2021-10-05
John 14:27 NIV
God rarely sends us into situations where our comfort level is high. Instead He promises to be with us in spite of our fear. It’s God’s presence, not comfortable circumstances that strengthens our faith and brings out the best in us.
God told Abraham to leave a wealthy, well-known family, and go to a land he didn’t know. He explained that Abraham would give birth to a new nation that would bless the world. Abraham went, and a nation was born. God told Moses to confront Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth, and that God Himself would use Moses to deliver His people. Moses confronted, and God delivered. God told Joshua that if he’d be strong and courageous when everybody wanted to return to slavery, God would go with them and give them the land. Joshua was strong and courageous, and God Himself went with them and gave them the land.
Over and over we see this pattern repeated in Scripture. David faced the giant Goliath, Elijah faced the prophets of Baal, Daniel faced a den of lions – and always there was God in the midst of their fear. And lest you think these stories of courage are all in the past, historian Everett Ferguson calculates that more Christians have been killed for their faith in the past fifty years, than in the first three hundred years of the church’s existence. So here’s Jesus’ Word to you when somebody doesn’t like you, or you get a bad review at work, or you face illness, or the economy dips and your retirement takes a 50 percent hit: “My peace I give you.”
Soul food: 1 Sam 27-31; Luke 24:45-53; Ps 63; Prov 22:17-23
2021-09-19
Judges 6:23 NIV
Gideon discovered the name Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord my peace when God assigned him the job of leading Israel against the Midianites – a position Gideon thought was way beyond his abilities. ‘How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’ (v.15 NIV). The Lord responded, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites…Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die’ (v.16, 23 NIV). A frightened Gideon believed God before the battle was even fought and the victory secured. Through the eyes of faith, he envisioned peace already secured, and built an altar to Jehovah-Shalom: the Lord my peace.
We assume that we can only have inner peace when our outer circumstances are good. Let’s learn, like Gideon, that our inner peace doesn’t depend on changing our external circumstances. It depends on believing that Jehovah-Shalom is with us, which will bring us through the battles we face with inner peace.
Jesus said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace [which is inner, and faith-based] I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives [which is based on external circumstances]. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27 NIV). Today, let’s think about these words: ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace…take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV). Our job is to ‘take heart’ because Jehovah-Shalom is with us, and to trust Christ the ‘overcomer’ to handle the circumstances for us.
Gen 2:7-25; 1 Cor 15:39-55
2021-08-21
Romans 8:6 NIV
The Bible says: “Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (vv. 5-6 NIV). In other words, the Holy Spirit is the non-anxious presence of God working in your life. You either give your mind over to the control of external influences and circumstances, or you give it over to the control of the Holy Spirit.
What would a life like that look like? Well, imagine not being so fearful anymore. Imagine facing financial difficulties or an irate boss with inner poise and resolve. Imagine receiving bad news and generating constructive ways to solve the problem rather than spiraling through the worst-case scenarios. Imagine facing rejection and obstacles without giving in to discouragement. Imagine acknowledging the mistakes you’ve made and moving confidently into the future. And imagine doing all this with God as your partner.
Imagine people around you coming to you when they’re upset or discouraged because your peace of mind is contagious. That’s part of what God’s called you to do every day. When you bump into people who are stressed and transmitting that stress to others, you’re supposed to be a peace disseminator.
Jesus carried peace with Him wherever He went. When the disciples were terrified by the storm, He simply said to the waves, “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39 NKJV), and it happened. Peace doesn’t come from finding a lake with no storms; it comes from knowing Jesus is on your boat, and with Him onboard no storm can take you under.
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Luke 16:1-18; Ps 119:113-120; Prov 18:10-12
2021-03-27
Job 22:21 NIV
Today we don’t just have regular stress, we’ve got cyber stress. Emails multiply like rabbits. Turn your cell phone off for even a couple of hours, and when you turn it back on, it has gained ten pounds from the influx of recent voice mails. Then we have hyper stress. Go to the grocery store and see how much small talk you get from the cashier whose speed and efficiency is being tracked by computer as he or she electronically scans your groceries, calls out your total, and digitally sweeps you out the door.
In a five-year study of three thousand salaried and hourly employees, 88 percent said they work “very hard.” Sixty-eight percent said they worked “very fast.” Sixty percent said they “still don’t get all their work done.” And 71 percent said they felt “used up.” Even ministers aren’t immune. Almost half eventually resign, and when asked why, 80 percent cited the negative effect of pastoral ministry on their family lives.
So what’s the solution to our stress? Peace! And where can you find peace? The Bible tells us, “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.”
Here’s how it works: When you know that God loves and accepts you unconditionally, it sets you free to do the same for yourself. As a result, you’re no longer driven by a need for acceptance, acquisition, and achievement. Yes, when you live by the principles clearly laid down in the Bible, you can have peace and prosperity!
Soul food: Exo 12:1-14; Matt 26:17-29; 1 Cor 11:20-34; Ps 49
2021-03-21
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
Death. The thought of dying is something that can make many of us fearful. If we’re being honest, it isn’t something we really want to think about, so we push it to the deepest corner of our minds. But with all of our fears, it help to bring them into the open and tell God how we’re feeling. And God doesn’t want us to be fearful of death, because when we believe and trust Him, death doesn’t mean the end for us.
When Jesus’ good friend Lazarus was sick, his sisters Martha and Mary sent a message to Jesus to let Him know. By the time Jesus got to their house, several days had passed. Lazarus had died and had been lying in a tomb for four days. But Jesus told Martha ‘the one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die’ (John 11:25-26 NIV). He asked her if she believed this, and she replied ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God’ (v.27 NIV). Later, Jesus went to the tomb and called to Lazarus, who came out wrapped up in his grave clothes, but fully alive.
Just like His own death and resurrection later, Jesus showed that He has power over death for those who believe in Him. So we don’t need to fear death, because just like Lazarus emerging from the tomb, it’s a new beginning, and we’ll be reunited with God. ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear’ (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV), so whatever fears we feel, let’s take them confidently to God, and trust Him to replace them with His peace.
2 Kings 4:42-44; Mark 6:30-44
