Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3,4
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Perfect peace is knowing in your heart that God has everything under control. Perfect peace comes with the realization that the circumstances in your life that trouble you are working together for good and to achieve God’s purpose. Our minds are complex, and they control our emotions in many ways. Letting your mind linger on your problems only creates more stress and anxiety. There is no peace when you allow your mind to be captivated by negative thinking. Jesus said, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Mat 6:34) Perfect peace is achieved when you bring your mind into captivity to the will of Christ. Paul writes,“Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinth 10:5) Satan will do all he can to keep your mind on your problems and things you have no control over. It is his work to keep you from trusting God and leaving your care with Him. Peter writes, “Casting all your care upon him; for He cares for you.” The cares of life have a way of stealing your peace. The death of a loved one, the illness of a family member, financial struggles, and strained relationships are all things that keep you from having perfect peace. A lot is being said today about our mental health and how to maintain a sound mind, but much of our troubles with our mental health are because we fail to put our trust in the One who created us and best knows our mind. He desires to renew our mind and give us the strength to overcome the things in our lives that disturb our peace. Let us practice trusting God for not only the big things in life, but also the little things that can keep us from having perfect peace. 

Trust in the Lord

 Isaiah 26:3-4
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

If we keep our focus on Jesus and His love and care for us, we can have peace in every situation. Peter during the storm was able to have peace and confidence to walk on water when he kept his focus on Jesus. It was only when he allowed the turbulent water around him to distract him, he began to sink, and lose control. Life is full of things that disrupt our peace. The things of life hit us like a storm, and our focus is on our problems and not on the One who can solve our problems or the One who is in control. We stress over little and sometimes not so little things in life. Human nature will cause us to fret and worry. It is only by resisting our human inclination and focusing our trust on the Lord will we be able to overcome and conquer life’s stressful situations.

Waiting For Him

Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Waiting is not one of my virtues. I don’t like driving in traffic waiting for the light to turn red. Waiting in line at the store to check out creates undesired stress. I think we all look for the shortest line, and become frustrated when it  moves at a snail pace. This is one reason I don’t enjoy going to amusement parks, I don’t want to wait in line for a ride that will last 5 minutes. I have endeavored to work on my waiting skills by using the time to find something productive to do, sometimes this works, but other times, I become frustrated and become impatient. Waiting for God to answer prayer or work out life’s problems or make His will know is not something that comes natural for me. I trust Him to know what is best. Still waiting on Him move in our church, to see an outpouring of His Spirit. I’m waiting on God to open the eyes of the blind, to work in lives of those we have been praying. We labor and work for the kingdom of God planting the seed. We have been planting for 31 years in Denver, waiting for Him to give us the increase. 

He is Our Lamp

2 Sam 22:29 For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness.

Darkness is the absence of light. When the lights go off we become disoriented. Confusion often follows, and we begin to question God. David, a man after God’s heart faced dark times and even though he knew what was right and knew the precept of God’s law, he became lost in his own selfish pursuits. But David also found his way back when He allowed the light of God to show him his heart and to guide him out of the darkness of despair. He recognized that in order to escape the darkness, He must always avail himself to the lamps God provided along the way. Darkness brings fear of the unknown, followed by anxiety and stress. We all face times when darkness swallows us up. We don’t always know which way to turn, but we can trust God to be our lamp, to show us the way out of our darkness. Everyone goes through the valley of the shadow of darkness, but like David, we can trust God to be our lamp that will provide the light to see us through.

Doing It For God

Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Sometimes I wonder why I even try, it seems like no one really cares one way or another what I do. whether it be at work, or at church many things go unnoticed. I believe it is natural to desire that the things we do count for something and are having an impact in the world we live. I must always remind myself that what I do does not have to be seen by others. I do what I do because it is what God called me to do. God sees the time and effort I give and the frustration and stress that I go through. Frustrated when things don’t go the way they were planned, stressed out when my efforts fall short. It is good that God sees the heart and the motivation to do what is right. Other may not see it and may judge wrongfully, but the work I do is not to please others, but to please the God I serve. We must keep plowing and keep our eyes straight ahead on the things that really matter. Doing all things with our whole heart for Christ and the Kingdom.