Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Driving the last eight miles home on a warm Friday afternoon after a long work week might excite you.

Not me! Because I knew traveling eight miles down Jefferson Davis Highway in the DC area on a Friday could take 45 minutes or more.

That was just part of the stressful life in the D.M.V. (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). During one of those traffic adventures, I patiently ignored the cries of my hungry children as I listened to my wife and mother-in-law converse about something much less important than sports. I gently hit the brakes for the 500th time to come to another complete stop, driving well under the speed limit…. The vehicle behind us didn’t follow suit.

I inhaled anger and exhaled worry before exiting our van. The young driver of the other car saw me walking to the rear and braced himself for a verbal or physical exchange.

Most who know me as an adult would be surprised to hear I grew up throwing punches. I never started a squabble, but didn’t mind engaging in one. Each time was stressful, and surprisingly, I often befriended those I disagreed with. So why did I feel the need to fight?

I didn’t know a better way.

That all changed as I grew spiritually and began to use God's weapons rather than worldly ones.

2 Corinthians 10:4
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

The fender bender didn’t result in any damage, and the other driver thanked me for my understanding. I’m glad I had already learned a thing or two before that incident because our human reactions have a tendency to intensify stressful situations.

Honestly, has there ever been a year of your existence when stress wasn’t a factor?

The truth is, God didn’t promise us a stress-free life. He promised to give us the strength to live this life. God brought us into this world, knowing we couldn’t do it alone. Our lack of understanding causes us to clench our fists, spew venom, or believe we are powerful enough to take on a life full of stressful anger. That “power” is just one of the ways the enemy weakens our spirit.

Jesus offers us a better way. Continue reading tomorrow to see how God equips us with his arsenal.

Questions:
How do you react to stress? How have your reactions negatively impacted your life?

Next Steps:
Join our text campaign to be Stronger than Stress—text WIN to 419-419-0707. Pray about stressful situations and give your problems to God. In turn, give God to your problems to remind them what they’re up against.

Prayer:
God, please release me from my worry. I pray for peace, understanding, and patience in stressful moments. I give my problems to you. I want to remind the enemy about the power of the mighty and awesome God I serve. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Ephesians 3:16-17
¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

This post was written by Jaron Camp, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.