Have you have let the challenges you face, become a distraction for you? I have! Matter-a-fact, I'm going through it now. I hate it when I do that, because when you begin to let your heart become troubled about something, it's not long before fear begins to creeps in as well. Then I feel like it gets hard to focus on the other things you need to focus on, and it's hard to enjoy the blessings that you have. There is such a ripple effect when you let challenges trouble you. It leads to distraction, then, fear, then it starts to rob you of your peace, your joy and if you let it, it can completely consume you. God tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence. There are 2 things in the bible that God tells us to guard: Our hearts and our mouths. We have to watch what we let come into our hearts and we have to watch what we allow to proceed from our mouths. Even though we don't ignore challenges, it's important we don't let them take up residence in our hearts. Jesus says in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. The word I want to focus on is "troubled". I often times wonder what God means when He says certain things, especially when it appears as if I have a responsibility in it. I looked up the word "troubled" as it's used in the context of this scripture. The greek translation is below:
The greek word for troubled as used in the scripture above is tarássō – properly, put in motion (to agitate back-and-forth, shake to-and-fro); (figuratively) to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease); to "trouble" ("agitate"), causing inner perplexity (emotional agitation) from getting too stirred up inside ("upset").
What stood out to me in the definition is "to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease)"
. I feel like God is saying that He doesn't want anything to stir me up on the inside. He wants me to inwardly remain steady and consistent. My "inside" should always feel peace and have a stillness. Even good things can stir us up too much on the inside upsetting the peace on the inside of us. I have learned it can go both ways. Exercising a little indifference to certain things, that come into our lives, might be essential to peace.
The greek word for troubled as used in the scripture above is tarássō – properly, put in motion (to agitate back-and-forth, shake to-and-fro); (figuratively) to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease); to "trouble" ("agitate"), causing inner perplexity (emotional agitation) from getting too stirred up inside ("upset").
What stood out to me in the definition is "to set in motion what needs to remain still (at ease)"
. I feel like God is saying that He doesn't want anything to stir me up on the inside. He wants me to inwardly remain steady and consistent. My "inside" should always feel peace and have a stillness. Even good things can stir us up too much on the inside upsetting the peace on the inside of us. I have learned it can go both ways. Exercising a little indifference to certain things, that come into our lives, might be essential to peace.
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