The last part of Colossians 3:15 (AMP) is also a very important
key to flowing with God: “And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].”
You know, it’s hard to hear what God is saying in your spirit if you let little things irritate you all the time. When God’s peace isn’t ruling in your life, you’re always stirred up about some outside circumstance. That’s why it’s so difficult to hear what is in your spirit.
But when you maintain a thankful, grateful heart, it’s so much easier to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying down in your spirit. You get up in the morning, and you’re grateful for the new day. You aren’t mad at God because He didn’t do more for you yester- day. You are grateful for what He has done.
God has already done so much for us. If He never did another thing, we’d still be grateful to Him for the rest of our lives. Yet He never stops blessing us. That’s why it’s so important to maintain a grateful heart, focusing on all He does for us rather than on the little frustrations of life.
So if you have a tendency to let everything irritate you, it’s time to overcome that tendency. I guarantee you, this world isn’t perfect. And if you expect your days to flow perfectly with no bumps along the wa y, you’ll always be frustrated and disappointed.
There will always be people in this world who try to stir you up to anger or don’t treat you right. But you just need to wa l k
right through all the irritations of life without letting them steal your peace.
Learn to exercise your faith by rolling your care over on Him. Let’s look at 1 Peter 5:6-9 in The Amplified Bible:
Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.
Rolling your care over on the Lord is an important strategy of walking in faith. You are resisting doubt and fear and at the same time placing yourself in a position of faith. Keep yourself there by refusing to allow worry or fear to have a place in your life.
I’m telling you, fight to keep your peace. That peace is so important to your well-being. Living in peace not only makes it easier to hear from God, but it keeps your body healthier.
Just let this be a challenge to you: Don’t let the devil use people or irritations steal your peace and joy. Don’t let him fill your mind with unbelief, doubt, fear and worry. Learn to live from the inside out! Make it your goal that nothing will keep you from
discerning the direction of God in your life. Let peace rule, no matter what is going on around you.
Stop Wo r r y i n g
Worry is one of the biggest thieves of peace there is. It becomes a major problem when you fail to roll your works on the Lord.
I remember when I learned to quit worrying and to commit all my ways to the Lord. I had grown up in a family that didn’t know it was possible not to worry. Some members of my family were expert worriers!
For several years after I was born again, I didn’t have any teaching in the Word. But I had The Amplified Bible, so two friends and I would meet at least once a week to read it together.
Whenever we received a little light on a scripture, we’d act on it—and it would work for us! Actually, the principles we learned began to work in our lives before we ever comprehended how those principles fit into the whole plan of God.
Then I began to see that I couldn’t have faith and worry at the same time, so I decided to quit worrying. I had to quit one minute at a time because worry was such a habit with me. Actually, I used to think if I didn’t worry, I wasn’t being responsible.
So every time a worried thought came to me, I would over- come it with the Word of God. I would push the thought away and quote from the Word. I just continued to do that minute by minute until eventually worry stopped being a habit with me. (That had to be the Holy Spirit prompting me to do that. I didn’t know enough to figure it out on my own!)
Maybe worry isn’t your problem. Perhaps your habit is strife. For instance, do you get all stirred up for the rest of the day when someone says something the least bit unkind to you?
Well, you can get rid of strife the same way I got rid of worry. If you have to, just start dealing with it a moment at a time. If you have to quote the Word fifteen times every thirty minutes to over- come strife, then do it. Every time strife tries to attach itself to you, resist it and say, “I’m walking in the peace of God!” You’ll be surprised at how much more pleasant your life will be.
You see, you’ll always have the opportunity for worry and strife. You just have to make the decision to stay in peace no matter what. It’s a vital step in learning to hear from God.
The Bible says where there is envy and strife, there is confu- sion and every evil work. So strife is one of the devil’s most valu- able tools. Read all of James 3 to gain valuable understanding