I just started working for a new company over the past couple of weeks. This position allows me to talk to people all over the country to see how our company can benefit their lives and what their trying to pursue for their futures. Some of the questions that I normally ask to gauge their needs usually refer to the topic of what will increase their happiness. After talking to people all over America the same responses always seem to be evident throughout the conversation no matter their location. The response that I usually hear is this; having more money and a better job will make me happy and being able to do the things that I want to do in life without any worries. To someone that is not a believer in Christ and not mature in the things of God, this seems like a pretty valid response. I mean with the economy the way it is and people losing jobs or already out of work, of course this will bring people the peace and reassurance they need in life, right? Wrong!
The responses from the people have shown me that all over the country people are crying out for peace and rest in their lives. There are so many people that are weary and ready to give up because they have no peace in their lives. All of their lives they have been taught that your peace comes from a nice cushy job with a 401k plan that you can tap into when you retire. Now that the systems of the world have failed once again people are literally hopeless looking for what they were taught since childhood that would give them peace, and rest, in life.
Job 3:24-26 (Message Bible)
"Instead of bread I get groans for my supper, then leave the table and vomit my anguish. The worst of my fears has come true, what I've dreaded most has happened. My repose is shattered, my peace destroyed. No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life."
We all know the story of Job; we know that he went through a lot, and that he lost a lot. In the above passage Job is pretty much saying that his peace was in all the things he had and now that they are all gone he feels that he has lost his good standing with God and the peace he once had is no more. Well that’s a good thing, because the peace that Job had before was an imitation and not the peace given by God. If it were the peace given by God then no situation in life would have been able to take it away from him. Job goes through a lot but in the end he finally gets it.
So how can we equate this in today’s society? Let’s do a quick self analysis, can you think of any situation in your life that could potentially steal your peace and send you down a path of fear, doubt, and worrying? It may be the loss of your job, the loss of your entire savings and retirement accounts, or even the loss of your spouse. Now all of these things are unfortunate and I’m not saying that if something like this were to take place in your life that you should be happy go lucky. I’m just saying how would you respond in an unfortunate situation? Would you blame God, yourself, the economy, the person next door, and not have faith in God to carry you through like the children of Israel? Or would you say to yourself, “You know what, this situation is unfortunate and I am hurt by it but I will not let it steal my peace that God has given, and with His help I will overcome.
Psalm 29:11 (The Message Bible)
God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace.
Because we are Gods children and He loves us dearly we are made strong, and His peace is freely given to us. A peace that the world can’t comprehend and a peace that we ourselves cannot understand. During the past year God put Tracy and I into the course of Peace 101. During this past year we were both unemployed and I was the only one receiving unemployment. Times were tough and just because we were unemployed doesn’t mean that the bills were on hold. There were times when I would be completely at ease and there were times when I would be a mess. Through it all my faith in God increased and the peace of God had no choice but to reign in my life. In the end I said you know what “Whether we have or don’t have, I will continue to rejoice because what I have on the inside of me is priceless”. We would tell people our situation and their faces would drop in astonishment because they couldn’t understand 1. How we were surviving and 2. Why we seemed so joyful all the time.
Mark 9:49-50 (The Message Bible)
"Everyone's going through a refining fire sooner or later, but you'll be well-preserved, protected from the eternal flames. Be preservatives yourselves. Preserve the peace."
You may be going through something in your life that is trying to steal your peace. The only way your peace can flee from you is if your give it away yourself. There is no situation that can steal what God gave you without your permission. Although situations may seem unfortunate, don’t get caught up in the why’s and why not’s; instead look at the situation and ask yourself is God trying to get something to me through this situation? The quicker you can mature and realize that nothing trumps God, the quicker you’ll be in your own Land of Canaan.
Don’t die in the wilderness like the children of Israel; you are overcomers and more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.
Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org
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