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Don't Lose Your Peace
You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You...
Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
One of the greatest promises in the Bible is, 'You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.' Who are you trusting to solve the problem, God or yourself? You need to live by the principle 'Do your best, then let God do the rest.' Too many of us have the idea that it's wrong to enjoy ourselves while we have problems. We grow up believing that if we can't do anything else, the least we can do is worry, act stressed out and be miserable. The Bible addresses this: 'Do not [for a moment] be frightened... for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign... from God' (Philippians 1:28 AMP). This Scripture teaches us that when adversity comes (and it will) we must stay in peace. Satan doesn't know what to do with us when he can't get us upset; we've taken a powerful weapon out of his hands. 'For such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a... sign... from God.' Keeping your peace doesn't exempt you from life's difficulties, it just allows God to have the last word. By trusting Him completely you are no longer at the mercy of circumstances, other people, or your own emotions and limitations.

Somebody quipped, 'In times like these it's helpful to remember that there have always been times like these.' The question is not will trouble come, but how will you handle it? The writer to the Hebrews says, '... We which have believed do enter into rest... ' (Hebrews 4:3). When things go wrong do what God leads you to do, then rest in Him and watch Him work on your behalf!

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When you don't get what you want (1)
'Grow in grace' 2 PETER 3:18

Psychologist Henry Cloud does a lot of corporate consulting. Sometimes he asks executives this question: 'When in your business training or education, did you ever take a course on how to lose well?' Losing is an inevitable part of life. It gives us an invaluable window into the development of our character. How do we do when we're part of a team that makes a decision that's opposed? How do we handle it when the promotion we applied for, goes to somebody else? How do we do when our idea, proposal, or invitation for a date gets rejected? To live is to lose. But to lose badly, gracelessly, can be lethal. The president of an organization has an agenda for change that is dead in the water. No one wants it. But he's stubborn and won't take no for an answer, so he gets malicious compliance instead. People don't resist him openly, but they sabotage his agenda. He loses their respect and their loyalty. He could not stand to lose on his agenda; so instead, he loses what matters far more. A pastor wants his church to change in ways that the people don't embrace. He wants it to look like his ideal of what a church should be. So he preaches angry sermons that chastise them for not following his leadership. He tries to pressure the elders. He threatens, he whines, he manipulates. Eventually the elders ask him to leave the church. Because he cannot learn from his losses, he loses everything. Peter, who was known for being bull-headed, had grown wiser and more mature, so he writes, 'Grow in grace.' When you don't get what you want - be gracious!

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