The past few weeks have been very unsettling. My darling kids are home for the summer. Need I say more? After the new-ness of summer vacation wore off (about 3 days), literal war broke loose in my otherwise peaceful household. My children’s bedrooms have become barracks, their bathrooms transformed into water-bomb shelters, my kitchen, an arsenal, and the front yard, a deadly battleground. NO, the children are not just playing! They are seriously at war.

Yesterday was supposed to be a work-day. For some reason, none of my morning voice and piano students showed up for lessons. So I decided to take the much needed time to arrange and record some new demos. No sooner did I push the record button, the chaos started. It began with strange noises coming from my oldest son’s room. The noises grew until I could clearly hear my son screaming, “get out! get OUT! GET OUT and LEAVE ME ALONE!” My nine year old daughter ran into my studio sobbing and my youngest son, apparently ticked off, slammed the door of his room and locked it. Now if that was the end of the confusion, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. It was only the beginning of a bloody battle that lasted until late in the night…I think Spongebob caused the ceasefire.

Many of you know that I am a peacemaker. I enjoy life most when things are quiet and controlled. When things are peaceful and calm, it’s easy to acknowledge the Spirit of God at work in my life. It’s easy to see, hear and feel all that He is trying to show me. However, when the chaos begins, it feels like God walks out the door. Truly knowing God means knowing that He doesn’t really walk out the door…He remains with us all the time. It is our carnal nature that keeps us from hearing, seeing and feeling God in the chaos.

I found this story in a book that I’m reading…My Monastery Is A Minivan. It may help to explain what I’m trying to say…

The man whispered., “God, speak to me.” and a meadowlark sang.

But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled, “God, speak to me!” and thunder rolled across the sky.

But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, “God, let me see you.” and a star shined brightly.

But the man did not notice.

The man shouted, “God, show me a miracle!” and a life was born.

But the man did not know.

So the man cried out in despair, “Touch me, God, and let me know you are here.”

But the man brushed away the beautiful butterfly and walked on.

Don’t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t packaged the way that you expect.

God is in the silence and also in the noise. The Spirit is in the stillness and also in the silliness (or in my case, war).

The Israelites had been slaves for 400 years in the land of Egypt. In a supernatural way, God delivered them from their captors and directed them to a wonderful place that He described as a bountiful land, flowing with milk and honey. The promised land was a land of great beauty and a place of freedom. Their journey should only have taken eleven days, but for some bizarre reason, it took them over 40 years to reach the promised land. Now why in the world would they wander around the desert for so long? Why would they travel in circles without making any forward progress?

We are much like the children of Israel. Instead of moving forward into God’s blessings with an attitude of faith and expectancy, we insist on going around in circles of defeat. “Why haven’t I received that raise I need?” “What are we going to do about all these bills?” “Nobody in my family has ever amounted to much. I guess I won’t either.” We tend to focus on our problems, complain about our circumstances, worry about the obstacles and refuse to keep our hearts and minds fixed on the goodness of God and His promises.

The bottom line is this: You will never go beyond the barriers of your own mind. The word “barrier” means an obstruction, a blockade, a boundary, a road block, a hindrance or an obstacle. If you feel that you cannot do something, then you never will. Plain and simple! Think about it, if you are defeated in your mind, you have already lost the battle! Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” So when did we start believing the world rather than God’s promises?

That was part of the Israelite’s problem! They had been oppressed by the Egyptians for so long, that they couldn’t conceive of such wonderful promises from God. God wanted to do something better for them, but they could not envision this type of goodness.

God does not want us to live wallowing around in the mistakes of the past. He wants us to let go of the hurts, pains and failures that have a stronghold on our lives. He does not want you to let your past determine your future. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Jeremiah 29:11-13. It reads, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” God does have great plans for you, but you will inhibit the awesome future God has for you by dwelling on the mistakes and pains of your past!

If you will change your thinking, God will change your life! Are you willing to change your negative thinking? You can’t go around thinking thoughts of failure and defeat and then expect God to fill you with love, joy, peace, power and victory. Don’t set your standards too low! Don’t associate with those who set their standards low either! As I was growing up, my mother warned me many times, “one bad apple, spoils the whole bunch!” It’s quite true! You will become just like what or who you associate with. So it’s time to quit dwelling in mediocrity! Get up and put an end to your defeatist attitude. Set a new standard, be positive, and get ready for God’s blessings!

The words of Jabez can help us change our thinking, we just have to believe in the promises of God and open our hearts and minds to Him. 1 Chronicles 4:10 “And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.”

You are a winner! You were born for greatness when you were reborn as a child of the King! God created YOU to be a tremendous champion for Him! Break the Barriers that have a stronghold on your life. Set your mind on Christ so that you won’t wander around the wilderness for the next season of your life.

Yesterday evening, as I was teaching piano lessons, I heard a familiar excuse coming out of the mouth of an eight year old, “But I’m afraid I’ll hit the wrong note!” I have four children of my own. The key word AFRAID is something I hear all the time. Children are naturally afraid-afraid of the dark, the boogey-man, bugs, doctors and many, many other things that we adults think are silly. Childhood fears are normal and sometime keeps kids from doing things that might harm them.

What I find interesting and almost ridiculous, is the fear that I see in many Christian adults. Fear in the Christian’s life is sin… plain and simple. Romans 8:15 says, “You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba Father.” Any emotion or attitude that disintegrates the human personality so that we miss the mark is a sin-something to be disposed of. At it’s simplest level, fear may cause us to stand back or think twice about something; or on a more sophisticated level, fear may cause terrible depression. At any level, fear destroys coordination, riddles personality, blocks logical thinking and makes solving problems very difficult or even impossible!

When we worry, fret or fear, we are really saying, “I don’t believe you God. I don’t think you can help me. I don’t really trust you like I say I do.” In doing this, we are sinning against God, our Father. We are impugning His character and calling Him a liar. Now, I hear you…you’re saying, “That’s harsh Belinda.” I know it! I deal with this sin every day! See I don’t write about things that don’t effect me in some way. I’m preaching to myself!

II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has NOT given us a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and a SOUND mind.” So God doesn’t give us fear…then who does? I’ll give you one good guess. Yep, satan is the author of confusion and fear. He will stop at nothing to bring you down and to keep you from being a prosperous, happy child of God! But take heart, God promises us that if we will allow the Holy Spirit to indwell us and we forsake the sin of fear, then He will give us supernatural strength and power to deal with our afflictions.

So how do I get rid of fear? Well, just ask! We must confess fear in true repentance, claim God’s promise of forgiveness…and get on with life.

Check out my single, “I Will Not Fear.” It is based on Psalm 23. “I will not fear, I will not faint, death is a shadow, not reality for a saint. You are always with me, comforting and cleansing, anointing me with Your eternal grace. I will not fear, I will not faint.” (copyright 2007, Belinda Jane)