(Isaiah 26:3 KJV) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”. Yesterday we looked at Isaiah 26:3 and my focus was on the supernatural peace of God available to every believer. Today we will look at the end of the verse as we focus on our responsibility in the process.
The prophet Isaiah teaches us that there is a “perfect peace” available to the children of God. The original Hebrew text actually reads, “peace peace”. It’s a double peace. A supernatural peace. A divine peace. But this peace is reserved for a certain group of believers. Isaiah tells us that this group of believers are able to keep their minds stayed/focused on God. We spent a couple of weeks studying the types of attacks satan wages upon the battleground of our minds. Satan wants to distract, derail and ultimately destroy us, and his attacks start in our minds. However, the person Isaiah describes is one who is able to withstand the attacks from satan and remain focused on God. This person resists every distraction. This person is not easily negatively persuaded or dissuaded. This person is focused.
While it is clear that some believers can focus on God in spite of the constant barrage of attempted distractions from satan, this morning I ask the question, “Why?” What empowers him/her to focus with such persistence? What keeps their minds stayed on God? I believe the answer is found in the latter part of Isaiah’s statement. Isaiah makes the connection between focus and trust. Isaiah said, “Because he trusteth in thee.”
This year the Lord has me meditating on the word “focus” quite a bit. Isaiah’s connection between focus and trust is something I will also spend time meditating on. Yesterday I asked the Lord to speak to me about this connection and He has been. This is something I am excited about studying and I know the Lord will impart great wisdom in the days to come.
So what does this mean to you today? I will simply highlight a few things as we begin to study the word “trust” and how it relates to God.
- Trusting someone’s presence. When you are around someone you trust you put your guard down; you allow your internal defenses to rest. You do this because you don’t have any fear of harm or wrongdoing. You feel at ease in their presence. This is especially true when you believe the person you are with can also protect you. Now apply this to God and it is easy to see how we can enter into divine rest and peace when we acknowledge His presence. If you have a relationship with God and you know He is present in any given moment, it will be hard for the enemy to strip you of your peace. But when you don’t acknowledge His presence, you are susceptible to the attacks of the enemy.
- Trusting someone’s intelligence/competence. For years I have been paid to be an expert in my field. While I don’t claim to know everything, I am expected to know certain things and when I give an answer, it is normally accepted as “the” answer, because I don’t make it a practice to provide answers I don’t know (with certainty) to be correct. Since I built this reputation people trust what I say. If that is true for me, then how much more should it be true for God. God knows ALL things. He knows your thoughts before you think them, your feelings before you feel them, and your decisions before you make them. If God says something to you, then you can trust Him and His Word. He has proven to NEVER be wrong. Therefore, standing a Word from God should give you peace, no matter the pressure you may feel from the world to believe or accept anything else.
- Trust is built on performance. There is a certain level of trust that is given or assumed, but that level is very low. True trust is earned over time. When you consider the level of trust you have for any given person, what you are doing is actually considering their track record. The better the track record, the higher the trust. The weaker the track record, the lower the trust. If this is true, then you should trust God at the highest possible level. He has never, nor will He ever fail you. He has never lied to you. He has never said one thing and done another. He has never fallen short. Bottom line: God has never given you any reason NOT to trust Him. So you should trust God with all your heart and this trust in a God who knows all things, who has all power, and who is in all places at the same time, should help you keep your peace in tact, your hope on fire, and your faith focused.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. With my heart I say, “I trust You.” Some trust in the riches of this world, I trust in You as my source. Some trust in the protection of this world, I trust in You as my shield. Some trust in the intelligence of this world, I trust in You for divine wisdom. You have never let me down. You have never failed me. You are all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present. I love You. I believe in You. I trust You. My trust in You fuels my faith and my peace. I enter this day in perfect peace because my mind is stayed on You and I trust You. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
