Strength Over Stress

Let’s be real, this world is upside down right now. There are events going on that some have never- and will never again- experience. Fear is consuming people. Stress levels are at an extreme high. Through all of this insane change, One remains the same. God is consistent. He never changes. Which path are you choosing? Strength or stress? You will know which path you are traveling on. Ask yourself, am I controlling my day or am I following God’s lead? If we feel stress, we are controlling our day. Giving in is hard. Giving up should be harder. Look, we are human, we are going to be stressed at times. But we do not have to stay there. Jesus wants to carry our burdens for us. He wants to use our hardest days, toughest nights, and major mistakes to shine HIS Light through. We will undoubtedly go through rough times. Although that doesn’t sound very encouraging, we need to realize that Jesus is there for us. That fact that is encouraging is that He is there for us to go to. He is there to give us strength.

Strength comes when we let go of our stress and entrust it to Him.

We have all the equipment available for us to get through any situation. Whether or not we use it is up to us. It’s kind of like having all the material to build a beautiful house and instead, we go out and buy a condo. You could design your home any way you’d like to. You are excited at first, then doubts start to rise up. Before you know it, you’ve lost all hope in creating your own home. Now you’ve just restricted yourself into a small space. You put yourself in a box. You allowed fear to creep in and take away the blessing before you. You gave up your freedom for something that felt safer. God doesn’t always just hand us a blessing. We have to do our part. God wants to see how serious we are. Do we trust Him?

Jesus didn’t finish His mission by staying safe. He put His trust in God and put one foot in front of the other.

Having strength over stress doesn’t happen over night. It takes practice. It takes you recognizing how you think and changing it. If you are going to think fearful thoughts in every situation, fear is what will capture you. If you encourage yourself that you can make it through something, the next time will be easier. Don’t train yourself to shrink back when a difficult situation arises. Train yourself to trust that God will walk with you and show you the way. You can be brave and feel terrified at the same time.

Being brave doesn’t mean there’s no fear; it means being afraid and doing it anyways.

God has instilled in each one of us His power. He gives us ways in which we can use it. Faith over fear. Strength over stress. Either way, He’s there.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

“If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7