Never Let Their Words…
“PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU”
“PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU”
By Linda A. Knowles
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“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.”
Isaiah 26:3 KJV
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There is no one like Jesus. He gives us a peace that this world cannot afford. As a Child of the Living God, peace is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is produced and worked in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. This peace is something you don’t have once in awhile. The peace Jesus gives you is for ALL the time, not once in awhile, not sometimes. ALL THE TIME. The peace He gives you is perfect. The peace He gives you is complete, not lacking.
In Isaiah 26:3, we see it is the Lord who gives us perfect peace. The transliteration for the words “perfect” and “peace” is the Hebrew word “Shalom.” That phrase perfect peace means “calmness, tranquility, rest, contentment, safety, soundness, complete.” Think about that for a moment, you can go about your day knowing you, as a Child of the Living God, have been given that kind of peace by Jesus Christ your Savior. The peace that Jesus has given you allows you to be free. When you keep your mind fixed upon Jesus and all that He has done for you, He keeps you in perfect peace (Complete Rest) because you are trusting in Him.
As you are going about your day, remember you can be in complete rest and know that, as a Child of God, you have this kind of peace, a peace this world cannot offer nor can it afford.
Heavenly Father, You are my Shalom, my Complete Rest, and You have not given me the spirit of fear but of love and of power and a sound mind. Lord, be my Guide throughout this day and instruct me in Your ways as I fix my mind upon You knowing that You will keep me in perfect peace as my mind is fixed upon You. Thank You for guarding my heart and mind with the peace that surpasses all understanding me. Thank You for the Complete Rest You have given me. I put my hope and my trust in You and will stand upon the truth of Your word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Let Us Be Doers of the Word
“…but doers of the word will be justified;”
Romans 2:13 NKJV
No one ever said doing a spiritual self-examination would be easy, but we do so, as children of God, because it is necessary. God is longsuffering, not slack concerning any of His promises. He is longsuffering because He wants us to turn to Him, to repent, and to turn from any and all sin.
Asking God to point out our sin is difficult. The reason we ask God to point out our sin is so that He can cleanse and heal us. God will never bring harm to you. God has good plans for you for a hope and a future, but that also includes letting Him clean you up. While it is a little unnerving knowing that He sees everything we say and do, it can also be quite comforting knowing that we can come to Him with a humble and sincere heart and ask Him to change in us whatever displeases Him.
“…For You will repay each man according to His deeds.”
Psalm 62:12 BSB
Our goal must always be to please God by seeking Him and acting on His Word through obedience and walking by faith, living our lives as a living sacrifice before Him. This is why is it not enough to have knowledge of what is right. We must act on what is right, doing what is right. We must be “doers of the word” so that we “will be justified.”
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.
Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.”
James 1:22 BSB
We do what is right because we love God; Because we love God, we understand obedience is better than sacrifice. Because we love God, we obey His commands and His laws. Because we love God, we apply His Word to every aspect of our life. We are doers of the Word, not just hearers only so that we won’t be self-deceived.
In all we do, let us always set out to please God and be doers of His word because “doers of the word will be justified.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for being patient with me. I ask, Lord, that You show me whatever it is in my life that is not pleasing to You that I might turn away from it. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Forgive me, O Lord, and heal me. Make me whole. Thank You for forgiving me and setting me free. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
Just Stand Firm
“Do not be afraid of the nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.” -Deuteronomy 3:22(NLT)
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You do not need to be afraid of those who are against you for you have been made more than a conqueror. God is the One who is taking care of all your enemies in accordance with His promises. He is the One who has made you victorious, has made you and overcomer, and He protects His own.
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Those who are your enemies are the enemies of God because they do not love God, are of this world, and do not know God. Your enemies are not worth your time or effort. Remember your time and effort is best spent doing what God wants you to do and focusing on the tasks He has placed before you.
You need only to stand steadfast, be firm, and as you are keeping your hope and trust in God, placing your confidence in Him, He is the One fighting for you. You will see your enemies begin to fight one another. Remember your God has promised to fight with and for you.
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Heavenly Father, You are the God of victory, and You have made me victorious. Thank You for being my Shield and my Defense. My confidence is securely placed in You, and I know You help me stand against my enemies and that You are the One who fights for me. With You, O God, I can crush an army and scale a wall for You are the One who has strengthened me. Continue to help me to stand firm in Your ways as I continue to obey You and keep my eyes fixed on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Linda A. Knowles
From the Quiet Place…
God wants to live among His people. He wants to protect them. That has always been His desire since the beginning of time. He desires to commune and have that fellowship with His children. However, His people have rejected Him as their Lord and their God. Those who have claimed God as their own have defiled their own bodies and have exchanged the Most High God for other gods, the creation created by God Himself and the things created by man.
The Church has exchanged what is holy for what is evil and exchanged the truth of God for lies. Rather than seeking the God Who Provides her with all her needs, she seeks after that which is temporal such as power, prestige, wealth, popularity, and the like.
God is not welcomed in most places of worship, and His Word has been dissected and chopped up to the point it is unrecognizable. The Word has been made to suit the lifestyles of the people instead of the people seeing themselves in light of the Word of God, repenting, turning from their evil ways, and humbling themselves before God.
God desires a relationship with His people, but they have kicked Him out of their lives and their hearts. They have kicked God out of their homes and places of worship.
The consequences of their sin are falling on their own heads, and they are blaming God for their suffering. Their choices have them on the broad road to destruction. They are headed to Hell. Their consciences are seared and their hearts calloused.
The anger of God is set against all sinful and wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. The creation clearly shows the invisible qualities of God and so they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Everything is exposed before the eyes of God. He sees all and yet His children don’t believe He sees all they do and hears all they say. They are clever at doing wrong, but they are stupid when it comes to doing what is right. They have chosen death instead of life. They have chosen to be cursed rather than blessed.
To all those who have believed Him and accepted Him, to them, He gave the right to become children of God. Those who do His will and walk uprightly before Him, they belong to Him.
“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor has sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, who see Your face.”
Peace With God
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7(NLT)
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Peace with God is so important that the ceremonial law for peace offerings is detailed in Leviticus 3. The peace offering was an expression of gratitude, and it was a way for the people to maintain fellowship with God. Part of the offering could be eaten by the one who was presenting the offering because it was symbolic of peace with God.
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Peace is a fruit produced in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Peace with God comes by having faith in God and His promises. Peace with God is not cheap, but it comes through a sacrifice of praise and joying in the God of your salvation. Because of the peace of God, you are able to drink deeply from the well of salvation. Peace comes from knowing that your enemies cannot prevail against you and that God upholds you with His victorious right hand. Peace of God comes from waiting upon the Lord, fully trusting in Him. As you wait on Him, He will renew your strength, and you will mount up with wings like eagles. This is the kind of peace you can experience and should be experiencing as a child of God. Remember no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, no matter how many enemies you have surrounding you, you must know fully that God has established His relationship with you. Because God has fully established His relationship with you, you have peace with God.
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PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the God of All Peace and You are the Peace That Surpasses All Understanding. Father, thank You for establishing my relationship with You. You are the Peace-Giver. Let me always remember to cast all my cares on You because You care for me, and help me to always remember You, O God, are my Protector. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
Don’t Forfeit Your Blessing By Grudgingly Obeying God.
Having God’s favor upon your life is priceless. You cannot put a price on His favor because it is so costly, and yet God lavishes His favor upon His true children because He is the God of Goodness. He gives good things to His children, but did you know that if you grudgingly obey you can forfeit the blessings/rewards He has for you? Let me explain this way: The Word of God states, in Deuteronomy 6:7, “Love the LORD Your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength.” Note the words ALL of your heart and ALL of your soul, and ALL of your strength. ALL of your being must desire to do the task you are doing for God. ALL of your being must be upright and pure before God while you are obeying Him.
IT REALLY IS A MATTER OF THE HEART.
“Amaziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but not wholeheartedly.”
2 Chronicles 25:2(NLT)
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Amaziah did what was pleasing to God, but he did so reluctantly. He had paid for troops to come from Israel to help him go up against Edom when a man of God came to Amaziah and told him God would not give him victory if Amaziah used the troops from Israel no matter how well he did at fighting. Amaziah’s heart attitude was not blameless. He complained about the money he had paid, “But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?” God had sent him a warning through the man of God in order to let Amaziah know God was not with the troops of Israel, and instead of giving thanks to God for the warning or thanking the man of God for giving him the message God had for him, Amaziah complained and said, “But what about all that silver I paid to hire the army of Israel?” The man of God told him, “The LORD is able to give you much more than this.” He reluctantly obeyed God, taking the warning the man of God had just given him, and he discharged the Israeli troops
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Amaziah may have done what was right and obeyed, but in his heart, he was grudgingly compliant. By the way, Amaziah did go into battle and win. After having the victory in the battle, he had taken the idols of the people of Seir and he set the idols up as his own gods and bowed down before them, offering sacrifices to them. By worshiping these idols, Amaziah angered God. When you are obeying God halfheartedly, you are opening the door to other sins. Amaziah may have done what was right, but in obeying God halfheartedly, it was a slippery slope and his heart led him right into idolatry.
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Are you obeying God with ALL your heart? Have you ever done something God told you to do and you did it reluctantly simply because God told you to? When we do not put our whole heart into obeying God and doing His Will, then we will find ourselves exhibiting ungodly behavior such as complaining about having to do His Will or complaining about His perfect timing. We can find ourselves exhibiting anger because when we do God’s will halfheartedly, we resent having to obey Him.
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Obeying God is not just about doing what is right. It’s about loving God. How you obey God and how you do what He tells you to do matters. Do you truly love Him with your WHOLE heart? Will you love Him with your WHOLE heart as you obey Him and do His will?
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Don’t Forfeit Your Blessing By Grudgingly Obeying God.
PRAYER: Sovereign LORD and KING, You are worthy of my best, not my leftovers. You, O God, have been very good to me. Thank You for all You have done in my life, for providing for me, and for being my protection. I’m sorry for obeying You halfheartedly and for being reluctant in carrying out the tasks You have set before me. Forgive me for these sinful attitudes of the heart. Forgive me, Father, for offending You, and I ask that You cleanse me of these sins as only You can do. I bow my heart in surrender to You and ask that You take control, giving me new desires and attitudes pleasing to You. I ask that You, O God, rule and reign in me. Show me what I need to change in my life and what I need to get rid of. Take me along Your paths of righteous because what You approve of and have to say is the only thing that matters. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
“Love the LORD Your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength.” -Deuteronomy 6:7(NLT)
For His Glory, Not Your Own.
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 6:1(NLT)
This Bible verse is very clear: We are to do good for His glory, not our own.
What we do in the way of good deeds, we do out of our love for God and out of our lives lived out in faith to God. “Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others” simply means we are not to do good deeds to receive the applause and approval of men. If we do good deeds to be seen, to receive the applause and approval of men, that is the only reward we will receive, and then, we lose the reward from God. Knowing this, let us resolve to do everything for the glory of God to be seen of Him, to seek His approval. In pleasing God and bringing glory to Him, you will receive the blessing He has for you.
The Word of God, in Galatians 6:14(NLT), states, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” If our boast is to be in anything, then our boast should be in the cross, not in what we do.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are my God, and I will put my hope and my trust in You. My faith is in You alone. You are the only One whose approval I need to seek and the only One I need to please. Father, help me to always remember that my boast is to be in the cross of Jesus Christ, not in anything I do, and when I do good deeds, I am to do those good works for Your glory. I ask that You let me be a blessing to others and to continue using me for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
You Rescue Me
YOU RESCUE ME
Written By Linda A. Knowles
I will praise You in the morning,
And I will praise You in the night,
even when it seems there is no hope in sight;
For You, O God, are my Deliverer,
And You are my Strength;
And You, O Lord, are the One Who Rescues Me
from the hands of my enemies.
“I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation, I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.” –(Psalm 34:1-7NLT)
Simply At The Sound Of His Voice
“The enemy runs at the sound of your voice.
When you stand up, the nations flee!” –Isaiah 33:3 (NLT)
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No words have given me greater comfort in recent months than this verse because it reminds me of the greatness of our God and His goodness, that all He has to do is speak, and His voice will send the enemy running. It doesn’t matter how many enemies surround you, all God has to do is speak. That is how awesome our God is. He speaks, and His voice, just the sound of His voice, sends the enemy running.
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In Revelation 14:2(NLT), the Word of God tells us, “And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.”
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That is the God we serve. He is Omnipotent and He is everywhere. He knows all your comings and goings. You never need to fear what comes your way because the God you serve never slumbers or sleeps. He is never weary or tired. He does not faint, and He does not stumble or fall.
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REFLECTION: When you find yourself surrounded by enemies, remember the Captain of the Heavenly Hosts has commanded His angels to encamp about you (Psalm 34:7, 91:11). He will not let your enemies triumph over You. Second Kings 6:17(NLT) tells us, “Then Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!’ The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” Your God prepares a feast for you in the presence of your enemies (Psalm 23:5). Do not fear because greater is He that is in you than He who is in the world.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your perfect love expels all fear, and You have not given me the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Thank You for being my Protector and the One Who Gives His Angels Charge Over Me. Lord, open my eyes to see You have surrounded me with Heaven’s Armies. Fill me with courage and with strength. Remind me always my hope is found in You alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Linda A. Knowles
“And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.” -Ezekiel 43:2(KJV)
Time To Check In Our Baggage
Is being anxious a sin? Yes, it is. Anxiety is as much of a sin as lying, stealing, cursing, bitterness, resentment, and anything that satisfies the lusts of the flesh.
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Anxiety and Worry are synonymous. If you are anxious, you are worried, and if you are worried, you are anxious. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary characterizes anxious as “extreme uneasiness of mind or brooding fear about some contingency: WORRIED, resulting from or causing anxiety: worrying.”
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The Scriptures speak about being anxious. Anxiety involves lack of trusting in God and lack of putting our faith in Him. Anxiety will make us focus on our problems, trials, and circumstances; Anxiety doesn’t allow for us to look to God first and foremost. Anxiety, like any other sin, will wear us out and drag us down into the muck and mire, wallowing in ourselves.
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Jesus has a most awesome prescription to handle anxiety. This is what His prescription is and is shown to us in Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT), “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”
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Did you see that? Jesus is not asking or suggesting. He’s not making a recommendation. Jesus has just given a direct command. In a nutshell, He has just told us to come to Him (HELLO HE IS WELCOMING US TO THROW ALL OUR ISSUES ON TOP OF HIM), all of us who are weary and carry heavy burdens. Let’s take Note Jesus’ commands to us: (1) Come to me, (2) Take My yoke upon you, (3) Let me teach you. And if we follow those commands, look at the promises: (1) Jesus will give us rest, (2) He’s humble and gentle and will show us what to do, and (3) He will give us rest for our souls, (4) Jesus doesn’t topple us over with manmade rules and manmade traditions. His commands are not burdensome and what He tells us to do and gives us won’t weigh us down.
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Jesus also said to us as shown in Matthew 6:34 (NLT), “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Even the Apostle Peter urges and tells us to, “Cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you.” Anxiety comes with a whole host of emotions. If we’re anxious, we will end up being scared, and if we end up getting scared because we’re anxious, then we’re going to end up being sad. If we end up sad because we are scared because we’re anxious, we’re going to end up confused. If we end up confused because we’re sad because we were scared because we’re anxious to begin with… Well, we can see where this is going…
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We end up looking like this gentleman in the photo to the right -weighed down by multiple suitcases, unable to barely take a step, and when trying to take a step land on our faces because the load is too much to bear.
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Christ is our Yokebearer, and He can handle whatever baggage we have to give Him. He is the Lord who is Savior and the One Who Has Redeemed Us. Our God is the One Who Delivers Us from all our troubles (Psalm 34:19), and there is nothing like giving it all over to Him. Part of surrendering our lives to Christ is trusting Him in all things, to trust His love and His heart for us. He is looking out for us. He is the One who tells us, “Come to me.”
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When we shift our focus back on to God and begin to praise Him, we will find our cares lifting as we surrender our anxiety to Him. As we continue to praise the Lord and lift our voices in song to Him, we will find all the things of this world become so insignificant in His presence. The Lord Your God never slumbers and never sleeps, and He is the Shepherd of our Heart!
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
TIME TO CHECK IN OUR BAGGAGE
Heavenly Father, You have been the Shepherd of my Heart. You always take care of me. You have not forgotten me because You, O LORD, have engraved my name in the palms of Your hand. I confess my sin of anxiety before You, O LORD, and ask that You forgive me as I am giving all of my cares and concerns to You right now in Jesus’ name. I thank You that I am able to look to You, knowing You are my Redeemer and Deliverer, trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross who shed His blood that I would be healed and set free. Thank You for being my Yokebreaker. Help me to always put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that my soul need not be downcast because my hope is in the Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
“To all who mourn in Israel,
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness,
they will be like great oaks
that the Lord has planted
for his own glory.”
(Isaiah 61:3 NLT)
Give Rightful Place To GOD
Idols cannot give us life. GOD, however, is the Creator; He is the Giver of Life. “…yet my people have exchanged their glorious GOD for worthless idols,” (Jeremiah 2:11). An idol is anything or anyone that takes away GOD’s rightful place in our lives. To exchange GOD for temporal things is foolishness. Why would we exchange GOD who is the glory and the lifter of our heads (Psalm 3:3) for something else that is incapable of giving us life, for something which fades or withers away, something which eventually breaks (1 John 2:17). Why exchange GOD who is eternal for other things which are not lasting?
“You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected–even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.” -Exodus 20:3-6
Since we are commanded not to have any other gods but the Almighty GOD then we must take hold of GOD, and cling tightly to His truth for He is our Sustainer (Psalm 54:4) and He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). When we love GOD, with our whole heart and soul and mind, we won’t want to hurt or displease GOD. We demonstrate our love for GOD by giving GOD His rightful place in our lives and obeying all He has commanded us to do. First place in our lives is not for anyone or anything else.
GOD alone is sovereign, worthy of all glory, honor, and praise for Who He Is. He is worthy because He is GOD and has demonstrated His love and mercy to us by bestowing His love and His blessings lavishly upon His children. GOD is to be our First Love. Nothing can give us lasting joy except for GOD, and there is nothing that can replace GOD in our lives. We can try to replace GOD in our lives, but that would be breaking GOD’s commands which would displease GOD and cause us nothing but heartache.
“So that I may take hold of the hearts of the people of Israel. For because of their idols, they are all estranged from ME.” -Ezekiel 14:5
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinner; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between GOD and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” -James 4:7-10
Let’s not pull away from GOD, but let’s be faithful to our GOD and not dessert Him for things which are fleeting. Instead, let’s worship Him in spirit and in truth, giving Him our very best because He gave us His very best, loving Him because He first loved us. GOD is worthy of us following Him wholeheartedly. We should never give Him our leftovers, but give Him all the honor due Him because He is GOD.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are Sovereign. There is no other who compares with You for You are glorious and majestic in all Your ways. Forgive me for the times I have put other things before You. I never want to displease You. Help me to always remember that You alone are GOD and You want the best for me. Thank You for allowing me the privilege to be able to draw close to You. Thank You for being mindful of me and for lavishly loving me. Thank You for forgiving me. Because I love You, I will do as You command and walk in Your ways. Guide me into all truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Linda A. Knowles
Stained Glass Confessions 