Turbulence is inevitable in our lives. If there were some formula out there for dodging it or for behaving your way around it, all of you rule followers would have surely found a solution. Life just doesn’t work that way.

One of the hardest times in my life happened when I was walking closer to the Lord than any in other season that I can remember. Someone else’s sin nature collided with my life and sent me reeling. The fear that came over me literally put me behind closed doors in my own home, gripped with fear, hiding under my covers. (And this wasn’t even sin of my own doing.) I am saying this because, as hard as we may try, our lives are literally out of our control.

Your company could downsize, and you’re out of work. The pregnancy that you have so carefully protected could be lost. The doctor could call with bad results. A tornado could wreak havoc on your home. And the list goes on and on.

All of these things happen in the blink of an eye and, usually, without any warning.

What do we grab on to in these times? We tend to reach for the quickest fix: the numbing alcohol, or the spouse, or the friend, or the temporary satisfaction of the internet. None of these things can bring us the “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7). There is only one thing that has proven itself time and time again, and that’s the Word of God.

When the enemy comes into our minds and tries to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10) our lives through our thought life, the only way to combat his evil schemes is through Scripture. He cannot stand against it. He has to flee. We must be ready with the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) to fight the enemy’s fiery darts. Everything else is temporary and, more often than not, will lead us to an even greater pit than where we started.

I am closing with a list of scriptures for you to hang on to. Choose one, write it down and have it ready for the enemy’s attacks. Be on guard. He is coming. But remember, he has already been defeated. You can overcome. Just pick up the right ammunition!

The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?
— Psalm 27:1

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
— Psalm 105:4

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
— Isaiah 41:1

So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
— Acts 27:25

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
— 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
— 1 Corinthians 16:13

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
— Psalm 23