Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Stress is the ‘Brain’s Threat Mode’. Stress triggers ‘flight-or-fight’ response which floods our body with adrenaline and cortisol. Brain’s threat mode will drain the energy from the prefrontal cortex (brain’s thinking center), causing us to fluster, lose focus and faint. A constant state of stress will make a person less productive, anxious and sick.
Chronic stress incapacitates the prefrontal cortex (brain’s thinking center).
Scriptures teach us to ‘still’ and not to be ‘stressed’. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The stillness referred to in this verse is the stillness of the soul. Be calm and confident. Don’t fear, fluster, or fume. The instinctive reactions of fear, frustration and fury will lead to silly reactions and words that we will regret later.
David fled from Saul into the Philistine territory of Gath where the servants of Achish, the king of Gath said to him, Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: “‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. (1 Samuel 21:11-12). The same words of praise that boosted his confidence of David after the slaughtered the giant, Goliath, crushed his heart with dread. The young heart of the little shepherd boy feared neither the giant nor the warriors of the Philistine army but the young soldier, David, trembled with fear.
The young lad David was fearless as his only source and strength was the Lord but the young prince David had grown in status and stature. He was a brawly violent commander-in-chief with armory and armed forces but found himself all alone without any protection in the enemy’s camp. His source and his strength shifted from God to the guns and garrison. Hence, fear gripped his heart and he pretended to be insane in the presence of Achish! Fear made his prefrontal cortex temporarily shut down.
Destress:
- Fear: Fear increases stress but faith fortifies calmness and stillness.
- Focus: Stress is caused by focusing on the problem and not the promise.
- Frustrate: Stress frustrates but faith stills the soul.
Chronic stress incapacitates the prefrontal cortex.
Prayer: Lord, teach me to be still and not to stress, fluster or faint. Amen.
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