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That you may see good days in life, is God’s desire for you, as grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be. And, studying it in the words of the apostle Peter, as God lays out the road map of it, you will see that pursuing and experiencing peace is an integral part of it. He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it. [1 Peter 3:10,11]
Peace that the Bible talks about is wholeness in Christ, having all that God wants you to have in life. And, what He wants you to have cannot be yours, unless He has provided it for you. It is why grace provides, and by faith you receive. Peace too comes to you by grace, for the God of peace is with you. [Romans 15:33] Also God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. [1 Corinthians 14:33] Paul writes these words to the Corinthian church, where much disorder was reigning in their gatherings, even in the operation of their spiritual gifts, when they came together as a church. The principle can be applied to a single person too, when in spite of having good gifts from God, much confusion and a lack of peace can be within him, because it is not there in the right order, and in the right combination.
A right order that leads to peace in a person, and in the gathering of children of God as a church, comes when each individual is God focused and other centered, and aims to use his gifts in a way that brings glory to God, and is a blessing to others, and in the process be blessed in his own life too. Let all things be done for the edification of others, Paul counsels in this portion of scripture, when he sees each person trying to drown out the other, only to see confusion and disorder being the order of the day. For, the commandments of God are always for your good. And, when your focus is on your ‘self’, and everything in your life revolves around yourself, you will only end up hurting yourself, and also hurting others.
The solar system in which you and I, and all creatures of the earth find physical life and sustenance is sun centered. Similarly, it is the Sun of righteousness that needs to be the center of your life, in the spiritual realm; you need to be Son centered, for the Prince of peace to bring peace and harmony within you, and for all things connected to you to move in a perfect rhythm and harmony, without any disorder or chaos. It is to better explain how it all works out, that the apostle Paul says, And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. [1 Corinthians 14:32]
What is prophecy ?
Contrary to what prophecy is commonly perceived to be, when it is limited to merely the foretelling of future events, prophecy also involves a telling forth of what God has made known in His word. For example, God has spoken to you in His word that He knows the plans that He has for you. [Jeremiah 29:11] He knows. But how do you know what they are ? For, it is then that the picture will be complete. And the very next verse gives you the path to it, to seek God with all your heart and mind. And, then when you proclaim the revelation of God’s mind in His word it is prophecy.
It is the prophetic word :
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of His majesty. [2 Peter 1:16] They were eye witnesses who heard the Father’s affirmation of Christ being His Beloved Son, Peter declares. But through it, it was the prophetic word that was confirmed he goes on to say in the same chapter. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [vs 19] Any exposition of God’s word therefore, in grace and truth in the revelation of the Spirit, qualifies to be a prophecy. And, the functionality of prophecy has a majestic line of difference, the Cross, between the old and the new testaments.
No more, the wall of separation :
In the Old Testament times, prophecy was limited to the offices of prophet, priest and king, and even upon them, the Holy Spirit did not remain all the time. The Spirit came upon them as and when the situation demanded it. But, ‘I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy… [Joel 2:28], is the privileged time of the New Testament that you and I now live, resting and rejoicing in the finished work of the Cross. And, anyone who acknowledges and receives Christ as his personal Savior has the Holy Spirit residing in him permanently as the deposit guaranteeing his salvation. It is all through the Cross, all by His grace ! And, it is why, the psalmist’s prayer, ‘Lord, take not your Holy Spirit from me’, need not be yours and mine, as we lift up the cup of salvation, giving thanks unto Him !
Prophecy is now confirmative, not directive :
Saul, in the Old Testament, went in search of the prophet of God, Samuel, in order to know the way he had to take to find his father’s donkeys that were lost. It was because prophecy was directive then, when God’s word came to the prophet, who then conveyed to the people what they needed to do in any situation. Now, in the New Testament times though, it is confirmative, for the same Holy Spirit who speaks through the giver of the prophetic word, is now in you too. Prophecy is not to be despised, says the word of God’s very clear ly and forthrightly concerning it. But also, when the prophetic word comes to you now, it needs to be supported, confirmed, by an inner witness of the Spirit in you, in your spirit.
Do not rush into action therefore, if, for example, a person comes to your house saying you need to shift your house, for God has spoken it to him. Rushing into doing something on an impulse, without an inner confirmation from the Spirit, can be fruitless or disastrous in your life. And it is in this context that Paul says that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, both individually, and as a gathering of God’s people coming together in worship. And, the practicality of it is what he goes on to teach, because in the Corinthian church, being filled with the Spirit was the reason being given for operating in one’s spiritual gift, but without being in control of one’s own action, resulting in a chaotic gathering, with an absence of peace and order.
But, this is a misunderstanding of the truth of God’s word, Paul establishes, and it remains very relevant even today, in you as a person, and when gathered together as a church. For, the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, God being the God of order and peace, and not of disorder. He is not the author of confusion. There is order in the way He operates, that ultimately leads to an experience of peace in you, and in your environment. And, may the Lord grant in you an understanding of this truth, step by step, verse by verse, through this portion of God’s word that says, Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. [1 Corinthians 14:29] – [it is the need for discernment from the Holy Spirit] But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. [vs 30] –[It is through discernment knowing when not to speak. It would also require you to speak when necessary, for the edification of others. It is what the next verse declares] For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be encouraged. [vs 31]
And, it is as a practical enabling of this truth in a person, and as a group, to see disorder leave and peace enter in, that Paul points out the truth that, The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. [vs 32] It is because, when the Holy Spirit is in you, He leads you into all truth, but He never forces you, into doing something that makes you lose control over your words and actions ! And, the apostle Paul concludes saying, For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. [vs 33]
The Person – the practice – the principle :
He is the God of peace; and how does He work it out ? It can be seen in the first chapter of Genesis, where in creation He brought order out of chaos, to establish peace and harmony. And, He did things in order. He is not a confusing or chaotic God. He makes all things beautiful in its’ time. The gospel declares how it was said of the Lord, ‘He has done all things well’. There will be no cause for complaints and chaos in God’s order of functioning. It was displayed when five thousand people needed to be given food, in the middle of nowhere, and with an extremely meager provision that was in the hands of a little boy ! But, there was beautiful order and an absence of confusion, in the manner the Lord worked the miracle; one which left everybody satisfied and full; something that is very difficult to accomplish, especially when it comes to food !
And, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore, the Holy Spirit in you can never be blamed for the lack of peace, the confusion that may be in you, or in your relationships, or any area of your life. And in your inter actions with people anywhere, even in the church setting, He never bypasses your will or forces you to say or do something. He teaches you, impresses upon you, opens your mind to the truth to say the right things at the right time, and the outcome of it would be peace and joy in you and the lives of others around you.
Not stifling the Spirit :
The Holy Spirit is never under your control. But, ‘Do not quench or stifle the Holy Spirit in you’, says the word of God, for it possible for you not to heed His gentle voice in you, and walk in your own ways. But, there is always joy and peace when you walk in obedience to the word that He speaks to you, in every situation that you go through in life. And, sometimes He can make you the answer to your own prayer, if you only choose to obey His word !
God can make you the answer ! :
It was the blessed experience of the missionary Hudson Taylor, who founded the China Inland Mission, who before he embarked on his journey to China, in his early years served as a doctor’s assistant in England, and went about ministering to people when he had time to spare. One day, he visited a family who were in very desperate financial need. And, as he was praying for their finances, the Lord impressed within him, that he needed to give to them the little money that he himself had ! And, as he admits it himself, it was on overcoming an initial reluctance, and finally coming to the realization that his prayers were worthless without obedience to God, that he was able to obey the voice of the Spirit. And, when he gave them the little, but, all that he had, it became an experience that brought joy and peace, not just in the lives of the family that was in need, but to Hudson Taylor himself !
It always pays to heed the Spirit’s voice, and not quench it. For, you will know then, that you have a God of order and peace, who will never bypass your will to work in you, and make you lose control of yourself in the process. It is not so with an evil spirit though; for, it can completely take over and possess the entire being of a person, making that person act and talk totally at variance with their normal behavior. And, that is totally different from the manner in which the Holy Spirit resides in you, to lead and guide you; as different as darkness is from light.
Understanding how the God of order and peace operates in you :
There is a supernatural and divine self control in you, when the Holy Spirit dwells in you. It is what gives you the power to resist and say ‘no’ to any temptation that comes to provoke you into doing something that is ungodly. You will be empowered to overcome the temptation to experience order and peace in your life. And, he never bypasses your mind, just as he never bypasses your will. But, the Holy Spirit uses your mind in establishing peace in you. It is why you are called to love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with your whole mind, and with all your strength’. Your entire being is involved in it. As a human being there are various passions in you that can arise at various times, and there is also the capacity to reason. It is where your intelligence and intellect come into play.
Both are from God, and there has to be passion and also reason in the manner in which you approach anything in life. But, there was a period in history down the ages, when passion was given too much importance, and people led lives that were very impulsive, being led merely by their feelings and emotions, and instincts, that often led them in wrong paths. Then, after a period of time, the pendulum swung the other way, to see mental reasoning and intellect being given too much importance, and feelings and emotions being sidelined or ignored completely. It led to people being apathetic towards what was happening around them, with an absence of a feeling of compassion, becoming uncaring about tragic events that were taking place around them.
But the truth is, both passion and reason are from God, and what keeps them in their rightful place is revelation from the Holy Spirit in you. God gives you the conviction in your spirit, through the Holy Spirit, and as knowledge and understanding of the truth leads to comprehension that comes in your mind, it ultimately sees you experiencing divine control and order within you that leads to peace. When there is conviction in you that He will guard what has been entrusted to Him, and there is comprehension in your mind, through the knowledge and understanding that all the promises of God are ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ, it brings control within you, driving away confusion and disorder.
For, a promise is only as good as the person who makes it, they say. And, what can be higher than Lord Jesus, who remains the same yesterday, today and forever. It is this which brings control within you and in a gathering as a whole, for confusion and a lack of control happens only in the absence of a right understanding of the truth of God’s word. Paul in his letter to the Romans, describes the sad condition of his own people, the Jews, who went astray in their zeal and passion because they did not have a right understanding of the truth. [Romans 10:2,3] For, they sought to establish their own righteousness, and depending on their own self effort, they ended up in a problem. The revelation, the vision of God’s plan comes to you through the Holy Spirit. It is the anointing of God. But, it has to be remembered that the people were anointed and operating in their spiritual gifts in the Corinthian church, and yet there was no control in their midst, but only confusion and a loss of peace. It is why the revelation or vision from God through the Spirit needs to be understood in its’ entirety, for it to be manifested in an atmosphere of order and peace.
God’s vision or revelation, when it comes to you, has three components :
a ) What to do, b ) how to do it, and c ) when to do it.
And, very often you will observe in people’s lives, that they will receive the vision from God correctly. But then, where they end up in a problem is in the manner of working it out in their lives. For, instead of waiting upon God for a revelation from Him concerning the next step, they will rush into it impulsively by leaning on their own understanding, and then ‘there is always a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death’ !
Having feelings and being emotional is not bad at all. It is being led by your feelings and emotions that is an error, for it is they who are led by the Spirit of God who are called sons of God. And, it has to be admitted that there is a very line of difference between the two; it is also why, the discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit is so very vital, so that you may not be led astray. There are many instances in the Bible that go to prove the point.
Samson, Saul and Peter :
Samson’s life was replete with impulsive decisions and actions that so often led him astray. And even his last prayer unto God to bring down the pillars, was more to do with a feeling of revenge. King Saul began well, and was even able to ignore the insults of people, without getting emotional. But, as time progressed, he became unstable and volatile in his emotions, to be led into acts of violence. He sat down to dine with a spear at his side, and no one else at the table could predict, when or if it would be aimed at them ! Peter, very soon after receiving a miraculous revelation from the Father in heaven, that Lord Jesus was the Messiah, regressed into his impulsive ways to counsel the Lord against going to the Cross ! It was because he did not have the enlightened understanding and knowledge of the plans and purposes of God.
How then do you go about it ?
1 ) Anger
‘Be angry and do not sin’, do not let the sun go down on your wrath. [ Ephesians 4:26] It is the counsel of God that points you in the right direction, and also empowers you to keep it. And, we are all on a pilgrimage on earth. Even as the apostle Paul acknowledges, you and I may not have arrived yet, but we progress toward the upward call in Christ Jesus. Lord Jesus became angry, but it was for the right reasons, and yielded the right results. He was angered by the hard heartedness of the Pharisees, who considered the Sabbath to be more important than a suffering, crippled person.
They were so much into reason, and it saw passion and compassion go out of the window ! They had misunderstood the truth of why God had given them the Sabbath. It was then that He asked the man with the withered hand to stretch it forth, and it was restored and made whole. [Mark 3:1-5] His anger, resulted in a broken man being healed; but when an ordinary person becomes angry, it could result in another person’s hand getting broken ! It is the lesson to be learnt concerning anger, which can be a very powerful emotion, and ought to be handled rightly.
2 ) Fear
It is once again an emotion that comes to one and all, at some point or the other. The psalmist describes it well, as he is surrounded by many enemies who are fighting against him, and also shows how it can be overcome. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. [Psalms 56:3] Feel the fear, but do not surrender to it. Surrender to God, instead, even as a little child runs to its’ mother when it is frightened about something.
3 ) Sadness
Indignation has taken hold of me; because of the wicked who forsake your law. Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. [Psalms 119:53, 54] When what is happening around you, threatens to overwhelm you with a feeling of sadness, let the psalmist’s path be yours. Let the garment of praise cover you, to drive away the spirit of heaviness. Surround yourself with songs of deliverance, to see sorrow and sighing flee away ! Make God’s word your song. Sometimes in times of deep sadness, a song can burst forth from within you, to bless you, and continue to be a blessing for years and years to come ! It is the story behind the wondrous song, that still brings such comfort in your heart and mine, ‘It is well with my soul’. It is not about the quality of your voice. It is your song that lifts you up. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, the word declares !
Self control – when it is the Spirit’s fruit :
Trying to control yourself in your own strength would be the world’s path to achieve self control. But, self help is of no help. And it is why you need a Savior. For, you cannot save yourself. And, if you do not believe in the Savior, you have to die for your own sins; and you cannot raise yourself from the dead ! But, your self control, when it is from God, is something greater and deeper. And, when your eyes are opened to the understanding of the working of the Spirit in you, it will be manifested, for it is the fruit of the Spirit in you.
When the Spirit comes, we lose control, was the wrong understanding of the truth of God’s word that led to a wring application of it in the Corinthian church. It is what Paul addresses, to give clarity and right understanding of the working of the Spirit. For, the fruit of the Spirit is the expression of the presence of God in you, leading to maturity, to reflect the very nature of God. How then can it make you lose control ? ! And, Paul speaks about his own experience, to make the truth shine brilliantly and gloriously, so that it may be your life’s experience too !
When self control becomes your experience :
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [Galatians 5:24] It is where it all comes together; for, now you are crucified with Christ. Something marvelous happened on Calvary, where the Lord died and rose again. And, it is where everything sinful and wrong within you was carried away by the Savior, and all the good that belongs to Him, comes to you ! He is the gentle and lowly Prince of peace, who is faithful to you, even when you are faithless. And, it is the Holy Spirit who takes and applies what Christ has done for you and appropriates it in you.
Self control is the expression of the God of all control living in you ! :
It is how self control comes into a person who has lost control of himself to be ruled by his ungodly passions and emotions. Self control is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit needs a seed; and the seed is the word of God. Therefore, as more and more of the word goes into your heart, the Spirit begins to work through it, to bring about increase in the harvest of righteousness, as maturity comes in you. It may not happen overnight; it takes time. But, slowly and surely, as the seed, which is God’s word, takes root in the soil of your heart, it will bring forth the fruit which is the ultimate expression of the Holy Spirit in you. And, all you need to do is to work along with the Spirit in co operation as He makes His nature become yours, and more and more visibly expressed in your life.
Self control is God’s nature being expressed and manifested in you. And, when it happens therefore, there will be peace in you, for He is not the author of confusion or disorder. Ask therefore for a right understanding of His truth to come in you. He knows it all. He knows all your shortcomings, yours and mine. But still, He can, and He will do His work of grace in your heart, to bring about a change, that sees the fruit of the Spirit, that is self control becoming your experience, to see all confusion and disorder leave to be replaced by peace and a divine order in your life. Even as you surrender yourself to Him, let the seed of God’s word be planted in your heart, to bear fruit, and may the fruit of the Spirit be an adornment upon you and in you, as His blessing continues to rest upon you.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
