Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Defiance and stress are inseparable co-conspirators. Together, they scheme to steal your peace of mind. Although the term defiance does not appear in Scripture, acts and attitudes of defiance often do.

If you live intimidated by people, then you need to come to terms with your lack of peace. God is bigger than any person. You don't need to dread tomorrow. You don't need to dread your uncontrollable circumstances.

About the time you get things settled in your heart and promise, "Lord, I'm not going to panic; I'm going to leave those dreams with You," no small disturbance occurs.

Today's Scripture passage, which details events in the life of the apostle Paul, has a lot to teach us about finding peace in spite of our natural tendency to panic. I hope you will read it thoroughly.

I invite you to focus your full attention on one of the rarest of all virtues. It is a virtue that everybody pursues, but very few possess on a regular basis. I'm referring to the often-longed-for but seldom-found virtue of peace.

In Parts One through Three we talked about some strategies for alleviating stress. Prayer is another relief—an essential therapy during stressful times. I'm reminded of David on one occasion.

We've been talking about the very common and very real problem of stress. Today I'd like to tackle a practical suggestion for stress-reduction: spreading out the workload. There is a side of stress that is easily overlooked.

In Part One, we looked at a couple of New Testament examples (one negative—Martha, the other positive—Jesus) of people under stress. Let's now go back to the Old Testament and lift out some familiar words of hope.

There is an old Greek motto that says: YOU WILL BREAK THE BOW IF YOU KEEP IT ALWAYS BENT. Wise words, but how do we loosen the strings? Even when we make every effort to slow down and relax, others place high demands on us.

James 1:12 offers two specific promises for those who have handled troubles as they should—one for now, the other for when we stand before our Lord to receive our eternal rewards.

The third question about troubles flows from James’s answer to the first two. We can’t avoid the various troubles in life, but we can accept that God has purposed them for our good.

When the inevitable troubles of various kinds come, remember the second truth about them—they have a purpose.

As James begins his discussion of troubles, notice his word choice: “when troubles . . . come your way” (James 1:2, emphasis added).

The Bible doesn’t varnish over the rough realities of life with a thick coat of empty clichés. God’s Word meets the truth of unbudging troubles head-on.

In the northeastern United States, codfish are not only delectable, they are a big commercial business. There's a market for eastern cod all over, especially in sections farthest removed from the northeast coastline.

Ever felt sorry for certain Scriptures? I sure have. I'm talking about passages like John 3:17, Hebrews 4:13, 1 John 1:10, and Philippians 4:14. Great verses, all . . . yet the popularity of their next-door neighbors has resulted in their being virtually ignored.

As I mentioned yesterday, as stimulating and invigorating as change may be—it is never easy. And when it comes to certain habits that haunt and harm us, change can be excruciating. But it isn't impossible.

When you boil life down to the nubbies, the name of the game is change. Those who flex with the times, refuse to be rigid, resist the mold, and reject the rut—ah, those are the souls distinctively used by God. To them, change is a challenge.

If tears were indelible ink instead of clear fluid, all of us would be stained for life. The heartbreaking circumstances, the painful encounters with calamities, the brutal verbal blows we receive from the surgeon or an angry mate . . .

What is perspective? Well, it's obviously related to the way we view something. The term literally suggests "looking through . . . seeing clearly." One who views life through perspective lenses has the capacity to see things in their true relations or relative importance.