Today I will continue my current series entitled, REASONS WHY NOT TO FEAR!
Here is Reason #16 why NOT to fear: You Trust God! When you truly trust God, worry, fear, doubt and unbelief have a hard time getting down in your heart. Why? Because you trust God so much that you live in a state of divine peace. Let’s talk about that today.
Let’s look at Isaiah 26:3 from several translations.
(Isaiah 26:3 King James Version)
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
(Isaiah 26:3 New Living Translation)
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!
(Isaiah 26:3 God’s Word Translation)
With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust you.
(Isaiah 26:3 Easy to Read Version)
God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.
(Isaiah 26:3 The Passion Translation)
Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. You must take control of your thought life in order to truly trust God!
At the end of the day, you are who you THINK you are. Your thoughts control your life (Prov 4:23). If you see yourself as blessed, you will subconsciously find ways to walk in the blessing. If you see yourself as stressed, you will subconsciously find ways to get stressed out. With that in mind, let’s consider what the Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 26:3. We read it from several translations. Here are some of the things we can learn from this verse.
a) We get to choose what we fix our “mind” on. The Hebrew word translated “mind” in this text can refer to the mind itself or to anything that is formed by the mind: thoughts, imaginations, plans, schemes, etc. Whether Isaiah is referring to the mind or what the mind produces, either way, the message is clear that when our mind (thoughts, plans, ideas, imaginations, etc.) is fixed and focused on God, there is a supernatural peace that is made available to us.
b) While the English translations say “perfect peace,” in Hebrew, what is written is actually ‘shalom shalom.’ Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace and Isaiah repeats it as he writes this verse. Repeating a word was a Hebrew way of emphasizing a point. This perfect peace, or peace-peace, is a complete sense of wholeness, contentment, and rest that cannot be disturbed or agitated by pressures of life. Shalom is getting to the point where you have complete peace on the inside, no matter what is going on on the outside. This peace is possible (as the text teaches us) when we truly trust God.
c) The trust factor is truly the key to this verse and it can easily be overlooked when reading it. Most people focus on the words “mind” and “peace” but the only reason why our mind can be fixed and focused on God, undisturbed by the distressing anxieties of life, is because we trust Him. If you have read Today’s Word for any length of time you know that I love teaching about faith. The just shall live by faith. We cannot please God without it. Faith is absolutely essential to our walk with the Father. We are to express confidence (faith) in God and in His Word every day. But trust really takes us to another level. We stand in faith when we believe we know what God is going to do, in accordance with what He promised. But there are times when we have no clue what is going on or what God is going to do. On those occasions, we better have our trust intact. Without trust, we can easily cross over into doubt and once doubt grips our heart it is only a matter of time before we cross over into fear and unbelief. You must learn to trust God, even when He has not spoken to you yet about what He is going to do. When you get to the point where you truly trust God, you say things like, “Listen, I don’t know how it is going to turn out. But what I do know is this: It’s going to be good! Why? Because I know God loves me. I know He made plans for me before the world began. I know He will never leave me, forsake me, or turn His back on me. So I may not have clarity about how it is going to turn out. But I trust God that it will work out for my good. Therefore, I have nothing to fear. I TRUST GOD!”
2. God will keep (you in peace), if you keep (you mind fixed and focused on Him).
The way Isaiah 26:3 is written, the Prophet tells us what God is going to do (God will keep you), but it is contingent upon what we do (we must keep as well). We read it from several translations. Let’s seek to glean a few golden nuggets from it.
a) We can have “perfect peace” when we get to the point where we truly trust God.
(Isaiah 26:3 King James Version)
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
If your mind is “stayed on God” and you truly trust Him, God will give you a peace that will not be disturbed, even with all the things going on in the world right now.
b) We can have “perfect peace”, but in order to do so, we must set our minds on God and then be so determined and disciplined that our minds CANNOT BE CHANGED by what is going on in the world.
(Isaiah 26:3 God’s Word Translation)
With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust you.
If you allow your mind to be changed every time you watch the news, you are going to live an unstable life.
c) You cannot be consumed with God and consumed with the things of the world at the same time!
(Isaiah 26:3 The Passion Translation)
Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.
In this season, while we are being bombarded with bad news, day after day and hour after hour, it is easy to be consumed with COVID-19. The text say that if we are consumed with God, we will also be overtaken with peace. But if we allow ourselves to be consumed with COVID-19, we will have no peace and it will not be God’s fault!
*** In closing, if you want God to keep you in perfect peace, you must do your part. God keeping you, requires you to keep your mind fixed, focused and consumed with Him and on Him!
*** God’s peace has been made available. The offer stands. It’s now on you to take Him up on it. In order to access and enjoy God’s peace, you must keep your mind focused on Him. That’s not hard to do when you trust TRUST HIM!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You can keep me in perfect peace. But I must keep my mind on You. I choose to do so. I choose to focus on You. I choose to keep my mind consumed with You, Your Word, Your promises and Your presence. In exchange, You keep me perfect peace. I refuse to allow my mind to be consumed with thoughts of COVID–19. I pray against the virus. I pray for those being negatively impacted. I am aware of what is going on in the world. But I refuse to allow my awareness to rob me of Your peace. I give myself over to You. I cast ALL my cares upon You. I know You care for me and I trust in Your care. I trust Your love. I trust Your dedication to me and to the plans You made for me before the world began. I trust You so much that I have peace and I shall not be moved! You take my cares. I take Your peace. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
