The story I am going to share with you today is a very personal one but it is a wonderful example that will help you better understand who you are IN Christ so I am willing to share it openly. May it encourage you on your journey of faith and may you be built up in your understanding of who you are In Christ and who Christ is IN you.
One of the hardest realities to deal with is facing the death of a loved one. This reality came too soon for me when my dad was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago and given only a few months to live. As the days and weeks went by and it became more apparent that he was going to need to be taken to hospice; I had to make a decision of how I was going to handle this reality. I spent much time in prayer and meditation asking God to give me strength for the journey I knew I was about to embark on. When the news finally came and my dad was placed in hospice I made the decision to be by his side.
I had been a daddy’s girl my entire life and he was one of my heroes! But when I entered his room on the day they moved him to hospice I was overwhelmed with emotion! To see him laying in the bed struggling for life was one of the hardest things I have ever witnessed. I cried many tears as you can imagine but I did something else that day and that is what I want to share with you. I chose to believe God’s promise to us in Isaiah 26:3. It says, “You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”
Choosing to believe God’s promise enabled me to experience something I would have never been able to experience if I had given in to what my flesh wanted to do. My flesh wanted to ask the questions why him, why now, why this? My flesh wanted to be angry at God! My flesh wanted to become depressed and it wanted to hide from the world. But if I had given into my flesh I would have missed the most amazing opportunity, which was to be one of my dad’s caregivers during the last days of his life. In choosing to fix my mind on God and committing myself to Him during that time; I was blessed beyond anything I could have ever thought or imagined! Jesus truly kept me in His perfect peace and He also strengthened me to be a witness to those around me.
I share this because being kept in perfect peace, IN Christ, is one of the biggest blessings we receive from God when we become a believer. And it is not something we have to muster up or do in our own strength. God does it, IN Christ, IN us, when we believe by faith that it belongs to us and act on the promise that is rightfully ours IN Christ! In John 14:26-27 Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Many times our trials and circumstances warrant a troubled heart or fear because they can be so traumatic and overwhelming. But when we fix our eyes on the truth of who we are IN Christ and who Christ is IN us, the power of Jesus Christ quiets our troubled heart and silences our fears. This is when we are empowered to handle seemingly impossible situations and face the most difficult circumstances! This is also where we see God perform His Word in us and in turn we are able to be a living example of His Word to others.
I wasn’t the only person who chose to operate IN the mindset of Christ and act on His promise of peace during my dad’s stay in hospice. My mom and many other visitors did as well. Since I was there day and night I can attest to the fact that the living example of God’s people made a huge impact on other families who had a loved one in hospice and on the nurses. It was so amazing to watch as the peaceful presence of Christ filled that hospice facility! The atmosphere became hope filled; even though in the natural death was taking place.
Experiencing what it is like to be guarded and kept in perfect peace is one of the most amazing feelings you will ever experience in this life. And knowing that it is not something we have to muster up or do in our own strength is one of the most freeing experiences. God’s incredible love for us overwhelms me because it is so much more than I can comprehend at times! I want to encourage you to spend time meditating on these passages of Scripture so you can begin to fully embrace the enormity of the blessing that has been promised to those of us who believe. And if you are in the place of needing to feel the presence of Christ guarding you and keeping you in peace right now, believe that He is by faith, and you will begin to sense His presence.
Prayer: I believe by faith that what You have promised You will perform in my life! I believe that You are guarding and keeping me in perfect peace. I choose to fix my mind on You and I commit myself fully to You. I choose to lean on you and confidently hope in You during trials and circumstances that seem overwhelming. I believe by faith that as I do this I will sense Your presence surrounding me. I praise You for loving me so much that You give me Your perfect peace IN You! Amen
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