The words in the little text-bubble read “I’ve got something to tell you”, and instantly my gut contracted and I knew—I just knew—it wouldn’t be good.
That day,
I had to wait hours and hours before the dreaded conversation actually happened.
Though I sensed something serious was about to hit me, I had no idea what it
could be. All of which means I had hours and hours to wonder, fret, and stew.
And that’s when
the inner earthquake began. I’ve written about inner earthquakes before , and I know the right things to do. But
this involved someone extremely near and dear to me, and the not knowing? It
was messing with my mind.
So I prayed. And
prayed. And prayed. But the awful fog of dread enshrouding my entire being
refused to lift.
After about
two hours of deep turmoil, a God-thought penetrated my mind. And sweet friends,
let me just tell you that I have never, ever felt so grateful for the Holy
Spirit’s ability to speak to my heart.
Don’t go where the enemy is trying to drag you. Guard your heart and hold on to your peace.
The truth is the enemy wants to entice us far from God's peace. He wants to drag us to the ugly place of emotional turmoil. But the Holy Spirit gives us exactly what we need, right
when we need it {can I get a Hallelujah?}. He truly is our Comforter, Counselor,
Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, and Standby. (See John 15:7)
And suddenly
I understood I had unwittingly made a choice the moment I read that text. I had
surrendered my peace. It might as well have been a hold-up with a masked thug,
because that’s how fast I gave it up.
We know
the enemy is a thief (See John 10:10) and
sometimes God allows him to do awful things (just read the book of Job, or the
current headlines). But the truth is he can only take our peace when we allow
it.
If we want peace in the middle of our
crazy, we need to clutch it for all we’re worth. Jesus paid a massive price for our
peace. He died for it. He bequeathed it to us, which means it is legally ours.
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.] (John 14:27) (AMP)
Now hear me
out. The enemy knows how to rattle us. He knows our weak spots. He knows how we’ve
always reacted in the past. But our response to any of the stuff he’s doing or
attempting to do in our lives is always, always our choice.
We must refuse—absolutely refuse—to yield
our peace. We must
stop allowing ourselves to be agitated and disturbed and unsettled {Jesus’s own
words!}.
We can’t always
control what life throws our way. But holding on to peace is always a choice. My
prayer is that in His gracious kindness, the Holy Spirit will remind us of this
important truth when we need it most.
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10) (ESV)
4 comments:
"Don’t go where the enemy is trying to drag you." This really spoke to me, and you are right - we must stand firm and refuse to give up our peace. Thanks for these true and encouraging words!
Love these thoughts, and the 'proof' of which you speak, Julie! Thank you for confirming, as this is something we struggle with daily, and these truths will surely help me, and I will pass them along! :)
Very timely Ms. Julie. I needed to be reminded that holding on to peace is a choice. I am not powerless as to when my peace "leaves" or "goes".
Very encouraging!!!
I so needed to read this last night when I lost the plot and only saw all of the hurdles in front of me at this present time. I needed His peace to replace my turmoil. Such a timely word for me.
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