Day 95
Alive
to Peace
It
is not the yoke, but resistance to the yoke, that makes the difficulty; the
whole-hearted surrender to Jesus, as at once our Master and our Keeper, finds
and secures the rest.[i]
Andrew Murray
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hen we sin by
closing our minds to God in order to follow the demands of the flesh, we are
mistaken if we think He stands silently, sadly by and takes no action. He is the
Almighty God, and He has rights to us beyond those we have consciously released
to Him. There is comfort in this, but also a word of warning to the
disobedient. God will not allow us, as His children, to run the wrong direction
without placing obstacles in our paths.
We are not the center prizes in a tug of war between two equal powers; it
goes without saying that the awesome power of the most Holy God trumps any
strategy of Satan. The battle we sometimes think of as being between the enemy
and God is actually a struggle within ourselves, a tug of war that takes place
on the field of free will. This is a battle the Lord encourages us to win
through release, not acquisition. When we
release free will to the Lord, we come to a new level; we enter a realm where
His rule reigns. It is here we find peace of mind and heart.
The Lord is Sovereign, whether we submit to Him or not. All things will
come together under His reign and His rule.[ii] The
enemy can act only within the current of this inexorable flow that is bringing
all of creation to God. When we submit to the Lord and obey Him, we stop
fighting against the strong current of His will. This brings a restful peace
with God as opposed to our former turmoil of struggle against Him.
A byproduct of obedience to God is freedom from the idea that difficult
circumstances are God’s punishment for disobedience (fear has to do with
punishment)[iii]. Belief, trust, and obedience to the Lord lead
to peace of mind and heart regardless of our circumstances.
Overeating is a self-comfort measure that we have used to help us cope
with life on this earth, life that is often difficult or painful. Eating
is pleasurable and grants short-term relief to emotional discomfort, but causes
a rebound effect of misery that truly isn’t worth it. Peace with God is
available for us when we obey His direction to forfeit short-term pain relief
because we are banking on His promise of blessings on the road ahead. It's safe
to allow our physical bodies to be uncomfortable when our hearts are safe in
God's hand. And the sweetness of communion with Him, when unimpeded by our
willful disobedience, provides us food for our spirits and peace of mind and
heart.
Pray: Lord, I release my free will
into Your hands. I don’t want to struggle against You anymore. I want to obey
You moment-by-moment, and feed freely upon the bread of life. I entrust the
welfare of my physical body into Your hands. Help me to be a good caregiver of
this body, and not abuse it by seeking what is pleasurable over what is
nourishing. Please forgive me for struggling against Your rule in my life. I surrender to You. Amen.
~~~
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
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