 Worry comes from a lack of faith. Worry will steal your peace. As I write this article today, I think about Believers in our Lord and King, Jesus, who still worry about every little thing that isn’t going right in their lives. They may even borrow things from the future to worry about that may never even happen. I have always said that fear and faith do not mix. They may know God’s Word but it hasn’t been anchored down in their spirit and fear rises up rather than faith. The Lord Jesus’ disciples had to learn this lesson if they were going to have peace in their lives. The disciples learned this lesson one night on the Sea of Galilee. Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” Luke 8:22-25 They did not yet truly know who He was! When you have total faith in the Lord God’s Word, you have peace and no fear of what can happen to you. When you genuinely praise Him and spend time in His Presence you will feel calm and at peace. When you intimately know someone, you trust them. This peace has nothing to do with your immediate circumstances. You could be in the middle of great turmoil and stress, but His Presence will keep you in peace. The Lord God’s peace means that you aren’t worrying about anything because you trust in Him. You know He is working every situation for your best. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 I can say that I am a living example of this. Religious people worry, but Kingdom citizens trust in their King; and they know who they are in His Kingdom. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 I will always make it personal, because it is! Sometimes people get uptight and stress when things aren’t going the way they expect. They may rush around, giving orders, telling others what to do until everyone around is as uptight as they are. They have changed the atmosphere, spreading their fear and chaos. The problem is that they are trying to fix the problem in their own strength, rather than taking some time away to get into His Presence and just simply praise Him and trust Him. The Lord is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:17-18 I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you. The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Psalm 121:1-8 NLT The Lord God wants you to fully understand that you don’t have to solve your problems yourself. All you must do is invite Him into the midst of them. Just begin praising Him until His Presence starts making a difference in your situation. Then you will have total peace, total quietness in you spirit and total union with the Lord God. Total peace says “God’s Way is better than my way and if my way doesn’t work out, then it will be best for me!” Take a minute right now and stop reading. Lift your hands right now in complete surrender to the Lord God. Praise Him for the good things He has brought into your life. You may not feel like it at this moment, but Kingdom citizens do not live by their feelings. Now is the time to make your will overtake your emotions. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives Galatians 5:22-25 NLT. Thank Him for the gift of peace He has for you. Thank Him that He is the center of your life. Thank Him for His concern for you and His never ending faithfulness to you. Thank Him that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Thank Him for His grace and mercy over your life. Bring Him this sacrifice of praise until you sense His Presence in your spirit. Let His peace wash over you. This is what life in God’s Kingdom is like! It will make a complete difference in your being. As King David said: Praise the Lord! For He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The Lord gives His people strength. He is a safe fortress for His anointed king. Psalm 28:6-8 NLT I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 I would also challenge you that if you find yourself talking about what the devil is doing in your life and how the ‘enemy is coming against you’, stop and praise the Lord God. There is always something to praise Him for. Get into His Presence! The enemy is nothing in God’s Presence! He is no more that an annoying gnat, flying in your face! Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered. Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. Sing to God, sing praises to His name! Psalm 68:1-4a Protecting the Lord God’s Presence in your life is absolutely essential. In essence, you are protecting yourself by making room for Him. As soon as you are aware of anything that is disrupting His Presence, activate praise and take authority over whatever is threatening His Presence and your peace. Your peace of mind demands this. Do not ignore it. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 Without the Lord God’s Presence, we will always be looking for help. With His Presence, your soul is at rest and your labor is easy. Do you recall what our Lord and King, Jesus said? Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Remember, your greatest asset in the Kingdom is your faith in His Word. All scriptures are NKJV unless noted W.R. Luchie www.kingdomcitizens.org |
