John Belt: "How to Find Rest and Pass Your Test"

"Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them." (Psalm 119:165)

Forgive and Release People

Have you ever been offended? Jesus said offenses would come but that does not mean you have to be offended. Jesus was never offended. He was totally found in the Father's love. His dwelling place was God.

"A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense." (Proverbs 19:11)

Sometimes when people get offended their mouths become loose and they start saying things they shouldn't. What is inside of you, when you are squeezed, will come out.

The best example we have of a person who could have been offended, but wasn't, is Jesus. When Jesus was crucified, hanging on the tree, He did not start cursing the people and exuding bitterness. What did He do? He said, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they do." Isn't that the response we should all have? Instead of speaking evil of people, praying in the flesh, saying things we shouldn't, we should be forgiving and releasing people. Prophetically, Isaiah spoke about Jesus as being a Lamb led to the slaughter, but He did not open His mouth. There was no retaliation in the life of Jesus.

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." (Isaiah 53:7)

God Sees It All

When you have an opportunity to be offended, realize that it is also a test of your character. Will you bless and not curse? Will you choose to come up another notch or will you begin to walk in the wrong spirit – even forsaking the Holy Spirit? God sees what we do in private. Maybe you haven't gossiped or slandered a person in public, but He still sees what we say in secret.

God challenges us. He is not content to leave us in the state we are currently in. He will test us to open our eyes to our true state of being. Why? It is then that He can bring an opportunity for change and promotion. But if we cannot control our actions and tongues and become foolish, we don't go up or grow up.

Are you trying to hurt someone? Get even? Maybe you are wanting to retaliate and package it in prayer to make it look spiritual. It is surprising what people will do when they get angry. Maybe you feel hurt because you feel like you've been wronged. The truth is, all the things that occur in our lives, when yielded to God, can be worked for our good if we choose to love Him.

See Your Test and Opportunity

Next time you are offended about something or it makes you want to say things you shouldn't, recognize your opportunity to become more like Jesus. The thing about God is that if you don't pass the test the first time, He will make you take it again until you pass.

Why wait? Move through your door of opportunity to grow in God and receive the best that He has for you today. Instead of getting bitter, get better. Get in the Word of God, love it and live it. He gives great peace to those who love His Word. Wouldn't you rather have peace like a river? Another one of the blessings that comes with this verse is that it will keep you from being offended – even when offenses come.

Find your peace, rest and contentment in His presence. Don't allow your life to be shaped by the things people do to you but by the truth and the love of God. Welcome the Holy Spirit to fill you with His love, giving you grace to love others as you live in the surpassing peace, prosperity and blessings of God.

John and Brandi Belt
Overflow Global Ministries
Email: office@overflowglobal.com
Website: www.overflowglobal.com

John and Brandi Belt are the leaders of Overflow Global Ministries. The heart of their message is that God's greatest desire is to indwell His people with His presence. They believe that man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. This overflow translates into touching the lives of others through living encounters with God. When John and Brandi minister, the intimate presence of God is manifest – being accompanied with demonstrations of God's power to heal, revive, and restore. 

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