Overcoming Election Stress! #126

Are you exhausted from months of election attack ads, lies and claims of “misinformation?” Do you feel like you are living in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty- Four? Are you concerned about the future of America?  If so, you don’t want to miss this edition of Finish Strong!

This podcast is packed with timely advice from Brian, Terry and Dan.  They share their secrets for overcoming election stress.  Their Biblical wisdom will help to lower your stress and increase your hope for the future.

So, take a break from all the bad news and tune in for some Good News as we help you Finish Strong!

Transcript

Dan Wheeler: 0:02

Dan, well, we are living in a challenging, chaotic and definitely a stressful time, as we are days before a presidential election here in our country, you are listening to finish strong, and we are going to discuss the stress of the election and how to handle it. My name is Dan Wheeler, Terry Steen and Brian Roland are here guys to say things are getting a little chaotic, a little stressful. Is probably underplaying it, right?

Terry Steen: 0:30

Yeah, life, you know, is stressful enough without adding an election and everything that's going on in the world. So I'm sure there's a large percentage of people that would benefit from some understanding tonight, huh?

Brian Roland: 0:45

Think it makes a difference too, because it's not just the election, it's all the stuff that's going on right now, even between candidates and a lot of stuff that you hear, it's like, my gosh, it's like little kids, and after that, that grinds on you. And it's like, you know, there's, there's, there's things that need to be discussed and things that aren't being discussed by by candidates, and they need to be and so it's stressful

Dan Wheeler: 1:10

in an age when journalism is really editorialism, it's hard to distinguish truth from fiction. I think I don't know. I'm tired of the lies. I'm tired of the negative ads. Well, you know, all day long, and just seems like they're bashing each other. And, yeah, you wish they would stick to the issues. I think as Christians, when we discuss it, we need to stick to the issues and try not to lose friendships over people are very emotional. It's amazing how emotional an election can be

Brian Roland: 1:42

I just, I just heard on the news tonight that weddings in November, now up to the election, that they're requesting no alcohol at the receptions so they can avoid fights from people arguing because of politics. Yeah,

Terry Steen: 1:58

I read a statistic this week, and our country is worse than the rest of the world. There's 55% of our country that said they experience stress a lot of the day, and the rest of the world's down to 35% so our country's 20% more stressed out than the rest of the world, and I'm sure a portion of it has to do with what we're hearing every day, huh?

Dan Wheeler: 2:29

I think a lot of our stress comes from the fear of the unknown. What will happen if this candidate gets elected. And you know when a candidate is so opposite of what you believe in and the direction you think the country should go in. It's very difficult, and I wonder how long until we'll know the results this time. Remember last election, 2020 with COVID. There were so many delays, so many strange things happening. You go to bed at night and one candidate is way ahead, the next morning, they're behind. And, you know, you're wondering, is it going to be fair? I think that's the biggest concern of a lot of people. I'm

Brian Roland: 3:09

not sure if they figure that out yet, how they're going to manage that, because there's a lot, there's a lot of ifs, ifs and buts in here, you know, and that's so it's going to be interesting to see how that's going to pan up.

Dan Wheeler: 3:21

And it seems like that's something we didn't deal with a lot, although Brian, you and I lived in Chicago for a while, and you know, these talk, talk about Chicago politics, vote early, vote often, and even, yeah, so, but yeah, I mean, Terry, we're talking about the fear of the unknown. And as Christians, that's where we really have to have faith that God is still in control in spite of what's going on. And

Terry Steen: 3:48

you know, one important thing to I think that we should always keep in mind is that we're Christians first. We're American citizens second, and that over arcs everything else that we do, and even that in church now, there is tensions, and there's different denominations that believe a different way, and it's so important that the church should be a safe place where people can disagree politically, but still love unconditionally, and we're all human, but that should be our goal. Our goal should be that we still love unconditionally. And the primary goal of the election season is not the expansion of a temporary political party, but it's to embody the character and the value of Jesus. So we as Christians, if we can keep that in our heads, you know, the rest kind of dissipates a little. The stress should go down a little, because our focus as a Christian is, what's the Bible say?

Brian Roland: 4:56

Speaking of Christians, they need to be out there, voting. Yeah, that's one thing that I find out, that 79% of Americans identify as a person of faith, only 51% of those who identify as a person of faith are likely to vote. And you know, that's I got this from a new study that was just out there. I thought I wrote the names on that, but I didn't. But instead of this group, 51% are likely to vote, while 49% are not likely to vote. There are about 212 million adults who fit the person of faith category, and 49% of them do not turn out to vote. That would represent about 104 million non voters. So it tells you, right there the voters evangelicals, it's gun owners. Now these are a low, low end voters, they need to get out and vote.

Dan Wheeler: 5:43

That's hard to understand, because I know the Bible's, there's one of the some of the apostles said, we serve God, we obey God, not man, but we do have to live, you know, by the rules of our country. And I think that, you know, we, we need to oppose things that that we don't agree with morally, that are being mandated, that we have to accept. And as Christians, I think, you know, we need to stand up for those things. And I think that's why this election is a little scary, because a lot of the values that we believe in are, you know, things that decades ago were not even thought of are now expected to be accepted, and you better accept it and keep your mouth quiet. You know, that's a little scary. Yeah,

Terry Steen: 6:33

yeah. And I heard a quote recently. In fact, my pastor said it in one of his sermons that I thought was so poignant. He said, Christianity can survive without America, but America can't survive without Christianity. Isn't that the truth? As we're seeing Christianity kind of shoved to the side. It's destroying our country. It's not going to be able to survive without the Christians stepping up and doing their part. You know, we have to vote our biblical values. We have to Christians should even be running for political office. There needs to be that influence there. Well, I

Dan Wheeler: 7:18

think the number one issue in any election is religious liberty, if you live in America, and we hope for a moral country where the gospel can be freely preached. And that's the concern, you know, will we stay that moral country? Will we stay that free country? I mean, we all saw what happened during COVID with a lot of suppression of speech, and I hate the term misinformation and disinformation. I mean, it reminds me of 1980 by George Orwell, because who's to say what, and who's who's doing the fact checking. You know, really crazy enough.

Terry Steen: 7:57

Oh, it's almost it's so frustrating to listen to any politician speak, to listen to any debate, which it, you know, you can say it slanted one way. It slanted the other way. But everything we hear, so much of it in our minds, we're going no, that couldn't be true.

Brian Roland: 8:18

If they get a real answer. I mean, you get a real answer that would help, but then right question's like, here's the spin and here's

Dan Wheeler: 8:25

the question on the other candidate, yeah, well,

Terry Steen: 8:28

they got their sound bite. They each right. Both both parties have their sound bite, and they just keep pounding the sound bite. Oh, they don't care about really answering. What the Yeah. People want to get answers to

Dan Wheeler: 8:43

Well, I remember growing up, it seems like I remember the Kennedy and Nixon debate and and Reagan debate. Things were much more debatable. Well, what's the word I'm looking for? Hospitable. Yeah, yeah. People could, could shake hands at the end, and there wasn't as much animosity. Now, it feels like hatred and just slamming and bashing the other candidate, making up things about the other candidate. I mean, these election ads this year, the attack ads, are ridiculous.

Terry Steen: 9:18

Yeah. Yeah. You know, another thing is people, I think, focus way too much on the personality and not the policy. And that's been a downfall in many areas, because the personality comes into play, but in the big scheme of things, it's the policy, it's the platform that drives the country right? So some people kind of get sideways on that, and they get so consumed with not liking somebody that they don't really listen to what the policies are and vote the policies, like we said earlier, vote the biblical values and. Put the personalities off to the side. You're not having to be best friends with them, you know? Yeah,

Dan Wheeler: 10:06

yeah. It

Brian Roland: 10:07

reminds me of high school. I mean, who's the most popular kid, the one that everybody thought was cool when you find out later on they weren't law, yeah? But all of a sudden,

Dan Wheeler: 10:17

Danny, yeah, I did. The parties used to be here, and now they're polar opposites. Countries almost split down the middle in just opposite visions for the country. And part of my source of stress is worrying about my children and my grandchildren and what kind of a country is going to be for them. You know, they're trying to achieve the American Dream, which is getting further and further away.

Brian Roland: 10:42

When do we fall apart from what was originally the plan? And why does people want to change? Why do people want to change what has worked for 200 years?

Dan Wheeler: 10:51

Why don't change? I don't get that. Do you guys feel like government officials really care about us? Are they doing what we the people want? They're supposed to be our servants now they're all so extremely wealthy, and you wonder how that happened was, yeah, that were getting money, you know, from a lot of these pressure groups that I got. I got one right here. It says lobby lobbyists.

Brian Roland: 11:13

A poll found that while two and three, two and 360, 7% of voters say it is very important for Democrats, Republicans in Congress to work together to pass bipartisan legislation. Economy, three in 550, 9% voters are not confident that members of either party will cross the aisle to do so. Republicans, 62% are less confident the Democrats, 50% that this will happen. And that's those Congress. They

Dan Wheeler: 11:38

can't they can't agree, and it's become so contentious that, you know, whoever wins the election, there's going to be lawsuits like crazy from the other side, and it could be weeks before we really know who is going to be the next president, vice president, they get it all sorted out. But you know the worry of losing our country for our children? You know, everything we've worked for. I was talking to an older lady along the what we call the bluff here in st Joe, overlooking the lake the night, and she said, I just miss the way the country was when I was growing up. And I said, I know what you mean. It it's almost unrecognizable. It's true. Yeah, yeah. So we've got to figure out a way to get through this election and give hope to you, the listener, because there is hope. And I wanted to ask you guys, how do you handle the stress of the election? Do you have certain verses you fall back on? Do you turn the news off after a certain amount of time.

Brian Roland: 12:43

Personally, I look the verses. I was trying to find one today that I remember, I think it was in, it was in Colossians real Chronicles. But I couldn't, I couldn't find her off the top. So I went to another one. Daniel 221, that says he changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. And he does. He puts them in places and takes them out. So it's this is all for God's glory. What's going on as far as glory? Yeah, for our testing, I think, but for His

Unknown: 13:15

glory, yeah,

Terry Steen: 13:16

yeah. I look at it two different ways. I look at it from how it personally impacts me, and then I look at it, how it impacts our country, and then how it impacts morality. And I guess those kind of go together. So for me, personally, to keep my stress down, I stop and think about, how is this party really impacting my personal day to day life versus, how is this other party impacting my personal day to day life? But I won't

Dan Wheeler: 13:54

know till after the election in the next four years.

Terry Steen: 13:56

Well, yeah, but there's been a history. There's been a history between the two. Right when I sit and look at my lifestyle, my financial wealth or my financial capabilities, and how I live a daily life, and the comings and goings of travel and my family and all that. I'm not overly stressed, because I don't see it personally impacting me that much now, I do have concerns about what it's doing to our country, how it's potentially destroying the fabric of our morale, of the morality of our country, and where that's leading to the potential of our country collapsing, and where that leads toward the end times, all those things get me very concerned.

Dan Wheeler: 14:59

Yeah. Well, you. We know that the Lord's coming back and he's there's going to be a certain time, and he says that's enough. We feel like he's holding things back because of His mercy. He wants as many people to be saved as possible, which is why, I think he mentioned morality. It's important to have a moral country where we can have religion freedom, religious freedom. But for me, personally, when I get stressed out, I come back to verses like Philippians four six, which says, Be anxious for nothing, right, but in everything, with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known, be made known to God. And you know, Pam and I pray in the morning and in the evening together for our family and for our country, and for the future of our country, and for this election specifically. And, you know, and I've been doing some things trying to let my viewpoint be known, but not argumentatively, but you realize that there's only so much you can do, and then you've got to put it in the hands of God and and we know that in John 1633, it's we read in the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. So we have to look long term and realize that God is still on his throne, and he will be be on election night, he will be the next day, the next month, the next year. He nothing is going to over our I should say, usurp his authority. Yes, the ultimate authority and his will will be done ultimately.

Terry Steen: 16:30

It's so funny you pulled up that verse, Dan, because that was the one that came to my mind when you asked about it. I was going to say it right after you just said it, because we have to depend on God's power if we have these big problems that we're trying to take on ourselves, of course we're going to get stressed. But if we can somehow roll them onto his shoulders, and that's where that not being anxious comes in, that's where that praying comes in. That's where the Holy Spirit comes in, and that's when we're depending on God's power. That's when we're relying on the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit dissipates stress, because one of the fruits of the Spirit is peace, and he can give us peace even during this tumultuous time, even during the day of election, like you said that the day after, God's no different than the day before, and that peace does not have to change. What his Holy Spirit can do in our lives. Does not change based on the circumstances around us in our personal life, based on the circumstances around our country.

Unknown: 17:47

So I think it comes down to having fearless faith.

Terry Steen: 17:51

Yeah, I like that. It really does. Yeah, yeah. He's

Dan Wheeler: 17:54

been working on that one. Have a statement. I come back to second Timothy one, seven for God, if not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind. Okay, you know what? The toughest part for that me that versus love, loving the other side, loving people who so vehemently disagree with you and can start spewing vitriol and hatred and, you know, giving you those hand signals where you only see one finger. Sometimes it's, it's hard to love back, but we're supposed to love people we don't agree with. And boy, the election time is a real test of that, isn't it? Yeah, I

Unknown: 18:35

struggle with that, as you know.

Terry Steen: 18:39

I just gonna say another perspective, I think that we need to keep in mind that helps keep the stress level down is that spirit of gratitude and reflection on what all God has done for us and how incredible our country is still, and how strong and powerful it is and the part We play in it and focus on what we do have, not what we don't have. You. Come back to First Thessalonians, 516, through 18. It tells us to rejoice, it tells us to pray and it tells us to give thanks. Then we need to do that for our country as well. We need to rejoice in the positive things that our country provides, but we can stop praying for those other things and continue to give thanks to God and put it in his hands.

Dan Wheeler: 19:33

Yeah, we've seen a big collapse of the moral fiber, I think, in our country with things like we said we never even thought we'd talk about that are now being accepted, and every prophecy has been fulfilled, and Jesus could become, could come back at any time, and the Bible says we must work well. It is day, the night cometh, when no man can work.

Terry Steen: 25:00

Exciting. So excited, ready, they will be there. But yet, there's plenty of people that may be listening to this that are stressed about that, because they don't know what where they're going, they don't know if they'd go to heaven. They don't know what would happen if the rapture took place. And that probably adds to the stress level of someone when it comes to the everything we've been talking about, and they can know they can reduce that stress factor by just accepting the Lord as their savior, making him the lord of their life, and just like that, God changes them and allows them to have full forgiveness and His love and be ready to go whenever that day comes. They can rest and be assured of it.

Dan Wheeler: 25:57

It's that easy. You need to confess your sins to the Lord, ask Him for His forgiveness. He died on the cross for you, and he's he said that we then need to repent of our sins, which means, turn from our sins. The Greek word for repent literally means or the Hebrew word, I should say, means to change your mind. And that, you know, in Romans, 12 one says, or 12 two, it says, be not conformed, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You need to set your mind in the other direction. Say, I'm not going to sin, I'm not going to displease the Lord. I'm going to live for him. And you know, we're all human, and we fall. But it you need to come right back to the Lord, and then you'll know Heaven is yours. What's the saying? Brian, if you shoot for heaven, you'll get Earth thrown in. But if you shoot for Earth, you'll get neither

Unknown: 26:56

foot, yeah,

Dan Wheeler: 26:58

yeah. And on a theological note, you guys know why the dead Christ will rise first? Because they have an extra six feet to go

Terry Steen: 27:16

to that. Yeah,

Dan Wheeler: 27:18

this has been an interesting discussion. I just I know there's a lot of stress out there, and we need to overcome it. We need to live above it, and we need to trust and if you do have conversations, don't get into a shouting match or don't show any hatred. I mean, we need to listen, listen to each other, and then state your reasons for for the way you're going to vote if you get into discussion like that with friends and family, but we need to keep our eye on the prize. The Lord is coming back soon, and this earth will be but a memory, maybe not even a memory. But until then, we need to be working for him, and we can. We need to finish strong. That's the name of this podcast. And Brian, why don't you need by by finish strong?

Brian Roland: 28:07

We got to finish strong. It's a sport. In our case, we're finishing strong by giving back. We don't want to return to the golf course. We all want to give back. And this guy's given to us our whole careers, our whole lives, and it's time for us to do something for him and do more for him than we've done. And this is how we're doing it. And we're doing it by our Facebook page, by our YouTube page, by our Instagram page, by our podcast, by our books. We're also doing it by a radio station called fearless Faith Radio.

Dan Wheeler: 28:38

Fearless Faith Radio

Brian Roland: 28:41

is on the air. Yeah. And then you can you get there by going to our website. You can get there just by going to the website, and you can listen to it. It's from a live 365 is what it's on. The app is being developed. So you can have it right on your phone and then go right to it at any time I have I went on my phone right now through lie 65 and I just Bluetooth it into my car. We played everywhere we go. This is just a lot of fun to listen to, and music's good and and then he's talking. The talks are great. I heard a podcast today with your daughter, Terry, that was I forgot about that. It was so good. There's a lot of meat here. Again. This is such good stuff. So it's good because

Dan Wheeler: 29:21

everything we've done for the last eight and a half years is right there on our radio station, we hope you'll listen to it, and again, it's called fearless Faith Radio on live 365 we're developing an app for Apple and Android, so those should be ready soon, so you can take it with your phone. Well, guys, we gotta go. It's been a good conversation, and and we appreciate you joining us, joining us for finished strong. In our next episode, we're going to talk more about stress and the destructive nature of it, so you want won't want to miss that one for Terry and Brian and John Matarazzo, our producer, I'm Dan Wheeler, saying, God bless. We'll listen. We'll see you next time. For finish strong.

John Matarazzo: 30:02

Thank you for listening to finish strong. For more information about finish strong and fearless faith, check out their website, F faith.org make sure that you rate and review this podcast to help more people accomplish their God given purpose so that together we can finish strong. You.