Stress is one of those terms that we toss around with presumed conceptual familiarity while lacking the necessary substantial understanding. Stress strongholds are life experiences where we feel inadequate. The enemy uses these situations to whisper to us that we will not make it, that we should be afraid that we are about to collapse. These strongholds stir up thoughts that if I was only more fearless, more together, more aware, or more intact, then my life would be complete. The enemy also uses these situations to convince us that we need more faith in ourselves and less faith in God.

To handle stress, we must understand what it is and what strategies effectively deal with it. Not all stress is destructive; stress can lead to progress through innovation and invention, and without stress, it is possible to become stagnant. The forms of stress described in the next few chapters are the chronically draining and destructive stress types.

Stress is often deceptively camouflaged as an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach, being irritable, having difficulty sleeping, or experiencing a vague headache or a backache. If we hope to deal with stress effectively, we must first strip away the camouflage to know where to set our sites.