A stronghold is a false premise that denies God's promise. It "sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (v. 5 NIV). It seeks to eclipse our discovery of God. It attempts to magnify the problem and minimize God's ability to solve it. Does

We choose our response--rock or sponge? Resist or receive?

And it is when we are out of options that we are most ready for God's surprises.

Change always brings fear before it brings faith. We always assume the worst before we look for the best. God interrupts our lives with something we've never seen, and rather than praise, we panic! We interpret the presence of a problem as the absence of God and scoot!

Joseph had an anchor. Not a piece of iron but a deepseated, stabilizing belief in God's sovereignty.

anxiety, a proper understanding of sovereignty is huge. Anxiety is often the consequence of perceived chaos. If we sense we are victims of unseen, turbulent, random forces, we

Seek first God's kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well. So don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:33—34).

He promises a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. 3 We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know he leads us and "we will find grace to help us when we need it" (Heb. 4:16 NLT).

The formula is simple: Perceived control creates calm. Lack of control gives birth to fear.

When you are wondering what to do with your worst nightmare, you have to choose. Faith or fear, God's purpose or random history, a God who knows and cares or a God who isn't there? We all choose. Choose to trust God's promises. Choose to believe that God is up to something good even though all you see looks bad. Choose to believe because God is faithful.

We want certainty, but the only certainty is the lack thereof. That's why the most stressed-out people are control freaks. They fail at the quest they most pursue. The more they try to control the world, the more they realize they cannot.

But I can't overstate God's promise: "Unload all your worries onto him, since he is looking after you" (1 Pet. 5:7 JB).