Bad news. We all get it from time to time – our response to it is vital. My week began with such news.
Early, just after I started work, my mom called and said, “I have some bad news.” She proceeded to tell me my nephew had been attacked and beaten badly. He was airlifted to a hospital where he was told he might lose his eyesight. My emotions were immediate. Fear and despair tried to grip me. Honestly, it was probably an hour or so before I could get hold of my emotions. I knew I had to get back in peace and I was fighting to do it.
One thing I do when I am unnerved is clean. I turned on worship music and began cleaning windows. That’s all I knew to do. I had already prayed for Chance and contacted a few people to pray for him. I prayed in the spirit as I cleaned. And I fought to get back to a place of peace. I knew I had to get back there – but boy, it was hard.
Finally, after a little while, I was able to sit back down to work. With worship music playing I determined to get my mind back on God and His faithfulness. After a while longer, I felt peace again. I began to pray again…but differently this time. From a place of faith in His Word and not from a place of fear or desperation.
As I sat at my desk, praying quietly, the Lord spoke to me. He gently said, “you are most effective in this place.”
We are most effective when we stand firm in peace and not fear. A friend recently said to me… “peace is a bomb that destroys the work of the enemy.” Satan’s biggest weapon is fear. If he can get us to believe what he is saying instead of the Word of God, he has won. However, if we fight to remain in peace, when our emotions are all over the place, he will lose. Every single time.
Peace is a weapon. Pastor Dave Roberson taught me that many years ago.
Peace is a weapon.
Jesus said in John 14:27,
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.“
One thing stands out to me in this scripture. Jesus said, “LET NOT.” In other words, fear will try to come. The enemy will try to get your heart to be troubled.
The word, troubled, is defined as, to agitate, to remove calmness of mind, to render anxious or distressed. Jesus said these very things would try to come but DO NOT LET THEM. We can only do that through the Word of God.
We have heard it said many times, “The battle is in the mind.” It truly is. The first thing we must deal with is our mind. We must bring all thoughts against the Word of God, captive.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
Our weapons in God are mighty! And those weapons begin with taking thoughts captive. It is our first line of defense and something we must do before we can press forward to victory.
Remember, God said to me… “you are most effective in this place.” We are most effective in a place of peace and faith. Scripture tells us in James 5:16, The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The Amplified Bible says these effective, fervent prayers make great power available, dynamic in its working. That was exactly what I needed my prayers to do. Therefore, I needed effective prayers. To get effective prayers I had to choose peace in the midst of everything else. It was not easy, but all things are possible with God.
My friends, fight to stay in peace. Fight to keep the faith, especially in times of battle. That peace will lead you out with victory.
Appoint My Days
Jesus bore my sickness, pain and every disease at the cross, therefore, I walk in divine health, for Jesus has conquered sickness in my life. I walk in divine health and divine life, because I have the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus took all my sickness upon His body, and by His stripes, I am healed. Divine health pulsates through every cell of my body every day. Sickness and disease cannot and will not latch itself to my body.
1 Peter 2:24, II Peter 1:4; Matt. 8:17
