Pastor Kyle continues saying: Humanly, we cannot envision how our circumstances might improve. Fear will pull you down, but faith will lift your heart in the battle. Faith will let you know in the depth of your heart that God is with you, God is good and God will good in your life, even in terrible circumstances. And through the Spirit of God, who resurrected Jesus from the dead after His atoning sacrifice for our sins on the Cross, we are given the hope that God has great and marvelous things for those who know and love Him. Current adverse circumstances are never the standard. When Believers are in a spiritual and circumstantial battle, faith is always greater than fear.
James 1:26 “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”
The next weapon Christians have is that glory is greater than grumbling. Grumbling is always easier and especially in today current difficult national events. Even a quick venting of grumbling complaint can have consequences down the line. We can say things in frustration or anger that we cannot take back. Words can hurt people and we cannot retract them once the damage is done. In Luke 6:45, Jesus said: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” When we grumble, it is actually a window into what is happening inwardly. In one way, there is a legitimate need for people to express their frustrations in their life in a healthy way to vent. Each of us needs to find safe avenues to accomplish that. If you buried them, we will struggle to overcome them and they are going to eventually resurface in negative and unhealthy ways.
Psalm 119:172 “My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments
are righteousness.”
But on the other hand, we just have to change the narrative. Grumbling is a seemingly immediate relief, but glorifying God is always greater in the long-run. We can praise our God in the frustrating circumstances of life as we endure them. Isaiah 61:1-3 tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
James 3:4-10 “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” The mouth is a rudder that determines the direction of our life, but the mouth can be a fire that burns the whole thing down. What words coming out of your mouth these days? Is it grumbling or glory? Glorifying God is a weapon to get you through the battles that you are going through.
Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
The next weapon Christians have is that silence is greater than striving. There are times for solid human effort, and there are times to just sit in the good work that God is doing for us. Sometimes it’s hard to determine when to keep pushing and when to push pause. Holding our peace is both an encouragement and a rebuke, that encourages and comforts us in God providence and protection, yet reproofs us in our lack of faith and trust in Him. It is not about sitting back in our bedroom, pray, wait and do nothing as God does everything. That may be against God’s will. The reality is that we are in a huge bind. The point is that after we have done everything that God has asked and done everything humanly possible, then we wait in silence and let God do what only God can do.
In a crisis, stopping to collect our thoughts and quiet with the Lord is one of the best things that we can do, otherwise we shall trend towards desperation and ultimately despair. Despair will hold us down and keep us from standing, when God wants us to stand firm. Fear will tell us to retreat and step backwards. Impatience will tell us to do something right here and right now, even if it’s wrong. Presumption will tell us to jump in the sea before God parts it. But, God tells us to stand still and hold our peace as He reveals His good plan. Pastor Charles Surgeon stated that “there is a time for praying, but there is also a time for Holy activity. Prayer is adapted for almost every season, yet not prayer alone, for there comes every now and then, a time when even prayer takes a secondary place.” Always start with silence and connection with God in prayer. Ask God for His strength and His power, for His will to be revealed and if there is anything new that we need to do. One of the greatest weapons that God can give us is our silence in the battle. Silence in calm and quiet strength is always greater than striving.
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
The next weapon Christians have is grace for today. We can worry about future battles that may or may not appear and miss the grace that God has for us in the battle today. We should plan for the future, but entrusting the Lord for today. Every day, we fight new battles with the same God, who gives us the most powerful weapons to win.
In Christ, Brian
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