Is something (or someone) – anything – in my life right now more important to me than God, more important to me than having the peace of God reigning in my life?
Am I trusting in myself, or someone else, to keep me or am I trusting in the Lord to keep me?
When I was growing up, we used to have church services where the pastor would give people the opportunity to come forward to the front of the church for prayer for anything that was keeping them from truly experiencing Jesus – If a person had something between them and Jesus; if a person knew they were committing a sin that had them bound and that kept them from experiencing the life, love, liberty and peace Jesus could offer them.
I remember one time when my friend’s high school-aged sister went forward at one of these occasions. As hard as it was for her to do, when she laid her burden down by going forward for prayer, she knew it was the only way to get free of the bondage she’d been hanging on to that Jesus wanted her free from. She’d finally made the decision to give it to Jesus and to trust Him with it no matter the cost. She’d finally, truly, made Him Lord of all.
Some of us are paying such a huge price for holding on to fear today. We don’t even know how to live by faith with all of the fear (fiery enemy darts) that are being shot all around us today. A lot of our fear is made up of things we have before Jesus. We’ve acquired a long list of conditions we need to maintain and the items on that list are keeping us scared and bound to fear; to the fear of the possibility of losing them.
“Thou” (not me; I can’t keep myself) wilt keep him/her in “perfect peace” (has no conditions) whose mind is stayed on thee (not on this world) “because” he/she trusteth in thee (in Jesus alone).
Isaiah 26:3
My (Jesus) sheep hear my voice (above all the loud fear), and I know them, and they “follow” me:
John 10:27
Right now, am I following Jesus or am I prone to listen to the world, to listen to Satan, to go along with the world and all of its fear whenever it sounds off?
We can have no conditions, nothing in front of Jesus in order to have our minds stayed on Him – What do we have our minds stayed on today? If we demand conditions, we leave ourselves open to bondage, we leave ourselves open for circumstances to steal our peace, and we (and Jesus) can not maintain our perfect peace “in thee” under these “conditions.”
Is my Christianity conditional? If so, I’m open to enemy attacks that have the potential of turning me away from God, of stealing my ability to trust God, of my believing the lies of the enemy to the point that I’ll give up on my Christianity as I run away from Jesus because of fear. What type of ground am I (See Matthew chapter 13)? Am I listening to the cares of this world or am I hearing Jesus’ voice? Although it’s true of each day of our lives as Christians, it’s especially relevant today. The difference between hearing the voice of the cares of the world verses hearing Jesus’ voice is life and death.
It’s really true, No Jesus, no peace. Know Jesus, know peace.
“Jesus, I want to know You. I’m giving you my list of conditions, I’m turning my life over to You. Forgive me for keeping anything from You, Lord. Thank You for Your faithfulness to keep me as I trust in You alone. Amen.”
God bless,
Mark
Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.