Good morning,
Jesus, the most intense lover of men, and the most skilled enemy of our hate driven Enemy, said something very important to his followers on the last night that he would spend with them. After describing some of the shocking things that were about to happen, he told them, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Jesus knew perfectly well how Satan would try to use confusion, fear and anger, to try to turn his followers into self centered and defeated individuals. Jesus knew that one of our Enemy’s favorite attacks was to get people to respond to the hateful, unfair and cruel things that happen to us by turning us inward, away from our Savior, to ourselves. The Enemy loves to flood our minds with ideas like, “That’s so wrong,” and “We have to do something about this.” Without realizing it we are fooled into taking things into our own hands instead of looking to the God who has allowed these circumstances. We forget that God already has an answer to these situations. What Satan is doing is trying to get us in trouble with God.
The Lord addressed this issue back in Isaiah’s day when he said, 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.(Isa.26:3,4) The Lord is reminding us that He is always up to something good when he allows circumstances that overwhelm us to be a part of our learning to trust his judgment and not our own. Because of our sin nature we quickly go from fear to anger to defending ourselves. When fear filled, angry people attack, we naturally fall into the trap of treating them the same way they treat us. That response leads to pride and not faith in God. God’s reaction is, He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to the dust.(v.5) When King David was faced with this same problem God taught him to, Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.(Psa.34:14,15) It is the work of the Holy Spirit that turns our eyes away from our accusers and ourselves and keeps us focused on following our Savior and our Lord. What David learned was to keep praying that God would, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.(Psa.139:23,24) When the Apostle James faced this same issue in his day, his Spirit directed advise is our verse for this Monday Minute. May the Lord help us to see how this part of the spiritual battle works, and keep our eyes focused on our trustworthy Savior.
James 1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
Roy Wisner
