Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Ephesians 6:16 (NKJV)
When you face a stressful season, some people help and others make it worse.
I call the ones who make it worse the “chicken littles” of life. They’re always worried that the sky is falling and it doesn’t take much to get them in a panic. Others are like a rock in times of crisis. They’ll stand with you, pray with you and look for solutions with you. They believe you’ll come out better on the other side. Those are the kind of people you need to surround yourself with.
If you listen to the “chicken littles,” fear will spread in your heart. You need people around you who have faith—people who choose to believe that what God’s Word says about your future is true.
This is the faith spoken of in Ephesians 6:16, which puts out the fiery darts of fear and worry the enemy sends your way. If you don’t react with faith to these fiery darts, you’re like a warrior with no shield being pelted with flaming arrows. You don’t stand a chance.
If you react with faith, reminding yourself of God’s promises, then you’re like a warrior who safely deflects every arrow. When little anxious thoughts hit, you say to yourself, “I know who I am. I’m a child of God. He said that no weapons formed against me will prosper, so I’m not going to worry about this.”
You still need to do what you can to solve problems that come your way, but you can do it without worry, stress or fear. Whenever you start to worry about an area of your life, get into God’s Word and find what He says about it. Build your confidence in what God says and His peace will take over.