Have you ever wished you could just look at a map of your spiritual development to see where you’re at?  To be able to glance down and find the “You are Here!” label?

Our initial response to adversity is one way that we discover our current starting point.  Rest or panic?  Peace or anxiety?  What is the first thing that bubbles to the surface?

When the unexpected occurs, our response will either be rooted in a negative or anchored in rest because His unchanging nature and His promises have become our greatest reality.

Rest is vital to keeping negativity out of our lives.  When our first reaction is worry, anxiety, fear or panic, we might as well hold up a sign for the enemy that says, “Afflict me!”  Any time we agree with or entertain a negative we give the enemy legal ground to mess with us.

We reclaim our inner territory from negativity by abiding in rest, not allowing ourselves to be moved from that place.

A lifestyle of thanksgiving and rejoicing cultivates an environment for rest to become stronger than any opposing force against us.  A lifestyle is simply enjoying the daily reality of Presence.

Every challenging situation we face becomes a practice ground for peace.

We can partner with the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence as we choose, “Do I enter into rest, or do I entertain panic?”

Opportunities to choose rest won’t always come with a neon sign that says, “Rest or Panic? It’s your choice!”  Instead, the more you practice rest, the more you learn how to worship, rejoice and be thankful— and the harder it will be for the enemy to creep up on you.

Take a moment to think about the last adversity you encountered.  How did you respond?

If you responded to that adversity with anything other than rest, then I have good news for you!  God wants to upgrade your relationship with Him and bring you into a greater experience of rest, so feel His joy in that for you.  There’s an upgrade ahead!

Begin each day with being still in His presence.  Lean into Him and let His joy strengthen you, fight for you, build your confidence, calm you and transform you from the inside out.

This isn’t about you trying to be restful.  It’s about receiving His true nature as the Prince of Peace who already lives in you.

The more you relax into His peace, the more your first response to adversity will be filled with a confident expectation about who God will be for you and His plans for you in that circumstance!

PS) You can learn more about resting in the peace of God and rising above adversity in my teaching, Overcoming Negativity Through Rest.