Thursday, May 28, 2009

Don't lose your peace

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."(Isaiah 26:3 NKJV) Who are we trusting to solve the problem, God or ourself? We need to live by the principle "Do your best, then let God do the rest."

Too many of us have the idea that it's wrong to enjoy ourselves while we have problems. We grow up believing that if we can't do anything else, the least we can do is worry, act stressed out and be miserable. The Bible addresses this: "Do not [for a moment] be frightened...for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign...from God" (Php 1:28 AMP). This Scripture teaches us that when adversity comes (and it will) we must stay in peace. Satan doesn't know what to do with us when he can't get us upset; we've taken a powerful weapon out of his hands.

"For such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a...sign...from God." Keeping your peace doesn't exempt you from life's difficulties, it just allows God to have the last word. By trusting Him completely you are no longer at the mercy of circumstances, other people, or your own emotions and limitations.

I heard it said, from my Dad or some other wise person, "In times like these it's helpful to remember that there have always been times like these." The question is not will trouble come, but how will we handle it? The writer to the Hebrews says, "We which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb 4:3). When things go wrong - do what God leads you to do, then rest in Him and watch Him work on your behalf!

2 comments:

Jerry said...

Thank you for writing this. I only wish I could have learned this at a much earlier age. I'm not quite all the way there yet but I'm well on the way. A couple of things that have proven to be constant are trials and circumstances. Although I dislike them they have always produced growth, faith and a deeper spiritual walk. When you get on the other side of the circumstance the Holy Spirit gently says "See I told you things would be OK." It brings to mind Exodus 14:30 "That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. If I could only grasp verse 31 "And when the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him.....I pray that the great power of the Lord would be displayed in our lives.

Jerry said...

I'm glad for my trials they have made me a better person and more compassionate and understanding of others and their needs. Not to mention the confidence in faith gained after the trial is over.