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TRUST JESUS TODAY

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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Write an INSPIRATIONAL article (11/27/14)
Having Peace in Difficult Circumstances

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

What a beautiful promise Jesus has given us in His Word. He has given us peace and we don’t have to be troubled or afraid! This peace that Jesus offers is not a temporary peace dependent upon our circumstances, but a peace that in spite of our circumstances is ours to have. This Good News should do more than just make us happy. It should bring us great joy!
Peace and joy are Fruit of the Spirit and should not be confused with happiness. Happiness is based on what’s happening in our circumstances, while peace is based on our joy in the Lord and is therefore unmoved by our circumstances.
Peace, joy and happiness all sound good, but how do we operate in the peace Jesus has given us when our world is crumbling down around us?
When our world around us is crumbling down, we should do what Paul and Silas did while in the Roman jail: praise our way through until our peace is no longer held captive by our circumstances.
When we operate according to spiritual principles in the Bible, God Who is Spirit moves on our behalf, thus affecting what happens to us in the natural: sometimes removing us from our difficult circumstances and sometimes transforming and renewing our minds to be able to handle going through difficult circumstances in His peace. Praising God while in our difficult circumstances may seem counterintuitive to getting peace, but because we have God on our side it is a spiritual fact.
We operate by spiritual principles when we think on whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praise worthy, even while we are in our difficult circumstances. This not only brings glory to God, but it also helps to refocus our thoughts on the things of God.
What we allow ourselves to focus on is what will consume us. When we focus solely on the difficulty of our circumstances we become consumed with fear, anger, resentment, hopelessness and defeat. When we focus on God we are consumed with His Fruit; love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control. It is then we are enabled to respond to difficult circumstances with the mind and character of Christ.
To refocus our thoughts, we must fix our eyes not on what is seen as truth according to our circumstances, but on what is unseen; the truth according to Who God says He is over our difficult circumstances.
Therein lies our peace: peace that surpasses all understanding: peace in the midst of the storm: peace that the world didn't give and the world can’t take away. As we fix our eyes on the sovereignty of God then our difficult circumstances don’t have the power to keep us in fear because we are able to view them through the eyes of an all seeing, all knowing, all powerful, and all mighty God Who is still in control. Therefore no thing – no problem, no situation, no circumstance, and no person – can get to us without first having gone through God, Who tempers it so we can handle it.
When we think on these things it causes us to cast down any negative imaginations by capturing our thoughts making them obedient to Christ so we can have His peace in our difficult circumstances. This is why we can rejoice in the Lord always! This is why we can count it all joy when we fall into various trials. We belong to El’Shaddai, the All Mighty God Who can do anything and everything at the same time, unhindered by earth realm circumstances and is therefore able to save us from any difficulty. This is why we can take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake. For when we are weak in our own strength, then are we strong in Divine strength. We are never alone as we deal with the difficulties of life, because Jehovah Shammah, our ever present God is always with us and we can go through any adversity victoriously in His strength.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Laury Hubrich
12/11/14
This is truth. Good job.
Yvonne Blake 
12/11/14
When we focus on God, He will give us peace. It helps the reader if you put an extra line between paragraphs. (I made that same mistake when I first came to FW.) Thank you for this devotional.