Pressure and confusion can bring out the worst in us, but God’s Word is a powerful tool to combat our triggers with His truth. Southeast Christian Church
Day 1
Scriptures: Philippians 4:4-9, Luke 12:22-34, 1 Peter 5:6-11, Colossians 3:15-17
Stir-Crazy
Think About It
Stir-crazy.
Those words can be used to describe the feelings that come with being stuck in one place for far too long. Kids can feel stir-crazy when Summer days get taken over by rain and they can’t go outside. Sometimes moms get stir-crazy when they find themselves realizing they haven’t left the house in a long time. In a pandemic, people go stir-crazy when “stay at home” orders go from days to weeks.
Being stir-crazy can often trigger an emotional domino effect. Feeling stuck moves to unrest. Unrest moves to anxious thoughts. And then anxious thoughts start to feel like the walls are closing in and there’s no hope.
When you recognize the feelings and emotions involved in this train of thoughts, you get to make a choice. Where will you turn for hope and a way forward?
While you could battle feeling stir-crazy with practical suggestions from the latest blog or Pinterest board, there is nothing like the answer of Scripture from God’s perspective to help you pause and find real rest from it all.
You say, I am anxious.
God says, In every situation, come to Me with prayer and praise.
You say, No one understands.
God says, My peace transcends all understanding.
You say, I can’t take this anymore.
God says, Throw it all on me.
When being stir-crazy triggers anxiety and unrest, stop today and take it all to the God who cares. He wants all of your emotions today, all of your messy stir-crazy feelings. God is ready to listen and bring peace.
Pray About It
Holy God, I confess that it’s more natural for me to worry about what I can’t control than it is to trust You. Forgive me for forgetting so easily how faithful and good You are. May Your Spirit teach me to rest in Your peace and turn my thoughts toward worship and gratitude. Amen.
Day 2
Scriptures: James 1:19-21, Ephesians 4:26-32, Colossians 3:1-14
Short Fuse
Think About It
How was anger expressed when you were a child? Did pressure build up until there was an emotional explosion, leaving a blast radius of tears and fears when it was over?
Has your childhood experience with anger continued to shape how you approach and respond to anger now? For each person, anger shows up in different ways, but mounting pressure and uncertainty can trigger even the most patient person.
Thankfully, God has answers and transforming power for our short-fused humanity. God wrote some of those answers through the book of James, who was the half brother of Jesus.
James not only gives a blueprint for dealing with a short fuse by being slow to speak and slow to become angry, but he also gives a deeper understanding of the issue. Human anger without God produces nothing good. Anger is a powerful God-given emotion that must be kept in check.
So how do you deal with the daily pressures that add up to angry outbursts? James challenges you to the daily discipline of removing anything that isn’t of God and accepting the words God wants to plant in you.
It’s a worthy challenge to de-pressure your life by saying no to sin and yes to His truth for you. When you walk that out daily, the fuse starts to change and the pressure doesn’t just fill up inside until there’s an unavoidable explosion.
When pressure triggers our anger, God invites us into the righteous life He truly desires.
Pray About It
God, You know I have plenty of short-fuse moments. You see the build-up of pressure and the explosion that follows. I need Your help to break the cycle. I want to become quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Transform my heart to look more and more like Yours. Amen.
Day 3
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1, Luke 4:1-13, Romans 7:14-25
Sitting Target
Think About It
Are you a target for temptation? Despite what you might wish your response to be, the most likely answer is yes. The better question to ask might be, “How big of a target are you carrying for the triggers of temptation?”
Temptation in its purest form is a lie disguised as a promise of fulfillment. It triggers this idea and tells you, “If you do this, then you will feel satisfied.”
If you keep eating, then you will be satisfied.
If you look at these images, then you will be satisfied.
If you have one more drink, then you will be satisfied.
If you (insert personal trigger here), then you will be satisfied.
Yet what you’ll discover in those moments is just how big the target is on your life. The enemy sees opportunities to use those temptations to distract you from the truth and into sin. Then you collide with the reality of being unfulfilled and unsatisfied.
What can you do when you face these moments?
First, trust the truth of God as the ultimate source of satisfaction. Anything outside of Him is going to leave you without what you were looking for in that moment of temptation.
Second, know there is a way out. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” You can run away and run to God. He will help you fight!
Third, do not hide your temptation triggers from others, but instead, freely confess them so they don’t continue to have the power to target you. James 5:16 shows that as you talk about your sin struggles, you can be healed.
The bottom line is this: When temptation triggers your thirst for immediate satisfaction, God reminds you of His everlasting fulfillment.
Pray About It
Heavenly Father, I confess my weakness and my frailty and my struggle against temptation. So often, I fail and sin, but I know Your Word promises that You are gracious and compassionate. Because of Jesus, I have been purchased and redeemed. Thank You, faithful God! Strengthen and equip me as I pursue Your righteousness in every area of my life. Let me bring You glory through the life You have restored. Amen.Continue