True Identity Ministries Blog

As I wipe the sweat from my forehead and hit my knees in thanksgiving and amazement, I praise my awesome Father for the ride we have taken in the last month and all that it has taught me. I have faced some tough pressure recently from friends and family for my radical obedience to God. As I have been going through this trialing time, God has lead me to 1 Peter. I know God gave me this book at this time in my life because Peter was a radically changed man who took risks to follow and speak the truth to everyone he encountered.

1 Peter 1:6-8, 13-14
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls…13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.”

I take this commitment I have made to the Lord very serious and have grown to really listen to His voice. When he speaks about preparing our minds for action and putting on the full amour of God, He truly means for us to do this. We need this equipment and this mind set if we are going to survive and receive His full blessing each day. The most awesome part of this relationship is the fact that He covers us with protection and wisdom. We only have to allow Him to speak louder than our emotions…that’s what I have learned most over the last month.

Emotions are the first thing that will rise up as soon as we feel pressure or persecution. As important as emotions are, they can also be very deceiving and damaging if we are constantly ruled by them and don’t keep them in context. We can’t allow our emotions to control our minds or actions. We have to choose to believe truth over what we may feel. When someone offends you, raises their voice, or misconstrues something you have done or said, you instinctually want to prove or explain yourself. In most cases this will just escalate the misunderstanding into a greater problem. And when we allow our emotions to steal our peace, we’ve just opened an unhealthy door for Satan to creep in. God wants us to be self-controlled enough that when we face any trial our instinct becomes to reach out to Him to receive peace and wisdom, and not our emotions.

As I walked through some tough relational times several months ago, God told me not to look to the left or right but only upward into His heart. For a time being, this was very difficult for me, and my emotions screamed for me to do otherwise. But as I held onto what God had instructed me to do, it became much easier and my emotions began to line up with God‘s plan. We must strive to not allow trials of any kind control us to the point of blurring Gods voice in our lives. If we choose to walk through these storms with the faith He asks us to, we will receive His goal, the salvations of our souls! We have to be so steadfast that only His love, His wisdom and His answers are what we long for.

Maranda Huntley