God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  Psalm 46:1-3  NIV

So, how do you know when God is calling you to do something and when He is calling you to stand down?

First I pray about anything that I do.  I have learned that this helps me to avoid disastrous consequences later.  I also read my bible.  If I am unsure I will search the topic and get bible verses to help me to understand.  But the best way that I know if God is calling me to do something or to stand down is the peace I have about it.  Sometimes we get so caught up in what is going on that we fail to really stop and listen to God.  Now this morning, I was actually headed to verse 10 in Psalm 46 which says, He says, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth.”  However, God stopped me at verse 1 and I realized that so many times we are confused and our confusion leads to fear.  This fear eventually leads to chaos in our lives because we don’t know which way to go or where to turn.  When you reach this point, know that this is the devil.  God never wants His children to be frightened or confused.  He certainly does not want them to have turmoil and chaos in their lives.  We are told in 1 Corinthians 14:33 that …”God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. …”.    The devil may be the author of confusion, but we serve a God of peace.  God is our refuge and our strength.  Philippians 4:13 tells us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Now where I can really get into trouble is when I wing it and go with what I “think” is the best route.  We are told that we are to trust in God with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.  We are told that we are to submit to Him and He will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).  You see when I strike out on my own and fail to consult God and trust in Him, then I am headed for trouble.  The key phrase in this verse is “trust God with all our heart”.  So my question to you is, do you trust Him with your whole heart?  When you pray, do you pray with something like this in the back of your mind?  Well, I hope God will do this for me.  Or do you pray with boldness and thank God for what He has done for you and thank Him in advance for what He will do for you.  Yesterday we talked about Romans 8:28 and how it tells us that all things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.   But, the question today is, do you truly believe that promise?  You see, we should not only believe every promise that God makes to us in the Bible, but we should believe every word that is in the Bible.

In the last two years, I have been through two situations simultaneously that I thought I would never have to face.  A horrible fight involving the courts in my biological family and a horrible fight within our church family that ultimately lead to the division of our church.  One alone was bad enough, but dealing with the two together, at times, was almost unbearable.  But God… Those two words are so awesome.  But God heard my cries and lead me through every step of the way.  There were times when I felt I felt I was in the fiery pits, but the flames did not consume me.  I prayed Psalm 91, the Psalm of protection many, many times.  Sometimes many times in one day.  I sought refuge in the Lord.  I prayed constantly for His direction.  There were times when I would hear as clearly as if someone standing next to me was speaking.  Often times, I heard Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  God let me know that whatever happened would be for my good and His glory.  When God wanted me to take action, it was clear.  Information would fall into my lap or I would pray and have such a peace about taking that action.  The key for me was staying close to God.  I mean like spooning, snuggling, staying close to God.  Psalm 91:1 tells us that if we dwell in the shelter of the Most High that we will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

So today, if you are facing turmoil and confusion in your life, know that this is not God’s will for you.  This is the devil trying to steal your peace and your joy.  1 Peter 4:8 tells us to be sober and alert for the devil is roaming around like a hungry lion looking for someone to devour.  Don’t let the devil get you.  He seeks to trick you, just like he tricked Eve in the garden of Eden.  Don’t let him remove you from the shelter and refuge that is found in God.

The truth is found in His word.  Pray to Him for direction and read His word to see what advice He is giving you.  I have often found that when I am facing difficult times that I can simply hold my Bible on the table and allow it to fall open and it will fall to a verse that I need to read.  God speaks to us through the Bible.  They don’t call it His word for nothing.  Pray, listen, and most importantly trust.  Trust in Him with your whole heart.  He’s got this!

Have a great day!