What kind of things stress you out and cause you to worry and be anxious? Do you get angry with people who say and do stupid things that cause hurt and resentment? What about traffic jams, bad weather, unexpected illness, other people’s bad attitudes? What is the real reason you are stressed? Could it be that you have no control over those situations?
Control (a.k.a. authority) is the controversy of the universe. All worry, fear, and anxiety revolve around the issue of control. Who is going to be in control?
The bad news is we have no control over any of these things. The good news is we do have control over one thing… our attitude. We cannot control all the things life throws at us, but we certainly can choose how we respond to them (a.k.a. attitude). All we can do is accept there’s not much we can do. And all we can control is how well we let go of control.
God’s purpose is for us to live in total dependency upon Him for everything in our life and to live in intimate relationship with Him. God didn’t create us to live for Him. God created us so that He could live FOR US. Jesus said that without Him, we could do nothing. Philippians 4:19 says that we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength. Philippians 2:13 says that “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” In John 5, Jesus said that He could do nothing apart from His Father and He could only do what His Father told Him to do.
All through the Bible we see how God designed us to give Him control so that He could live His life through us and for us. Our old self-centered self—the one that died on the cross with Jesus—always wanted to have control and still does by means of the “flesh,” which is “sense and reason apart from reliance upon the Holy Spirit.” Many of the stressors in our life are simply things we can’t control. God has a purpose for allowing those stressors. They bring us to the place where we run out of strength and resources to deal with them. Then, and only then, will we surrender and give up “our control” to the Lord and allow Him to handle them FOR us.
CONTROL is an illusion! We have as much control over what the world dishes out to us as a leaf in a tornado—no control at all. But we do have control over how we RESPOND to these events. We get to choose for ourselves but not for anyone else.
Here’s how you do it: Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep us in perfect peace when we keep our minds fixed on Him. Whenever you lose your sense of peace, you know you have taken control away from Jesus and taken over yourself. He is our peace. Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace.
Simply pray: “Lord Jesus, I’ve kicked You off the stool of my life. I’ve taken control. I’m sorry. Please get back on our stool and take Your rightful control of our life.” Immediately, you will sense His presence and peace regardless of your circumstances. Remember, peace is a fruit of the Spirit, not of the soul. Your soul—mind, will, emotions—can still be cutting back flips, but your spirit will be at peace because you know that He is in control. He has a purpose for what’s happening, and you trust Him.
Let’s get some perspective here: If you have no power to control things that are beyond your control, why do you worry about it? If it is something over which you do have control, then do what needs to be done to fix it. No need to worry there, right? So, what’s the problem? Don’t worry. Trust the Lord. If you are worrying, you are not trusting. If you are trusting, you are not worrying. You’re the only one choosing for you.
You will experience a peace that surpasses all human comprehension when you realize that neither the most minuscule details of your life nor its most pressing issues escape God’s loving attention. If God is sovereign over all of creation, then don’t you think He’s able to manage every aspect of your life in His perfect timing? In order for you to have peace in this world, you will need to let go of the need to have it all figured out.
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