(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”. We have been looking at Isaiah 26:3 for a few days. Yesterday I shared a message with you entitled, “A matter of trust”. To me, trust is what this all boils down to. God has a supernatural peace available for every believer, but you must trust Him enough to receive His peace, resist every temptation to doubt/fear, and enter into His rest.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things, as it relates to trust, peace and rest.
- The battle is in your mind. We studied this point for weeks, but it is worth bringing up again. To win the battle you must submit to the process of mind renewal, allowing yourself to be deprogrammed and then reprogrammed through the Word of God. If you do you will eventually get to the point where you are conditioned to think like God. Once you are at this point it will be extremely difficult for the enemy to get a hold of your mind with his negative thoughts of fear, doubt, failure and defeat. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen if you stick to the process (see 2 Cor 10:3-5).
- God will allow whatever you allow. Jesus said, “Do not allow your heart to be troubled” (John 14:1). Just like you can ALLOW your heart to be troubled, you have the power to refuse it. Faith is a choice, just like fear is a choice. You cannot trust and worry at the same time. You get to CHOOSE. It’s an act of your will. To enter in and remain in God’s rest, to have the supernatural peace Isaiah talks about, you are going to have to choose faith over fear, rest over worry, and peace over anxiety. God will allow whatever you allow, so make sure you choose wisely. (see John 14:27).
- Rule your emotions. Don’t let your feelings tell you how to feel. If you allow your emotions to rule you, you will live an unstable and unfruitful life. God has given you the power to rule over your emotions, but YOU must do so in order to enter in and remain in God’s rest (see John 14:27).
- You can have peace in the midst of storms. When Isaiah talks about believers who keep their minds stayed on God, he is not saying these believers are doing so because they are exonerated from storms. No, on the contrary. They CHOOSE to keep their minds stayed on God in spite of the storms. The peace of God is not about the absence of conflict, but rather about the presence of God. When God is present you can have peace internally, even when everything externally seems to be going haywire (see John 14:27).
- More grace. Since God never promised us a perpetual picnic, and since we all face storms in life, we must rely on the grace of God. Oftentimes, when you ask for less challenge, God responds with more grace. God is not always going to deliver you FROM challenges, but He will give you the grace to overcome them—delivering you IN it, rather than FROM it (see 2 Cor 12:9).
- Spend time at Jesus’ feet. What’s your issue? What you are dealing with? What is causing you stress, struggle, strain and strife? What is the thing that is keeping you up at night? To experience God’s best, which comes by His grace, you must spend time at Jesus’ feet. Humble yourself, worship your Lord, fall at His feet, call on His name, acknowledge His power, reverence His throne, and you will find that He will meet you where you are. Whether you are up or down, at the end of your rope or on the top of the world, struggling or sailing, in faith or afraid, in hope or in despair, Jesus is available to you today and there is a great exchange that takes place at His feet (see Mark 5:22 and 5:33).
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I renew my mind with Your Word. The more I get Your Word IN me, the more my mind is deprogrammed from stinking-thinking. I set my mind on You. I DO NOT ALLOW my heart to be troubled. I enter into Your divine rest and I rest from my own works. I no longer rely on my human effort or ability alone. I trust in You. My confidence is in You, Your love for me, Your commitment to the purpose You placed in me before the world began, and Your limitless power. So Father, I embrace Your grace, I become a conduit of Your power, I rest in Your ability, and I face every challenge head-on, in-faith, without a doubt, fully relying on Your supernatural power to access the victory. I enter this day with Your peace all over me, because of Your presence. You have committed to be with me always… never to leave me or forsake me. Since You are always with me, I am never helpless. Since I am never helpless, I am never hopeless. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
