♪♪♪
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The bible tells us over 2,500 times that god has promised
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Each and every one of us joy and happiness in christ. this
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Includes peace, indescribable peace. even as believers in
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Jesus and those of us who know the promises of god. we also
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Know that we're not exempt from mental health issues and
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Emotional crisis in our lives. things like doubt and fear and
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Anxiety, grief and shame and loneliness. all of these can
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Steal our joy and our happiness, but we can face
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Life's challenges with confidence and hope in the lord.
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[announcer] dr. jack graham has written a book to help anyone
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Who is searching for hope. help! is a great resource to
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Equip believers on how to deal with all the trials and
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Tragedies life can throw at us. with your support of powerpoint
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Just text the word march to 59789
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Or visit jackgraham.org
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Then give your best gift and we will send you
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A copy of help! today.
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[jack graham] i wrote this book to be a great resource
00:12:14.456 --> 00:12:16.659
For you and that you might give it to a family member
00:12:16.659 --> 00:12:19.161
Or a friend who may need it.
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I believe this book will help the hurting find hope in
00:12:20.663 --> 00:12:23.699
Chirst and break free and begin anew in jesus christ.
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♪♪♪
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The second thing is... here we go... regular exercise. and
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Not just the exercise of your body which is so important but
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The exercise of your brain. did you know that when you
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Exercise... when you are moving... physically moving, it
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Is not only strengthening your body, but it is... it is
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Strengthening your brain? it is helping your brain. dr. kenneth
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Cooper who is my personal physician, a longtime member of
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This church, recognized the need years ago in his inaugural
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Book aerobic, that we need to exercise the body and the mind
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In order to combat what he called or described as oxygen
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Deprivation. therefore, aerobics means breath or with
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Air. and so, the idea was to move your body and your
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Cardiovascular system in order that you would get more air.
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And when that happens, the training effect takes place and
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It's called aerobic conditioning.
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Now what happens to the body physically when we move it,
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Improves everything! it's a proven fact it improves work,
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Sleep, attitude and energy. it's almost counter intuitive
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That if we exercise... you can certainly exercise too much!
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But it seems counter intuitive that if we exercise... we're
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Doing all this exercise; we're wearing ourselves out more. no!
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Exercise properly done can strength the body as well as
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The mind. in the contrary... contrast to that when we are
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Immobile or lazy or laying around or not moving around, we
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Just slowly die. we deteriorate more rapidly. it's just a
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Gradual decline down, down, down, down. i can tell you
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This, that when i get regular exercise and rest, as noted
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Earlier, it reduces the stress in my life greatly.
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So what you need to do is find something that you enjoy...
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Exercise that you enjoy and do it consistently.
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Because fitness, as dr. cooper says,
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Is not a destination, it's a journey.
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And the fact is, you can turn your life around even in your
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Latter years. some of you haven't exercised maybe your
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Entire all that much, but did you know you can improve as you
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Age in life, you improve the strength of your life as well
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As the length of your life. god's in control of the length
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Of our lives, but the fact is, i want to... i exercise to
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Assist in the quality of life, and i believe it truly does.
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But then the third thing is relaxation. it's important to
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Take breaks because the constant pushing requires that
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We take time our to replenish. this can be mini breaks during
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The day, what i call little blessing breaks just to take
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Time out. sometimes, again, a little short nap early in the
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Afternoon if you can do it, helps. but find activity...
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Hobbies that you enjoy. golf or hunting. that's... hunting is a
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Hobby; it's not exercise all that much. you guys that love
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To hunt, or gals. or wholesome entertainment or fun things
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That you do. we call them past times and... you say, "well, i
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Don't have time to past time... i don't have time to past
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Time." well, hear this... hear this. you're never wasting time
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When you stop to sharpen the ax. waiting time, resting time
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Is not wasted time. and here it is. a change of pace or a
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Change of place equals a change of perspective.
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You know, god, for example, gives us one day a week... it's
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Called a day of rest. it's the lord's day. we worship on
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Sunday, the lord's day. and we can't short-circuit that
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Command. god knows how we are made and we're not made to work
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Every day or push every day. there's something about getting
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In a place with god's people that will change our
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Perspective in life. that's one of the reasons i hope you come
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To worship god on the lord's day because the pressures of
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Life... the demands of life require that we take time out
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To rest and to relax. and you can do that in the presence of
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The lord. i tell you i never feel guilty when i rest in
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Order to be stronger to do what god has called me to do.
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So that brings me to my second point... the second part of
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This message which is the spiritual side of turning
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Stress to strength. number one, here's now you do it. this is
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Exercise. focus on the lord; eyes on the lord. we cannot
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Control our circumstances but we can control how we react to
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Those circumstances. and if you want to live a controlled, calm
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And collected life, at ease and relaxed in everything, then put
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Everything in your life in god's hands. that's what it
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Means to look to the lord. often, we look to others for
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Help or look to ourselves for help or we look online for
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Help. we're running around trying to fix things, but god
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Says take your eyes off your problems; get them on me. eyes
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On the lord! eyes on him! "turn your eyes upon jesus; look full
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In his wonderful face;/ and the things of earth will grow
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Strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."
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We're told in the scriptures that when we put our eyes on
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The lord who is "the author and finisher of our faith", "he
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Will keep in perfect peace his mind whose stayed on him....
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Whose soul trusts in him." spending time alone with god is
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Essential if you want to turn your stress to strength. people
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Try all kinds of methods and medications... drugs, alcohol,
00:19:00.596 --> 00:19:05.901
Gambling... anything else that they think may help relieve and
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Numb their situation. none of that stuff works, apart from
00:19:09.004 --> 00:19:13.709
The power of jesus christ in your life. so, eyes on the lord!
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Secondly, knees on the floor... knees on the floor. the way up
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Is down... down on your knees. prayer is essential therapy for
00:19:27.122 --> 00:19:31.493
Dealing with stress in your life. i'm reminded of a story
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Of david. when david and his mighty men returned from
00:19:35.163 --> 00:19:38.900
Battle, they discovered that their village was burned to the
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Ground by enemies. and along with that, not only were their
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Houses burned down, but their wives and their children were
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Taken by these brutal enemies into captivity. and as a
00:19:49.778 --> 00:19:53.949
Result, david was destressed, of course. he was devastated,
00:19:53.949 --> 00:19:58.520
And so were all these men. and it tells us in 1 samuel chapter
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30 and verse 4 what happened next: "david and the people who
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Were with him raised their voices and wept until they had
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No more strength to weep."
00:20:13.001 --> 00:20:15.737
Ever been there? you've cried your eyes out; you had no more
00:20:15.737 --> 00:20:19.775
Tears left? you wept until you couldn't weep anymore? that's
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Catastrophic stress. what did david do? verse 6: "and david
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Was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him."
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Oh, that's great! now they're thinking about blaming david
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For the loss of the community because all the people were
00:20:45.767 --> 00:20:50.906
Bitter in soul. but watch what david did. "but david
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Strengthened himself in the lord his god." what does that
00:20:55.677 --> 00:21:01.717
Mean? "david strengthened himself in the lord his god."
00:21:01.717 --> 00:21:05.187
That means he got alone with god and he got on his...
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Probably his face and he cried out to god in his distress, and
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He prayed, and he trusted in god. and as a result, he
00:21:13.428 --> 00:21:18.467
Encouraged himself in the lord and there's that word courage
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In encouragement; there's strength. it's a very strong
00:21:21.770 --> 00:21:24.239
Word. so, he strengthened himself in the lord.
00:21:24.239 --> 00:21:29.978
And you can do that as well! because the same power that
00:21:29.978 --> 00:21:34.783
Raised jesus from the dead is alive in you! christ is alive
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In you! and this power... the power of the resurrection works
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To strengthen us. when we get on our knees and when we
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Pray... when we carry incredible stress day after
00:21:52.634 --> 00:21:57.706
Day, the old song says "take your burden to the lord and
00:21:57.706 --> 00:22:01.676
Leave it there."
00:22:01.676 --> 00:22:04.279
Pray every day. i mean, i have a little acrostic that i've
00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:08.383
Taught you in the past p-a-c-e. you've got to check the pace
00:22:08.383 --> 00:22:11.286
For your day because many of us ... our schedules are out of
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Control so you set your pace, p-a-c-e every day. you praise
00:22:14.222 --> 00:22:18.193
The lord; you accept from him (a) his blessings; you receive
00:22:18.193 --> 00:22:22.063
From him all that he desires to give... the filling of his
00:22:22.063 --> 00:22:24.499
Spirit. you commit your life, your schedule, your days to the
00:22:24.499 --> 00:22:27.903
Lord; and then you embrace the day and expect god to do good
00:22:27.903 --> 00:22:31.640
Things in your life. that sets the pace for every day...
00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.743
P-a-c-e. praise, acceptance, commitment and expectation.
00:22:34.743 --> 00:22:42.417
So, get your eyes on the lord, get your knees on the floor and
00:22:42.417 --> 00:22:45.387
Get your nose in the book! the word confidence there, trust
00:22:45.387 --> 00:22:51.760
Flows out of a trust in god. god's word feeds and fortifies
00:22:51.760 --> 00:22:56.832
Our faith and strengthens our soul. it will put steel in your
00:22:56.832 --> 00:23:01.736
Soul!
00:23:01.736 --> 00:23:03.338
When isaiah 30, verse 15 speaks of quietness and confidence,
00:23:03.338 --> 00:23:08.510
And confidence comes in our confidence in god's word. god
00:23:08.510 --> 00:23:13.682
Speaks to us and strengthens us through the principles and the
00:23:13.682 --> 00:23:17.886
Precepts and the promises of his word. and i can't tell you
00:23:17.886 --> 00:23:22.090
How many times i have turned to the scriptures to find a
00:23:22.090 --> 00:23:26.228
Promise from god that strengthens me under great
00:23:26.228 --> 00:23:29.531
Stress. so, you know your bible and you read your bible.
00:23:29.531 --> 00:23:34.736
Psychology can help, therapy can help, medicines can help at
00:23:34.736 --> 00:23:38.006
Times... properly given and diagnosed, science can assist
00:23:38.006 --> 00:23:42.110
Us. but only god can make and keep promises that are never
00:23:42.110 --> 00:23:46.615
Broken. so, you can trust him. promises like: "they that hope
00:23:46.615 --> 00:23:52.420
In the lord... wait on the lord shall renew their strength;
00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:55.323
They shall mount up with wings as eagles. they will run and
00:23:55.323 --> 00:23:58.460
Not be weary; they will walk and not faint."
00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:03.465
Yes, god turns our stress to strength when we get our nose
00:24:03.465 --> 00:24:06.935
In the book and stay there! we memorize and meditate upon the
00:24:06.935 --> 00:24:10.705
Scriptures because meditation is better than medication for
00:24:10.705 --> 00:24:16.745
Giving you peace in your soul.
00:24:16.745 --> 00:24:20.415
And then lastly, lift your hands high. eyes on the lord,
00:24:20.415 --> 00:24:25.921
Knees on the floor, nose in the book, and hands in the air!
00:24:25.921 --> 00:24:33.795
This is an exercise of worship and surrender of your life to
00:24:33.795 --> 00:24:38.567
The lord. stress comes when we resist the will of god for our
00:24:38.567 --> 00:24:49.311
Life. stress comes when we're out of bounds of the will of
00:24:49.311 --> 00:24:51.913
God of our life. sometimes when we're in it there's stress. so,
00:24:51.913 --> 00:24:56.618
What is the response? not worry, but worship, as we offer
00:24:56.618 --> 00:25:01.590
Our lives, our hearts, our hands to him. the scripture
00:25:01.590 --> 00:25:04.960
Says, “man ought always to pray, lifting up holy hands.”
00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:09.431
Just read the psalms. the psalms are often filled with
00:25:09.431 --> 00:25:16.705
Petitions, cries, heartache, heartbreak. the psalmist is so
00:25:16.705 --> 00:25:21.576
Honest and transparent. and yet, out of the flow of his
00:25:21.576 --> 00:25:25.146
Worship, he turns his stress to strength. he says in psalm 92,
00:25:25.146 --> 00:25:29.718
Verses 1 and 2 that: “morning and evening he just praises god
00:25:29.718 --> 00:25:33.788
For his steadfast love.” let this be the pattern of praise
00:25:33.788 --> 00:25:38.293
In your life, because praising god morning, noon and night
00:25:38.293 --> 00:25:41.496
Will crush the stress that attacks you every single day,
00:25:41.496 --> 00:25:46.067
And you will live a happy life, and a holy life and, god
00:25:46.067 --> 00:25:51.640
Willing, a healthy life.
00:25:51.640 --> 00:25:53.341
But it begins when you say, “lord, i can't do this on my
00:25:53.341 --> 00:25:58.813
Own. i can't handle the pressure any longer, i can't
00:25:58.813 --> 00:26:03.084
Keep fighting in my own strength, but lord, i come to
00:26:03.084 --> 00:26:07.355
You. lord, i need your help. lord, i need you.” and when we
00:26:07.355 --> 00:26:13.762
Do we get our eyes on him, and knees on the floor, when we
00:26:13.762 --> 00:26:19.634
Pray, the pressure turns to peace.
00:26:19.634 --> 00:26:23.338
When the apostle paul took time out, took a pause and meditated
00:26:24.539 --> 00:26:29.277
Upon god, he experienced the full peace of god and the full
00:26:29.277 --> 00:26:32.847
Presence and power of god. through the prayers of paul,
00:26:32.847 --> 00:26:36.551
From jail, from prison, he regained perspective. and only
00:26:36.551 --> 00:26:41.289
Then was he able to have his heart and his mind guarded and
00:26:41.289 --> 00:26:44.959
Governed by the peace of god, which is without explanation.
00:26:44.959 --> 00:26:48.797
It passes and surpasses all understanding. so despite the
00:26:48.797 --> 00:26:53.401
Pain, despite the fears and whatever the world can throw at
00:26:53.401 --> 00:26:57.205
Us, all these stresses that come our way, the peace of god
00:26:57.205 --> 00:27:01.276
Can be found in a relationship with jesus christ. really
00:27:01.276 --> 00:27:05.280
Knowing him because the more we know him, the more we love him,
00:27:05.280 --> 00:27:08.983
And the more we love him, the more that we trust him.
00:27:08.983 --> 00:27:11.419
This is the peace you can experience and enjoy!
00:27:11.419 --> 00:27:15.623
Thank you for joining us once again on powerpoint.
00:27:15.623 --> 00:27:18.359
I'll see you the next time.
00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:20.261
♪♪♪
00:27:20.261 --> 00:27:20.261

Jack Graham - Turning Your Stress Into Strength

March 8, 2026 | 27:29

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