Perfect Peace
Recently, our church lost five precious people, who died in a house fire. One adult and four beautiful children.
It has been almost two weeks since the tragedy. The memorial service was beautiful. Comforting words were shared from the pulpit. Afterwards, family gathered to break bread together and share precious memories.
Now, life goes on. However my mind keeps going back, rehearsing over and over again, this tragedy. When I am ready to fall asleep or sitting in my quiet time with God or in the Word.
It seems difficult to not let your mind dwell on what happened. Then I find a remedy in the Word of God.
Isaiah 26: 3 (KJV) “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”
It is all about focus and discipline.
Focus because when the bad thoughts come, I have to remember and trust in the mercy, the compassion and the love of God. I recite the scriptures I have stored in my heart. I go to prayer and focus on God.
There is nothing wrong with remembering the good things about these precious souls, but when the thoughts of seeing the charred house or the grieving parents, I have to change my focus.
Changing your focus also involves discipline. II Corinthians 10: 3 – 5 gives us the steps to dealing with the wrong thoughts. We are told to cast down imaginations and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
We do that by using the Sword of the Spirit, which is speaking what the Word of God says, not what my mind says. I speak the specific Word that counters those bad thoughts, like Isaiah 26: 3, or Philippians 4: 5 – 7, or I Peter 5: 6 – 7.
I will let you look them up and practice refocusing your thoughts and disciplining yourself to get into your Bible and find every remedy to every problem we will ever face in life.
Stay focused and practice discipline. II Timothy 1: 7 tells us that God has given you the power to do both: focus and discipline.
- Pastor Jim
It has been almost two weeks since the tragedy. The memorial service was beautiful. Comforting words were shared from the pulpit. Afterwards, family gathered to break bread together and share precious memories.
Now, life goes on. However my mind keeps going back, rehearsing over and over again, this tragedy. When I am ready to fall asleep or sitting in my quiet time with God or in the Word.
It seems difficult to not let your mind dwell on what happened. Then I find a remedy in the Word of God.
Isaiah 26: 3 (KJV) “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.”
It is all about focus and discipline.
Focus because when the bad thoughts come, I have to remember and trust in the mercy, the compassion and the love of God. I recite the scriptures I have stored in my heart. I go to prayer and focus on God.
There is nothing wrong with remembering the good things about these precious souls, but when the thoughts of seeing the charred house or the grieving parents, I have to change my focus.
Changing your focus also involves discipline. II Corinthians 10: 3 – 5 gives us the steps to dealing with the wrong thoughts. We are told to cast down imaginations and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
We do that by using the Sword of the Spirit, which is speaking what the Word of God says, not what my mind says. I speak the specific Word that counters those bad thoughts, like Isaiah 26: 3, or Philippians 4: 5 – 7, or I Peter 5: 6 – 7.
I will let you look them up and practice refocusing your thoughts and disciplining yourself to get into your Bible and find every remedy to every problem we will ever face in life.
Stay focused and practice discipline. II Timothy 1: 7 tells us that God has given you the power to do both: focus and discipline.
- Pastor Jim
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