Unrest
There is a lot of unrest around us. The media bombard us with news about corona, the explosion in Beirut, looting in the US, IS, disasters, refugees and the war in Syria, etc. Everything comes to us directly, you can experience it almost live via internet, Twitter, Facebook, news sites, etc. You get it dumped on you, whether you want it or not. But you do get an impression of what God is doing. In Daniel 12 you can already read that knowledge will increase in the last days. God makes you part of the events in the world, and for good reason. All that information can help you understand that you have a responsibility. You are the light of the world, the salt of the earth (Matt.5:13-14).
Led by the Spirit
Romans 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So we no longer have to be slaves to fear. No, God has given us another spirit. We have been adopted by Him as children. And because His Spirit dwells in us, we cry, “Abba!” Father!’ Because in our deepest being, God’s Spirit convinces us that we are children of God. And if we are God’s children, we also receive what is ours as His children. What God gives to His Son Jesus Christ, He will also give to us. If we experience the same sufferings as He did, we will also receive the same glory as He did.
In this text you can read that you are led by the Holy Spirit, you no longer go for your own plans and agenda. Children of God, sons and daughters of God, will no longer be led by themselves. Ask God every day what He wants from you, and keep in mind that these are often different things than you want. These are often actions that go against your ‘old nature’, such as asking forgiveness from a neighbor with whom you have been arguing for a long time, or giving away your piggy bank. You recognize a child of God by his actions, not by the fact that someone always obediently visits a church building.
Rather, there is guidance by the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t want you to get stuck in old patterns of frustration, fear and worry. Your identity has changed. You may even, as in Rom. 8:15 Saying “Abba=Daddy” to God the Father.
Realize
When we look at our personal lives, we see so many mistakes and shortcomings in all kinds of areas. It is almost impossible to believe that you are a child of the Most High, especially at times when you feel like things were not going well at all. Yet the Spirit convinces us of it in Rom. 8:16 that we are “children of God” and so it has nothing to do with your actions. Compare it to natural life, your children remain your children, despite their actions. You are even an heir like Rom. 8:17 says, that means whatever is Papa’s is yours too.
It does have to do with realizing that this is the case. If a rich man’s son does not realize that he comes from a rich family, he will go through life as a pauper.
Rom. 8:17 continues with the message that we must share in His suffering in order to share in His glory. The condition is that you must also suffer until death. You can only represent Him if you have died to your ‘old self’, or as you sometimes hear, “you must kill your flesh”. That means it costs you something, suffering. As long as you hold on to your ‘old life’, your wife, your husband, your money, your health, your job or whatever, you will never be able to be revealed as a “son of God”.
Rom. 8:18-25 I am sure that whatever suffering we experience here will be nothing compared to the wonderful glory that God will soon show us. Creation eagerly awaits the moment when it will become clear who the children of God are. For all creation is subject to death and decay, although not of its own free will. God did that as a result of sin. But there is hope! Creation will also be delivered from the power of death and decay and given the same glorious freedom as the children of God. We know that all creation still sighs and groans like a woman in labor in anticipation of that great moment. That also applies to us. We have received the Holy Spirit as a foretaste of the new life, yet we too sigh and long for the day when our bodies will be delivered from sickness and death. This expectation is our salvation. But it has not arrived yet, otherwise it would no longer be an expectation. After all, you no longer have to expect something that is already there. But until it arrives, we continue to patiently expect it.
Rom. 18 actually says, if from now on you choose to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, you choose suffering. Because He will always encourage you to do things that kill your ‘flesh’. And that hurts. Giving away something that you are so attached to, it hurts. Forgiving someone for something that you actually think you were right, that hurts. But that is not the case looking forward to the glory that He will reveal to us. No matter what you give up, God’s blessing, wealth and prosperity will always come back greater in your life.
Verse 19 Creation, i.e. humans and animals, looks forward to the coming of those “sons of God”. Being a churchgoer doesn’t mean you’ve sworn off all your old habits. The realization that it could be the case that the Bible is talking about you has yet to come.
Verse 20 and 21 show that you could have a role in this, especially at this time. He wants to prepare us for a mega-revival like the world has never seen. Only when you realize what God has intended for you can you start walking in it.
Verse 22 shows that the world is coming apart at the seams. But labor pains are a harbinger of new life! That’s something to look forward to.
Verse 23 to 25 says that even if you have received the Holy Spirit, you will still have problems. Remember that you are a child of God, led by the Spirit. Don’t let negativity overwhelm you. We would prefer to see results after one prayer, or to see the fruit after one good deed. Be patient, remain steadfast. Only setbacks train you. We live in a welfare state and are used to seeing all facilities as stable. We have become very dependent on all the technology around us. Electricity, water, gas, groceries within reach, but don’t put your trust in that. Know what and who you can trust. Stay focused! Everything in anticipation, hoping for the arrival of the things that are not yet visible.
In the midst of all this turmoil, we must stay focused on God. Don’t be intimidated by all the negativity around you. You must be able to put a number of things into practice.
Read Isaiah 26:3 He will let those who trust in Him, who often turn their thoughts to the Lord, live in perfect peace!
Or in English: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.(KJV)
It is not your circumstances that determine your peace, but what you do, what your focus is on. It is said that it is possible to reduce seasickness if you keep your focus on one constant factor, the horizon. Whatever movement the ship makes, the horizon does not change.
Many gurus in the world who deal with happiness and peace want to make you think that your circumstances are important, such as healthy eating, the right friends, etc. Or they point out that you need enough sleep and a good night’s sleep to gain inner peace .
But this text from Isaiah says that if you continually focus your thoughts on Him, you will receive perfect rest and shalom. You often don’t realize that you have already received that peace. Jesus is the King of peace, the Prince of Peace, and He lives in us.
John 12:1-3 Six days before Passover, the Jewish Passover, Jesus went to Bethany. Lazarus lived there, whom He had brought back to life from the dead. The people of Bethany held a banquet in His honor. Martha served there. Jesus was sitting at the table with Lazarus and the others. Mary took expensive spikenard oil, poured it on Jesus’ feet and then dried it with her long hair. The pleasant scent of spikenard filled the whole house.
So Jesus is with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Martha was busy, but Mary embalmed Jesus’ feet. Judas thought that was a waste of money, while as treasurer he himself stole money from the treasury, as shown in John. 12:6.
Jesus asked to leave her alone. He said “You will always have the poor around you, but you will not always have Me. He said this in view of His impending death.” Poverty and misery will always impose themselves on you, but you need focus to keep an eye on Jesus as the Stable Factor. He doesn’t impose himself.
At creation, God formed man from dust. Then God breathed His breath of life into Adam’s nostrils. Adam became a living soul. (Gen.2:7) So spirit and body, when joined together, give a soul. The soul is not you as a person, but it is the seat of your thinking, your emotions, your will and your desires. That’s why we can talk to ourselves. You are a spirit, an individual, and your soul is a part of it, but that is not your “I”. Your thinking does not determine your life. You can switch your thinking “on” and “off”. With your will you can determine what you think about and how you let go of your emotions. With that will you can influence your desire. God made us this way because He is a God of freedom. He did not want to make us robots, who automatically do what He asks of us, without us having to worry about a choice.
In this picture you can see that your soul is under influence. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word influence your thinking and that leads to speaking and acting in line with the so-called fruit of the Spirit. (See Gal. 5:22)
As a Christian, the Holy Spirit is bonded to our spirit and He has a great influence on our lives. If we choose to do so, because He does not impose Himself. The Bible says in Gal. 6:8 “you can sow in the field of the spirit or you can sow in the field of the flesh”. The “flesh” in this picture does not mean your “body”, but everything that goes against the Spirit.
Satan and the demonic world also try to influence your thinking in often very cunning ways. Your environment, news reports, events and experiences can cause your speech and actions to be carnal, based on your own sinful principles.
If you choose to believe the first gossip, it will affect your actions. You call someone and maybe get angry. It then has an effect on your soul, your thinking, your emotions. And it also has an effect on your body. Just look, when you are nervous, you feel it in your body. You sweat, you get restless and your body reacts. Nothing has happened yet, but the influence of your thinking is already clearly visible. Your speech and actions influence your environment, your husband, your wife, your brother, your sister, your neighbor, your children, your work, etc.
It also works the other way around. You feel good when you walk with the Spirit and by speaking and acting in love you can deal with all the challenges in life. In 3 John 1 states that you are as healthy as your soul is healthy. If you can’t forgive, you can eat as healthy as you want or run an extra lap, but you won’t become healthy.
So when you walk with the Spirit it affects your family, your relatives, your neighbors and your colleagues. You can face negativity around you with love. That will have an effect, even though you may not notice it yourself. So how you are in everyday life, what you choose at every moment, that is what we have our soul for. The way you think determines everything.
That may seem simple, but it is not. There are plenty of unexpected moments when you don’t feel like choosing the spiritual path at all, because that can mean an interruption to your day and your plans.
What training can you follow to get and stay calm? Is that following the advice of gurus such as relaxation, vacation, massages? When people return they notice that things are still not going the way they would like.
Repeat this to yourself every day:
Practice makes perfect
Struggle is part of your choices, repetition is necessary to make the right choices.
Prayer
No wish list but getting inspired, being encouraged by the Father. Here too, persevere. God speaks in many ways, often through nature. It is not without reason that Jesus gives so many examples that are inspired by nature.
Keep the focus on making the promises that are ready in the spiritual world also visible in ‘our’ world. Read the story of Elijah who prays very intently for rain. (1 Kings 18:42-46) Even though the rain was previously promised, prayer and focus are needed to make it happen. Learn from this that we as heirs can show God’s power and spread light. When you speak on behalf of God, ‘dunamis’ power is released.
Live in the now
Don’t worry about tomorrow. (Luke 12:22) Negative feelings are often related to the past or a future concern or action. The threat around us is all future. Live in the present and 99% of the negative feelings will disappear. Enjoy what God is giving you today.
Let go of situations, negativity
Limit any information that draws you into negativity. Limit situations for yourself that affect your soul. You must critically limit anything that gives you a negative atmosphere by watching and listening. What has become a habit without us realizing it? Be influenced by God’s Word and His Spirit. You are responsible for that.
When you relapse, go to God. He gives you vision. Read Elijah’s continuation after his relapse, when he is threatened with death. (1 Kings 19:1-14) He receives assignments and vision in verses 15 to 18.
Vision is more powerful than a situation being in order at any given time.
Rejoice every day (Phil. 4:4-9)
Rejoice in the Lord. So it doesn’t say ‘Be happy in your situation’. That can change at any moment. Delight yourself in Him, be happy with what He has done for you again today. You become grateful.
Don’t worry about anything, just pray about everything. Tell Him all your problems and don’t forget to thank Him for everything He does. Pray until you experience that peace and can move on.
That peace transcends your thinking and keeps watch over your heart and thoughts.
Your situation sometimes calls out through your mind “you have to worry, this is not going well”, but your heart still remains in peace. Focus your thoughts on whatever is true, honorable, righteous, pure, and beautiful, and whatever is of good repute; everything that is virtuous and praiseworthy. This command eliminates many actions. Make the choice to focus your thoughts on other things.