TRUST IN GOD (PART 2)
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." - Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
"What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our grief and pain to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, …"
The songwriter is very right. Indeed, as Christians, there's some tremendous peace we often forfeit because we fail to take advantage of the grace that's in Christ Jesus (2Tim 2:1). Jesus is the Prince of Peace! There's some peace to which we all as Christians are called in Christ. The Bible instructs that you "Let the peace of God, to which also you are called in one body, rule in your hearts. ..." (Col 3:15, MEV)
With this, it's absolutely clear that the choice is ours to function in peace. The Scripture says "let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (KJV). Actually, we can decide to function in peace or otherwise. it's a choice for us to make.
The Christian isn't an ordinary fellow. The Bible says that "There is a river which brings joy to the city of God. This is the holy place where God Most High lives. God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken. God will help her at dawn." (Ps 46:4-5 ICB).
This is absolutely mind blowing! We need to understand that our inner man is the dwelling place of God. The composition of a believer is such that his inner man, otherwise known as the city of God, the dwelling place of the Most High, the real him, never should be affected by the vagaries and the vicissitudes of his surrounding circumstances. The Word of God says "God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken. ..." (Ps 46:5 ICB). Our strength is all about the God that dwells in us! By His abiding presence in us, we cannot be shaken by the adversities of life.
Child of God, it is good to know that you have been insulated or sequestered from the uncertainties and the current hardships that are bedeviling the country, in Jesus name.
But to actualize this, you have a role to play. The promised perfect peace stems from letting your mind stay on God and trusting in Him. (Isa 26:3) In other words, we are to keep our minds and our thoughts "stayed" or "focused" on God's Word, so much so that an unflappable trust builds up in us towards God. To do that we have to put the Word of God into our minds by meditating on it very regularly. Then our thinking will be in line with the Word of God, and Satan won't be able to get a foothold in our thinking. Keeping our minds stayed on God in spite of the adversities of the moment is an act of trust in the Lord, which becomes the basis for our victory.
If you're experiencing depression, it's a sign that you aren't keeping your mind stayed on God. Indeed, you're looking at circumstances instead of putting your trust in God. It means that you've let your attention move off of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. (Heb. 12:2.) The reason you're sinking into depression is because you quit looking at Jesus. Like Peter, you started looking at the wind and the waves around you, which naturally will cause you to fear and to sink (Matt. 14:30.)
Child of God, never trade your trust in the Lord for anything else, no matter what; and I pray that God's perfect peace shall manifest itself in your life.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, I have made up my mind to keep myself focused on You, to the end that your perfect peace rules in my life, in Jesus name.