Ordered thoughts and steady emotions

 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.(Philippians 4:7)

Those who belong - do you 'belong'? Some perceive 'belonging' as having the 'proper credentials', such as when you 'belong' to the country club in your local town and can get the benefits of that 'membership'. Others might think of 'belonging' as 'being properly placed' - having a specific purpose in what you do somewhere for someone. The oldest meaning of this world indicated a certain 'dependence' upon one another or someone with a 'greater position' than you had. If we think of 'belonging' to Christ as 'having a relationship' with one who holds a 'superior position', we might just be a little closer to how this word is used in scripture. To 'belong' to Christ suggests a relationship of willing service to and with the Lord Almighty.

Because you 'belong' to Christ Jesus - based upon the relationship we now enjoy, we will also enjoy certain 'privileges' as a 'member' of his family. Those privileges include the peace that stands guard over our thoughts and emotions. Heaven knows we need a little 'guarding' of our thoughts from time to time, don't we? They get all carried away because our emotions (feelings) get the best of us. Perhaps that is why God wants his peace to stand guard over both - neither one being able to really hold up well under the pressures of life, no matter how much we think they might. 

Our human minds might attempt to convince us that we have 'everything under control', but our emotions tell us otherwise. There are times when our emotions get all carried away, while our minds are telling us we might want to pull back and think those actions through just a bit more. No wonder we need God's Spirit to indwell our spirit, standing guard, bringing wisdom, and creating peace in an otherwise fickle environment of conflicted mind and emotions! The good news is that God's peace can stand guard when our own reasoning betrays us - helping us to sort out our thoughts and bringing wisdom where unreasonable or unwise thoughts prevail. 

Reliance upon the grace and peace of God in our lives is never the wrong 'tactic' - it may just be the one 'tactic' that keeps us out of life's muddled places. It could mean steady emotions and ordered thought in ways we have yet to experience. Just saying!

Is it okay to just stay here?

When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We could have died peacefully in Egypt; there were plenty of graves in Egypt. We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, ‘Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.” But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.” (Exodus 14:10-14)

There are a lot of times God brings us to a certain point in our lives and all we do is 'stand there and watch', hoping for the Lord to do all the work. The very next verse is God's directive to MOVE. In other words, don't just stand there, but engage yourself in what he is doing. Whenever God tells us to move, all the inaction on our part must cease. We may be scared, filled with all manner of emotional upheaval, but the call is to move, not stand still. 

Don't be afraid...don't run away. These are instructional words. Put fear far from you because God is going before you. Put your action into moving forward, not standing still, but allow the stillness of God's peace to be with you as you do. We might just want to stand still, or even turn back the way we came, but God isn't working 'back there'. He is working right where we are at in the here and now. The action required is forward movement - the attitude of heart required is peaceful trust.

How do we get to the place where we actually trust God enough to take that first 'big step' into the path he has prepared for us? Some will say that it is easier said than done, and you would be right on that account! Peace doesn't always come in the 'standing still', though. If you haven't noticed, we can feel the deepest peace when we finally step into what God has prepared for us. When we are finally taking that 'first step' onto the path God has prepared, there is a settling of all our insecurities and uncertainties. Why? Obedience pleases the heart of God like nothing else and where obedience is the course one takes, the heart and mind are sure to be rewarded with his gentle peace.

While Moses' instruction may seem to tell us to just stand there and watch, the original text actually uses words that tell us to remain still, stay calm, and be silent. Moses isn't telling them to stay rooted in their past, but to allow the stillness of God settle over them while they move into what God has prepared for them just ahead of where they are. Maybe God is asking some of us to be still, stay calm, and just be silent, but he isn't telling us to never take the big step! Just sayin!

HIS peace stands guard

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. (Philippians 4:6-7)

If you struggle with what to say when you stop long enough to talk with God about things you are experiencing anxiety about, you are probably among a huge group of others who experience similar anxious thoughts. Anxiety has become one of the biggest issues today simply because of all the uncertainty in the world around us. Supply chain issues, rising interest rates, difficulty finding jobs that pay enough to make ends meet, unrest over one's beliefs, and the list goes on. For some, these things can become overwhelmingly difficult to deal with. The desire is to have God take it all away, but the reality is that God primarily helps us walk through those difficulties rather than removing them completely.

The most important part of this passage is something we all need to hear: "HIS peace can..." It stands guard over our thoughts. It keeps our emotions in check. In other words, HIS peace brings the checks and balances into our lives that keep us on an even keel. God's peace can do this BETTER than anything our human minds can accomplish with all that worrying and fretting. Some of us are habitual worriers - we aren't even sure what causes all the worrying, or that we are even engaging in worry, but those anxious thoughts just creep to the surface so easily. When there is so much worry, there is little room for peace. That's why God tells us to cast those cares upon him. Bring them to the surface, being direct in admitting they are there, even when we don't actually know the cause of those worries. Then he does the rest!

The thing we might miss in this passage - it is HIS peace that stands guard over our minds and our hearts. Both are affected so deeply by anxiety. Emotions ride high one day, low the next, all jumbled up at times that we cannot even explain what we are feeling or where those thoughts are coming from. Our minds ruminate on things that we should never have entertained in the first place. At other times, there is genuine concern for a situation, but we don't bring it to God, choosing to just rehearse it over and over again in our minds until our emotions are in a jumbled mess. The thing we need to ask God is to place a guard over our hearts and minds. When we are tempted to 'own the worry', we need to stop, remind ourselves that God has placed that guard there because he can bring peace far better than any human reasoning can ever provide. Just sayin!

Stop and watch

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder. We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power. He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power. (Job 37:5-7)

If you have ever been in the midst of a thunderstorm, you might have just sat and listened as the drops of rain came down and the winds billowed a bit. The patter of the drops on the rooftop aren't all that threatening, but when the huge crack of thunder comes and the sky lights up with lightening, it is another thing. As a wee kid, I'd be outside playing when the winds would start, but they didn't faze me. As soon as I heard that first rumble of thunder, I bolted to the fence line and called to mom. Why? I wanted deliverance from the storm! Within a matter of minutes, mom's arms would be around me and we would be safe inside the protection of the house. The rains came, the winds blew, lightening crisscrossed the sky, and some of the louder thundering even shook the panes in the windows, but I was safe, no longer 'in the storm', but an observer of it all. 

In much the same manner, the storms of life will come, and we will call out for deliverance from the fright of it all. At first, the winds may not really faze us or change our course of action, but as the thunder begins to roll, we head for our place of safety. If that place of refuge is not in Christ, chances are we become a bit more fearful of the blustering storm than we should be. Without Christ, the storm doesn't just threaten us, it causes us to run for cover and then to fret about the outcome. As a kid, I didn't fret about the outcome of the worst of the storms because I was secure within the house and mom was there with me. As a child of God, I don't fret the worst of life's storms because I am secure in his presence and under his watchful care no matter how big the 'bluster' might become. How about you? Do you have that place of safety where you can just 'stop everything and watch his power'? 

Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds? Do you understand how he moves the clouds with wonderful perfection and skill? (vs 15-16) We don't know how God moves as much as we know he is with us. We don't understand all he uses to control the storm, but we sense his movement even when we don't see any hope of it passing. He exercises such perfection and skill at navigating us through the storm, giving us peace in that place of refuge we find in him, and he allows us to simply observe his action on our behalf. We don't have to understand all that is happening around us - good, bad, or a mix of both. We just need to know who it is that is in control of the storm - God. 

We might want to attempt to control it ourselves with words that aren't all that powerful, actions that aren't all the effectual, or thoughts that don't change a thing we are experiencing. The more we try to control the storm, the worse the terror of it all becomes. To know peace in the midst of chaos, one must reach up for the security of his refuge, just like a little girl reaches for the security of her momma's arms and the strength of the walls that surround her on a stormy day. We only 'feel secure' when we 'are secure' - secure to stop and watch the glory of his majesty on display in our lives. Just sayin!

We'll never make peace with ourselves

C.S. Lewis reminds us, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." I think we look a whole lot of places for happiness - from within relationships to the things we purchase. We look for peace but find circumstances and attitudes that don't really support it. How are we to find peace if it is so elusive? Romans 8:5-7 tells us, "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will." Perhaps the only way we find true and lasting peace is to allow peace to actually enter into each of us by saying 'yes' to Jesus!

The sinful nature wants to dominate us - to invade our thoughts, form our attitudes, and influence our actions. Allowing our sinful nature to be at the helm in our lives will surely never produce peace - it is at war with God! No wonder Jesus promised us the gift of his Spirit residing within, for we need his direction to defeat negative and damaging thought. Until our thought life is dealt with, all the work we do to 'create peace' in our lives, let alone seek happiness, will be worthless. I don't know about you, but I don't like seeking worthless things. I once heard someone say we had to make peace with ourselves before we could find peace in this world. I would challenge that thought and say until we make peace with God, allowing him to replace our sinful nature with his new nature, we won't really ever know true and lasting peace.

Thomas Merten tells us, "We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, and we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not at peace with God." All the efforts of mankind to 'find' peace in a set of circumstances, believing if we 'fashion things just right', we will be at peace with each other is kind of 'pie in the sky' thinking. We are never going to find peace with each other until we find peace with God - period. What is one of the biggest things that keeps us from finding peace with God? It is likely our pride. We don't believe we have the need for him in our lives - it is as though we see him as a 'crutch' some need to lean upon, but not us. I have had several knee injuries in my lifetime, resorting to the use of crutches to allow healing to occur. I will tell you this - were it not for the 'crutch' supporting the weight of my body, my leg would never have healed!

Sometimes we need to admit we don't know what we don't know. Those who think they have no need for God in their lives are really deceived - either by themselves or by the thoughts of others. All of mankind was made with a 'hollow space' where God's Spirit should dwell. To lean into our own pride and say we have no need for God to fill that space because we can 'fill it' some other way is foolishness. Remember, the fool is the one saying he has no need for God. (Psalm 14:1) If you have ever had one of those toolboxes that have all the cut-out shapes for each of the tools, you know you cannot put a hammer into the slot for the socket wrench - it doesn't fit. So, why would we ever try to put something else into the 'space' in our lives that was made specifically for God's presence? Just askin...

Are you courageous enough?

Has anyone or anything been disturbing your peace lately? If you watch the evening news, there are reports of mass shootings, angry confrontations between this group or that, natural disasters sweeping away those in their path, homes destroyed by fires, and families torn apart by things way beyond their control. Indeed, there are a plethora of things that can disturb our peace in a matter of seconds, but we don't have to allow our peace to be destroyed by any of these things or people. God's peace is capable of surpassing whatever seeks to disturb it. The way peace is maintained is also the way it is attained - we place our trust in the One True God.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

What are 'fixed thoughts'? If you are like me, your mind can ramble right along from one thought to the next without taking a breather at all. We can get so caught up in our thought patterns that we totally miss how muddled they are getting, all because we don't take that 'breather'. One way of having the peace of God rule over our lives is by learning to take our thoughts 'captive' more than once in a while. Sometimes we need to just 'shut off' long enough to allow God to speak. We cannot hear if we are not listening. We cannot embrace peace is our arms (and our hearts and minds) are so laden with our burdens that we are not open to receiving the embrace. 

I used to think a person who had 'fixed thoughts' was like the monk in the monastery. There would be no outside distractions, peaceful times of prayer and meditation, and some enchanting worship emanating from their lives. Boy, was I off base on that one! Fixed thoughts do not require us to live a 'shut away' life, it just means we will take the time and effort to keep Christ first in all we undertake. We might 'shut away' some of the invading thoughts, then really spend some quality time focusing on him - his Word, some time in meditation, and even a bit of worship. We don't need to live a cloistered life to be at peace with God, but we may need to allow some work with our minds in order to 'maintain peace'. 

When we are instructed to 'take every thought captive', it suggests there is this tendency to allow them to be 'carried away' by the 'loudest' or most 'frequent' influence. The more we control what can influence our thoughts, the more 'fixed' our thoughts will become. I read some research a while back that showed how we can hear ten different reports - nine will be positive, but one will be negative. The researchers showed that the human mind could recall the negative quicker than the positive. Does that surprise anyone? The 'bent' of our minds is to 'fix upon' the negative quicker than the positive. That need to change if we are to know and live in the peace of God.

It took me a while to allow God access to my mind - but it was worth the effort it took to get to the place where I allowed time (access) to my thoughts. It meant I had a regular time to explore the scripture, enough time to consider what he was showing me, and then a plan to allow it to be 'mulled over' again and again throughout the day. That meant I sometimes needed to refocus my thinking - being aware when I was allowing other things to keep my mind in a frenzy and neglecting to allow his peace to enter in. Maybe that is our prayer today - God give us an awareness of the building frenzy and the courage to shut it off long enough to let you speak into it. Just sayin!

A new standard

 But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living. (James 3:17-18)

What 'crop' are you planting today? Are you planting actions that reveal a heart 'working for peace'? In today's world, we can see all manner of tensions and upsets. We need godly individuals who will rise up, live peaceable lives, being godly examples that reveal how God's presence in our lives helps us live in peace and with peace. We cannot live 'in' peace with each other until we are 'at peace' with God. 

God's presence in our lives brings a new standard for living, but it is far from just living a 'religious life'. As we begin to be affected by the peace of God within, we begin to operate in the realm of his wisdom and purpose. That 'change in operating standards' is what some might call 'religion', but it is really a change of leadership in our lives. That change of leadership brings with it an influx of the wisdom of God that affects us in many ways.

His wisdom is pure - bringing a change in our inner man that moves from leaning toward crass and harsh interactions with each other to considerate and kind actions. Where there is a purity in thoughts, actions are bound to change for the best. Peaceful and gentle actions are an outflow of a changed heart. Mind, will, and emotions all being affected deeply by his grace-filled presence within.

When the 'within' is right, the 'without' is better! The actions we reveal toward others are going to exemplify the grace of God that has affected us on the inside. The more we allow his wisdom to point out areas where there is any impurity, a lack of his peace, or any harshness in our character, the more we will begin to live 'at peace' with others. Why? His peace becomes our new standard for living - with ourselves and with others. Just sayin!

You wearing spurs?

Know why so many arguments happen? We aren't walking 'in tune' with each other - we have gotten out of step with one another. We are so focused on something else and we get all 'out of whack' with each other - sometimes without even noticing. Whenever we are 'doing our own thing', we have little concern for what the 'other guy' needs or wants in the relationship. We find ourselves running over each other quite easily and that is what leads to frustration, eventually either emerging in an argument or hurt feelings. God doesn't want this to be the way we live, so maybe we should consider how to avoid these relationship pitfalls.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. (Colossians 3:15 MSG)

The peace of Christ is to be the overriding principle in our relationships. Yet we struggle so much with allowing his peace to guide our steps. What impacts his peace in us? One of the first things that impacts that peace is when we find ourselves drifting into taking things and others for granted - not really being thankful for these things and people God has given into our lives. Yes, he gives us each other - we don't find each other all on our own, you know? We are brought into relationship with one another - ushered there by the hand of God. When we are no longer thankful for these relationships, they become a thing we take for granted - and this leads to relationship woes galore! Trust me - I speak from experience!

Another thing that dynamically impacts our internal peace, and will affect how well we live at peace with one another, is not getting a steady and hearty intake of the Word of God. Now, this is more than just reading a passage and saying, "That was good." We have to ingest it, digest it, invest it, and divest it! Take it in (ingest it). Get it working on the inside of us (digest it). Find ways to let it multiply within and without us (invest it). Give it away to others so they can put it through the same process themselves (divest it). The Word of God is powerful, but it won't impact our relationships if we are always just casually considering it. We have to get into it and allow it to get into us!

The peace of God is also nurtured through worship - letting your heart soar in praise and adoration for the one who gives us life and peace. The grace of God is a great thing - but does it spark a sense of worship within? If not, then we may have become a little too complacent in our appreciation of his grace. We might want to ask God to help us 'tune up' our thankfulness for his work in our lives, then we might just see we become a little more thankful for the ones God has placed us into relationship with in this journey of faith. Life isn't about the things we get out of it as much as it is about those we travel alongside as we go through it. We need peace inside, peace impacting our actions, and we might just find we are spurring one another on toward peace in this world. Just sayin!

Peace of or Peace with

God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3 ERV)

We can often overlook the simple truth of God's peace in our lives, that is until it is disturbed by negative circumstances! Once the tough stuff comes into play in our lives, we sometimes freak out a bit because we don't know what to do - the going is getting tough, but we don't find ourselves as tough as might be needed to get going! The awesomeness of God's peace is that it is a gift - it isn't earned or somehow "acquired". It is truly given when and where we need it, but there are definitely forces working against us to keep us from experiencing the depth of that peace as much as he would like us to in giving it to us.

The peace of God is different than finding peace with God. We find peace with God through Christ Jesus, accepting the finished work of the cross for our sinful nature, and then actively seeking to obey his Word. The peace of God comes as a result of that restored relationship with our Creator. Scripture reminds us, "Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.  And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds." (Philippians 4:6-7 ERV) It is because we belong to Christ that we have God's peace "standing guard" over our thoughts, feelings, and helping to guide our actions. 

Any action which disturbs that peace can then be defined as an action that moves us away from the direction God would like for each of us to be consistently heading - toward him. These are actions he'd like us to avoid, or stop engaging in. They are not going to help us walk in his peace and will keep us under the oppressive force of "disturbed peace". Edwin Louis Cole reminds us, "Peace is the umpire for doing the will of God." As an "umpire", it reigns over our hearts, keeping us steadily on course, calling for us to take a "time out" on occasion to "regroup", and often has to arbitrate between the actions we choose. When we lose God's peace, or don't listen to that niggling voice within, we might not realize it at first, but the loss of that peace allows for an undermining of destructive forces to be at work within our lives.

We need to guard our hearts against destructive forces at work to keep us from enjoying God's peace. Every action contrary to that peace must be resisted. It is a good thing God doesn't expect us to do this on our own, though, because each of us would be in a muddle if he did! God's gift is to continually renew our sense of peace, but it is our part to seek him in all things. Then we shall have his peace as our guide, umpiring our lives and helping us to resist certain actions which actually disturb that peace. Just sayin!

Guard on!

I have not been to Buckingham Palace, but have seen those pictures of the finely dressed guards in the tall black hats, bright red uniforms, and standing at rigid attention.  It is said it is almost impossible to distract them or to get them to crack a smile, laugh, or pay attention to something you are doing right in front of them.  They stand at their post, guarding the Queen, or whoever is in residence.  They have a duty to perform, and it is said they perform it with the utmost of professionalism and dedication.  Rain or shine, they stand their post. I kind of liken this tenacity of commitment to the "post" of standing guard to what we can experience when the peace of God stands guard over our thoughts and feelings.  Rain or shine, good moments or the tough ones, his Spirit appoints "Peace" to stand guard.  With that kind of guard over our thoughts and feelings, we can stand assured that whatever we have need of in our lives, it will be provided - we need not worry.

Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. (Philippians 4:6-7 ERV)

There is a great deal in this life which we can choose to allow to reign over our feelings.  I found myself watching a movie with a friend in the quietness of the day yesterday, only to be moved to the point of tears over the outcome.  The dad was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and made the decision to live life to the fullest.  His daughter was struggling in her marriage.  To him, the message was simple:  Find the music again.  It wasn't the melody of some love song, but the beating of God's heart he was referring to - for when we hear the music of his heartbeat, all else falls into order in our lives.

Feelings are powerful tools - they can sway us to make all manner of decisions which are both good and bad, honorable and dishonorable, trusted and downright shaky.  What we don't realize is how much God wants us to have control over those ones which take us down wrong paths, or sway us to make decisions which will give us troubles later in life.  If we want stability in the realm of our feelings, we need a "guard" over our emotions who is not swayed by the distractions of life, the taunts or jeers of those things demanding attention, and the turning tides often faced when life just happens around us.

The instructions are clear - don't worry, pray, ask God for everything we need, and remember to give thanks for what we have.  It should not surprise us that God expects all four of these things.  Each compliments the other.  To not worry, we have to lay it out before God.  When we have needs, we can look a lot of places, but no one will meet them in quite the same way as he can.  He may use the services of another human being to help us through whatever that need might be, but he is behind it.  Being grateful for what we have been given, are being given, and will be given is something which keeps us humble.  When we are thankful, we are expressing a sense of dependence upon God for the very things we have come to rely upon in life.

In turn, the peace of God reigns over our minds - our hearts (complete with mind, will and emotions).  This is important to recognize because whoever stands guard is the one who allows admittance, but also the one who lets those things contained within to get out.  If we want control over what we say, what we express in emotions, etc., we need a guard who will help us "govern" those things and temper them with the beauty only Christ can provide.  We may not see the guard posted, but we can feel the security that guard provides.  I don't have to experience the protection of the guardrail on the side of the roadway, but I know its strength is there to protect me nonetheless. 

The peace of God is like a guardrail of sorts - keeping me on course and protecting me along the journey.  When we begin to rely upon his protective covering over our lives a little bit more, we find ourselves worrying less, trusting more, doing less and less of the "wrong" stuff, and just generally enjoying life a little more.  Take your "post", Holy Spirit!  Guard on!  Just sayin!