BY REV. GARY GLEASON-
OREGON DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT
Life has a tendency to throw us some curve balls. Just when things seem to be running smoothly, problems surface. How do we react to these problems-!The worn or God has much to say concerning “problems.” Since it is always right to get our direction from the Bible, let’s examine a few passages. Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” This scripture is very likely one of the most important keys to successful living. The word rule has connected with it the idea of an umpire. The peace of God decides what stays in your heart and what is expelled! When problems arise that threaten to overwhelm us, “Umpire Peace” says, “OUT!”
I Corinthians 14:33 tells us that God in not the author of confusion, but of peace. If we are sincerely desirous of God writing the book of our lives, we can be well assured that, although complex situations may arise, He will sprinkle every page with peace!What is peace? Freedom from war or civil strife; freedom from disagreement or quarrels; harmony; concord; an undisturbed state of mind; absence of mental conflict; serenity; calm; quiet; tranquility. The opposite of peace is panic. What is panic? Sudden
unreasoning; hysterics; overwhelming fear, usually spreading quickly, often resulting in tragic consequences.
The enemy of our soul would love to take every shred of peace from our heart, and replace it with uncontrolled panic! That’s when we dig in our heels, claim the promises of the Word, and reach to the peace speaker.
We constantly look to God’s Word as a source of peace. Psalm 46 is an example of this. Some feel that verse 8 could refer to the destruction one angel brought on the army of Sennacherib when he destroyed 185,000 of his soldiers in one night. If God can take care of Hezekiah’s problem in such a powerful way, He can help you in your problem.Both Psalm 55:22 and I Peter 5:7 admonish us to give our problems to the Lord. Perhaps I Peter 5:7 reads like this for you? “Cast none of your cares upon Him for God does not care for you.” Or maybe like this–“Cast your Great and Awesome cares upon Him and with the less important ones, just do the best you can!” Remember that Peter’s epistle is not written to the world but to the saints of the living God! We must claim this privilege for ourselves.
You may ask, “How is this great transfer of Cares and Anxieties to take place?” First of all, by prayer, we make our needs known to God. Then, through faith, we believe that God can and will do something about our problem according to His Word.
The disciples were able to see Psalm 89:9 fulfilled before their eyes when Jesus said, “Peace be still.” Abraham saw his faith work after he made the statement, “God will pro-vide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” What a comfort we find in Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” We could paraphrase this verse to say, “Above is the everlasting God, beneath are the everlasting arms – therefore the child of God is protected above, beneath, and all around!” Panic prevailed at the shores of the Red Sea. The truth is that God arranged those circumstances. It was God who directed them to that particular place with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night! God purposefully entangled them. He needed a trap for Pharaoh – the small matter of destroying Egypt’s army!
Saul panicked when he saw the Philistines gathered against him and Samuel had not come. He disobeyed God’s Word, offered the sacrifice and lost out with God. The enemy would like for us to do something contrary to God’s mandate in reaction to some pressure or problem he has engineered. We must hold steady in times of pressure and reach for the peace that is available to those who learn to lean on the Prince of Peace. Therein lies help and strength!
THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY APOSTOLIC ACCENT, PAGE THREE. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY AND RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.
