Robert Morris - Peace on Your Earth

Recognize you’re in a battle.
In Psalm 42:3, David was on the run and he was going through a tough time. He says, “My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?’” Now, who do you think is asking David this question? It’s the enemy. Have you ever heard this ques­tion? Satan never takes a break, not even at Christmas. He’s constantly reminding us of bad memories and people we’ve lost. It’s amazing to me that Satan will even take the death of loved ones and torment us with them, and he does it a lot during the holidays. We need to remember the battle is real, and it’s taking place in the spiritual realm so it must be fought in the spirit. What’s the enemy’s best tactic? He lies to us, and he’s good at it. In fact, he’s had 10,000 years of practice.

Stop listening to yourself and start talking to yourself.
This may sound funny, but let me tell you what I mean by it. We have to stop listening to our souls (mind, will, and emotions) and start allowing our spirits to do the talking. Our souls get hung up on our feelings and circumstances, and they often fall for the enemy’s lies. Look at Psalm 42:5 and watch how David’s spirit starts talking to his soul: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Our souls must be quiet, our spirits must rule over our souls, and we must rebuke the enemy.

Get with God.
The best way to strengthen your spirit is by spending time with God. Take a look at Psalm 43:4. After all his time in exile and being chased into the wilderness, David writes: “Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.” I think David realized he was missing the presence of God, so he began to praise God and spend time in His presence.

I’ll never forget the time a lady in our church told me about Christmas in her house when she was growing up. She said it was the worst time of year because her father was an alcoholic. As an adult, she dreaded Christmas every year because of the flood of memories, but then something happened. She decided, “I can’t have another bad Christmas.” She got her Bible and played some worship music and began to spend time in God’s presence. She asked Him where He was all those years growing up, and He began to show her all the ways He protected her and her family and how He saved her. Now she has great Christmases. I’m telling you, Christmas is the most joyous time of the year and you can have peace on your earth, and it comes from the Prince of Peace. No matter what battle or struggle you’re facing, spend time in His presence and you will have peace in your heart.