On Saturday August 5th, our church took a trip up to the
mountain top behind our church, just to worship. God was waiting on us
when we arrived, oh there was no earthquake, no fire, no wind, just His
presence and that still small voice. There was such a peace and unity
as we sat there and sang and prayed; I really didn't hear a word from
God, yet where He is there is His Peace. I already knew God was going to
ask me a question because earlier in the week I heard the question. So I
was not surprised when before daylight on Sunday morning August 6,
2017, God woke me up and asked: "What did you go up on the mountain
for"? Still half asleep and really not knowing how to answer I said: "To
listen." And God being God asked: "What did you hear"? I had not heard a
word, just His presence of peace, so I just said "Peace" But I asked
how can I hear peace? Lord give me a scripture. And that He did;
Psalm
85:8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak, for He will speak peace
to His people and His saints; but let them not turn back to folly
(foolishness)
Then God
began to speak to me and remind me that He is my peace, it is in His
presence that I continually have peace, and He is always with me. When I
allow people and things to determine my peace then I have given them
authority over my peace.
Notice
the last part of that verse "do not turn back to folly", once God has
revealed a truth to us about us, then we are to move forward and not go
back to how we used to be. And once you see it two things will now
happen 1. Satan will attempt to draw you back instead of moving forward
and 2. God will use this to test our faith and our obedience to Him.
Remember Job!
So it only
took a short time, and everything and everyone began to affect my peace.
The news would steal my peace because I would get upset and angry,
people would steal my peace because I found myself being hurt and
offended at every little thing, even my new pet, The Cat, would steal my
peace because after all it was behaving like a cat. I really should not
use the wording "steal my peace" because in fact I relinquished my
peace by reacting to what was going on around me as if it were happening
to me personally.
Heard a
pastor use this wording so I am using what he said and speaking it as
it spoke to me. "When we look inward we become depressed", woe is me,
see what is being done to hurt me. "When we look outward to what is
happening around us we become distracted", even seeing what is happening
in our world, our nation, our lives can distract us and send us
spiraling into a time of unrest, and fear. Even Jesus had an answer for
that:
John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me
John
14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world
gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be
afraid.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to
you, that in Me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation;
but I have overcome the world.
We
relinquish our peace when we place our focus inward, finding our focus
in our own selves and our emotions, when we focus on the outward we find
ourselves distracted from our purpose and relinquishing our peace to
circumstances and situations.
So
where are we suppose to be focused? UPWARD, when we place our focus on
Jesus and His kingdom, viewing everyone and everything from God's
perspective we will find that peace we have in Him will remain no matter
what comes against us.
Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth
None
of the above is a new revelation but God has to remind us where we need
to be, and how to maintain our peace even when we think "Everyone is
against us". Here is the tactic of the enemy, the devil (which means
accuser), or Satan they are one in the same. This enemy is called in the
scriptures "Wiley" which means "crafty", the only power he has over a
Christian is the power we give him; but that doesn't stop him from
trying to convince us we are powerless. He will throw a "dart" into our
minds, that thought is a dart, that may say something like this "nobody
likes me, that person said something that hurt my feelings". The
scripture in Ephesians 6:16 speaks of our shield of faith that is able
to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, the difference between a
dart that comes to our thoughts and a fiery dart is: when we receive a
dart as truth and begin to think about it, then we have just given our
enemy power over our thoughts and lives, and it is now a fiery dart send
to destroy. So our faith should rise up and quench the dart immediately
by denying the lie and speaking the truth.
How should I respond to any dart sent to take my peace? "Not today, Satan, my God is my peace."
So
I failed my test, but I have a Good Father who does not give up on me,
but teaches me more that I will be prepared for the next test.
