When the Apostle Paul returned to Troas, he found the Lord had opened a door for him to preach the gospel there. On his first visit, he’d had no opportunity, being guided to Macedonia instead. Normally, he would have been delighted, thinking that the Lord had purposely led him back to Troas.
Peace of Mind
However, he writes in 2 Corinthians 2:13: I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-bye to them and went on to Macedonia. Paul’s peace of mind was a greater guide of the Spirit’s will than even an open door to preach the gospel in a place he must have wanted to!
When our spirit is troubled, it’s important to pray it through until we come to a place of peace. If not, then it is likely the Spirit is guiding us to avoid whatever, or whoever, is troubling us. Let the peace of Christ rule [the Greek is brabeueto] in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful (Colossians 3:15).
Brabeuo means to arbitrate, in other words, let the peace in your heart be the judge of whether something is of God or not. How can we be sure? That’s pretty subjective! True.
But remember the Spirit of God lives in your spirit, and the Father himself is working everything out for good. The peace that passes understanding is more than a feeling―it’s a vital signpost of the Lord’s direction.
Let the peace of God rule in our hearts. That peace is the surest guide we have to the will of the Father. For this reason, we shouldn’t make important decisions when we are tired, angry, frustrated, worried or fearful. These peace-robbers will steal the guidance of the Holy Spirit!
For more, see “Making Godly Decisions” in my book The Seven Seals of the Holy Spirit, on www.jfm.org.nz, also on Amazon & Book Depository.