Trusting God Day by Day: 365 Daily Devotions (9 page)

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re you struggling with other people’s judgments and opinions of you? Look at Paul’s comment above concerning the criticism of others. Some people were questioning Paul’s faithfulness. He did not try to defend himself, nor did he become angry. He simply said,
“I do not care what you think. I do not even judge myself.”
Paul knew that if he was out of line, God would correct him, so he didn’t have to worry about what people thought. Many times in the past I have opened to this passage and soaked it in, trusting the power of God’s Word to deliver me from self-judgment and criticism. It’s easy for me to focus on my flaws and to pick on the things I don’t like about myself.

We are not to pass judgment on each other or ourselves. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Who are you to pass judgment on and censure another’s household servant? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master (the Lord) is mighty to support him and make him stand” (Rom. 14:4).

We stand because Jesus holds us up. When children learn to walk, their parents are always close by, holding their hands and helping them
keep their balance so they will not fall and hurt themselves. We stand because our Father supports us and holds us up! We are upheld by His power, not our own.

Encouraging someone and speaking truth into someone’s life when God asks you to do so are healthy and wonderful things—but it’s never right to make a quick, dismissive judgment. Our judgments based on external appearances don’t have all the information and wisdom that God has—that’s why we leave it to Him!

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here are many examples in God’s Word of men and women who went through periods of questioning, doubting, blaming, and even criticizing God. But they realized they were being foolish. They repented and turned back to trusting God instead of being angry with Him.

This psalmist is one of those people. Here is my paraphrase of his progression from anger to trust in Psalm 73:
“God, it sure seems that the wicked prosper and do better than I do. I am trying to live a godly life, but it does not seem to be doing any good. It looks as if it’s all in vain. I am having nothing but trouble, and when I try to understand it, the pain is too much for me. However, I have spent time with You, and I can understand that in the end the wicked come to ruin and destruction. My heart was grieved. I was bitter
and in a state of upset. I was stupid, ignorant, and behaving like a beast. Now I see that You are continually with me. You hold my right hand. Who do I have in heaven, God, but You? Who will help me? If You don’t, there is no one on earth who can help me. You are my strength and my portion forever. It is good for me to trust in You, O Lord, and make You my refuge”
(vv. 12–28).

If you are stuck in a place of bitterness toward God, I encourage you to go through the process of forgiveness. Anger toward God is a “spiritual roadblock”—perhaps stronger than any other. Why? Simply because anger closes the door to the only One Who can help, heal, comfort, or restore our emotions, relationships, and lives. While God doesn’t need our forgiveness, we need to forgive Him and repent in order to be released from bitterness and resentment. If we have been harboring a grudge against God, we must forgive Him so we can experience His power and blessing in our lives and our relationships.

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he church in Acts had great spiritual power because they had the same vision, the same goal, and they were all pressing toward the same mark. They prayed in agreement (see Acts 4:24), lived in harmony (see Acts 2:44), cared for one another (see Acts 2:46), met each other’s needs (see Acts 4:34), and lived a life of faith (see Acts 4:31). The early church as described in Acts lived in unity and peace.

But when the church began to split into various factions with different opinions, the power of the church lessened. People who were unable to stay in agreement due to pride and other related problems caused the church to divide into many different groups.

The believers in the church of Corinth were people just like us, people in relationship with one another, arguing over trivial things that they should have left alone. We see in 1 Corinthians 1:12: “What I mean is this, that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ.” It sounds to me as though only the names have changed in today’s arguments. Today we hear,
“I’m Catholic,” “I’m Lutheran,” “I’m Baptist,”
or
“I’m Pentecostal or Charismatic.”

Read on to verse 13: “Is Christ (the Messiah) divided into parts? Was Paul crucified on behalf of you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?”

Paul was telling the Corinthians to keep their minds on Christ—not each other. If we are to live in peace with one another and unleash God’s power and blessing in our lives, we must do the same. Sometimes we get so worried and upset about what other believers are doing that we forget all about Jesus and that He has called us to live in unity with one another.

The Word of God instructs, encourages, and urges believers to live in harmony with each other because God wants us to have the blessed, powerful lives that come through His peace.

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he Bible says that if we meet our battles with peace and respond to the upsets in life with peace, we will experience victory. It’s a paradox; it doesn’t make any sense. How can we win if we stop fighting?

My husband used to make me mad because he would not fight with me. I was upset and angry, and I wanted him to say just one thing so I could rail on and on. But when Dave saw that I was just looking for an argument, he would be quiet and tell me,
“I am not going to fight with you.”
Sometimes he would even get in the car and leave for a while, infuriating me even more, but I could not fight with someone who would not fight back.

Moses told the Israelites not to fight when they found the Red Sea facing them on one side and the Egyptian army chasing them on the other. They became frightened, and he told them, “Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest” (Exod. 14:13–14).

Notice that Moses told the Israelites to “hold [their] peace and remain at rest.” Why? They were at war, and it was necessary for them to respond with peace in order to win the battle. God would fight for them if they would show their confidence in Him by being peaceful. If you hold on to your peace, He will do the same for you.

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he anointing of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important things in my life and ministry. It ushers me into the presence and the power of God. The anointing manifests in ability, enablement, and strength. The anointing ministers life to me. I feel alive and strong physically when the anointing is flowing, as well as mentally alert.

When we live in peace and harmony, we unleash God’s anointing for more than just ministry. I believe there is an anointing for everything that we are called to do—not just for spiritual things. We can be anointed for cleaning the house, doing laundry, leading a home or business, or being a student. God’s presence makes everything easy and enjoyable.

What other kinds of things may we expect to be anointed for? I believe a woman can go to the grocery store and be anointed by God to shop for her family’s groceries if she will exercise her faith to release the anointing.

I believe there is an anointed sleep we can enjoy when we go to bed at night. However, if a person lies in bed and thinks of some situation that is full of strife, he or she is not likely to sleep well due to fretful dreams or tossing and turning all night.

I believe there is an anointing to go to your workplace and enjoy being there. The anointing will also help you do your job with ease. Again, if you have strife with your boss or with other employees, the anointing will be blocked. Whether the strife is open or hidden within your heart, the effect is the same.

So, keep strife out so that you can live by the anointing. God has given the anointing to you to help you in all you do. Stay peaceful and calm; be quick to forgive, slow to anger, patient, and kind. Protect the
anointing in your life, and sow good seeds by helping others do the same. In so doing, you will reap a harvest in your own time of need.

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e can help our loved ones walk in peace by maintaining peace, especially when we know they are already under pressure. For instance, my family knows that just before one of my conferences, I am busy meditating on what God has given me to minister that day. I have asked them to help me by trying to keep the atmosphere peaceful.

We can help each other to avoid strife by being a little more sensitive to one another’s needs. For example:

• When a husband comes home from an especially trying day at the office, his wife can minister peace to him by directing the children into an activity that creates a calmer atmosphere rather than a chaotic one.
  
• When a wife has been cleaning and cooking all day for a special holiday family get-together the next day, her husband can
  minister peace to her by taking the children somewhere for the evening so that she can have a nice long block of quiet time.
  
• If a child has been taking final exams for a week and is already under stress, the parents might choose to withhold correction for a messy room or leaving a bike out on the driveway until the stress of the exams has ended.
  

It’s important to know when you are most likely to succumb to conflict so that you can protect the peace and experience God’s power in all of your life.

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hat an incredible promise Jesus makes to us in this Scripture.
Everything
the Father has is yours through Jesus. His Kingdom is one of righteousness, peace, and joy. Supernatural peace and joy, which are not based on positive or negative circumstances, belong to you as a believer.

Look at what John 14:27 says: “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”