How To Stop Fighting Every Argument And Start Living With Peace;

Your feed is loud, your group chats are spicy, and your blood pressure is one comment away from skyrocketing. We slow the pace with a midweek devotional that cuts straight to the heart of modern conflict: not everything deserves your reaction, your reply, or your energy. Using 2 Timothy 2:23–24 as the anchor, we talk about why “foolish, ignorant controversies” multiply quarrels and how a faithful life looks more like kindness, patience, and steady self-control than nonstop sparring. 

We bring in a simple martial arts metaphor that makes the lesson stick. A white belt can be more dangerous than a black belt, not because of skill, but because of frantic proving energy. A black belt knows they belong, stays calm, and keeps control of both temper and technique. That same contrast shows up in our relationships, our workplaces, and especially online. When we feel threatened or insecure, we swing at everything. When we live grounded, we can teach, endure, and choose restraint without backing down from what truly matters. 

The big takeaway is practical: not every hill can be a hill to die on. We look at Jesus as the model of strength under control, someone with all the power to win any fight who still chooses when to engage. Then we end with an action step you can do today: write down the four or five hills that are actually worth it, and when the next outrage pops up, check the list and decide whether to walk away. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s tired of arguing, and leave a review with the one “hill” you’re choosing to protect.

Transcript

Welcome And Today’s Scripture

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and happy Wednesday. You made it to hump day. You're finally there. It is Pastor Josh, and we are back with Field Notes, a five-day devotion. And as we jump into today, let's look at 2 Timothy 2, 23 and 24, which says this have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. You know that they breed corals, and the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach patiently enduring evil.

White Belts Versus Black Belts

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So on Sunday during our sermon, we talked about how white belts are so much more dangerous in training than a black belt. We looked at how white belts are more likely to injure during sparring than a black belt because they just have this frantic energy. They just have this thing where they're trying to prove they belong on the mat. But a black belt, on the other hand, they know they belong on the mat. And that black belt, they know what they're capable of, and they're calm and they're collected and they're composed, and they'll walk you even through how to do certain things, and before you know it, they're tapping you out. See, a black belt knows they can win the match without ever losing control of their temper or their technique.

Not Every Hill Is Worth It

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And too many times we in life we've we forget that. We miss that. We we are so quick to jump into everything that we see that's posted, everything like we just gotta make a comment on this video, we just gotta do this, we just gotta do this, we just gotta do this, and we forget that we are to have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies. In other words, there are gonna be things that happen in your life that affect your life that are foolish and ignorant, and you need to have nothing to do. Now, we call that having a hill to die on. We call that going, this is where I am gonna stand, this is where I am gonna fight. Remember yesterday, if you listened, if you didn't go back and listen, but yesterday we talked about it like this there is a time and a place to stand firm. There is a time and a place. And in 1 Corinthians 16, you know, Paul tells us, stand firm, act like men. And there is a time and a place for that. Everything isn't the time and the place for it, though. Every hill can't be a hill worthy to die on. And and what I share with most people is your life really shouldn't have more than like four hills. When we see Jesus throughout the scriptures, what we see is Jesus methodically picking when he's going to fight. Now, again, this is someone that isn't going to lose the fight. This is someone who has enough power to to in in Matthew 26, we see him tell Peter, do you not think that I could ask of my father and he would send more than 12 legions of angels? In 2 Kings 19, we see one angel killed 185,000 people in one night. Imagine what 12 legions, 72,000 angels would be able to do. Jesus definitely has the power to win the fight. He just chooses when to fight. Because everything can't be a hill. Everything can't be the biggest thing in your world to fight over. And being meek, it means like we saw yesterday, choosing when to fight, not backing down from every fight.

Your Four Hills And Action Step

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So our challenge this day, today on Wednesday, is if every hill is a hill to die on, you will spend your life exhausted and constantly fighting, covered in mud. Jesus had very few hills to die on. Ultimately, the only hill worth dying for him was Galgotha, and that was for our sins. Jesus didn't waste his breath arguing with the Pharisees about things that didn't matter, petty traditions and things of that nature. Only on the glory of his father. So have hills. So your action step today is write down the actual hills in your life that are worth dying on. What is it that you're worth going to the death for? The eternal foundational truths that you will fiercely protect. Keep this list to no more than four or five items. And the next time you feel your blood pressure starting to rise over something that's not on that list, choose to walk away. Well, I love you and I hope you have a great Wednesday. Can't wait to see you tomorrow.