Peace in the Chaos - Part 2a - If I am Following Christ, Why Don't I Have Peace? - The Mind

Last week I started a short series on the idea of finding peace in the midst of these chaotic times. I looked at words Jesus spoke to His disciples from John 16:33 and pointed out six different important points from the verse: Jesus’ words had a purpose; He wants us to have peace; our peace is directly connected to Him; we will have trouble in this world; we can take courage; and Jesus has overcome the world.

This week I want to focus on why we, so often, don’t have peace even when we are Christ followers. Remember from John 16:33 Jesus said, “…so that in Me you may have peace…” By using the word “may” it is clear we have a choice, otherwise I believe the verse would have been written, “…you will have peace…” Tapping into Jesus’ peace, or into the Prince of Peace is a choice of our will.

I could probably write another whole series on why we don’t have peace, but to keep it to just a few blog posts I want to simply paint a broad brush stroke by focusing on: the mind, the emotions and the body.

The Mind. I think it is obvious to most of us that we have much more information filling our minds today than we did even 20 years ago. It’s not just that we have access to more, but that there are so many other voices to listen to. There are times I feel there is a demonic element to social media and all its tentacles, but I will save that for another post. For the purposes of this post I want to delve into the ideas of alignment and focus.

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The question we have to ask ourselves is who or what am I aligning myself with, and is that producing the soil of peace in my life. The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments has guidelines on association. In the book of Joshua, the people of Israel are told to not associate with the nations in the Promised Land that they were going into.

“6 Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,
7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.
8 But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. ”

— Joshua 23:6-8 (NASB 1995)

Proverbs 20:19 tells us to not associate with gossips. Proverbs 22:24 tells us to not associate with those who are given to anger, or hot tempered. The whole book of Proverbs is a how-to on relationships and how to live in a godly manner.

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In the New Testament Paul tells us not to associate with immoral people, but he is not talking about immoral people out in the world: the clerk at the grocery store, your employer, the friend you have had since grade school. Paul is talking about immoral people who are in the church and who are claiming to follow Christ. We can’t live in this world and not associate with people who don’t know Jesus. They are everywhere and some of them are in our own families. As Paul said, “…for then you would have to go out of the world.” (I Corinthians 5:9-13.)

In addition we need to look at what philosophies, schools of thought, teachings, etc. we are aligning ourselves with. There is nothing wrong with reading, listening to, discussing ideas that are not Biblical. We are taught evolution in school from elementary school up. We read fiction books for entertainment and watch movies like Harry Potter. However, this is not to be our main focus.

Focus involves zeroing in on something. When we are focused, our attention is pointed to something specific. As Paul tells us in the verses below we are meant to “fix our eyes on Jesus.”

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“1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

— Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB 1995)

To put it plainly, we are not to buy into the things the world wants to sell us. For every person we listen too, and every article we read, and every song we hear we have to take its message back to God’s word. We have to have Holy Spirit clarity on each and every message we hear, because as the verses below states, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.”

The world says marriage is optional. The world says same sex love is okay. The world says gender not sex. The world says abortion rights are more important than the children being aborted. The world says Jesus came to preach love. When you take these things to Scripture that is not what we see.

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Now, let me take a moment to say, if I decide to spend more time listening to pod casts about these topics, or I focus on what I don’t agree with in Scripture I will, after a while begin to doubt and question truth. I will begin to ask, “Whose truth is it? Who has a right to dictate truth? Isn’t truth what I make of it? I can’t trust your version of truth because it doesn’t line up with my choices and desires.” These ideas become the speculations and lofty things that are raised up against the knowledge of God. Thus the importance of “…taking every thought captive.” Not just captive, like wild horses in a corral, but captive “…to the obedience of Christ.”

“5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, ”

— 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB 1995)

How does all of this affect our peace? To finish out this post on the mind let’s look at a few verses from the Psalmist.

“I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
But let them not turn back to folly.”

— Psalm 85:8 (NASB 1995)

“165 Those who love Your law have great peace,
And nothing causes them to stumble.”

— Psalm 119:165 (NASB 1995)

When we fill our minds with God’s words we have peace. He says it is so, and His word is truth.

Finally, look at this verse.

“6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,”

— Romans 8:6 (NASB 1995)

It cannot be any clearer than that. If we set our mind on the Spirit, and all the knowledge the Spirit gives us through God’s word we will have peace.

Next week we will look at our emotions and how they can keep us from experiencing God’s peace. Have a great week!

Peace In the Chaos - Part 1 - Jesus, Our True Peace

I have thought lately, if I could manufacture peace in some sort of solid form, and sell it, I would be a billionaire. Peace seems as elusive as a night time mist that disappears in the morning sunlight. We are in the midst of a chaotic time in a chaotic world, and there are moments when peace seems to have withdrawn never to be found again.

Jesus knew there would be difficulty in life. The following verse comes at the end of a speech Jesus gives to His disciples where He shares words of warning, words of promise, words of prophecy and words on prayer. Read John 16 for the full context.

“33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

There are six things we can take away from this one verse that might help us in our search for peace.

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1 - Jesus spoke these words for a purpose. These would be the words that came before. Jesus didn’t want His followers to be blindsided. He wanted them to know what to expect. If we read the whole of the Scriptures, we can see that it was written so that we have this benefit as well. We are given God’s words so that we know what to expect when we sin, when we repent, when we are thankful, when we are sad, when we are disobedient or when we are lost. God’s Words are the Good News of Jesus Christ and the judgment to those who prefer to walk in darkness. The Bible isn’t some laced together ramblings of approximately 40 men over a period of 1500 years just to deceive mankind into following a cult. The Bible has a purpose, and that purpose is our reconciliation to God through Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about by His deep and amazing love for us, His Creation.

“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

— 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB 1995)

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2 - Jesus wants us to have peace. If you are like me you may have struggled with the idea that God is truly loving. I used to think He was just waiting around for me to do something bad, and then BANG, He’d drop the hammer on me. Thankfully, as I have grown and matured as a Christ follower, I have come to realize this is absolutely not true. God’s love for us is so perfect that He cannot have bad, or ulterior motives, such as seeing us suffer just for suffering’s sake.

“1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ”

— 1 John 3:1 (NASB 1995)

We are called His children. If you are a parent, especially one that really loves your kids, then you know why this is so mind blowing. The God of the universe loved us enough that He gives us the opportunity to become His children. Wow! Here’s a few more verses to drive this point home.

“15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

— Romans 8:15-17 (NASB 1995)

Jesus and His Father want us to have peace, as any loving parent would want for their children. As a parent I can testify how heart wrenching it is when your children do not have peace. This brings me to the next point Jesus makes connected directly to this idea of peace.

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3 - Our peace is directly connected to Christ. Read carefully what Jesus says about peace, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.” The Christ follower’s peace goes hand in hand with Jesus. We will never have true, abiding peace without Him. Look what Isaiah prophesied:

“6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

— Isaiah 9:6 (NASB 1995)

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. He owns it. He is peace personified, and if we know Him, we too can have that peace.

I want to point out a little detail. Jesus says, “…so that in Me you MAY have peace.” We can know Jesus and still not have His peace. I will explore this idea in a future post, but for now rest in the fact that He is our peace, and without Him chaos will easily reign.

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4 - We will have trouble in this world. Why are we shocked by the things happening in our country? We live in a fallen, darkened world. Trouble comes in all forms with a capital T. Whether we are dealing with our own difficulties: illness, financial burdens, relationship issues; or we are anxious due to the choices of others, our lives are constantly exposed to trouble. Our exposure is even more pronounced because we have phones, pads, and other tech to keep us up on what is happening all over the world almost at the exact moment it is happening.

A friend recently sent me a short video of a trauma therapist talking about how we are not meant to see some of the things we are seeing on the internet in this day and age. For example the killings of both Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whatever your point of view is on those, are not events we should be watching at all, let alone over and over from multiple angles. It desensitizes us and also raises our anxiety level. It makes me think, let’s not add trouble to the troubles we already have. Not that we shouldn’t be informed, but reading an article is a lot different than viewing images and video.

Remember who is on the prowl. That same one will use these troubles to create what? Peace? No! Chaos.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

— I Peter 5:8 (NASB 1995)

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5 - We can take courage. It is very easy to let anxiety and fear run rampant in our minds and hearts when we see these discouraging events taking place; even more so, if we are already burdened with other difficulties. I know what is is like to be spread thin, as I am sure so many of you do too. With my health being a constant struggle and a constant mystery I already have days where I get easily discouraged. Add to that the loss of my mom on Christmas morning and then getting the flu right after we got through the funeral and the travel involved and you can bet I was feeling less than courageous.

I don’t have all the answers for difficult times except this one thing: lean in. Lean in to the grief, the sadness, the anger, the discouragement, and most importantly lean in to Christ and the truth of the Word.

“9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

— Joshua 1:9 (NASB 1995)

God made clear to Joshua that he did not need to be afraid, and that he could be strong and courageous. He didn’t need to be anxious or confused. Why? Because God was with him, and that same God is with us.

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6 - Jesus has overcome the world. Nothing gives my heart more peace than those last words Jesus told his disciples. “I have overcome the world.” He didn’t say, “I might”, or “maybe some day I will”, but “I have.” Jesus has already overcome the anger, the conflict, the disunity, the fear, the selfishness, the pride, the lust for more power, and the darkness. The gospel of John confirms this idea.

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

— John 1:1-5 (ESV)

There is no difficulty, or person, or event that can overcome Jesus, the light of the world.

Wonderful Words of Life: The Perfect Work of Struggle

For the last five months I have been getting mental health counseling from a licensed therapist. After everything I went through in 2021 with my health, and subsequent bouts with Covid, sinus infections and other aches and pains, in addition to past hurts and traumas in our family I felt it was time to start a journey towards better mental health.

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Even though we have made great strides to lessen the stigma surrounding mental health struggles, there are still many people who will not seek help even though their lives could be greatly improved by it. A person does not have to be on the verge of suicide or struggling with addictions, or PTSD to need counseling. In fact, it is better if we seek help before we get to the breaking point, or before we begin seeking other, more self destructive habits to compensate for the pain or numbness we are feeling.

In addition, I believe as Christ followers we are doing a great disservice to our brothers and sisters if we do not recommend licensed therapeutic counsel when so many people in our churches and congregations are struggling with their identity, their marriages, their children, and with the constant input of information that is often not beneficial, but detrimental to their well being.

As a Faith Blogger, I want to give you good, and accurate information and most of what I share with you is Scriptural teaching which I have learned in my years of walking with Christ. I don’t have a psychology degree, nor do I have a certificate in counseling. However, I do have the Holy Spirit, and His guidance in my life as I have maneuvered the bumpy waters of this journey called life.

“27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

— I John 2:27 (NASB 1995)

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We all can have the wisdom of God because as believers in Christ we are directly linked to the triune God head: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The above verse reminds us that we received an anointing from Him who abides in us. In other words, Jesus anointed us with the Holy Spirit. We see this outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit is one with the Father and the Son, so they all know and operate in one mind. The Holy Spirit makes plain to us the things of God. Problems arise when I try to take that which is straight forward and simple and make it into a convoluted mess. The above verse reminds us that the Holy Spirit teaches us about all things, and that teaching is true, not a lie.

All of this is a preface to the wonderful words of life found in the book of James.

“2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ”

— James 1:2-4 (NIV)

You might be wondering how can I think these are wonderful words when it tells us we are going to face trials of many kinds, and that our faith is going to be tested. Let’s take a closer look.

Consider it pure joy…

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What sort of joy is this pure joy? If we look at the definition of pure we see that it means without any other particles or pollutants, as in pure water, or pure white snow. Pure joy is free from that which doesn’t belong such as all the fleshly characteristics that we so often exhibit when going through difficulty.

…whenever you face trials of many kinds…

What in blazes does having this pure joy have to do with facing various trials? How is that even possible? We’ll get to that in a moment.

…because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

This also seems a bit of a stretch doesn’t it? I mean how do struggles and trials produce perseverance?

Let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

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It looks as though this scripture is telling us that perseverance works to make us mature and complete to the point that we are not lacking anything.

Let’s back away from these segments and look at this as a whole picture. We, as Christ followers, have learned that we will have trouble in this life. Didn’t Jesus tell this to his disciples?

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

Christ knew we would have trouble in this world. He walked as a man for approximately 33 years. He knew what is was to be hungry, thirsty and tired. He knew the frustration of not being understood and of being falsely accused. He was separated from His true family and lived his life here knowing what was to come. He did it for us.

Our ability to have joy when undergoing difficulty is completely dependent on our relationship with Christ. Are we independent, living by our own means and resources, or our we Christ dependent, living and depending on the resources available to us through the King of Kings who has adopted us? We can face any trial or trauma and persevere because He gives us the ability. It is not something we dredge up ourselves; an inner strength of our own making, it is in Him because He is able.

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As we lean back in our Savior’s arms, waiting on Him, seeking Him, praying in Him, abiding in Him, we persevere. As we persevere, we grow and mature. Not only do we mature, but we become complete, not lacking anything. That to me is amazing. It gives me the hope I need when I am faced with insurmountable hardship. Difficulty is part of this life, but it always has a purpose, and that purpose is making us complete.

I am sure some of you are asking the question, Why doesn’t God just by pass the difficulties and make us mature and complete without all the frustration and pain of struggle and heartbreak? He could, couldn’t He? Of course, but easier does not always mean better. God knows what is best, and by faith that is what I believe.

Don’t give up! Life is hard, but in hardship you are becoming exactly what God wants you to be.

A Series of (Un)Fortunate Events - Part 1: A Necessary Departure

In the book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (real name Daniel Handler) we follow the tale of three orphans whose lives could only be described as a winsomely tragic. I have not read the books, but my grandson has, and the two of us have worked our way through the Netflix series starring Neil Patrick Harris as the persistent bad guy Count Olaf, and Patrick Warburton as the author/narrator, Lemony Snicket.

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From the start the audience is told by the author to “look away” to keep themselves from having to see the tragic misfortunes of the three Baudelaire children who become orphans at the very start of the tale. What follows is misfortune after misfortune. From the reader’s or watcher’s perspective, the difficulties are seat squirming events that rapidly unfold taking the three children from the safety and security of their home and their parents, into the ugly, downtrodden clutches of Count Olaf. Time after time we think things will get better to only end up in a worse place, or more difficult situation.

Our own lives can often seem like a series of unfortunate events. Most of you probably have experienced those times in life when one thing after another goes wrong: the refrigerator dies, the car won’t start, you have a fight with your spouse, the kids get sick and you can’t find that piece of paperwork you needed for an important work meeting. I am not sure why things go this way. Perhaps it is the reality of the fallen world we live in: things break, stop working and get messed up. Relationships are hard. Children require energy and work, and some of us are constantly fighting the battle against clutter.

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Trouble is not anything new. Since the fall of Adam and Eve from God’s grace in the Garden of Eden, trouble has hounded mankind. Jesus gave us a heads up in the New Testament when he stated:

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB - 1995)

When we look at the full chapter of John 16 we see Jesus talking to his disciples about the future, theirs and His. What he tells them is not pleasant. He tells them that they will be outcasts from the Synagogue and that people will want to kill them. He also tells them that He will be leaving. Their hearts are heavy, but He reveals that if He doesn’t leave he cannot send the Helper (Holy Spirit) to them.

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“13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

— John 16:13-15 (NASB - 1995)

Let’s think on this for a minute. Jesus in His human form was just like us. He was limited by time, space and even gravity. If you are familiar with the New Testament and Jesus’ life you know there were instances where he moved from one place to another mysteriously. He also walked on water, so He obviously still had Godly abilities. However, Jesus could only be in one place at a time.

Now think about how the Holy Spirit works. He is spirit as God is spirit. He has the ability to dwell in me, you and every other believer all at the same time. Since the Spirit brings the likeness of Jesus into our lives we all have Jesus with us all the time. Isn’t that amazing? I don’t know about you, but that makes my unfortunate events seem easier to handle and not so overwhelming.

Let me give you a few important points about the Spirit that I hope will encourage you like it encourages me.

The Holy Spirit is not constrained by time or space.

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God’s Spirit, or the Holy Spirit shows up repetitively in the Old and New Testament.

“Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”

— Psalm 51:11 (NASB - 1995)

“But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them.”

— Isaiah 63:10 (NASB - 1995)

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.”

— Matthew 1:18 (NASB - 1995)

““As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

— Matthew 3:11 (NASB - 1995)

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

— Luke 1:41 (NASB - 1995)

We can see that the Holy Spirit was around back in the time of David and Isaiah. He was also present with Mary and Elizabeth during their pregnancies. Time and space do not constrain this being. There are other places in the scriptures where it mentions the Spirit of the Lord. My assumption is this also is a reference to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reveals truth to us.

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Jesus not only called Him the Spirit of Truth, but He also said that He would reveal truth to us. I often find when I am going through an unfortunate event, God will bring back to my mind certain scriptures that help me stand firm in the difficulty. Words like:

“He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,””

— Hebrews 13:5b (NASB -1995)

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose”

— Romans 8:28 (NASB - 1995)

“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

— Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB - 1995)

The Holy Spirit will guide us.

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Jesus said, “…He will guide you into all the truth.” I personally feel that this isn’t just about guiding us to which verse to use in a particular situation, but I think it also means the Spirit will guide us in our decisions and direct us as we seek answers to the questions we are asking in our unfortunate events. What I struggle with the most is not whether the Holy Spirit will guide me or not, but when.

Over the last year as I have been maneuvering these health issues I always felt the Spirit there with me, but finding answers to my issues has been illusive. I have to keep putting myself back into God’s hands and wait…wait for healing, wait for wisdom, wait for guidance to a doctor who knows exactly what to do. Waiting is hard, and I don’t foresee waiting ever getting any easier. I have to cling to what Jesus said, that the Spirit will guide me into all the truth.

The Holy Spirit speaks only what the Father and Son desire.

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You will never be mislead by the Holy Spirit. He cannot tell you anything that is contrary to the scriptures because the Scriptures are the written words of God. If you hear a voice telling you to rob a bank, that is not the Holy Spirit. If you think God is telling you to paint your kitchen a certain color, it is probably not the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit busies Himself with the Words and the Works of God. The color of your kitchen is your own free will. God has given us freedom to make choices, even bad ones, but when we walk with the Holy Spirit as our guide and we are in tune with Him we will desire to please God.

The Holy Spirit discloses God’s words to us.

The word disclose as defined by Webster’s online dictionary means to make public or to expose to view. This is quite telling of out the Godhead operates. Many who do not believe say the Bible is unreadable and hard to understand, but they are reading it without the disclosure of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives, He not only makes us more like Christ, but He gives us the ability to understand the deeper things of God.

Next week we’ll take a look at why how unfortunate events can be turned into fortunate events. Until then have a great weekend.