He is not saying “Don’t become troubled” but it is grammatically, “Stop letting your hearts be troubled.”- Don’t let your hearts be troubled, agitated any longer! Jesus is leaving– trouble, trouble, what would they do? How can this be the plan, though He had told them, they could not see it, only trouble and as their hearts were full of troubles, emotions pulling every which way, and Jesus says, “Stop allowing your heart to be troubled,” and calls them to make a choice. “KEEP TRUSTING ME.” They have the capacity to stop allowing their hearts to be agitated, and troubled by shifting the FOCUS of the immediate circumstance to… the LORD OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES!!
We can choose to KEEP Trusting HIM IN OUR TROUBLES, WITH OUR TROUBLES, AND NOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE TROUBLED…
HOW? BY CHOOSING TO TRUST AND KEEP ON TRUSTING HIM…
1. – It begins with a CHOICE… You have the capacity to think on TRUTH…{Phil 4:8}…His Word is TRUTH -{John 17:17}. YOU CHOOSE to THINK CONTINUOUSLY on what… you CHOOSE..!
2. -It Requires CHANGE… A Change of what you ALLOW to occupy and PRE-OCCUPY your thinking.You can’t stop thoughts coming to you but you can CHOOSE and RENEW what you are DWELLING ON…”Whatever things are TRUE, LOVELY, PRAISEWORTHY…LET YOUR MIND DWELL on these things,…PRACTICE these things…. RENEW YOUR MIND…. Happy is the person… whose DELIGHT is in the Law of the LORD and in it MEDITATES DAY AND NIGHT”-{ Phil 4:8-9, Rom 12:2, Ps 1:1-2}
Are your thoughts true of God, true of who you are “in Christ,” true of His promises? What are you going over and over in your mind? Troubles come, its part of life, truth triumphs, we are not abandoned, this is not the end, we have glorious promises and power for this moment. {Read 2 Pet 1:3}. This is why taking a verse and thinking on its background, who is speaking, who it is addressed to, each word, phrase in the verse and when you have free moments CHOOSING To THINK… CHOOSING TO CHANGE The way you think , so your thoughts may ultimately “..Love God with all your… MIND.” Truth illumined by His Spirit enables you to feed your soul on that which liberates,“if you abide in My Word THEN you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” So often we carry the old pattern of thinking into our Christian life and it effects our emotions and choices we make. We need to CHANGE and align ourselves up with His Word, so we may love Him with our MIND!
3.- It requires PERSEVERANCE …“These things have been written that through PERSEVERANCE and the encouragement of the Scriptures you might have HOPE.”-{Rom 15:4}. “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”-{Heb 10:36}. Perseverance is needed to do the will of God and you have to CHOOSE to THINK right in order to DO Right!
4. – It is to be CHRIST CENTERED … Look at John 14-Jesus calls them to CONTEMPLATE on …
- HIS PERSON,
- HIS PROVISION,
- HIS PROMISES.
Stop allowing your heart to be”agitated,” tossed like the waves of the sea! You do believe God, keep on believing, trusting the Lord Jesus!
Cultivating faith in Him in troubling times involve
1. CHOOSING to THINK on Truth
2. CHANGE; Develop a new pattern of thinking. through the lens of Scripture
3. PERSEVERE in choosing to think on truth and changing the way you view life.
4. CHRIST HIMSELF the center of your thinking, His CHARACTER, Provision, Promises.
TROUBLES?
What Choices are you making with your thoughts? What Changes do you need to make? How are you relating to Christ in your troubles? Choose Faith in Christ. Change Focus, onto Him!
TRUTH – THINK- TRUST-
COMBATING A TROUBLED HEART is with one CHOICE at a time, CHANGING thinking to align with TRUTH and which express love to God, that fosters faith in Him. PERSEVERING in truth and CHRIST HIMSELF our occupation, refuge, help and strength.
Combating troubles with Choices, Changes and Christ Himself!