A Quick Reset

In ministry, certain questions or issues tend to resurface often. Lately, stress and temptation have been at the top of the list. Last week’s 7 Prodigals article, Stress Less, took a deep dive into reducing stress — worth a read if you haven’t yet.

This week, I want to share one quick, surprisingly effective technique for handling stress or temptation in the moment.

Start here: Stress and temptation are warning lights on your brain’s dashboard. Whatever form they take, they signal the same thing — a disconnection from God, whether momentary or ongoing.

Once you see it that way, the solution becomes obvious: Reconnect.

There are as many ways to reconnect with God as there are ways to reconnect with a friend or spouse. But here’s a quick reset that consistently works for me in the moment.

I stop what I’m doing and start thanking God. I make myself think about what he’s already given me: grace, relationships, opportunities, life, countless blessings. I voice my gratitude to him in prayer.

Known needs, unknown needs. Safety, faith, health, opportunities, relationships, courage, wisdom. I just start naming people and lifting them up.

My stress and temptations almost always live in self-centered thinking. Shifting my focus to God and others pulls me out of that headspace. I don’t pray for my own needs in these moments — doing so tends to drag my thoughts right back to the problem. Instead, I’ve found that when I simply focus on gratitude and others, God quietly provides the strength, peace, and courage I would have asked for anyway.

Thanks for Reading,

John

Share