Stress is often seen as the enemy—but what if God wants to use it for our growth?
In episode 98, Drew and Tim talk with Dr. Charles Stone, a veteran pastor and leadership expert, about how stress, when understood and managed well, can lead to spiritual maturity and emotional resilience. With wisdom from Scripture and neuroscience, Dr. Stone offers practical tools and godly insight to help us stop letting stress define us and start letting it refine us.
Rather than avoiding or resenting stress, we can learn to embrace it with wisdom and faith. Dr. Charles Stone shares how our brains are wired by God to respond to stress and how practices like emotional naming, metacognition, and intentional joy can help us stay grounded in God’s presence. This episode reminds us that in a world driven by pressure and performance, we can find peace, purpose, and strength through surrender and spiritual discipline.
Stress has two sides: the event and your response—you can’t always control the first, but you can grow in the second.
Naming your emotions (affect labeling) helps reduce anxiety and increase mental clarity.
Think about your thinking (metacognition) to discern truth from lies and realign with God’s Word (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Build a “pleasure piggy bank” by savoring daily joys that strengthen your soul (Nehemiah 8:10 – “The joy of the Lord is your strength”).
Prayer and surrender shift us from fear to faith, allowing God to work in our stress (Philippians 4:6-7).
Pastors and leaders must release the need to please people and embrace their God-given calling (Galatians 1:10).
Learn more about Dr. Charles Stone’s ministry at charlesstone.com
Grab his book Stress Less on Amazon
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