"PEACE is the deliberate adjustment of my life to the will and work of God.
ANXIETY, quite simply,..is the refusal to trust God. " (Clay Clarkson)
Everyone has seen the ads for the Dairy Association that have a photo of a noted celebrity sporting a milk mustache and the bold print below asking, "GOT MILK?"
The famous slogan that stays in the viewer's mind is...."milk, it does a body good."
If God were to place an ad for His product somewhere in His Word, would it read similarly?
Would there be a photo of a well-known evangelical sporting an olive branch wreath on his head with a white dove perched on his arm? Would the bold print below ask, "GOT PEACE?"
That's a pretty silly thought, but think about it. Peace is not something we can just "get" with a boot-strap mentality. If we pursue it hard enough, and grit our teeth reaching for it, and want it with all of our heart, peace will still evade us.
The world we live in today is capable of draining every ounce of peace and tranquility out of our lives. If we watch enough news and read enough headlines, our mindset can quickly become clouded and pessimistic.
The peace that you and I desire is not the definition that means "an environment absent of conflict and strife." It is the peace that is defined as Shalom. (*This Hebrew word conveys the idea of completeness. In a godly context it means "May you accept all that God has for you today.") It is the peace that only comes from God. It is the by-product of a life that knows and practices God's presence. The intimate and private and up-close, personal relationship with a God who is very, very real.
This kind of relationship is only possible when you and I are deliberate, when we are intentional, when we adjust our minds and our very wills to be in submission to God's will for us. It's literally pre-meditated. You can confess that you do it "on purpose."
The result of this mindset is a peace that we cannot receive from our own efforts. God's grace gives and gives again, over and over... the gift to be able to rest in His plan for us and not worry about the outcome. WE must intimately know the Source before we will ever receive the peace.
Do you have peace in your daily walk? Are you intentionally looking to God for His plan for your current circumstances?... In a "down-on-your-knees," deliberate submission to His will, not yours?
If you are thinking your intentions are less than perfect. ...If you are feeling the pressure of the world's current woes pressing in on you... If you are feeling downright ANXIOUS...
then here is today's bottom line message for you.
"ANXIETY, QUITE SIMPLY....IS THE REFUSAL TO TRUST GOD."
Horrors! I can't even stand the thought of having to confess that I don't trust God. Try saying that out loud. "I refuse to trust God"... Can't say it.... Won't say it!!!
If there is just one thing you take away from reading this blog today, I hope it will be this one thought. If you are anxious and worried, you are refusing to trust God. To put it simply, you are displaying a lack of faith in God's ability and power to take care of you.
Choose to trust God. Stop being anxious. God is God. He is on His throne. He is completely in control. His eyes are roaming to and fro over this earth, the Bible tells us. He is looking to strengthen the hearts of those who remain faithful to Him, (see II Chronicles 16:9) those who are deliberately adjusting their lives to His will for them and His work in them. Believe it. Live it. Lose the anxiety. Feel the peace. :-)
God is good....all the time....God is good.
Be intentional about your relationship with your God. Revel in the by-product of an intimate relationship with the One who created you and has your best in mind.
Peace, it does the soul good.
Blessings!
* The Living Bible - textnote
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