Participants: John Bradshaw (Host), David DeRose M.D.
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001454A
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01:30 [hopeful anthem]
01:49 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 01:52 Thanks for joining me today. In recent years the subject of 01:56 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has received a lot more 02:00 publicity in the news. Men and women come back 02:03 from foreign fields, having served in the military, 02:07 and they've been affected in such a way that 02:09 daily life becomes just a challenge for them-- 02:12 sometimes with tragic results. Now, being in a wartime 02:17 situation is a stressor, or a stress factor, 02:20 that many of us simply cannot relate to. 02:23 And it's an extreme example of what stress can do to a person. 02:26 Nevertheless, it puts the question or 02:29 the subject of stress right in society's spotlight. 02:33 So, what is stress, and how can we deal with stress, and even, 02:37 what can you do about PTSD? I'm joined today by Dr. David 02:40 DeRose, who's a specialist in internal medicine, in preventive 02:45 medicine, and he comes to us from CompassHealth Consultants 02:48 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, 02:50 thanks for joining me today. DD: Wonderful to be with you, 02:52 John. JB: This is a serious thing-- 02:53 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. 02:55 When I was a kid, growing up in my little town, 02:57 there was a man-- he was a bit of an oddball, 02:59 really, I mean no offense. He had a couple of quirks 03:02 and characteristics. People knew he wasn't quite 03:05 right, and what it was was, he'd come back 03:08 from World War II, and I don't know 03:10 what it was he went through, but it just affected him. 03:14 You know? DD: There's no question. 03:16 One of the big things that happens is impairment 03:18 of social relations. This is a big thing that happens 03:21 with PTSD. JB: So, what is PTSD? 03:23 You go to the war, it's terrible, and-- 03:25 DD: Well, let's expand the dialogue. 03:26 Because I want to answer the question, but it's not just 03:28 related to combat exposure. People can have PTSD from other 03:32 violent experiences in life. It can be a car accident; 03:36 it can be rape; it can be something like 03:39 a natural disaster that affected your town. 03:43 JB: I think I read somewhere that about 8 percent of people 03:46 in the United States have-- and I'm guessing 03:49 this is diagnosed-- PTSD. Which would suggest to me, 03:52 there are probably more people who are dealing with #, 03:55 who simply haven't been diagnosed. 03:56 DD: Yeah, if you look at what we call Lifetime Prevalence-- 03:58 that means the chance of you having PTSD 04:01 at some time in your life-- it's probably around that 04:03 6 to 8 percent range. What the amazing thing is 04:07 though, John, is if you look at the things that can trigger 04:10 PTSD, over half of us will have 04:14 a traumatic event of sufficient magnitude to trigger PTSD. 04:19 JB: So, that means over half of us are candidates for 04:21 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder DD: That's right, and it begs a 04:23 big question that we're debating in the literature, if you will, 04:26 is how can we prevent it? What are those things 04:29 that predispose? But, we've got to come back 04:31 to your original question, just what is it, right? 04:33 JB: Yes, we do. Also, you've got 10 people, 04:36 let's just use war, a wartime situation. 04:41 Ten people go to war, and one or two come back 04:45 with PTSD, eight do not. 04:47 DD: That's right. JB: Now, it doesn't mean that 04:49 the eight weren't severely affected, but somehow they had 04:51 the coping mechanisms, or the whatever it is, 04:53 that they can harmonize with their future 04:57 like their past life. Some cannot. 04:59 So, okay, let's look at this in the big picture, 05:01 because this discussion, it's going to be 05:03 a biblical discussion. DD: That's right. 05:06 JB: But also, it isn't dealing with Post Traumatic Stress 05:08 Disorder solely, but stress, and stress factors. 05:14 I think it's very important, because for some people, 05:16 they have stress, it drives them away from God. 05:19 Others, they experience stress, it drives them toward God. 05:22 DD: That's right. JB: And that's the response 05:24 that we want, coming closer to God and dealing 05:26 with the stressors in our life. DD: So, someone has this 05:30 traumatic event, and in the aftermath of it they have 05:33 prolonged experiences, if you will, 05:37 where they're either reliving the traumatic event; 05:40 they may have nightmares, they may have flashbacks. 05:43 They often have a heightened sense of emotional connectedness 05:47 for anything that looks like the traumatic event. 05:49 So, if someone saw combat duty, on the 4th of July when the 05:53 neighbor is lighting off fireworks, they may dive 05:55 under their bed because they're reliving that combat experience, 06:00 if you will. The other dynamic that often 06:02 goes along with PTSD that's so important-- 06:05 and we've got to come back to this because it ties in 06:07 with the whole stress discussion-- is, many of these 06:10 people experience what they call "emotional numbness" 06:14 or "emotional detachment." Those relationships that used to 06:18 seem meaningful, now they don't feel that they connect with that 06:21 significant other or their children or their grandchildren. 06:25 So, all of these issues are under this umbrella of PTSD, 06:30 and it often brings other things with it. 06:31 Higher risk of high blood pressure, 06:33 depression and other mental health disorders. 06:35 Here's some of the great news: PTSD, when we look at the data, 06:39 what helps a person do better in the same traumatic events, 06:43 one of the best things-- I love to tell 06:46 this element of it-- one of the factors 06:48 that we can't change is the older you are, the less 06:52 likely you are to have PTSD. You know, we're always talking 06:55 about aging causing all these health problems. 06:58 Here is something where aging actually seems to be 07:01 a preventative for PTSD. Another really interesting thing 07:05 that we can change is what we call 07:07 "functional social support." JB: Now, what's that? 07:10 DD: That means, if you're connected-- 07:11 if you have people that are supporting you-- 07:14 you're much less likely to have PTSD. 07:16 And this is powerful, when it comes to stress. 07:18 We're speaking about the Bible. I love the story 07:21 in the Gospel of Mark. I've been spending 07:23 a lot of time, John, going through the Gospel 07:26 of Mark with groups of people because it is such a 07:28 powerful relational Gospel. It's the most succinct, 07:32 fast-moving of the Gospels, and yet there are some insights 07:35 in Mark that you don't get anywhere else. 07:37 In Mark chapter 2, a very interesting social situation. 07:42 You could say, a situation that was 07:44 very stressful, no doubt, for the homeowner. 07:47 His home is full, all kinds of people, no one can get in. 07:51 And then what happens? JB: They take the roof apart, 07:53 and lower down this paralyzed man. 07:55 Four people lower him down into the presence of Jesus. 07:57 And I can see Jesus sitting in the room, 07:59 with bits of dust and straw falling, just raining down 08:02 on them as they're taking the roof apart. 08:04 Clearly, the homes were constructed in such a way 08:06 that this is possible. DD: Right. 08:08 JB: But still, you can imagine there was a mess up there. 08:10 Jesus is getting showered in detritus. 08:13 It had to have been something to witness. 08:15 DD: The amazing thing-- even though that may 08:17 have been stressful to the homeowner-- 08:19 there's a man in that story. That paralytic, who is only 08:24 there by virtue of what we would call the "tangible" 08:28 or "instrumental" social support that his four friends gave him. 08:33 JB: Where would he have been without his friends? 08:35 DD: Exactly right. JB: Now, we don't know much 08:36 about the way they connected, or how it came by, but it's that 08:39 this man was brought to Jesus by four other people. 08:44 So, talk a little bit about what that social support really means 08:47 in practical terms, in daily life. 08:49 DD: This is really important, because a lot of times when 08:51 we speak of social support, people think of what is kind of 08:55 the warm, fuzzy social support. That's what we call 08:57 "emotional support." But there are different levels 09:01 of social support. There's the warm fuzzies that we 09:03 get from people that love us and support us, but that person who 09:06 helps you-- even though they may not do it in the nicest way-- 09:10 can still be giving you valuable support that can help you on 09:15 your journey to health and wholeness. 09:18 JB: But people should be looking out for others and trying 09:21 to set up support for them, because it's just good for them 09:24 and alleviates their stress. DD: This is really interesting, 09:27 from the standpoint of the church. 09:29 Jesus calls people into fellowship. 09:32 He calls disciples to be with Him. 09:34 He founds a church, if you will, right? 09:38 JB: Yes. DD: Many people say, 09:41 I don't like this church. I don't like the community 09:44 I'm in. Do you know what? 09:46 It doesn't matter whether you like the people; it doesn't 09:49 matter whether you like your next-door neighbor or not, 09:51 you can get benefits to your health and to their health 09:54 by doing just what Jesus said: treating others as you would 09:58 like to be treated yourself. Many people, 10:00 in their spiritual life, they've become members, 10:04 if you will, of some kind of global 10:06 Internet community, and they're not worshiping with other 10:10 people, they're missing the power of social connectedness. 10:14 They say, I'm just doing fine. But what about the other people 10:17 who are missing the value of your connecting with them? 10:21 JB: Amen. So, I would recommend you to 10:22 watch It Is Written, and go to church, and experience 10:26 the best of both worlds. Amen. 10:28 I'm glad you're with us today. There's a whole lot more 10:30 to talk about. Stress, what causes it, 10:33 what you can do about it. I've got Dr. David DeRose with 10:35 me, and we're going to talk more about this in just a moment. 10:40 [fanfare] 10:48 JB: Stress is a part of everyone's life. 10:51 If you're living and breathing, then the chances are you're 10:53 either dealing with some stress right now, or you've faced it in 10:57 the not-too-distant past. God knows that, and it matters 11:00 to Him. Through His Word, He gives 11:03 wisdom that can help you manage the stress that comes your way. 11:06 If you'd like to know more, I'd be happy to send you a 11:10 free book from our Healing Insights series, called 11:13 "Dealing with Stress." All you need to do is call 11:16 (800) 253-3000 and ask for "Dealing with Stress. 11:21 If the line is busy, please do try again. 11:24 You can write to: It Is Written, 11:26 P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37401, 11:31 and we'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 11:34 You can also download a free digital copy at ItIsWritten.com. 11:40 Our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, and 11:43 you can find us online at ItIsWritten.com. 11:50 JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw. 11:53 Thanks for joining me today. I'm joined by Dr. David DeRose, 11:56 a doctor of internal medicine, a doctor of preventive medicine. 11:59 Which sounds like a guy who's trying to work himself 12:01 out of a job, if you stop and think about it. 12:03 He comes to us from CompassHealth Consulting 12:06 in Northern California. Dr. DeRose, 12:08 I'm glad you're with me today. We're talking about some good 12:10 stuff, I think. DD: It's exciting, 12:11 because it makes a difference. JB: Makes a real difference 12:14 in a person's life. The stereotype is, 12:16 somebody smokes a joint, they get happily buzzed 12:20 or stoned, and it's "Hey, whatever, dude." 12:23 You know, they mellow out. You would say this helps one's 12:27 stress level. However-- there's a big however. 12:31 DD: Well, the big however-- you've identified this exactly, 12:35 John. In the literature we speak about 12:37 an a-motivational syndrome that can occur in chronic users 12:41 of marijuana. And this means it basically 12:43 just takes away your drive. Now, you might say, 12:46 "Well, this is good." Because you can relax. 12:48 But this is actually not good, if you look at the broader 12:51 picture of stress. Because some of 12:54 the biggest stressors are those global issues. 12:57 And if you lose your motivation to work, for example, 13:01 this is going to have some implications as far as 13:05 long-term stress. JB: Which says to us that a 13:08 certain amount of stress is good for you. 13:10 DD: You're exactly right. The kind of environment where 13:13 people just want to be in a cocoon, sometimes-- especially 13:15 if you're really bombarded by all kinds of stressors-- 13:18 is not reality. In fact, 13:21 Jesus articulated very clearly. He said, "In the world 13:23 you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer; 13:27 I've overcome the world." So Jesus didn't give us 13:29 a picture of life with no problems, but a picture of life 13:33 with challenges that we can go through with Him. 13:36 JB: If you don't recognize the stress involved in earning a 13:41 living, raising your kids, supporting your family, if you 13:44 don't respond to that stressor, you're going to be a bum. 13:48 You know what I'm saying. DD: Well, it increases 13:50 the risk of it, at least. JB: Yeah, if you don't respond 13:54 positively to that stress, you won't be a productive 13:56 member of society, is really what I mean to say. 13:58 DD: Look at something really interesting. 14:00 Because we're speaking about the Gospel of Mark and some of the 14:02 insights that we get there about stress and other health issues. 14:07 I'm in Mark 15. Jesus is on the cross. 14:10 And if you want to talk about someone going through an acutely 14:14 stressful experience, I don't know of anything 14:17 in history that compares to what Jesus is experiencing 14:21 on the cross. Now, someone would say, 14:23 "Well, that's acute stress, it's not chronic stress. 14:27 It's not PTSD." Granted. 14:29 But still, let's look at Jesus' example. 14:31 Mark chapter 15, verse 23. It says, "Then they gave him 14:36 wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but he did not take it." 14:42 JB: Can you describe what this is? 14:43 Because essentially this is a painkiller, isn't it? 14:45 DD: Exactly. Exactly. 14:46 That's what they were doing, they were in mercy offering 14:49 Jesus just a little something to ease His pain. 14:53 Death on a cross, from the medical assessments of it, 14:57 was a tremendously painful, excruciating form of death. 15:02 JB: Yes. DD: The question is, though. 15:05 Here we're talking about pain. We're talking about-- 15:09 and by the way-- when it comes to PTSD, 15:12 abuse of chemicals is a real risk in that setting. 15:16 But it's not just PTSD. People that are going through 15:18 stressful life experiences, it's so easy to go to these 15:21 things that are legal. Whether it's alcohol, 15:25 you mentioned nicotine, tobacco. And I say, let's ask 15:28 the question then, where we were in the Bible. 15:30 Why would Jesus not use it? And I would suggest 15:34 that if you look at Jesus' life, Jesus lived a focused life. 15:38 He was focused on always doing the things 15:41 that pleased the Father. And granted, on the cross 15:44 He's experiencing, like you mentioned, 15:46 that sense of separation from the Father. 15:48 But I get the picture that Jesus realized that He needed 15:54 all of His cognitive abilities. I would suggest to you: 15:59 if Jesus needed all His cognitive abilities, 16:03 the divine Son of God, how much more 16:06 do I need them? Well, I'm not on the cross, 16:08 but do I want to leave some of those mental marvels, 16:15 or however you want to describe them, aside? 16:19 Because I need to help deal with the pain. 16:21 I'm not saying it's wrong to take a painkiller-- 16:23 don't misunderstand me. JB: That was my question. 16:24 We're not saying, well, you've got back pain-- 16:26 don't use Aleve or Tylenol. DD: Or even a narcotic, 16:28 if you have severe pain. I'm not saying it's wrong. 16:31 I'm just saying, we've got to look at this equation, 16:33 especially if we're doing something chronically. 16:36 But if you want to look at a foundational place in the Gospel 16:39 that gives us Jesus' perspective on dealing with stress, 16:42 it's in Mark 1. Because there in Mark 1, 16:45 verse 35, we find what Jesus is doing 16:48 is He's connecting with the Father. 16:51 And, what most people don't realize is that when I impair my 16:57 cognitive functioning, that is going to affect relationships. 17:02 No question. JB: No question. 17:04 And when it comes to stress, from the Bible what we see is 17:08 the most powerful thing to help us deal with stress, is a close 17:11 connection with the God of heaven. 17:14 We'll be back with more. Don't go away. 17:15 I've got Dr. David DeRose with me. 17:17 Stress, what can we do about it; how can we live with it 17:19 healthfully. How can the stressors in our 17:21 lives drive us to God and not away from God? 17:24 We'll have more in just a moment. 17:27 [gentle melody] Every Word is a one-minute 17:29 Bible-based daily devotional presented by Pastor John 17:32 Bradshaw and designed especially for busy people like you. 17:35 Look for Every Word on selected networks, or watch it online 17:39 every day on our website, ItIsWritten.com. 17:44 [hopeful melody] 17:52 JB: Jacob had made a real mess of his life. 17:55 He had purchased the birthright from his brother by very devious 17:57 means. At his mother's suggestion he 17:59 deceived his father, and now, later, it looked like his 18:02 brother, Esau, was going to kill him. 18:04 What could he do? He found himself wrestling with 18:07 God and he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 18:10 That's Genesis 32:26. Now, how do you like that 18:13 prayer: You must bless me. I'm not prepared to take no for 18:16 an answer. That's a prayer that's worth 18:18 praying, and it's a prayer that God will answer. 18:21 You can afford to pray that prayer: I will not let you go, 18:24 unless you bless me. If you've made a mess, if you're 18:27 in a fix, if you need God's help--pray that prayer. 18:30 I will not let you go, unless you bless me. 18:33 God never fails to answer a prayer like that, when it's 18:37 prayed in real faith. I'm John Bradshaw for 18:39 It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. 18:45 JB: Thanks for joining me today on It Is Written. 18:47 I'm joined by Dr. David DeRose, talking about stress and 18:52 how we can deal with stress in a healthy way. 18:54 Stress doesn't have to kill a person. 18:57 In fact, a life without stress is neither practical 19:01 nor possible. Dr. DeRose, I think we know that 19:05 something that impacts people's stress level, for the good or 19:10 for the bad, is rest and sleep. And when I say for the bad-- 19:14 not enough rest, not enough sleep-- 19:17 stress rises. DD: What we know is if we 19:19 cut ourselves back on sleep, the body actually has to 19:24 ramp up stress hormones to keep us going. 19:28 So the person who tells you, "Listen, I can function 19:31 on just a few hours sleep. No problem. 19:33 I don't even take any caffeine." What they're doing is they just, 19:38 intrinsically, have the ability to ramp up those stress 19:41 hormones. Many people can't do it, 19:43 so they take the caffeine. Caffeine, one of the things it 19:45 works on is a compound called adenosine. 19:48 It blocks adenosine, and when it does that, that ramps up those 19:51 stress hormone levels. So, either way-- whether you're 19:54 resorting to the caffeine or you just do it on your own-- 19:57 you raise those stress hormone levels. 19:59 And when you do it, blood pressure tends to rise, 20:02 blood sugar tends to rise, you're more likely to have 20:05 problems with diabetes and high blood pressure. 20:07 Heart disease, heart rhythm problems. 20:09 The list goes on and on. JB: The drug of choice for 9 out 20:12 of 10 Americans-- people who would never drink 20:14 alcohol or smoke marijuana-- the drug of choice for 20:16 9 out of 10 Americans is caffeine. 20:18 Not good for a person, is it? DD: It really isn't, because not 20:21 only is it ramping up those stress hormones, it's actually 20:25 reproducing the kind of things that would be desirable in one 20:28 of those fight or flight scenarios. 20:30 One of them, by the way, is your blood clotting. 20:33 Your blood actually becomes more coagulable under the influence 20:36 of caffeine, which is not a good thing unless you're running from 20:40 a tiger that may be, you know, about to paw you. 20:44 JB: Yeah, not too many of us have that to worry about on 20:45 a day to day basis. DD: Not really. 20:47 JB: And why this matters, I think, is-- you can think 20:49 I'm just getting picky here, dealing with your coffee habit, 20:53 and I'm not really. The thing is this: 20:56 we got back to Jesus on the cross, right? 20:58 Those things that would have affected His frontal lobe, 21:00 His decision-making ability, those things that would 21:02 have dulled His sensibilities. If someone had said to Jesus, 21:06 while He was on the cross, "Look, medical marijuana 21:09 is just what you need." He would have said no. 21:12 In this situation, no, because I need the connection 21:16 with my Father. Right? 21:18 DD: That's right. And no one could say-- 21:20 by the way, this is true-- there are carcinogens 21:24 in marijuana smoke, just like in tobacco smoke. 21:27 JB: No question. DD: So, no one's going to say to 21:29 Jesus He'd be increasing His risk of lung cancer. 21:32 I mean, He's about to die. But the point is, 21:34 you're exactly right. What's going on, 21:36 on a mental level? It was important to Jesus; 21:39 it should be incredibly important to us. 21:41 JB: Yeah. Now, sleep. 21:44 How much sleep should a person get-- 21:46 and I'm asking this, because it affects stress. 21:50 If you are dealing with some stressors in your life-- 21:54 if the landlord is getting on you because 21:56 you can't pay the rent and they're coming to cut off 21:58 your electricity and you're about to lose your job and your 22:00 marriage is falling apart and you've got a kid that's going 22:02 off the rails-- and you're getting by on 90 minutes sleep 22:05 or three hours sleep a night, oh man, 22:07 you're just asking for trouble. You need plenty of rest. 22:10 How much? This is in the news 22:12 a lot these days. DD: Well, 22:13 if you look at the data, most of the studies are looking 22:15 at somewhere between seven to eight, eight and a half 22:18 hours of sleep, that's optimal for most people. 22:22 You don't have to flip a coin or join some kind of computerized 22:28 simulator to figure out how much sleep you need. 22:31 What I recommend people do is just get to bed early, 22:35 and don't set an alarm clock. Get to bed early enough so that 22:38 if you need more sleep than you think you need, 22:40 you won't be late for work. And see what time you wake up. 22:45 By the way, that jarring noise of the alarm clock-- 22:48 I mean, some of us still have those old-style alarm clocks 22:50 that buzz-- I mean, this is probably 22:53 not the best thing, as far as stress management, 22:56 as far as starting your day. JB: If a person is not getting 22:59 enough sleep, what's happening to them physiologically? 23:01 DD: Well, not only do you have these stress hormones that are 23:04 ramping up, not only does the blood tend to be more coagulable 23:07 under the influence of those hormones, but on a mental level, 23:12 the higher intellectual processes need optimal sleep. 23:16 JB: Our getting rest is so important to God, that He 23:19 mandated that we get rest. Not so much on a daily basis, 23:23 but right in the heart of the Ten Commandments, God said, 23:25 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." 23:30 And the word "Sabbath" means rest, essentially. 23:32 Six days you shall labor and do all of your work, but the 23:35 seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord they God. 23:38 And that whole concept of keeping the Sabbath day holy is 23:42 being forgotten, even by Christians. 23:45 DD: Oh, it's hugely important. But not only is it important to 23:48 God, it's hard-wired in our physiology. 23:51 Most people have heard of circadian rhythms, John. 23:53 Those are those daily rhythms. Every woman knows about 23:56 the lunar rhythms, or monthly rhythms. 24:00 But most people have not heard of the carcaseptan rhythms. 24:04 These are actually seven-day rhythms, and our bodies, 24:08 it seems, were designed to function on a seven-day cycle. 24:13 JB: God built that into us. DD: It's amazing. 24:15 JB: So every seventh day, according to the Bible, 24:18 that's the Sabbath day. And that's the day to unplug, 24:24 disconnect-- that's from the secular things-- and plug in, 24:29 and connect on a spiritual level. 24:31 Not to say we shouldn't be doing that to an extent every day, 24:34 but the Sabbath day is a whole day 24:37 that God has given to us, where, in the absence of our secular 24:41 work, there's time for family. There's time for kids, 24:45 there's time for church. There's time to give your body 24:49 a break and rest. And if you were to say to 24:52 somebody who's experiencing stress, "How would you like 24:54 a day off a week?" A whole day, 24:56 where you can just relax. Really. 25:01 Wouldn't that be something people should jump at? 25:04 DD: Well, I mean, this is tremendous. 25:06 And, in the Gospel of Mark, from the very beginning, 25:09 the very first chapter in the Gospel of Mark, 25:11 Jesus is doing something remarkable with the Sabbath. 25:14 Because you see, in Jesus' day the Sabbath had been layered 25:17 with all these restrictions. It was not truly a spiritual day 25:20 of rest, it was a day of burden. So, many Christians today 25:23 misunderstand Jesus' ministry as it relates to the Sabbath. 25:27 Jesus was liberating the Sabbath. 25:30 He was making it truly a day of rest, and a day of healing. 25:33 JB: And it's in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus says, 25:36 "The Sabbath was made for man; not man for the Sabbath." 25:40 DD: Exactly. JB: Humans were made on the 25:41 sixth day, and their very first full day of life was a day off. 25:45 DD: That's right. JB: God said, 25:46 "I've made this for you. Here, it's a gift." 25:49 And so, if we're looking to deal with stress in our lives, 25:51 it just makes sense that we would embrace this very thing 25:53 that God carved into stone, when He wrote 25:56 the Ten Commandments. "Remember the Sabbath day, 25:58 and keep it holy." DD: It's amazing to me as a 26:01 physician, to look at those very Ten Commandments-- you know, 26:04 we're focusing on the Fourth-- but, every one of them 26:07 has profound healing implications, 26:11 and Jesus endorsed them. He basically upheld the Law 26:16 and He amplified the Law. JB: Yes, He did. 26:18 Well, Dr. DeRose, that's all we have time for. 26:20 And I'm sorry. But thanks for joining me today. 26:23 This has been a blessing. DD: Always a blessing. 26:25 JB: And perhaps we can pray together. 26:27 This subject of stress is big. If you don't feel like you have 26:30 been stressed out lately, well then I'm saying thank God. 26:34 Maybe you're in a position where you can be a blessing 26:36 to somebody else. But if you are dealing with 26:38 stress-- and if you're not, you probably will be sometime 26:42 soon-- if you're dealing with stress, you now have some tools 26:45 that you can use to enable you to get through those 26:48 stressful situations, upright. Without them knocking you down 26:52 and making you another casualty of this thing we call stress. 26:56 Let's pray together. 26:58 Our Father in heaven, how thankful we are 27:01 that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, 27:06 and that You've given us so many things that we can use 27:09 as tools to help us in the battle, the daily, 27:12 constant battle with stress. We thank You for Your presence, 27:17 that Your Spirit would come and live in us. 27:21 We thank You for the gift of rest. 27:24 We thank You for the hope that we have in You, and that You 27:27 have said that we can cast our cares upon You, 27:30 knowing that You care for us. Let us do that, and live 27:34 without being crushed by stress. We know that this world is 27:38 heading into even more troubled times, but that soon, 27:41 that great day is going to come where today merges 27:45 into the tomorrow of eternity, and we'll live in a place 27:49 without any stress. Keep us, and save us, we pray. 27:54 In Jesus' name. Amen. 27:58 DD: Amen. [Music interlude] 28:10 JB: Stress is a part of everyone's life. 28:12 I'd be happy to send you a free book from our Healing Insights 28:16 series, called "Dealing with Stress." 28:20 All you need to do is call (800) 253-3000 and ask for 28:23 "Dealing with Stress. If the line is busy, please 28:26 do try again. You can write to It Is Written, 28:30 P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401, 28:35 and we'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 28:38 You can also download a free digital copy at ItIsWritten.com. 28:44 It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes 28:48 it possible for us to share God's good news with the world. 28:51 Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your 28:54 screen, or through our website at ItIsWritten.com. 28:58 Thank you for your continued prayerful support. 29:01 Again, our toll-free number is (800) 253-3000, and our web 29:06 address is ItIsWritten.com. 29:12 JB: I'm thankful you've chosen to join us today. 29:14 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 29:16 Until then, remember: It is written, 29:19 man shall not live by bread alone 29:23 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 29:30 [hopeful melody] |
Revised 2017-01-04