Overcoming Difficulties That Disturb Your Peace Series

CHANGE can be difficult. CHANGE can be very inconvenient. CHANGE can be very stressful. Getting out of our comfort zone might be exciting sometimes but at other times it’s a pain.

And the world around them was CHANGING. The world is always CHANGING. The Roman Empire was at its zenith, and the work of the Empire - the construction of roads and buildings, the salary of the large army - had to be paid for. Those payments were met by taxing the people.

So Joseph and Mary had to do the responsible thing; not the convenient thing; the responsible thing. They had to CHANGE with the world around them and with the CHANGING relationships in their lives and go to Bethlehem to sign up to be taxed.

CHANGE can be one of the leading disturbers of our peace. And it can come at us from a thousand different directions.

What can you do to effectively keep CHANGE from disturbing your peace? What did Joseph and Mary do to keep their peace from being disturbed?

I think the key here is expressed in the attitude Joseph and Mary had. Their attitude in the midst of CHANGE is the kind we should all have.

When the angel of the Lord informed Mary that she would give birth even though she was a virgin - she didn’t complain. She was filled with wonder, sure. Who wouldn’t have been? But she didn’t balk at God’s plan to use her.

Can you imagine the ridicule for being pregnant and claiming to be a virgin? People would think she was naïve, a liar, or some sort of lunatic. But in spite of this tough situation God handed her, look at what she said to the pronouncement of the angel.

Then Mary said, "I am willing to be USED of the Lord. Let it happen to me as you have said." Luke 1:38 (NLV) Circle that word "used."

There’s the attitude you and I must have if we don’t want CHANGE to disturb our peace. "I am willing to be used of the Lord.’

Being "used" has a negative connotation in our culture. We try to do everything we can to keep from being used. When we feel "used" we feel demeaned and degraded, embarrassed and put out. We get angry when someone "uses" us. We say things like, "I feel like my boss just uses me. I feel like my friends just use me."

Those are the kinds of things we say when people take advantage of us.

Being used is generally not any fun at all.

But Mary said, "God, if you want to USE me, go ahead. People may think I’m crazy. They may think I’m naive. They may think I’m a liar. But that’s okay Lord, you have a plan and it includes CHANGE in my life so I’m going to trust you!"

If we’re going to have success at navigating life’s CHANGES we may need an attitude adjustment. We need to allow ourselves to be "used" by God. We need to learn to trust His plans.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5,6 (NLT)

So #1, I must resolve to let God use me in order to keep CHANGE from disturbing my peace.

PEACE DISTURBER #2: DIFFICULT PEOPLE

HOW I NEED TO RESPOND: If I am going to enjoy Christ’s peace when dealing with DIFFICULT PEOPLE, I’m going to have to follow God’s instructions.