Stress Isn’t A Sin |09.17.23| Stress Free School Year Pt.1
2 Chronicles 20:1-30
Pastor Drew Williams
I want to start by telling you that I think there are two types of people.
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One type of person likes to drive.
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The other type of person thinks driving is stressful.
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And I don’t know which one you are, but there’s another truth that I think unites all of us.(…) Driving is stressful for everybody when you’re sitting in the passenger seat and someone else is driving. Am I right? Because when someone else is driving, they have different habits than you. They break at different times than you. They pay attention to the road a different amount than you normally do. Right? Because how many marital conflicts have happened because of driving distances, right? Or if you have ever taught a teenager how to drive, you know exactly how stressful driving is. When I was learning how to drive, my mom decided after her second time taking me out that she couldn’t do it anymore because she was starting to put a hole in the floor on the passenger seat where she thought the brakes should be because I was apparently braking late and she thought I was going to crash into every car in front of me. So, sorry, Mom, I apologize for that.
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There’s another time that my mom and I were driving. It was later on, I was in college,
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she was visiting me at college, and we were going to be driving from California to Arizona to visit my grandparents. And I think it was probably the middle of summer and my car didn’t have very good air conditioning. And so we didn’t really like the idea of driving eight hours across the desert in 130-degree heat. So we had the bright idea to drive through the night. We thought we’d leave at 11 or midnight and we’d show up in time for breakfast, foolproof plan, nothing could go wrong. We could talk and keep each other away, it could be great. And so we left and we started talking and as we hit the interstate, I remembered that I had not gassed up my car. But we had like a half tank of gas, so we’d be fine, there’s lots of places to stop on the way. And so we hit the road, we get going. Now, we got to talking,
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and about two hours into our trip, I all of a sudden realized that we had just passed one of the stops that we could have gotten gassed at.
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And the low fuel gauge popped up on my dashboard.(…) But I didn’t want to freak out my mom, and so I didn’t say anything to her, but I also wasn’t really paying attention to her conversation anymore because I was trying to peer through the dark to see if there’s any lights up ahead saying that there’s a gas station or a little town or something. And as it turned out, there were lights up ahead, a lot of them looked like a little town, and so I felt relieved. And as we got closer, I realized that it was the state penitentiary.
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And I didn’t really think that they would want us to pull up to their gate at two in the morning and ask them for help. And so we decided to just keep driving. And by then, my mom had realized that it said low fuel on the dashboard as well, so she was getting a little stressed too. And the conversation kind of dropped between us as we were both just looking through the dark,(…) trying to see any lights up ahead.(…) Because we were on the interstate in the middle of the desert(…) at two in the morning, and the last gas station was like an hour behind us. And the gas gauge had fully gone past the empty. And I knew we were running off fumes, so I’m praying, I’m hoping, I’m looking, I’m peering up ahead, and all of a sudden I see it. A big orange ball with the number 76 on it. Our savior, it’s only two miles away, I think. We can do it!(…) And then the engine cuts out.
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And so I put it into neutral, and I’m like, “We got a coast, baby. We got to keep going.” Because we were going like 70 miles an hour in the interstate. I was like, “Here we go, it’s only two miles. We can do this.” And we’re holding on, and my mom is like being very, very quiet. We’re paying attention, and we probably coast for like a mile, and we get up to the off-ramp, and we realize the off-ramp to get to the gas station, you have to go uphill,
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and over the interstate to get to that gas station. And so we’re getting there, and there’s a stop sign at the top of the off-ramp, and I know I ain’t going to stop, because I need the momentum to keep going. So I’m praying, “Please, Lord, let there not be any other crazy driver at 2.30 in the morning.” And we just blow through that stop sign, careening to the left, because there’s no more power steering. The car is off, and we glide right into the slot of the gas station.
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And I let out a deep sigh,
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and I realized that my hands have become one with the steering wheel, and my knuckles are white.
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We had barely made it.
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So today, we are talking about something(…) that everyone experiences in life.
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Stress.
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In 2019,(…) the American Psychological Association ran a survey in which almost two-thirds of American adults reported that they had experienced significant stress in the last month. And that was before the world went crazy in 2020 and 2021.(…) And so that’s why we’re starting a three-week series called “About Stress, Anxiety, and Worry,” and we’re calling it Stress-Free School Year, because it’s this time of year when all of us are in transition, right? Schedules change, activities change, and that usually brings stress.
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Now, our intention with this series is that it’s hopefully going to be a very practical series, with very practical tools that you can use in your everyday life. But I do want to say, I am not a licensed medical professional,(…) I’m not a counselor or a therapist,(…) and mental health is something that needs to be treated holistically with a variety of tools and guides, but I do want to say that I am a pastor, and I don’t want us to neglect the spiritual undergirding of our whole life. So,(…) the wisdom of God and the habits of Jesus(…) are able to transform our life along with seeking out professional help when needed. So a few weeks ago, I sat down with a local therapist from Dixon, her name is Jeanette Trotter, and I wanted an expert opinion on some of these things. Now, Jeanette has been helping people for over two decades, and is a licensed clinical professional counselor, as well as a national certified counselor. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University, majoring in psychology and Christian education. And she graduated with honors from Bradley University with a master’s degree in community counseling.(…) So in other words, she’s really, really smart, and she really, really knows her stuff. And on top of that, she’s married to a pastor, and she has a deep, deep personal faith. And so, I asked her to help us define what stress is. So, let’s pay attention to the screen and listen in, how she helped us define that. Stress and anxiety and worry, are they the same thing?
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I’m looking at when you say stress,
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I think that is a lack of what I call margin in our lives.
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I mean, other people may define it differently, but the way I’ve seen it working in clients’ lives is things just pile on,(…) you know, whether it’s back to school, like we were talking about earlier, or it’s promotions at work, or it’s extended hours, or it’s pandemic stress, meaning you have more responsibility to do the same job, but there’s more responsibility in the hours of day that you have to do it. You know, I’ve heard different people, especially nurses and emergency response people,(…) having to do that, so it’s an added stress on them that they didn’t know was going to be there. So it’s just extra.(…) And so it pushes out the margin, especially if you’re working extended hours, now you have less time for family or yourself, but you’re still doing the same job with more responsibilities.
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I think people can notice.
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Now, maybe hearing that definition about stress helped you think of some people that you know, or maybe even helped you realize how you might be experiencing some of those symptoms in your own life, because it’s so common for many people today. In fact, there’s one peer-reviewed study that claims that 91% of all high school and college-aid students report consistent and significant levels of anxiety associated with stress. So whether you have kids or grandkids that are school-aged or not, all of us can learn some practical tools for how to calm the chaos so that we can experience some of the peace that comes from Jesus, because He is the Prince of Peace. Because all of us experience stress,(…) whether it’s work stress or home stress, marital stress, stress with parenting, stress with the economy, stress with the political climate.
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I asked Jeanette how to help us identify signs of stress. So let’s listen to what she said. I think people can notice negative effects of stress in other people,(…) but it’s harder for them to notice it in themselves.
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What are some clues that would help us recognize stress in our own lives? What are some of the negative effects of stress if we leave it undel with? It usually shows up with anxiety and depression symptoms. The one I see the most is irritability.(…) The things that they used to be able to manage before things started pouring into their life.(…) Now they’re just irritable or cranky. And then if they deal with that for a longer period of time, it could show up in things like lack of motivation.
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Now, what I used to enjoy before, I just don’t. And I don’t even have the…
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Sometimes if it goes for long and it’s deep depression, it goes so far as can’t even get out of bed, don’t really feel like taking a bath, don’t want to go to work, missing work.
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So if you let it go too long, it can get that deep.
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For some of us,(…) stress can be debilitating,
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robbing us of the ability to experience a full life, or at the very least it can be damaging to our friendships as they feel the weight of our stress. But the good news is that God cares about you and He can help.(…) So we’re going to look at a story from the Old Testament about one of Israel’s good kings, Jehoshaphat. So I want to invite you to open up your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 20. If you’re using the black seat back Bibles in front of you, it’s on page 314 in the Old Testament. 314, we’re going to be 2 Chronicles 20. And as you find that, a quick backstory. Israel’s journey started with God’s promise to Abraham, and that led to the formation of the Jewish people. And they were enslaved in Egypt, but then God sent Moses to rescue them. And then when they entered the Promised Land, they originally had judges as leaders. But they looked around and saw the other nations and pretty soon they wanted a king just like the other nations, even though God warned that putting that much power with one person would probably lead to an abuse of power. But they did it anyways.
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And most of the kings throughout Israel’s history were bad. But Jehoshaphat, our focus today, was one of the good ones who helped the people return to God. So open up with me 2 Chronicles 20, starting in verse 1. And as we pick up our story in verse 1, we see that the Israelites are under attack.
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The Moabites are attacking.
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The Ammonites are attacking. Even the Mi’yunites are attacking. I think the Mosquitoites were attacking.(…) It’s just a joke to make sure you’re still with me. Now, there’s 3 different nations that were attacking Israel, all piled up together.
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And this makes me think of a lot of the same situations that we find ourselves in when we are under stress. Because if it was just one thing, we could handle it. But it’s never just one thing. There’s also something going on with our house. And it’s probably something that costs a lot of money. And that adds stress to our marriage, which just adds stress to the other relationships we have. And it probably is happening the same week that you decide to start a diet. And of course, your good friend brings donuts to work that day. And it’s all just too much to bear. And there’s no way that you can handle it. And so, to make matters worse,
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well-meaning Christians in your life tell you that once you give your life to Jesus,(…) you shouldn’t be stressed.(…) You shouldn’t be anxious. Cast all your cares on God, they say, making you feel worse about it and unsure who you can talk to about the very real and growing pressure in your life.
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And that’s why I want to share some good news with you today.
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Stress is not a sin.
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Stress isn’t a sin.
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In fact, we’re going to look at a passage next week with Pastor Eric where Jesus himself experiences a lot of stress and anxiety and we’ll see how he handles it. Stress isn’t a sin,(…) but it is a signal.
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Stress is a signal just like the check engine light. If you’re driving along and the check engine light pops up in your dashboard, you probably feel a little stressed or anxious or worried.
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But the light isn’t the thing that’s wrong with your car.(…) The light isn’t the bad thing. It’s a signal telling you that somewhere else there is a problem that needs to be fixed.
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I like this metaphor I got from a pastor named Craig Rochelle and the way he says it,
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that if you’re smart, you’ll pay attention to the signal because the signal indicates that you should take the car to the manufacturer. You should take it to the one who made it because the one who created it is the one who knows how to fix it.
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Stress isn’t a sin.(…) It’s a signal that it’s time to pray. So look back at 2 Chronicles chapter 20 with me. And we’re picking up in verse 3.
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We read Jehoshaphat was afraid. He was terrified of the news. And so he set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
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And then if you skip down, you see this is what he prays. He says, “Oh Lord, God of our ancestors,(…) are you not God in heaven?
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Do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In your hand are power and might so that no one is able to withstand you.(…) If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, pestilence, famine,” I’m in verse 9 here, “we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house and cry to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us.” Stress isn’t a sin.
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It’s a signal that it’s time to pray.
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See, when we are feeling overwhelmed,(…) when we’re barely making it, when we’re starting to drown in the chaos of life,(…) that isn’t sin.
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Those are all signals that something isn’t right.
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Those are all signals that we need help to get something fixed.
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Those are all signals that it’s time to pray.(…) It’s time to pray because our God is ruler over everything. He’s the true source of power. He’s able to accomplish anything and we get to pray to him because he cares for you.
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And whether your prayer sounds like Jehoshaphat saying, “Oh Lord, God of our ancestors,” or whether your prayer is the much more normal one that just says, “Help!”
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We get to pray because God is a good Father and he’ll hear the cries of your heart and save you.
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And now you might be saying to yourself, “Pastor Drew, I thought you said this was going to be a practical series with practical tools for my everyday life, but how can I know that prayer is actually going to help me when I’m freaking out?”
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There’s an author by the name of Dr. Carolyn Leif and she wrote a book called “Switch On Your Brain”
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and they had conducted many different multi-year studies looking at how the brain reacts under different situations.(…) Now if you look at her website, Dr. Leif’s website says that she is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist with a master’s and PhD in communication pathology and a bachelor’s in science in logo pedics specializing in cognitive and metacognitive neuropsychology.
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And I’m going to shoot straight with you. I have no idea what any of that means, but I assume it means she’s very, very smart and much smarter than me. And so they had done these multi-year studies and here’s what she says in the book. She says, “It has been found that 12 minutes of daily focused prayer over an 8-week period can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured in a brain scan.”
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You see, not only can prayer touch the heart of God,(…) but it can also transform the pathways of your brain.
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See, when we’re experiencing stressed behaviors like feeling overwhelmed or having our blood pressure rise up or experiencing dread or maybe even just feeling like we want to escape,
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if you stop to notice those as a signal to pray,(…) that can actually help us begin to let God transform the pathways of our brain.(…) Because we talked about this back in January, how habits are just like a dirt groove in a grass field, right?
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The more that you travel that same path, the deeper the groove gets.(…) And our brains develop pathways the same way, both in bad habits as well as good habits. And so if we keep traveling the groove of freaking out every time something changes, if we keep traveling the groove of just fretting and worrying and, “Oh no, this is different than what I thought,” that’s going to be a pretty deep groove. But the good news is that no pathway is permanent.
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When we start to choose some of the habits of Jesus, like prayer,
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when we begin to let God work in our lives, a new pathway can be formed.(…) New habits can be created.
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New reactions to the stress in our lives can actually become stronger than what we’re currently experiencing.
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Here’s how Jeanette explains it. And simply put, what we’re talking about, and I think I might have stated this early, but I want to restate it. Our emotions start with our thoughts. So it goes thoughts, emotions, and then behaviors.
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So if you want to change the behavior, you have to change the thought. Because the emotions, they’re going to kick in about whatever we’re thinking. And the brain, God did a wonderful job, we all know that, with putting our bodies together. Anytime we have a thought, if we are thinking negatively, the brain is going to release cortisol-driven stress hormones, and our negative thinking is going to continue, and we’re going to start feeling pretty bad.
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But if we’re thinking positively, the brain is going to release the serotonin and all these good chemicals to help us feel better.
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So think about, you know, when you’ve been someplace that you really enjoy being,(…) you know, how good you feel. Yeah. You know, and then think about a time when you’re really in the dumps about something and how horrible you felt. Yeah. Just changing the way you think is going to change your body chemistry to help improve how you’re feeling. Yeah.
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Changing the way you think can change your body chemistry to help improve the way you’re feeling.
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And that’s not something that was made up by a therapist or a counselor or a scientist in the last 20 years. This is a truth to how God designed our bodies, and actually the Apostle Paul describes it in his letter to the Philippians. I’m going to flip there. You don’t have to flip there. I’m in Philippians chapter 4. I’m going to put it up on the screen as well. But here’s what the Apostle Paul says. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything. By prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
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See, whenever you’re feeling stressed,
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whenever you’re feeling anxious,
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it’s a signal to pray, to bring your whole self, stressed out as it may be, bringing it to God.(…) And that’s exactly what Jehoshaphat does in our story in 2 Chronicles 20. I’m going to continue in verse 12. This is what it says.
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He continued, “We are powerless against this great multitude that’s coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
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We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.
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In everything,(…) call out to God,
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and the peace of God will work in your hearts and your minds.”
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Stress is in a sin. It’s a signal that it’s time to pray.
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And whether it’s big stress or little stress, all of it matters to God because you matter to God.(…) I love the way Pastor Craig Gueschel puts it. He says, “If it’s big enough to worry about,
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then it’s big enough to pray about.”
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Stress isn’t a sin.(…) It’s a signal that it’s time to pray.(…) And we get to bring our requests to God because He has shown us exactly how important we are to Him when He came in the flesh as Jesus, when He sacrificed His life so that we could be reunited with Him, so that you and I could be transformed into the full life that Jesus offers in the Kingdom of God. And we would get to invite others into the same journey.
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That’s why we’re starting a 21 Days of Prayer together as a whole church family.(…) That’s why we want to practice these habits of Jesus together, all together as a whole church family, because prayer has the power to transform our minds and our emotions and our behaviors so that we can experience the full life of Jesus.
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So don’t let stress or anxiety or worry keep you down, but in everything with prayer and thankfulness,(…) present your requests to God.
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And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
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will guard your hearts and your minds.
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In Christ Jesus, amen.
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Isn’t that good news?