And, believe me, that is the only way that you will have peace—TO
HAVE YOUR MIND
STEADFAST ON
JESUS.
Without trusting in God to the point that you are steadfast in your
belief system, you will not have any real peace at any time. When
you go through a tight spot, you will panic and STAY panicky. Even when
things are going well, you will have that little nagging feeling that
you really shouldn’t relax and feel too good because things might
quickly change---the other shoe is going to drop.
Let me set your mind at rest by telling you that you will have
tight spots and there are many times that the other shoe WILL drop. Why
should that set your mind at rest? Because God already knows this and
has provided the way for you to get through it: to know Him and trust Him.
Some people think they have faith when they say "I'm not worried because
I know that God will never let _______ (you fill in the blank) happen".
That's not faith, that's presumption and it will lead you to fear and
bewilderment. There are times that God will let _____ happen, if for no
other reason than to teach you to trust Him through the storms, the
fires, and the "the tight spot".
Having faith in God doesn't mean you have to be blind to what lies
ahead. On the contrary, you will be the one who sees itand smiles, knowing that God will bring you through victoriously.
Not that you are going to be smiling while you are going through it--you
will be crying out to God, and He will hear and act. He will have His
angels around you to protect you and He will bring you through to the
other side.
Psalm
34:6-8 (MESSG) 6
When I was desperate, I called out, and GOD got me out of a tight spot.
GOD's angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see--how good GOD
is. Blessed are you who run to him.
Yes, when you trust in God, you can have assurance knowing that
the tight spot is there and that you can get through it. You can
know that on the other side of that spot is deliverance. You can be
assured that, even though there will be times that the ”other shoe
drops”, God will make sure that it doesn’t hit you. But if you stand
there right under it waiting for it to fall on your head, guess what—it
will.
Trust God. Cry out to Him when you are in trouble and KNOW that He will
hear you. Look through the circumstances at God---who is right
there ahead of you.
Psalm
36:4-8 4
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my
fears. 5
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with
shame. 6 This poor man called, and the LORD
heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers
them. 8
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes
refuge in him.
And remember, there’s a difference
between calm and peace:
Scripture: And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark
4: 39
Jesus had told the disciples “Let us pass over to the other side”
and they had all gotten into the boats. The seas were calm when they
started, BUT SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING CHANGED.
Vs
37 “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the
ship, so that it was now full.
Jesus was fast asleep and the disciples were terrified and a bit
outraged. How could Jesus sleep while all this was going on? Oh, they
knew He would be okay, but they didn’t think that they would. Didn’t
Jesus care about them?
Vs
38 “And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and
they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we
perish?”
Vs 39
"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be
still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."
At the words of Jesus, the storm ceased and the sea was calm---and so
were the disciples. But they should never have been fearful in the first
place. Why? Because Jesus was in the boat with them and also because
Jesus had said “Let us pass over to the other side”.
Vs
40 "And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have
no faith?"
Although the disciples knew how powerful Jesus was, they did not yet
really comprehend the extent of His love and care for them. They didn’t
understand that when He said “Let us pass over to the other side”,
that no circumstance, no matter how threatening or grim, could keep them
from reaching their destiny.
Because they didn’t fully understand, the disciples could experience
‘calm’ (when conditions were good) but not ‘peace’. Calm depends on
circumstances; peace is something from within that exists regardless of
circumstances.
Jesus walked this earth in the power of His Father. The reason He could
sleep so soundly is because He trusted in His Father’s protection and
love---totally. Fear could not find a place in Him.
That’s the kind of faith we need: total trust in God’s love and
protection. If
we have this, we will not merely have calm, we will have peace---within
the storm as well as when it is over.
