THEN COMES THE TEST

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.