I keep the Lord in my mind always.  Because He is at my right hand, I  will not be shaken.  Psalm 16:8 HCSB

I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold;  I will never be shaken.  Psalm 62:1-2 HCSB

My mom was a big John Wayne fan so suffice it to say, I have seen all of the John Wayne movies and most of them many times.  I am more of a Clint Eastwood fan myself. But the one thing these two had in common is the way that they remained cool under pressure.  You never saw one of them freak out and start cussing and throwing things. No sir, they just rode in and handled the problem.

So today, I want you to think about your walk with Christ.  Are you cool under pressure or do you freak out when problems come your way?  The big problem we have as Christians is the devil.  Just about the time that we resolve to stand firm and not be shaken, the devil tries to throw a monkey wrench into our plans.  He has all types of things and people at his disposal.  He also knows where we are weakest and he will use that against us.  He knows who we are protective of and will go after them to get to us.  I will admit that there are those things and people that the devil can use that will get to me every time.

So how do we stand firm and not be shaken?  Well, I am glad you asked, because David gave us some very good instructions on this matter.  In our scripture passage for today he tells us to keep God on our mind always and to be at rest in God alone.  You might recall that David was a mighty warrior.  He was sort of the John Wayne or Clint Eastwood of his day, with one huge difference.  He was a God fearing young man who walked in the ways of the Lord. He stayed in close relationship with God. As a young shepherd boy, he slay the giant, Goliath.  Now this caused some people to take notice but then he grew into a strong man who killed thousands of Philistines.  Now remember, the Philistines were coming against the Israelites who were God’s chosen people.  So David fought against them many times and was victorious every time.  David even returned home from war to townspeople chanting about what a successful warrior he was.  Now this certainly could have caused David to get the big head, but what kept him grounded was that he knew where his strength came from.  I am sure that knowing this helped him to stay cool under pressure.  He knew that God was his stronghold.

Now also in the bible, is the story of Samson (Judges 13-16).  Samson was given this superhuman strength by God.  The problem with Samson was he didn’t do such a good job of following the rules so God took his strength away.  He was imprisoned by his enemies and tortured and ridiculed.

Now let’s be really honest for a minute.  We all want to be John Wayne, right?  We would much rather be David than Samson.  I mean even us girls want to be strong and remain unshaken.  Well, news flash, God made us to be that way.  It’s the devil that tries to mess us up every time.  Think about it this way, we are drawn to the movie characters portrayed by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood because we are drawn to people that remain calm and take care of business.

When we remain steady and unshaken in times of trouble, people are drawn to us.  Let’s face it we are drawn to movies with characters portrayed by strong people who remain unshaken.  It’s what sells.  Have you ever seen a really good movie where the hero or heroine loses their cool and runs around like a chicken with their head cut off?  Of course not.  Nobody wants to see that.  We want people that can handle the pressure.

When the devil throws a distraction your way, like a person who is evil or a situation that might cause you alarm, remember that if you stay focused on God and handle His business that He will handle yours.  So there is no need for you to cuss and holler and throw things.  Just remain calm and steady.  Rest in God alone.  Know that He is your rock and your refuge.  Know that He is your redeemer and know that He gives you strength.  Not only will it be a powerful testimony to those around you, but it tends to scare your adversary, just sayin’.

So today I leave you with these thoughts to ponder.  First and foremost we must keep our minds and our hearts on God at all times.  Secondly, we must rest in Him alone and trust in Him to provide us with salvation and the strength we need to do whatever it is that He calls us to do.  Last but not least, we must trust in Him when the devil puts distractions in our path.  We must rely on God and do what He would have us to do.

Think of what a great witness we all would have if people saw us remaining calm in times of opposition and praising God in times of trouble.  Wow!  What a powerful testimony!  Remember the heroes of the big screen never drew a crowd by wringing their hands and worrying, they drew the crowds by stepping up and doing what needed to be done, all the while not being shaken.

My prayer for you and me is that we can do the same and give the glory to God!

Have a great day!