Living by Faith: Embracing Serenity in a Turbulent World

Have you ever felt that what you do is not what you want yourself to do? God’s Word says it might be because your passions are at war within you¹. In the 1960s, The Four Tops had a hit song titled “Can’t Help Myself².” It was an innocent song, but its message was, “My emotions control me.”

The Battle

Please allow me to speak metaphorically. Within each of us is a “lake of serenity.” This lake represents the condition of our souls. Ideally, ripples in this lake are only noticeable where the lake touches its bank (the world). Emotions can rise and fall, and difficulties can come and go, but the serenity of our souls should remain untroubled. King David addressed this challenge this way:

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Psalm 43:5 ESV (biblehub.com)

This serenity of our souls positions us to overcome the world³. However, most of us rob ourselves of this victory by wavering in our faith, looking at the waves rather than He who is standing on the waves⁴, and fearing things that might happen instead of giving “thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you⁵.”

Conclusion

If we allow political news, rumors of wars, and warnings of economic disaster to disturb our “lake of serenity,” then we will live as impoverished Christians. Only by our choices can we live by faith and walk in the unique peace that Jesus makes available to us⁶.

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance.”

1 Peter 1:14 ESV – Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016

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Footnotes

1. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 4:1. ↩︎
2. https://youtu.be/s3bksUSPB4c ↩︎
3. Bible Gateway passage: 1 John 5:5 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%205%3A5&version=ESV ↩︎
4. Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 14:22-33 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2014%3A22-33&version=ESV ↩︎
5. Bible Gateway passage: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thessalonians%205%3A18&version=ESV ↩︎
6. John 14:27 – Peace I Leave with You. (n.d.). Bible Hub. Retrieved August 21, 2024, from https://biblehub.com/john/14-27.ht ↩︎