Interpretation of Tongues

The gift of interpretation is used in conjunction with the gift of speaking in tongues. It is the term used when someone explains what has been said by the person speaking in tongues (a supernatural, unknown language – or a prayer language). Since such language can not be actually “translated”, as a foreign learned language can be, the term is “interpretation.” The reason this is done is to edify (spiritually encourage) the church.

We are warned in the Bible that there are times to and not to operate under these gifts of speaking and interpreting tongues. 1 Cor 14:27-28 says “If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. …”

Think of it this way, if a business man goes to a meeting with a banker in search of a loan and they both speak different languages and have no one there with them to explain each others words to the other, then nothing in that meeting will be accomplished. These two people may as well be talking to a wall. But if someone else is there who can “put the meaning behind the words”, then they can come to an understanding, and the deal can be closed.

Comfort

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN BROKEN HEARTED?
Its pretty safe to say that, at one time or another, we all have had some kind of experience that makes us feel like the world is crashing down all around us. Its inevitable, really. Its as natural of a feeling any other emotion is.

The key here, however, is knowing that – thru the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ – we dont have to continually suffer, such as we generally tend to do when weve been emotionally crushed. By knowing Christ as our savior, we have His promise of knowing that (Psalms 30:5b) weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

As faith is a vital part of salvation, we are told multiple times throughout the bible – God’s instructions for our lives – that as part of our gift from Him, we are not only to know, but we are to *understand* that (Psalms 147:3) He heals the broken heartened, binding up their wounds. And (Jeremiah 31:13) He will turn their mourning into gladness. He will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Furthermore, we read the promise given in John 16:33… I have told you these things so that you will have peace of heart and mind, Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but cheer up, for I have overcome the world.

How do we receive His gift of comfort? We simply stay FOCUSED on His Word. If we would just do as we are instructed – IF we will (2 Corinthians 4:8) fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal, then we will understand that we do not have to continue to suffer. In fact, if we would only BELIEVE and TRUST in God, then we would not we have anything to worry about, because we would have no doubt that every single circumstance and situation that we walk through is only temporary.

While it is a healthy, natural thing to mourn over loss, it is vital to realize that staying focused on that is not good. Why? Because, as we “get lost” in the emotions associated with mourning, we will loose focus of the bigger picture… which is eternity! As we get drawn further and further away from keeping ourselves focused God’s Word, we become more and more tempted to act in sinful manners. And yes, if we are not mindful of such things, we CAN loose our place of righteousness and good-standing through Christ. Instead of allowing grief to consume us – and it will, bit by bit, if we allow it to – think about this; (1 Thessalonians 4:13) Brothers we don’t want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep: or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. (John 14:27) I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give is not fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:18) No, I will not abandon you or leave you as orphans in the storm-I will come to you. And, (Proverbs 3:6) trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. But know (Psalm 46:1) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

All we have to do to receive comfort is ask our Heavenly Father for it, and then, accept His gift, as it (they) has already been promised to us. In other words, to receive His comfort, we only have to RECEIVE His comfort!

.

Pt. 5 – Faith

GOT MILK… WHERE’S THE BEEF?
Weve all seen the tv commercial, “Got Milk”. Right? Ok. There also used to be another commercial, “back in the day”, that was based on a popular fast food place, that was commonly referred to as “Wheres the beef?” Who would have thought that these two commercials could be so closely related to biblical teachings? No. I havent completely flipped my lid (haahaa). A vivid picture of what Im talking about is found in the book of Hebrews.

Heb 5:11-14 “Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” And then Heb 6:1 says “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,… of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”

Wow! Thats a mouth full for the wise, isnt it? Time and time again, Im faced with christians that Ive known personally for my entire life, and still they are surviving on milk, instead of thriving on meat because it is too strong for them to digest. Furthermore, we are also taught that “without faith, it is impossible to please God…” and “faith without works is dead.” So, what do we do? We surely cant hold people down and “force-feed” them. (Tho sometimes we may be sorely tempted to do so). The real answer to this question can only be one thing. We need to pray, in faith, and believe that, as the Word also tells us, that their eyes will be opened and that they who have ears will hear, as by hearing the Word, increasing their faith, and resulting in maturity.

Be A Blessing

JUST GIVE IT AWAY…
In Luke 6:38 we read, “Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

There is a mountains worth if wisdom in the above verse. If we accept it as its written, in faith, then this is our instructions on how to be a blessing to others, and how to gain blessings.

First, we are told “give”… What are we suppose to give? Anything that we are asked to hand over is an answer that pretty much sums it up. Ok! Now, before you start off on a tangent about how you can’t afford to give away this, that, or the other… or rant over how you are not going to support the habits of an addict… lets finish the sentence. You have to understand that if the Lord has asked you to give something away, He will also instruct you in regards to who to give it to. All you have to do is listen, and be obedient to His Word.

Many times, your instruction may just be to say a kind word to a stranger. Other times, as you become more advanced in your “giving skills”, the things you give will increase in value. Why is that? Simply because if God sees that you can be trusted with instructions of little things, He will know that you can be trusted with more. So, in general, the more you give, the more you will be trusted, and in return, the more you will receive. After all, the second thing that is said in the above scripture is “and it shall be given to you.” Its been proven time and time again, it doesnt matter how much you give away, you can never out-give God! You only have to …do what?… have faith and trust in Him.

And remember… Its always better to give than it is to receive. It makes you feel better about yourself. It makes others feel better about you. It shows humbleness (if done correctly). And it “lets your light shine”. What light? Well, the light of Christ that shines through you, as a Christian.

Be Blessed

Wanna? ….be blessed, that is.

I do! Personally, I dont know of a single person who would say they dont want to be blessed. So, maybe the question should be HOW do we be(come) blessed. This is as simple as dangling your toes in the pool, to check the water. Genesis 12:3 plainly gives us Gods’ instruction. “I will bless those who bless you…” Wow! If others are blessed by blessing me, then that stands to reason to also mean that if I bless others, I will be blessed. Awesome! All we have to do is bless others? Really! That pretty much covers it. Right? …Hhmmm, well, not exactly. While, yes, that will give a certain degree of blessing to you, and thats definitely an important building block, but theres more to it – if you want more; attitude is the key!

Ready? Lets pull our toes out of the pool and stick a foot in there. Next, we need to strive to be Christ-like (Christian). John 14:15 tells us that “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” To be like Christ, first we must love Christ. Then, we are told to keep His commandments. You remember those, right?…” Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. For there is no other greater commandment than these.” (Matt 22:28-31). Still want more? Yes?… Ok, you asked for it!

So, the next step is to be more like Christ: love Him, everyone else, yourself, and bless others. That doesnt sound sooo hard! Does it? Actually, theres still more to go. So, lets jump in with both feet. To “get the basics”, lets head straight over to Matthew 5:3-12. Yep! “The Beatitudes”
~ aka, the Blessing Attitudes:
Blessed are…
1. The poor in spirit (be humble)
2. The mourner (repent)
3. The meek (not egotistical / proud)
4. Those hungry/thirsty for righteousness (seek goodness)
5. The merciful (be compassionate)
6. The pure of heart (truly seek God)
7. The peacemaker (love AND forgive unconditionally)
8. The persecuted (for self) for righteousness (accept harsh criticism of your Faith)
9. The persecuted (for Him) for righteousness (accept being reviled because OF Him)
10. The exceedingly glad & rejoicing (praise Him in the storms/at all times)

Still want more? Ok! Grab ahold of your faith and hold on tight. We’re going to throw caution to the wind and dive in, head first! Malachai 3:10 tells us “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Oh my goodness! Seriously! …so much blessing theres not room to store it… Count me in!

Well, there you have it; understandable instructions, written in black and white. Now… All you have to do is decide one thing. I’ll ask again – Do you want to be blessed?

Fear

What exactly is fear?

To over come fear, first we need to know what fear actually is. The standard dictionary describes it as this: (Noun) An unpleasant emotion caused by the BELIEF that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Hhmm… There is that word again – belief! And what is tied into what you believe? Faith. So, if you have true faith in God, you will have no doubt, and you will know that there is nothing to fear because 1John 4:4 says “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Not convinced? Ok, what else does the Lord say about fear? There is much scripture about this subject, but to simplify, we’re going to stick to the basics. Our promise, given in 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given you a spirit of fear; but of power, and love, and of a sound mind.” Yes, that is promise – or a gift – given to us by our heavenly father. How do we receive that promise/gift? We receive it by believing, in faith, that it is ours. All we have to do to receive it is to accept it. It works no differently than, say, if your earthly father gives you a car for your birthday gift. All you have to do is thank him, reach out and take the keys, and be on your way.

Its of the utmost importance that you fully understand …fear is not from God. Fear only comes from the principalities of darkness. The devil will use every means that he can throw at you to keep you in fear. The reality is harsh, but he wants you dead. The devil – the thief – only comes to kill, steal, and destroy, as we are told in John 10:10. But the good news is that the same verse also tells us that the Lord has come so that we may have life, and have it in the fullest measure. The devil knows that if you’re dead, you wont be able to do or speak Gods word. And you doing such things is a huge problem for satan. He knows that his time is limited, and growing shorter by the hour. He has literally lost his house-keys and is ever-increasingly closer to being cast into the lake of fire. As the old saying goes, “misery loves company” and the devil, knowing he has already been defeated, is aiming to have all the company that he can get. He also knows that the only power he has over you is only the amount of power YOU ALLOW him to have. So he uses every tactic he can to make you believe his lies. He knows that once you accept his lies, he has you right where he wants you… in his grip! …and if you do not repent, and ask the Lord God to help you and to live in you, you will eternally be in satans company.

Ok. so, what can we do about this? The answer lies here: Ephesians 6:10-18… “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” And, 2Corinthians 10:5 says by “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” These are true words of wisdom… Words to live by.

The more you attempt to do Gods work, the harder satan will work at keeping you side-tracked, distracted, and out of peace. Peace and love are key factors of defeating fear. Stay focused on God. Keep His word forever in your mouth, continually praise Him, and make every decision based on love. Increase your strength through your faith. This is done by spending more time in the Word and by quoting – physically speaking – the Word over your situation.

The Lord already knows your struggles. And he already knows the outcome of every day. He knew the answers to these many years before you were even conceived. Trust in Him! Know that His plan is the best plan. While it is vital to stay in the will of God, by staying in the Word of God, it is equally important to speak to your mountain! Through the authority given to you, by the shed blood of Jesus, you can over-come all things. Think of it like going to the doctor to get medicine. If you go and get the medicine to treat your symptoms, but take the medicine home and only sit it on the shelf (not taking it) it will not do you any good. In order for it to work, you must use it. That is why it was given… to be used!

God did not send His only begotten son so that we would live in fear! (John 3:16) He did that to redeem us from being kept out of satans company, and spending eternity in hell!

Whatever the mountain is that you are facing, speak to it; tell the mountain, in the name of Jesus, to be removed. BELEIVE that its done… Give it to God, and leave it with God, and in all things,stay in peace and give thanks to Him, always.

Pt. 4 – Faith

What do you REALLY believe?

Faith is determined more by belief than just about any other thing. As Mark 11:24 tells us “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Jesus also said, “With man this is impossible, but WITH God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26. And, Mark 9:23 says “IF thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believes.”

So, I’ll ask again… What do you believe? Before, you answer that – think. DO you really believe every lesson and every word of instruction that is written in the bible? Is the bible the un-fallible true Word of Jesus Christ? Or… Do you just believe bits and pieces, or only the parts that sound good? Actually, the bible even gives us the answer to that. John 1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

IF any person truly believed the words written in the bible ARE the true words of the one and only living God, then why are so many people sick? Why are they tormented by demonic spirits? Why are they depressed, oppressed, and not fully enjoying the life that God has given us to have?

Jesus tells us to “heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils:” (Mat 10:8 KJV)
Jesus sends us out “to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”(Luke 9:2 KJV)
Jesus again tells us “And heal the sick that are therein,” (Luke 10:9 KJV)
Jesus gave us power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases (Luke 9:1)
Jesus had said “did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)

IF we fully believed in the written word, we would be healthy, able to heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. We would also be living full, abundant, joyful lives. Those are but a few of the things that are promised to us. The word of God did not tell us that He will pick and choose who may do those things, or who may have them. He said “all things are possible to him who BELIEVES!”. We are told that it IS His will for us to have abundant lives. John 10:10 reads “I have come so you may have life, and have it in abundance.” He doesnt say anything along the lines of “as long as you dress a certain way, you can have the gifts of the Spirit”. And no where have I read anything stating that during any specific years, dates, etc., that a few gifted people can cast demons out of only a certain tribe or nation of people. In fact, there are no limitations given in regards to the span of time, nor to whom can be set free. For example, the bible does not say “during the 14th century, blondes who have the chicken pox can be healed by red-heads laying hands on them, but brunettes are just going to have to suffer through it. But if you have the mumps, youll have to wait until the 18th century before anyone can be healed from that, and then it will only be for people in the Eastern hemisphere who have hands laid on them by those living in the Southern part of South America.” That just sounds silly… Right? Well, that sounds silly because that is silly! Jesus is no respecter of persons, as we are told, by Peter, in Acts 10:34. In other words, Jesus doesnt have any ” teachers pets.”

We ARE the children of God Almighty! Through His blood, we have been made whole! Through His blood, that was shed for us, we have been grafted into His bloodline, making us JOINT HEIRS with Christ! The Bible tells us all of these things. So, why do mountains not move when we command them to do so? Mostly because we rarely, if ever, even attempt to say the words. Otherwise, its because we simply do not truly believe it to be possible! If we did, we would have no doubt in our hearts about it, and we would say to the lame, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to get up and walk!” And instantly it would be so. Instead, there is doubt in our hearts, and that doubt cancels out our faith… which prevents our miracles from happening.

IF only we could actually get even a small clue of the authority we have thru and by the power of Christ, it would shake us to the bones! And the truth is… We DO have that authority! It was given to us over 2,000 years ago.

Pt. 3 – Faith

WHAT CAUSES YOU TO NOT RECEIVE WHAT YOU’RE STANDING FOR?
= unbelief =
What is the result of unbelief? = a lack of results!

Unbelief is another word for doubt.

When you have faith but there is doubt or even a tiny sliver of unbelief in your heart, the two cancel each other out. So, in essence, when you pray in faith but have doubt of those prayers being answered, your doubt cancels your faith, and basically, you may as well be just talking to the wind. Unbelief also short-circuits grace… you can not receive grace if you do not accept every aspect of it being freely given to you.

In Matt 17:20, Jesus says that the demonized boy was not able to be delivered by the disciples because their faith was lacking… in other words, they had some form or amount of unbelief or doubt in their hearts, not believing that they held the authority, thru the spoken word of Jesus, to command out evil spirits – even tho he had told them before that they had been given such authority to do so. Had they not doubted that fact, they could had delivered the boy themselves. And in them not doing so, it frustrated Jesus, causing him to ask them “how long must I stay here with you?” And in Mark 5:36, He says “…only believe”. IF you can ONLY BELIEVE what you ask for, it shall be given to you! It doesn’t say “it might” – or “I’ll think it over and get back to you later”… it says YOU WILL RECEIVE IT *IF* YOU ONLY WILL BELIEVE! And what do you have to have in order to believe you will receive what youre asking for? = FAITH!

Signs of unbelief
If you are…………………………………………………… (you have unbelief)
1. full of care …. 2. full of worry….. 3. full of fear

The forms of unbelief are…
1. ignorance => if you don’t know any differently the result of wrong teachings whats picked up by your 5 senses (sight, touch, etc) <= Fix: train senses to agree with the Word – instead of ‘in the natural’ (see it in the spiritual / not the natural)
2. DISbelief => the result of wrong teachings whats picked up by your 5 senses (sight, touch, etc) <= Fix: train senses to agree with the Word – instead of ‘in the natural’ (see it in the spiritual / not the natural)
3. natural UNbelief => whats picked up by your 5 senses (sight, touch, etc) <= Fix: train senses to agree with the Word – instead of ‘in the natural’ (see it in the spiritual / not the natural)

A hardened heart and double-mindedness also produces unbelief… if you are in a situation that seems to drag on and on and on without results, your heart will become hardened to that situation/person/place/thing, etc.

Anger, bitterness, frustration, and hateful-ness are signs that you have or may be getting a hardened heart in regards to some one/thing.
(1) Stay FOCUSED on the word – what your heart focuses on will be what it is sensitive to.
(2) Stay in peace over the situation.
(3) Always act in love.

James 1 = Tells us about double-mindedness… a double-minded man – at the same time – in his heart will have belief and unbelief. The result of praying when you are in this state of mind is “nothing” – you will get very little or no results at all. To get results, you have to be focused and be of a ‘single-mind’… allowing no doubt or unbelief into your heart or mind.

Unbelief is a sneaky little devil!!! It will creep in and many times, you wont even realize it is there. You have to constantly search your heart and mind to make sure that there is no doubt in you in regards to receiving what it is that you are standing for! The best way to make sure there is no unbelief in you, you should pray that the Lord reveal it to you, if there is. And if is, repent of it and ask the Lord to forgive and deliver you from that – and to turn the situation around, and start praying and fasting again, without doubt/unbelief, fully knowing in your heart that the situation has ended… understanding also that God does not TEMP the righteous – but he does TEST them!

Pt. 2 – Faith

How desperate are you?

Throughout the entire Bible, there are only 2 times that Jesus specifically stated that a person had “great faith”. THINK about that…. Out of ALL of the books/chapters/stories/parables, etc, in the entire bible – there are ONLY TWO times – that Jesus told someone that they have great faith!!! That is, in itself, an astronomical number, statistically speaking… 2 – out of how many thousands of people! So — The first question to ask here is this: What did these 2 people have in common? = they were both desperate! Desperate people will do desperate things to get what they need, and they quickly recognize authority and power! They will do, say, and go to ANY lengths humanly possible to them to get what they need and they don’t care who knows it or who sees it or what anyone else says about it! Their mind is set on ONE thing – and one thing alone –> results! The other questions here are: Who are those people?… and what were their circumstances that they were believing in Jesus for? The first was the Canaan woman who had a possessed daughter (Matt 15:2) and the second was the Centurion guard who asked for his servant to be healed (Matt 8:5-13).

In the story with the Canaan woman’s daughter, even after Jesus had turned her away, she continued to stand – believing (& knowing with no doubt) – that even tho she had no right to ask, and so stating to Jesus that “even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the masters table” – that she was not going to just give up and accept that her daughter would not be delivered. Instead, she did not care what she had to do, where she had to go, or how much she had to humiliate herself or beg – she stood firm, and in doing so, demonstrated her faith, proving that she knew beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus could deliver her daughter. And because of her faith – it was done! (Just as it was with the woman at the well, who had the bleeding condition, knowing that if she could just but touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed!)

In the story with the Centurian who was asking for his servant to be healed, his faith was also demonstrated when he replied to Jesus that he knew of the power that Jesus held as being the one and only son of God, and that he fully knew and believed, with no doubt what-so-ever, that Jesus ONLY needed to speak the words, and his servant would be healed… and so it was also done, because of his faith.

The KEY to both of these stories of “great faith” is that both times, both of these people “knew” beyond all reason and doubt, with no unbelief, that Jesus could do all things! They were so desperate that they were not willing to take no for an answer, and they knew that He was so almighty powerful, that all it took was the speaking of words for their miracles to be granted. The difference between these 2 and others who asked for miracles was that the others asked Jesus to come to them (or go to whom-ever they were standing for) and to lay hands on them or other such tasks. (again, such as the woman at the well – her faith was high, as was that of MANY, but only to the point that she, like others, believed she had to touch His garment to get her healing). But these two people – the woman and guard – they knew, without seeing it before hand, with out ANY doubt what-so-ever, that all Jesus had to do was speak and it would be done, and that no matter how un-worthy they were, they knew that His grace was sufficient for all things! That truly IS GREAT Faith – without unbelief.

What does this teach us???

Faith produces results! God wants us to have ALL that the Word says we should have. So its not a matter of “IF it be His will”… because His Word has already told us that it IS His will. And, we do not need MORE faith to get results. God gave every man the good measure of faith. What we need is faith *without any unbelief*! As it is faith without unbelief that produces great works!!!

Peace

So many times, Im asked “How do I stop worrying?” The answer is two words… trust God!

One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is to do this very thing. Its often easier to say than it is to do, thats for sure! However, that still doesnt change the truth. Staying in peace is a big piece to the puzzle when it comes to “getting out of the wilderness.” Really, who wants to wonder around in the desert place for 40 years, as the Israelites did once they were freed from their bondage in Egypt. I dont know of anyone who wants to deal with the same problem (aka – wonder around in the desert place) for that long! It happens though. It happens to a whole lot of people, and many of them do not even realize it. Granted, the problem may present itself in a different way, but the core issue boils down to the same principal. Until we learn how to stay in peace, and to be thankful in all things, we will continue walking around ‘n around ‘n around that same mountain.

The faster a person can master this issue, the faster they will be done with the core problem. Success comes by learning to use your faith! By using your faith, you are showing God that you know He is the one in control. Demonstrate that you are believing in what you need or hope for to happen, without having first seen any signs or proof that you have it. (Heb 11:1) And to accomplish that, you simply have to trust God. You have to have no doubt (and definitely do not speak any doubt or negativity) that no matter what the outcome appears to be or how bad it seems, fully believing that the end results are going to be the best outcome possible.

In fact, here is the promise Jesus has given to us, and the instructions to follow in order to have victory: Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” And in John 14:27, the Lord goes on to say, “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Then, 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 tells us “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Remember, God is our Father! We are His children! In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” How cool is that?!?!… the kingdom of heaven belongs to us! Think about that for a minute. Now, compare that to having a loving, compassionate earthly father. What happens when that fathers’ child is in a real bind and has went to his ‘dad’ and told him about his problem? ‘Dads’ first reaction is to listen. Then he thinks about it and weighs out the situation, considering what the outcomes of each scenario may be, and then he acts! Now, lets go a step further. Since ‘dad’, who wants to give his child every good thing that he can humanly manage to give and protect him from every bad thing he can, how much deeper could that go if there were no limits in regards to what he is able to do for his child? Haaa! Yeah! Thats pretty awesome, isnt it? Well, that is what our heavenly Father can give to us… every good thing that there is to be had, including protection from evil (James 1:17). Just like ‘dad’… He, Father God, does not want His child to be upset, and definitely not tormented over a situation. He wants His child to come to Him, to talk to Him, to tell Him all about his trouble and to lean on Him for support and to know that He is always there for the child. He wants his child to desire to spend time with Him, always trusting and loving Him. He wants an unbreakable bond with his child! So… similar to how it is with ‘dad’ being human, and confined to ‘humanistic’ limitations, just imagine how much greater that same thing applies to our Father – God. He IS love. He has NO limitations. He created the earth and everything in it only by speaking the word for it to be created. Just imagine how much deeper His love and care is for you!

Once you can truly sink your teeth into the reality of these things, staying in peace should not be a problem. Just as a small child goes to his father with tears in his eyes, believing that his ‘dad’ can and will fix any thing… go to your heavenly Father in the same manner… then LET Him fix it!