“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.” Phil 4:6
I am sure that you have heard of the story of Samson and Delilah. The aspect I want to emphasise is the part where he woke up from his sleep after having been shorn and his locks shaved by a barber, he thought that he could still do the things he used to do, only to belatedly realise that God’s power had gone from him. The last vestige of the covenant that had bound him to God and ensured his power had been severed by the Philistine barber. Consequently, Samson reverted to being an ordinary man.
Now contrast that with the story of Jesus Christ who was also woken from deep sleep to confront a storm of hurricane proportions and He promptly took authority over the storm and eased the trouble. The truth this brings to the fore for us as Christians is that in order for you to impose God’s peace over your circumstance and stay in control of your destiny, you first need to be at peace with God. Every area of your life must first be in total submission to God before you will then be able to resist the devil and whatever circumstance he might whip up against you. Your covenant of peace with God and the power it assures must necessarily remain intact, for without it you will become ordinary as opposed to being extraordinary and doing exploits for God.
So, if having a healthy relationship with God assures us of the immense power that comes through peace, how can we ensure that we are right with Him? It is by living in obedience to His word. This is because having God’s peace, by virtue of its innate character, eliminates the uncertainty that ultimately results in anxiety. John E Hunter said that a situation only becomes a problem when there are no resources to meet it. Through God’s word and the peace it confers on us, we have the certainty we need to know that God will never leave or forsake us and will ultimately meet our needs according to His incredible riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We have no cause to live in fear whatever the circumstance because we know that God is in total control of our lives and will tame our circumstances and cause them to line up with His will for our lives. He has in His grasp everything required to meet our needs and with Him fighting our corner, we know that we can only win. Consequently, we are able to deal with undue stress and banish anxiety from our lives. We can then go on to confidently present our wants and needs to God in the full knowledge that He would meet them to the full. The result is that we have peace of mind because God’s word guarantees us that He will do whatever we ask in His name.
So, how healthy is your relationship with God? Has Satan succeeded in distracting you with sin and thus separated you from enjoying God’s covenant of peace? It is time to seek peace with God for therein lies our safety and prosperity.
Prayer:
Father, your word constantly assures me that there can be no peace without you. Help me to enjoy your peace once again so that I can boldly confront the storms of my life and command them to bow to your name. Lord renew your covenant of peace with me so that your power will once again flow through me and cause me to do exploit in your name. Amen.