It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

Archive for May, 2023

Peace In the Midst of a Storm

How do we have peace in the midst of a storm? When the winds, the swells and the billows of life’s hurricanes come pounding against our mind, soul and spirit, where do we find peace? Where do we obtain the strength to endure this storm? When our foundation is sure and planted on the Rock of God’s word, which is Jesus, then we can weather life’s storms in a spirit of peace.

This is not to say that we will not go through the hardships of life’s mishaps. It is the Holy Spirit, that gives us this power, through our faith in Jesus as the Christ. Jesus becomes our Savior and we are able to persevere through our hope in His completed work and promises.

Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Psalm 95:1 Come, let’s sing for joy to the LORD, Let’s shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

The foundation that we build must be Christ, He is our Rock, our Shield and fortress. When we know the person of Jesus and His character we are able to rely and trust in Him as a firm foundation. It is when we are firm in the love God has for us, we will know that He will not abandon us, nor will He give way to the blows of life, the raging tempests, or the upheavals and whirlwinds that we may encounter. Jesus’ foundation is sure and no other person, organization, principality or power can cancel, invalidate or compare with the work Jesus has established and purchased for us.      

1Corinthians 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Psalm 18: 2-3 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Romans 8:35 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When our hope is established in Christ and tied to the Rock of His Salvation, then we can obtain the peace of God in the midst of hard situations and circumstances. Jesus has given us His Peace is the Holy Spirit living in us. But to operate in this peace is a practiced skill. A skill is learned and practiced and with this practice we become better.

It is not always easy to calm our minds and souls in the face of life’s encounters, challenges and trials. However, the more we practice trusting God, relying on His word and believing in His love for us the better we become at quieting our spirit, while believing and resting in God, knowing that He will deliver us from that or any situation.

Psalm 34:15, 17, 19 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. 

When the attacks of the enemy and confrontations from this fallen world comes at us, our natural impulse is to be anxious, restless or frightened but we must rise to our supernatural abilities which lie within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our first tendency and slant may be the natural response, but we should not stay there. With immediate purpose of thought we should turn our minds and hearts to the word of God, His promises and the faithfulness of His love for us.

The sooner we are able to turn our hearts and minds to Christ the quicker we will be able to rest in His peace. God tells us many are the afflictions of the righteous but He will deliver us from them all. When life’s storms come we should be quick to remember that God is faithful to His word and with that truth we can practice resting in the Peace of God, knowing He will deliver us.

Psalm 23:4, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:1-2 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior through faith in the death burial and resurrection of Christ have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit living in us and through us to teach us the word of God so that we may reveal and reflect His likeness, which is God’s glory on earth.

It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us how to walk in the peace of God in the midst of hardship and life’s storms. He is our Helper whom the Father has sent to help us remember God’s word in the midst of the battle and to enable us to have a peace that the world will not understand.

When the world sees us at peace they may mistake it for callousness, cold-heartedness or insensitivity. They do not understand that it is the power of God working in us to give us His Peace.

John 14: 26-37 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 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.

In this life we will have battles. We should be quick to win the war, because the battle is in our mind, whether we will trust God with this conflict or not. It is with confidence in God’s word that we are able to be at peace in the midst of the storm. We should be quick to trust God and wait to see how He will settle the matter.

“Quicker war, quicker peace!”

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Where is Your Hope? Our Hope Is In Christ

Hope, what is Hope? In the Biblical context Hope is always attached to God! There are several words that are translated into the word hope in the Old and New Testament. With most of these words there are common themes which expressconfidence; a cord as an attachment; anticipation with pleasure;something waited for; something longed for; watching with expectation; to wait; to trust; to be confident and sure and to be bold. All of these expressions are rooted in Jehovah, God Almighty, who is able to perform that which we hope for. These cords of attachment are attached to the faithfulness, goodness and lovingkindness of God and His word.

Isaiah 49:23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, And their queens your nursing mothers; They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, And lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD, For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

Romans 4:17-18 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

The dictionary gives a more natural or worldly identification of the word, which is a watered-down definition of hope, as a feeling or a possibility of luck. It speaks to what is wanted or can be had; to believe or desire something; to feel something desired may happen or to place trust. The things related to our feelings are of the shallowest part of mankind’s existence in relationship to our mind, soul and spirit. With the mind we grasp understanding and come to a saving knowledge of God;the soul defines who we are as we develop our character, integrity and reputation; the spirit is the gift of life from God who is the source of life. Our feelings though they are a part of what makes us unique they are constantly changing as we grow in knowledge and experience life, but God is our constant, He never changes. 

Hope in the biblical context is attached and connected with a cord to faith in God and Jesus Christ our Savior. Therefore, it is impossible to have hope in God without faith in Jesus the Christ. Faith is credence and a moral conviction to the truthfulness, the faithfulness and trustworthiness of Jesus Christ and our reliance upon God for our salvation, assurance, belief and hope for our future.  

Our hope is rooted and grounded in faith in Jesus, He is ourhope and we are not ashamed to stand against the winds of doubt, uncertainty and the skepticism of people around us. Biblical hope is embedded and ingrained, founded and established in the knowledge and truth of our assurance in Christ. 

Though we may experience the same troubles, misfortunes and sufferings as the world, our responses and reactions are different. This is because we know in whom we have believed and know that He is able to keep us and bring us out with peace according to His purpose and calling for us. 

2 Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Philippians 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 

The Bible tells us to not be terrified, alarmed or to panic when we are faced with dangers, difficulties and harsh conditions or when we stand before opposition from our adversaries or foes. Because when we stand in complete faith and hope without wavering in our Lord, it is a confirmation, a testimony and a clear verification to our adversaries of their destruction and punishment. While at the same time, this confidence speaks to our hope, salvation, deliverance and rescue that is coming from our Almighty God and Savior. 

Learning to trust in faithfulness of God is a practiced skill that we develop over time by the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are in a spiritual battle, or in a spiritual confrontation with our attackers we must learn how to stand in hope without hesitation, wavering or indecision as to whether we will trust God with this battle. 

Philippians 1:28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

Those who are familiar with hand-to-hand combat understand that they cannot blink or take their eyes off their adversary during the fight or conflict. A split second of indecision or losing sight of their opponent can cause them to lose the battle. “We don’t blink,” we are not terrified by our adversaries in the face of battle, but we stand firm in our hope and confidence in our God and that He is able to save us and give us the victory.  

Psalms 25:2-3 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Psalms 71:1-3 In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.

As followers of Christ, our hope is fixed, joined and attached to the Almighty God Jehovah who is preeminent over all things. Unlike the world whose hope is that things might get better, or changes might come, like the roll of the dice, or through coincidence. Only to have their hope disappear like a vapor when things do not turn in their favor. Those who believe in Christ have the Holy Spirit living in them to empower them to stand and not waver. They can be still and wait on the Lord to settle the matter. 

Ruth 3:18 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”

Philippians 1:19-20 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 

We will wait and see how the Lord settles the matter!

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