Friday Fight 54 - From Piece to Peace

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF54.

How often has something from God entered our minds only to be immediately halted by fear? Perhaps something has shifted in our lives, and God is trying to move us to the next chapter, but the unknown is scary. So what is this dark pattern that will not let go of this one piece of our lives?

From Piece to Peace:

When God is trying to move us into a new area of His will, there is always that one part of us halted by fear. Each of us has pieces of our heart that are wounded and need to be restored. It's that one part of us that we desperately need to give to God to allow Him to move in our lives, but it’s not easy. Maybe God is trying to change our line of work or perhaps restore a deep relational hurt so we can truly experience love again. What is God asking of you?

Recently God encouraged me to move from teaching in a Christian school to a public school. At first, my fear of changing jobs caused lingering confusion. I tried to keep in mind that we serve a God of order and praying helped. But soon the fear resurfaced and brought up feelings of anxiety, so I prayed for peace. Again, fear presented itself, but this time brought feelings of uncertainty. I could feel this dark pattern, all attached to fear so I continued to pray. I tried to discern why God wanted me in a place where I could no longer pray or talk about Him with students, but His thoughts are higher than mine. My final prayer was asking God to bind me to His truth. Right before making my final decision I started feeling lonely. Every time I thought about starting over in a new school, the loneliness was heavy. But, through prayer, I surrendered. It was a struggle, but I am in a new school after many discussions with God, family and friends. While it has its challenges, I am at peace knowing I am inside God's will.

Darkness operates by using us to help form a weapon against ourselves instead of being a part of our own deliverance. This destructive cycle will keep resurfacing with fear meant to keep us from walking in God's will. This pattern can be applied to any area of change that God is orchestrating.

If God is placing a directional change on your heart or trying to heal you from a past relational hurt and you immediately feel fear, remember this pattern: Fear brings confusion, anxiety, uncertainty, and finally, loneliness. Be mindful that as our faith grows and we remain focused on Him, it produces hope that makes peace attainable. In Him, no weapon formed against us will prosper. In Him we find peace.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert