Scriptural Foundation:
Hebrews 4:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Isaiah 5:20 New King James Version (NKJV)
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Joshua 24:15 New King James Version (NKJV)
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Reflection:
The older I get, the more I value stillness. Not that it is comfortable as I wrestle with my restless thoughts, but it is vital to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying and the direction for the day. Although the pandemic lock down was challenging on individuals, it forced the world to pause for a moment. As the #outside is trending, the world is speeding back up. The Lord impressed on me that our lives should not look the same as it did before. Certain thought processes should have been disturbed to the point of redirection. Like a stream is redirected when it comes upon a sudden obstruction, so our thoughts, words, and actions should be different because we have abided under the shadow of the Almighty.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” – Psalm 91:1-2
As Christians, having spent so much time at the feet of our Savior during this world pause, our spirits should reflect His glory. Sadly, the Church does not seem to have gained as much ground as we should have, instead some have fallen by the wayside (Mark 4:4, Mark 4:15). Instead of a lifestyle that is set apart and different, we adopt scriptures like catch phrases. I am sure many of you have this scripture in your homes or up in your churches (I do…got mine from Holly Lobby):
But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15
I heard once that a person will tell you who they are the first time. I thought that was a strange phrase because it left no room for grace. However, the more time that passes, I realize that there is always room for grace, but our words and actions proceed us, hence people tell you who they are the first time. We tell others the condition of our hearts without realizing it.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:7
If we don’t have peace in our minds, we will not have peaceful thoughts, those thoughts will produce erratic words, that in turn will manifest in irrational behavior. The Word of God is there to rightly divide our soul (mind) and spirit(heart).
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. – Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
Sometimes our internal struggle is our mind and heart wrestling. We should never be comfortable with this kind of internal tug of war. The result, if our mind wins over our heart is that we will call evil good and good evil.
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. – Isaiah 5:20 (NLT)
If you sense in your spirit (heart), that there is turmoil in your soul (mind), then don’t move until you have the peace that passes all understanding in your heart (Philippians 4:7). Remember beloveds that relief is a counterfeit to peace. Yes, there is a struggle with discernment sometimes and the enemy of our soul comes and provides a perceived alternative to the narrow path that you have been walking on with the Lord. Relief will fade, but peace will always remain. Praise God, even if we miss it the Holy Spirit is always there to lead us back.
Seeking Revelation:
Grab your notebook:
- Sit down and be still for at least 30mins, before answering these questions.
- Do you have peace in your spirit (heart)? If not, why?
- Do you have peace in your soul (mind)? If not, why? – there is a difference
- List out the people, places, and/or things that have robbed you of that peace.
- Present that list to the Holy Spirit and have Him, direct your path back to the peace that passes all understanding.