Peace, be still #4
We all go through hard times. Years back, I did not think of how rough I had it, except when the old car broke down and I had a tough time getting to work. We lived off an old bumpy dirt road and every time I would go over a bump it would shovel dirt from underneath. When I got home, I would have to crawl under the car to remove what I called, the collector and pour out the dirt. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but miraculously, the car kept starting. We all ate plenty of beans and greens flavored with bacon or fatback and rice. When my sons started to talk about motorcycles, I got them horses instead and this brought them the freedom to ride their horses through the woods and around our nearby lake. We did not have it easy, but we did live by faith, under the protection of God’s Holy umbrella. Although I was wobbly at times like the spiritual toddler I was, I kept learning how to trust in God and how to keep my mind stayed upon Him.
How you might ask?
Remaining humble. When our hearts are humble, The Holy Spirit begins to unmask where we fall short and He does this by the tests we go through. He is gracious to reveal any rooted stains of selfishness, self-righteousness or pride and sometimes stains can be hard to get out! Our hidden fears can surface a blind form of bondage where peace cannot reside. Sometimes, we become so busy we cannot see it. If we are not careful, the fear of man will entrap a Christian. Only when we are open to the love working miracle, of the Holy Spirit can we change and move on. He begins to say, “drop it, let it go and move on.”
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you were given His seed of love to germinate and grow into all forms of the fruit of the Spirit and it is this fruit that we receive and use when we go through those trials. “God’s love is shed abroad in mens hearts.” And, we grow by applying this truth with faith. This is the Covenant of Love that Jesus bought for us to be fulfilled. Ro. 5:5 Ga. 5:6 Ro.13:8
Exercising this Law of love will bring us our much needed peace.
How many people know that, a teacher always walks through everything they give? We do not just study and pray about it; but we walk through our words first hand. All the time! This is not an easy task and when The Holy Spirit is at the helm, our words become time sensitive. Deep within our hearts we choose to listen to His way, not the worlds way. We are always given a choice.
If this were not so important I would not keep repeating it, everything continually circles back around to God’s love. If I am holding something against another, love will always say, “to forgive, again and again.” No one can walk in peace until forgiveness is given. Get right with that person. To walk in the fruit of love, is to walk in the Spirit of God because He is love. Every time we forgive, we grow a little bit more in the Spirit of God and our fruit grows that much more.
We get everything we need to learn from the Vine in how to walk in the Spirit of God. Waiting on the Spirit is to discern the right love decisions in your life, what to say or do.
I cannot tell you how many times I have not waited for the Holy Spirit and just blurted out nonsense. When we wait for His leading, your patience will bring peace because you followed the law of the Covenant and FIRST LOVED.
I have had many people tell me, they do not know God’s will for their life. Understanding God’s will is when we are united with the Word of God and applying it in our life. It is:
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. THEN you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Ro. 12:2 niv
As you begin to renew your mind with the word of God, little by little you will learn God’s will and have His perfect peace.
Our goal?
To be totally dominated by His love in our lives.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15:1-8
As a child of God, we will always go through times of pruning. We walk in faith, understanding His love and faithfulness will bring us through the pruning, those times of testings.
We will be controlled either by:
1. The love and faith in God, that generates Peace
2. Doubt and fear of man = That generates worry and Stress
Many are plagued by guilt, by our sins of yesterday. Our thoughts can either work for us or against us, just like our words.
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. FOR IF OUR HEART CONDEMN US, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, IF OUR HEART CONDEMN US NOT, THEN HAVE WE CONFIDENCE TOWARD GOD.” 1John 3:18:21
Our Father talks about how He blots out ALL of our sins and remembers them no more! He throws them into the sea of forgetfulness. When you mull over the past and have asked God to forgive you, He looks at you and sees the river of blood His Son shed upon the cross so we could have forgiveness and then, He forgets all of them. We punish ourselves. We give ourselves over to the tormentors. We dig up the old man and meditate upon our past sins.
We sometimes think: “If I only had not said that.”
“If I only had not done that.”
“Why did I do that?”
“What was I thinking?
“If I had been more loving.”
“Another bad decision.”
Can you see the accusations in your heart going on? We know who the accuser is and anytime we do not forgive we give room for the accuser to enter our life. If we do this enough, it will turn into bitterness and this could affect us physically. If you are thinking about past sins, ask God to remove them and for them to be replaced with thoughts of something beautiful that promises to give you peace. Thoughts that will give Him pleasure and glorify His name. Read Philippians 4:6-9
Some of us live in the past instead of the present. This is another reason why we must be transformed by renewing our minds. We are not using the love and faith given to us, in fact we are not using His forgiveness that produces peace. If our heart is condemning or convicting us, how can we pray effectively for others, if our prayers are being hindered by our past? The important thing is that we learned from our past. Did not Jesus come to set men free? Can you picture a joyful Jesus?
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:9-12
All the fruit of the Spirit derives from our Father’s love. YOU ARE LOVED!
Together, Let’s all: Drop it, Let it all go and Move on!”
Lets pray:
Heavenly Father,
I need You. I believe in Your Son Jesus. I need Your Holy Spirit to take over my heart, my mind, my life and my hand and enable me to forgive others like You have forgiven me. I ask that you would continue to speak through your Covenant of Love to transform my mind into the mind of Christ. I yield to your will to “drop all my regrets of my yesterdays, all my petty questionings and self pity and I let them go once and for all and move on with You.” Your word says if I remain in you, you remain in me; I can ask whatever I wish and it will be done to me.” I ask that You would draw me closer to You O Father and fill me up with your overflowing love, so I can see people through the eyes of your love and understanding and always think good. Seal my lips tightly not to mutter or speak against other believers, not to judge but to remind myself that all things are filtered through heaven first before we receive them. I ask that You would bless all those who take the time to read these words and apply Your miraculous love in their life and grow your peace they crave through Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus I ask, amen.
SHALOM MY FRIENDS
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