Kingdom Attitude in the Storm (Part 2 of 5)

Date of original writing: Monday June 27, 2005

I really felt God’s presence. I know it was His presence because there was an overwhelming peace that was beyond my understanding. I was experiencing some discomfort and “down time” in my life based on circumstances. But all of a sudden, I had this peace in spite of my circumstances. I literally have joy that is unspeakable. All I could do was dance and shout. Bear in mind this is late in the pm, but out of nowhere I suddenly had all this energy. The joy of the Lord truly is my strength!

I watched that broadcast on a Thursday night, and immediately afterward, I received a call from someone and the presence of God slowly began to leave. I was becoming so upset on the phone and all that I had experienced prior to the call was but a memory. It wasn’t until late in the conversation that I realized this, so I brought the conversation to an end and asked God to forgive me for allowing Satan to step in and distract me from what was really important. I turned back on Miles Munroe’s broadcast and listened some more and guess what he spoke about? Being careful to not let Satan distract us after we have heard a message from God. I automatically felt the conviction and began praying again.

It’s a serious thing, because Satan doesn’t want us to feel the joy that God gives us. Finding out who we are in the Kingdom of God is Satan’s #1 fear! This is why he constantly tries to deceive us with things we are receptive to, things he knows he can get our attention with, as long as he can get his foot in the door, he knows he has a better chance of causing our circumstances to bring us down and take over our mind to keep us from discovering the will of God for our lives.

For too long I let my circumstances determine the way I felt and the way I lived. If I was sad about something, I did almost everything for the rest of the day feeling that way. If I was happy about something, then I did things for the rest of the day happily. But I realized, I can’t live my life based on ‘happenings’-things that happen to me. Instead, I must find joy through the presence of the God. It is then, and only then that I can take control of my circumstances and be joyous everyday of my life.

Now I did not say circumstances won’t ever come up, and I certainly didn’t say that I won’t ever get upset or sad again in life. But what’s important is that I continuously seek the presence of God, so that I can retain that peace and joy in spite of what’s going on around me. This is how I control my circumstances. I don’t let them determine my attitude. My attitude determines how I deal with them. And the attitude of my heart, which is guided by the Holy Spirit says that God will never leave nor forsake me, and that He has allowed me these trials as a training simulation to prepare me for what He has willed for me to do.