BE STILL

 Be still and know that God is God

Stillness! It means being in a place of inner peace, inner quietness, and inner contentment. It means to be in complete peace. It is defined as, "free from disturbance, agitation, or commotion." It does not mean stagnation, it means moving forward despite what is going on on the outside. It is a state of absolute surrender to God. It is a state of recognizing we are nothing without God. We recognize God is all-powerful and we are not. We recognize we do not control other people or the world. We pray and leave everything to God. It means we stop carrying life's burdens on our shoulders. We recognize salvation is a gift and what God requires from us is faith. We are not saved by our works, but by God's grace. When Christ died on the cross, He said it is finished. His death and resurrection means we only have to repent of our sins, acknowledge and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, and we will be saved. When we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, we are saved. We do a 180 degrees turnaround, from doing evil to doing good. God wants us to make life's choices governed by the His Word, out of our own free will, by the leading of the Holy Spirit. With time, we realize that God's way is the only way that leads to life.

The Bible warns us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy; he comes into our lives and introduces commotion. The enemy does not want us to be at peace. There are many things in life that can cause commotion and turmoil; missed opportunities, death of loved ones, disease and illnesses, loss of friendships and relationships, natural disasters, famine, crimes, things not turning out the way we would have wanted, and people going against us. Such things cause both outer and inner turmoil. This makes our minds to be always racing, at work, thought after thought. We get lost in planning for the future, planning our lives, planning and more planning.

When all we do is plan our lives, when eventually things do not turn out the way we expected, our hearts become discontent. Bitterness takes root and grows, and we become like dynamites; ready to blow up at the slightest provocation. We become angry people, unpleasant to others, bitter, envious, and jealous. We go blaming everyone around us. Our hearts grow cold. Life seems to start losing meaning, and we move away from God. We start asking where God was when everything was happening. We pout and throw tantrums. We become unbearable people.

But did we put God first when we were busy planning? Do we remember God when everything is going well? Do we commit our plans into God's hands? Do we ask for God's will to be done? Why then do we blame God when everything is going wrong? God is who He is; He never changes. He is ever-present. He does not over-ride our free will. Too often we make choices and reap the consequences of our actions. We make our decisions without involving God. We go the world's way; going after wealth, fame, and seeking praise from people.

The Bible tells us that many are the plans in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand. We can make all the plans we want, but if God is not involved, all becomes vanity. Life without God is vanity. Anything we put above God in our lives becomes an idol. Idols will never satisfy us, we will always want more and more. Many times we spend our lives chasing after things that do not really matter, then, when we get them we still crave for more. It becomes as if we are pouring into a leaking container; we never get fulfilled. Those things we idolize will make our lives full of turmoil; we will have no peace. We will always be comparing ourselves with others. We will not be still if we are governed by things and pleasures of the world.

To be still, we have to involve God in every aspect of our lives. God becomes first.

All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3.

We should pray for God's guidance in everything we do. We have to realize that everything we do should be for God's glory and honor. We are not to become attached to things of the world for they will pass away. We realize we are on a journey preparing for eternity. Yes, God gives us material things, but they should not take up the place of God in our lives.

Jesus told the parable of the rich man who trusted in his riches.

Then the rich man said: This is what i'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there i will store all my grain and my goods. And i'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and be merry'. But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. Luke 12:18-21.

Those things we strive for will eventually be for others' enjoyment. We are to build up treasures in heaven by living a life governed by God; a life of loving God and loving others as we love ourselves.

In life we will face difficulties, but how we respond determines how we will emerge. We can either decide to concentrate on the problem or we can take everything to God in prayer. Too often we carry burden we are not meant to carry. Jesus Christ told us to take His yoke for it is easy and we will find rest for our souls. When we take everything to God, we are able to lighten up. We become free. Whatever was a stronghold in our lives loses its power. God gives us peace.

Our minds are renewed by the Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and through the blood of Jesus Christ. We start thinking of what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable - we think of anything that is excellent and praiseworthy. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

To be still is to know and understand that God is in control, and we are not.

Blessings.

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