I’ve been teaching about stress from the pulpit lately. The series has been wonderful for the congregation. The last key principle from our most recent message was:
When experiencing stress, pray to God for faith to deliver you.
In other words, if you lack faith, then go to the one source who is capable of installing it in you, namely the Lord.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
-James 1:2-8
Are we supposed to simply sit back and, as they say, “Let go and let God”? Absolutely not. As the Bible teaches us, we are active participants in our sanctification. We ought never suppose that we are robots awaiting God’s mighty hand to move us like chess pieces. One of the great mysteries of Christianity is that while we are commanded to obey God, the only way we are successful is if, by grace, God gives us the faith to do so.
We are never passive in our own sanctification. Sanctification implies obedience, which requires faith. Faith is a grace gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we lack the proper faith that leads to obedience, we are to pray for more faith.
In light of our recent pulpit messages regarding stress, we must accept the primitive fact that stress is the result of sin in our lives. This takes some people a while to conceptualize, so if you’re still struggling with this, be patient (hint: pray for more faith).
Consider the fact that disobedience is sinful. How does our Father in Heaven deal with our disobedience? Discipline. Is discipline a source of stress? Indeed. Give this some thought before you read on.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
-Hebrews 12:11-13
The Bible teaches us that the end goal of discipline is the “peaceful fruit of righteousness”. I once taught a lengthy series on this topic because of its import to enjoying the peace that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has promised us (John 14:27). Our Father in Heaven uses discipline to correct us, to make our paths straight in order to bring glory to Him. Once oriented to His will, we remain so by keeping His commandments (we obey).
The more we are sanctified over time, the more we understand that peace and obedience are two sides of the same coin.
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
-Isaiah 48:17-18
Stress is antithetical to peace. What’s our escape? Obedience relieves stress and leads us back to peace. Our part in sanctification is obedience. The mystery is that we do not go it alone, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). If this is a difficult concept to understand, keep praying!
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
-1 John 5:3
Disobedience is a primary source of stress in our lives. Obedience relieves it. Pray to God for guidance on where persistent sin (aka disobedience) exists in your life (pray for the wisdom to “see” – ala James 1:5).
Letting go of persistent areas of sin in our lives often sounds easier than it is. For example, what if said sin is a poor attitude, in general, about going to church or reading your pastor’s blog posts? What if, for years, you’ve watched television shows that are filled with worldly thinking? What if your “best friend” is an unbeliever? What if, as a habit, you obey social instead of Biblical norms and standards? Do you see what the Spirit’s getting at here with you? These are all lifestyle sins that have gone unchecked and have become persistent sources of sin (and therefore disobedience) in our lives. Do you see how these, among many others, are sources of stress?
You must exercise faith to separate yourself from persistent sin and your fleshly desire to remain in it. Orienting to God’s will always imply disorienting from that sin which so easily entangles you (Hebrews 12:1). I believe most people approach the throne of grace looking for deliverance while fully intending on maintaining their existing sinful lifestyle. Therein lies the problem.
You cannot expect abiding peace while clinging to sin, “For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). To approach the One who desires to sow peace in you through discipline this way is folly. There is a very practical side to both sin and discipline, and therefore the “peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). You must let go of sin. You must exercise faith to do so, for it is quite likely you have grown comfortable in your sinful lifestyle and to make modifications means a leap of faith and trust that God has something better in store for you. Nonetheless, my friend, this is the way of sanctification and deliverance. If you want abiding peace in your life, then you must obey. To obey implies making changes – this is the practical side of faith (read the Book of James when you get a chance).
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
-1 John 5:4
Obedience relieves stress. Look for the areas in your life where sin persists and pray to God regarding how to overcome it; however, do not just pray for deliverance while intending to keep the sin (prayer is not a pharmaceutical pill you take to mask your stress). Sin is a cancer and needs to be cut out. Endure the “surgical” pain, knowing that peace awaits you once you’re healed.
Remember, the One who gives us the means to obey, by grace through faith, is the same Person who loves us. So, be encouraged.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
-John 15:10
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins