Secure part 4
Philippians 4:7 tells us that, "...the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." That kind of peace--TRUE peace, a peace that passes understanding--doesn't come from an absence of a storm. It comes from calm IN the storm. It comes from the ability to CALM the storm. That's why it passes understanding! It doesn't seem to make sense. The storm comes and everyone else is running around like chickens with their heads cut off, banging their heads against the wall (wow... is that a mixed metaphor or what?), and you're sleeping in the back of the boat? That doesn't make sense. That's hard to understand. But when you know that you're safe and secure in Daddy's warm, loving embrace... then even when you have to go through things, things don't go through you. That peace of being planted on the Rock--planted IN the Rock, because the Rock is planted in you--keeps our hearts and minds. Remember when we were talking about keeping your affection on things above and not on the earth? Well that's an easy thing to do when you realize Jesus already did all of the heavy lifting. It's not like, "All of my circumstances aren't real and I can just stick my head in the sand and ignore them." It's, "I'm not looking at my current circumstances as 'good' or 'evil.' I know all things work together for the good, I know Daddy's got a plan, and I know I'm going to be ok no matter what." Jesus said it like this, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). And catch this: The peace that Jesus had--that He gave to us--came from winning the war to end all wars. So even though I said earlier it's not about an absence of a storm... it really IS about an absence of a storm. Even when it LOOKS like the storm is raging. King Solomon didn't have to fight any wars because his father, King David, had already defeated all of his enemies. Concerning us and our Father... same deal! We don't have to struggle to be overcomers when we begin to understand that Jesus already overcame everything there was to overcome! He made the Way for us. He made the valley come up and the mountain go down. He made the crooked straight. The highway of holiness that we walk on has nothing to do with us following in His foot steps, and everything to do with HIM walking it in our feet. And if HE'S the one walking--in us and through us and as us--then we really don't have to be afraid of stumbling or falling. He is the one who keeps us from falling! Our hearts can be not troubled and not afraid because He is the one keeping our hearts and minds! Keeping us focused on Him by being so good that we don't need to look at anything else. Not ignoring "life" but simply letting abundant, eternal, everlasting, Resurrection Life flow out of us. His "super" on our "natural" giving us a supernatural experience! Him in us and us in Him keeping us safe, and sound, and secure!