Silence Is Golden
Remaining Calm, Cool and Collected
by Joyce Meyer
As Christians we basically have two lives. We have an outer life, which is our reputation with people, and an inner life, which is our reputation with God.
This means that we can be doing one thing on the outside and something totally different on the inside at the same time. It also means that no matter how upsetting things may get around us, we can remain calm, cool and collected.
In a deep body of water like the ocean there can be a storm going on outside causing all sorts of waves on the surface. But if you go down deep, the water will be as still and quiet as if there was no storm at all. When something disturbing is going on outside us, it can affect us inside, upsetting our mind and emotions and causing “waves” of anxiety, fear and frustration.
In order to keep those stressful feelings from getting into the deep waters of our spirit, we need to bring our body and soul in agreement with the stillness of our inner man, where the Spirit of God dwells. In other words, we choose to walk in the Spirit remaining calm in spite of adverse circumstances. Although this is not always easy, there are certain things we can do to help make a habit of experiencing God’s peace and quiet—inside and out.
Eliminating the “Ifs”
The first thing that helps us tap into the “golden silence” of God’s peace, is to stop making excuses and accept the fact that it’s our responsibility to keep ourselves calm. One of my favorite authors Watchman Nee said, “To aspire to be quiet or calm is the responsibility of every believer.”
We like to think that we just can’t help being upset, blaming it on the devil or our circumstances—if my kids would just behave…if I had more money…if I had a better boss…. The truth is, if we choose to be controlled by God’s Spirit, which is peaceful and quiet, we will not be controlled by our “stormy” flesh. When we allow our emotions to be stirred up by unpleasant circumstances, we are in danger of missing the leading of God and being led by our feelings.
I remember when God showed this to me very clearly from an example in my own life. When my children were little, it wasn’t unusual for me to throw an emotional fit about whatever they were doing that bothered me at the moment. When I finally finished yelling at them, I would always feel guilty about my behavior and start apologizing to God saying, “I’m so sorry, I just can’t help it.”
One day God responded by telling me I could help it. He said, “What if your pastor came to the door while you were in the middle of a fit?” I knew immediately that no matter how upset I was, I would go to the door with a big smile on my face and say, “Well Pastor, praise the Lord, I’m so glad you came by!”
Even though I would be frustrated and angry on the inside, I would choose to portray something very different on the outside. It’s not unusual for us to show one thing to God and another thing to people. That’s what I mean when I say we have two different lives. God wants us to be real through and through so that what people see on the outside is really who we are on the inside (see Matthew 23:25-28).
Keeping a Quiet Spirit
We can make a habit of following the leading of God’s Spirit by keeping our inner man quiet when things around us become difficult or confusing. If we keep our spirit quiet, then we can easily hear the voice of His Holy Spirit. As a result, even in the midst of trouble we will be able to hear and obey the Lord. God has not given you and me the ability to control all of our circumstances, but He has given us the ability to control ourselves (see Galatians 5:22,23).
If we allow ourselves to get upset and be led by our emotions, we become “yo-yo” Christians up one minute and down the next. I know because that’s the way I was for many years. My level of joy and peace depended on what was going on around me. The enemy loves it when we live in the flesh, saying and doing all kinds of things based on how we feel. If he can steal our peace, he knows that he can get us to do all kinds of things we will regret later and make wrong decisions that will lead to other problems.
Adorning Ourselves with Peace
If we want to glorify our Father in heaven, we must pay close attention to what is going on in our inner man, maintaining our peace and reflecting that to both God and men. First Peter 3:3,4 says, Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning…But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God. We can look great on the outside, but if we are worried and anxious on the inside we are not glorifying God.
In verses 10 and 11 it says, For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil…Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly…. When I saw in this scripture that it was my job to search for and seek peace, I realized that I would need to discover what was stealing it from my life before I could find it.
So I began praying and asking God to show me things that were allowing the enemy to rob me of peace. I was desperate and willing to do anything to live in peace. Are you willing to do whatever is necessary to experience inner peace? If so, then you will also have to go through the process of letting God show you what is hindering His peace in your life.
It could be a bad attitude, an area of disobedience or unforgiveness, or something you need to give up. Did you know that you could even have a bad habit of living in turmoil? I grew up in a household that was in constant turmoil and when I first began to get a hold of God’s peace for my life, I actually went through a period of time when I was bored. I didn’t know what to do with myself when I didn’t have something to be upset about. Thankfully, now I am just the opposite, I’ve become so accustomed to God’s peace that I can’t stand to live in turmoil.
Establishing a Testimony of Peace
We are quick to quote Bible verses or preach a message, but it’s when we live like believers that people will want what we have before we even open our mouths. Maintaining peace and quiet in our souls, no matter what our circumstances are is one of the greatest testimonies of our faith. No matter what may be happening around you, take responsibility and choose to walk in the Spirit. Stay calm, cool and collected—as a testimony to the God you serve in a world desperately seeking true peace.
