Hulk is my fav. He has been since I was a kid.  Dr. David/Bruce Banner came into our home via our television every week for about four years. The Incredible Hulk TV series was based upon the character the Hulk from the Marvel Comics. Loved it!

Dr. Banner is a scientist whose lab experiment that he is working on goes wrong. After this happened, whenever he is under extreme stress, his body changes into ‘The Incredible Hulk.’ After destroying whatever threatens him, he changes back to human form with amnesia and tattered clothing. I can relate.

Extreme stress can transform us into a person that is hardly recognizable. What’s a girl Hulk to do? Thankfully, God lays this out for us in great detail. Plainly, He tells us to first put on our armor and wage war with Him:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6: (10-18)

It is no surprise that Truth is the very first of the armor that we are to put on. With Truth, immediately our enemy has lost his stronghold. The Truth is that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by a Creator who carefully crafted us and who unconditionally loves us. The Truth is that God is our strength and one true Avenger. If God is for us, friend, who can be against us?

Battling our emotions, especially during extreme stress, is difficult but not impossible. It is a battle we do not fight alone. We are not built to battle alone. Praise Jesus.  God has already equipped us to wage war armed with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and HIM (Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power). He also gives us the sword of the Holy Spirit and the helmet of Salvation. Not even Hulk could smash that.

Put on your armor, dear friend. The Lord is mightier than any problem we may face, even if that problem is our emotions. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in all instances but especially in times of extreme stress. While it would be awesome to go all Hulk and just smash our obstacles, we cannot on our own. What we can do is pray, be alert, put on the Lord’s armor, and stand firm.   

P31Wife

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31: 30.

photo credit.