Maybe It's Time to Shutdown the Noise
Are you having trouble shuffling through all the noise and information being fed to you and you just want peace? Are you currently stressed and concerned about making the right decisions and doing what's best for you and your family?
Listen to Me! For I have important things to tell you. Everything I say is right. For I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it (Proverbs 8:6-8, NLT).
We are currently living in a time when people are hit with an overload of knowledge and information being thrown their way. Anxiety and fear is at an all time high because people are receiving conflicting information and they don't know what to do, who to believe, or how to prepare. People are on social media posting their opinions about what’s going on in the state of our world and as moms, we are just trying our best to navigate through all the noise so we can do what’s best for our family.
This morning my husband had devotion with my children and in the devotion it talked about the Garden of Eden and how Adam and Eve had access to the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. When both Adam and Eve decided to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, they begin to experience the fruit it produced. Their eyes were open, but they began to experience immediate fear.
Many times we are fearful of the things happening around us because we are eating more from the tree of knowledge of this world instead of eating from the Tree of Life (God’s word).
The first line in Proverbs 8:6 says, “Listen to Me! For I have important things to tell you.”
This may seem like a difficult command especially when we don’t understand and know God’s heart, but the deeper I get in my walk with God, the more I find it easier to listen to Him and regard him in all of my affairs and decision making. When I shutdown the outside noise and seek His direction in prayer and read and meditate on His word, I reflect back on His faithfulness in my own life and countless others. I am able to take comfort in understanding and recognizing that God is all knowing, powerful, and good.
God is All Knowing...
Proverbs 8 mentions that the wisdom the Lord gives is right and true, and the advice he gives is nothing devious or crooked. When we listen to everyone and everything but the Lord, we risk deception. The word says we are not to lean or rest on our own understanding.
Over the years, much of our understanding has been shaped and tainted by the media, entertainment, the education system, culture, and experience. We get so bombarded with “facts” that are constantly changing, that it's hard to decipher what is right or true. Many times we only get a part of the story, leaving us with a limited perception. It’s no wonder why we can be led astray because we lack the full view of what lies ahead.
This is why we need to seek the almighty God , our creator, who is worthy to be trusted, and knows all things and created all things and sees our blind spots that we often miss. He is the Alpha and Omega and knows the beginning and the ending of our story. He sees what is hidden and the entire scope of our situation and knows how every decision we make impacts us and generations after.
God is Powerful...
The bible has a plethora of stories and examples of God’s power on display. When you study His divine miracles, healings, and deliverance, it should remind you that God is more than capable of handling your situation even if it seems hopeless.
I'm sure that when the disciples were witnessing Jesus dying on the cross, it looked like all hope was lost. But that feeling of despair left when they realized after Jesus' resurrection that death couldn’t hold Him down.
God’s power is without limits. It’s by His power that saves us from eternal death, and redeems us. If it's strong enough to conquer and defeat death and reconcile us back to the Father, then His power can handle our everyday battles and circumstances.
God goes before us and provides any resource necessary to get His will accomplished. As the word says, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me? (Jeremiah 32:27, NASB).
God is Good...
Understanding God’s greatness and goodness builds our faith. Oftentimes when we deal with certain trials and tribulations, we forget that God is good! We get so focused on the hurdle in front of us that we forget how faithful God has been to us in the past.
At other times we just don't know that He is good because He is like a stranger to us and we don't know Him well enough. When we spend time with the Lord and begin to know his character and understand his limitless love for us, we will see Him working in our day to day lives.
God is faithful and His mercies are never ending. He is forgiving. He is a place of safety and comfort. He is gentle and long-suffering. He gives life. Even when we face trouble He will stretch out His hand to rescue and shield us from our enemies.
When we understand that God is not out to get us and that He is for us, we won't question his motives. Instead we will know that He will do what is best for us. We must believe that the Lord will work out His plan for our lives for His faithful love endures forever. (Psalm 138:8)
The realities of our world are real, but when we are reminded of who God is and what He has done, we will be able to get through anything. Seek and listen to His wisdom and His truths, which never changes, so that you can walk in freedom and have peace in your life.
What voices and sources of information have you focused most of your attention on lately? How has it affected your peace of mind and how you conduct your life?
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