This week I’d like to veer off and share a principle that can save you an enormous amount of frustration— keeping you in perfect peace. We’ve spoken of rebellion often enough that you well know how dangerous it can be, but when you are around or work with someone in rebellion, then its effects can also affect you too. Think of it as second-hand smoke that health officials say is often more harmful than smoking a cigarette yourself.
Selfish Ambition = Confusion
James 3:16 says, “For where there's selfish ambition there's confusion and every evil thing are there.”
Recently I wanted to offer one of our former ministry team members a position that she is more than qualified for. The truth is, she’s excellent. But there is something that led to us not using her, rebellion. On numerous occasions, we’ve asked that she not get chatty or offer an excessive explanation on the projects she’s working on, but she is friendly and just can’t “help herself.” So as painful as it’s been, we began cutting back on her projects until she was no longer part of our working team.
It wasn’t as much about the interruptions—not having a “gentle and quiet spirit” which is not only precious in the sight of God but also the way we work in our ministry team. It was due to her (unknowingly and unintentionally) unleashing confusion and every evil thing just as this principle teaches us.
For me, it’s so much like cigarette smoke—I’m very sensitive to it. Just a whiff of smoke gives me an instant headache, and it’s just the same with rebellion, maybe even more so. I begin to feel like the room is spinning when I interact with it. Some peoples’ lives are full of chaos, confusion, and evil, which is constantly surrounding them, so they don’t know anything else. Yet, for me and most of my team who are workers@home, we are basically free from this whirlwind of disorientation and are blessed to live in perfect peace.
What’s marvelous is that just recently my precious HH showed me a way, as I followed His lead, that allowed us to work together in a safe venue with this ministry team member. So far, it’s worked perfectly! It’s not how He did it, but simply that He did it. Now it is my hope that we can expand her position whereby she continues to trust the Lord to help her curb her need for conversation or discussing. We believe that by working with Him, discussing everything with Him only, and completing the project like the rest of our team does so beautifully will mean expanding her position since there’s no doubt “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” and we have, therefore, continually “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send us workers.”
Today I hope you’ll take time to talk to your HH about this principle. Find out if you’re bringing confusion into an environment that He wants to remain peaceful. Or maybe how He longs to set you apart from some of the second-hand confusion you’re dealing with now—maybe calling you to be a worker@home—or just set apart in your current workplace. For me it’s vital I remain at perfect peace because without it, I can’t feel Him as closely—I basically work by leaning into Him at all times or snuggled into His arms that He has wrapped around me. I highly recommend working like this to each one of you brides.
Next week we’ll explore more of how we simply need to Ask for His help.
Unleashing the TRUTH
POST SCRIPT or Epilog
This particular LL struck a chord with a lot of our Ministry Team Members, many believing I was referring to them. So today I felt led to add something to the bottom of this lesson to clarify and share a bit of truth.
First, I spoke directly to the person I was referring to before sharing this with anyone. I'd planned to simply speak to her again, but He led me to create a LL first then share it with her. As I'd suspected, she said her HH had been already convicting her about it and she'd been fasting.
Secondly, if you're worried or concerned this is you, more than likely it's not. The enemy always taunts the most tender of hearts, brides who want to do the right thing and who are very focused on not causing problems for others.
Third, the enemy often strikes when you're tired, worn out, or already discouraged. So if this is when you keep thinking about the lesson here, get some rest and then speak to Him about it. Just ask Him to confirm this message is for you. If it's not, then forget about it and move forward happily.
Oh my! I am actually so so grateful for the LL right now. I have been noticing that my joking and teasing and talking really isn’t all that quiet and gentle and I have been convicted about it and also fretting on it. So when I read this lesson it truly does make sense! thank you so much