10 BOCNEWS.com DECEMBER 2017 Don’t Snap Under The Stress We can see from scripture that Paul was stressed out in his life. We all have stress in our families, finances, careers and health. Stress is part of our lives. But it takes a certain amount of stress to get things done. It takes stress on the violin strings to play music. However, if you tighten the strings too tight, the strings will snap. The same thing is true for our lives. It takes a certain amount of stress for us to accomplish things in this life. But if we're not care- ful, the stress can make us snap. We all know that too much stress will bring you to a breaking point. When you're at a breaking point, it feels like you're going to explode. When you're at a breaking point, it feels as though everything is about to fall apart. The other day I was on an airplane and the flight attendant dropped a can of soda. It literally explod- ed all over the cabin. If we let frustrations pile up in our lives, we'll reach the point where we just explode like the can of soda. One day someone will drop you and you will explode over everybody. The reason we explode is because of all the frustrations that build up over time. God doesn't want the pressure to build up inside you. He wants you to give it to Him everyday. You know the story of Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. He built an altar out of wood and stone, and saturated it with water. He called down fire from heav- en, and God's fire burned up everything. Then Elijah took a sword and killed hundreds of false prophets. The queen put a price on his head, and he began to run for his life. He reached a point of burnout and felt like giving up. He reached a breaking point and felt like giv- ing up. Elijah let the pressure of the moment bring him to a breaking point. Anytime we go through a lot of trouble in our lives, we tend to give up on our goals and lose our vision. That's what happened to Elijah. He asked God if he could die. He said, "I've had enough Lord. I'm ready to throw in the towel." Some of you are at a breaking point today. Because you've had such great losses in your life, you feel that life isn't worth it. Because of the pres- sure you want to leave. You want to leave your job… your marriage… to leave school. You're tired and you feel like quitting. So what do you do when you feel burned out? What do you do when you're at a breaking point and you are stretched to the max? One if the first things to do are release your frustrations. You have to release all the fears, the wor- ries, the guilt and depression. Don’t hold on to them. God wants you to release them. Elijah reached a point of burnout in his life. His body was physically tired, and he reached a breaking point. He laid down under a juniper tree and went to sleep. The Bible says that an angel came and fed him, and he slept some more. Then Elijah went into a cave and spent the night. While he was in the cave he had a conversation with God. He began to vent his frustrations. He began to tell God how angry and lonely he was. Some of you need to spend some time with the Lord and let it all come out. I'm talking about casting all your cares on Him because He cares for you. I'm talking about giving Him all of your burdens and pressures that have brought you to a breaking point. Whatever you do don't become bitter. Anytime we become stressed out and reach a breaking point, it's easy to become bitter. You start feeling resent- ful. You start feeling that life is unfair. You begin to blame others for your problems. Anytime you allow bitterness to come into your life, you end up hurting yourself the most. Anytime you hold on to resentment, it steals all of your joy By Bishop Dennis Leonard SERMON Dennis Leonard Anytime we go through a lot of trouble in our lives, we tend to give up on our goals and lose our vision. Continued on the following page continue HERE from cover