Let’s imagine a scene together. Imagine you’re in a hot desert surrounded by millions of people. Some boys are herding cattle, mamas are calling out to their children to be careful, old men are speaking about the greatness of God… but you already know this. Yesterday, you were a slave: today, you are free. Yesterday, you kept a passover while a spirit moved over the land and killed the first born of all your slave masters. The king of this country you have been forced to slave away in allowed you to leave, but then news comes and you keep hearing it yelled out: He’s coming. He’s bringing all his chariots. He’s going to kill us! What have we done?!

Cries of fear because the powerful king and his army are coming to kill you all and cries of anger against the man who led you and your people away ring louder and louder and louder… what do you do? How do you react? What do you say?

We read what the Israelites said in this situation in Exodus 14:10-12,

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

They’re ready to blame Moses for the scary situation they’ve found themselves in. They abandon the hope they felt living through the terrible plagues of Egypt. They lash out and accuse and abandon the feeling of security they just felt yesterday when they were escaping their bonds. But Moses is different. Though every person he knows (and thousands that he doesn’t know) are all in panic mode, Moses replies,

“Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

How do you respond to stressful situations? If I’m going to be honest, I’d answer, “Badly.” My natural, fleshly response is panic and anger. Sometimes, I’ve let that lead me to screaming at my loved ones or saying things that I never wanted to… which then leads me to apologize (which I also hate doing because I struggle with pride). Sometimes, I lose hope that God is sovereign. It’s very natural to respond badly when circumstances don’t seem to go the way you think they should. But we’re not called to be natural, are we?

Galatians 5:16-17 tells us, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Inside us are two kinds of people: the natural and the spiritual. It’s easy to fall into the natural with our feelings and responses, but God very clearly commands His daughters to walk in the Spirit. And He doesn’t give exceptions: Walk in the Spirit. Period. Not just when you want to, not just in church, not just when things are going easy and light….

But how do you respond to stressful situations spiritually instead of naturally?

1. Think about what you’re thinking.“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” says 2 Corinthians 10:5. If we’re able to bring every thought into captivity, that means we’re able to control our thoughts. This is what I’ve been working on lately. I know that my first response will likely always be natural because I have the flesh living in me. But what about the second response? If the first response is panic, doubt in God’s abilities, or anger, then my second response (if I’m thinking about what I’m thinking) should then be to ask for forgiveness for my natural first response and then move on to my third response to the situation in light of who God is and what He is capable of. Because my God is able to handle any situation that I may face, no matter how little and no matter how big, my thoughts can react spiritually. We have that power over our thoughts through Him. 
2. Speak about what you’re feeling. In the words of Shrek, “better out than in.” Well, maybe he was speaking about burps, but the principle applies to your feelings, too. It’s very easy to allow our fleshly feelings to overtake us when we refuse to admit they’re there. By admitting “I’m scared,” we’re able to own that feeling and seek out God’s help in handling that feeling spiritually. Our natural response is to lash out when we have feelings we’re not willing to admit we’re having. Stress? Lash out. Hurt? Lash out. But we must speak to what we’re feeling and then approach it from our spiritual nature. The answer for fear is trust in the Lord; the answer for anger is love and forgiveness. James 4:9 tells us, “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.” Own up to your natural feelings and let them lead you to a spiritual choice of reaction.
3. Pray about what you’re experiencing. If you want spiritual power, you have to ask for it. When Jesus asked the disciples to respond to His imminent crucifixion spiritually rather than fleshly, he told them “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” If you know you tend to respond to stressful or difficult situations badly (in the flesh), then you know that you need to pray about it and ask God very specifically to help you respond to whatever comes throughout your day spiritually. By asking God for help before the situation happens, you’ll be prepared when it comes up. Be intentional about your prayers: typically, I know what will set off my fleshly reactions. A certain tone or a certain type of person… but by asking God to help me to respond to these trigger situations or trigger people that I know I’m going to meet at some point, I’m preparing for the battle. I’m also trusting that He can help me change my reactions.

How have you responded today to stressful moments? Would you say you respond mostly in the flesh or mostly in the spirit?

Father God, I ask that You help those reading this post to be intentional about their reactions. Help them think the way You would have them think, help them admit how they’re feeling in stressful situations, and help them pray daily for Your help with their reactions. In Jesus’ name we ask these things, Amen.

Love, Meghan