Overcoming Difficulties That Disturb Your Peace Series

DIFFICULT PEOPLE can’t disturb God’s peace in my life! I’m the only one who can disturb the peace by not following God’s instructions!

You may object, "I’m not sure I can follow God’s instructions. God tells me to forgive a certain person or love that DIFFICULT PERSON and I’m not able to do that." In your own strength you’re not able – but God will provide the strength if you follow His instructions. God always provides what we need to do His will – to follow His instructions.

God says to Joseph, "Get up! Flee to Egypt!" Joseph could have said, "God, Egypt is 350 miles away! Can’t I just take my new family back home to Nazareth? Anyway, I don’t have the money for a trip to Egypt."

It just may be that the gifts of the Magi provided the traveling money! Gold, frankincense and myrrh were all valuable items that could have bartered for traveling expenses.

God knows what you need to do His will and He will provide it if you trust Him.

Speaking of this reminds us of the third disturber of the peace in the Christmas story and in our lives.

PEACE DISTURBER #3: NEED

HOW I NEED TO RESPOND: If I’m going to enjoy Christ’s peace when NEED tries to disturb it, I must learn to look for God to do the unusual, the unexpected, the unique thing.

The Christmas story clearly teaches this.

Joseph and Mary NEEDED a place to stay while in Bethlehem. But there wasn’t any room for lodging in Bethlehem so God provided a very unique solution, Jesus would be born in a stable. In fact, the uniqueness of the stable helped the shepherds authenticate Jesus as Messiah!

The Christmas angel said to the shepherds, "You will find the Baby with cloth around Him, lying in a place where cattle are fed." Luke 2:12 (NLV)

This was a very specific sign. With people coming and going in the overcrowded small town of Bethlehem and all the inns filled to capacity, how could the shepherds have found Jesus with confidence without a very unique circumstance associated with His birth? How many babies do you suppose there were, "lying in a place where cattle are fed," on the night the angels appeared to the shepherds? Only One!

Sometimes God is doing something in your life to meet your NEED that may seem like a hardship when in fact it is a part of His overall plan to direct your life to the place of blessing for you and glory for Him!

We’ve got to stop imposing our small ideas on God. God has ways of meeting our NEEDS we never even dreamed of!

No room but a stable in which Christ would be born? You know how sterile delivery rooms are today. Can you imagine anything less sterile than an animal stall? The Son of God’s first cradle was an animal feeding trough.

Why would God allow this?

Why does he allow your NEEDS to be met in ways you didn’t envision?

You’re tempted to complain and feel sorry for yourself and doubt God’s sovereignty and His love for you. But don’t be afraid. Don’t doubt God just because your NEEDS aren’t being met in the way you envisioned.

If Christ has not been born in a stable would the humble shepherds have been able to illustrate the truth that the Good News is for the common man?