How To Live “In Perfect Peace” — Part 3

Today is Monday, November 14, 2011. On this same Monday in 1988, exactly 23 years ago, I was fired from my job.

In my previous post I described how, for many months that followed, I was tormented by fear and by panic attacks. All of that took place before I know about the spiritual basis of fear.

If that was the “Before” part, it seems natural to call this the “After” part. What I am about to relate is a real-life example of how knowing and applying passages from the Word of God allowed me to live in peace, just as God meant for us to live.

As I was saying at the end of the last part, my software business (PC Data Systems, Inc.) had all but vanished in the fall of 2001. But I trusted that God was in control, and had a plan.

Early in the morning of December 12, 2001, I had an experience that I can only describe as a message or a calling from God. If this ever happens to you, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. I just knew it was God, and it seemed He wanted me to write. I felt called to be a Christian writer.

In January of 2002, God revealed to me why he had taken away my business.

In a “Focus On The Family” broadcast, the guest was Dr. Bruce Wilkinson. His book, “The Prayer of Jabez” had made his name known to Bible Christians. Now he had a new book, “Secrets of the Vine”. The new book showed explained how Jesus’ teaching in the vineyard applies to our lives. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” ( John 15:1-2)

It was that part about how the Vinedresser prunes the branches that arrested my attention. Wilkinson explained that sometimes God will “prune” away from us things He knows we can do without, and thus free us to do work for Him.

I slapped my hand on the kitchen counter and shouted, “That’s it! That’s why God allowed my business to go away!” He was making room in my life for the work He had called me to do.

So I began writing, and reading prolifically everything I could about how to apply the Word of God into my life. One of the early applications I found was from the great Apostle Paul. In one of his letters to his young pastor friend, Timothy, Paul wrote something that lifted me up from the bondage of fear. Here it is:

The “scripture card” image below contains one of the most important pieces of information I have ever learned. I share it with you trusting that you will find it as useful as I did.

God has not given us a spirit of fear

What is fear, and where does it come from?

In that passage from one of his letters, Paul wrote about a “spirit of fear”.

A “spirit” of fear!

That bit of knowledge was an eye-opening revelation to me! It taught me that fear is not just a physiological response to circumstances. Yes, sometimes it is. That’s why God built a “fight-or-flight” mechanism into our bodies. We get a shot of adrenaline when faced with real danger, to strengthen us just in the moment we need it.

But Satan and his demons, as they always do, take the good things that God has given us and use them against us. Thus, more often than not, the fear we are feeling comes from demons in the spiritual realm. It’s their favorite weapon to use against humans.

Now, here’s how I used this to my advantage.

In the fall of 2003, our son Jeff was in his final year of art college. In the tradition of starving artists everywhere, he couldn’t afford to hire a model. Instead, Jeff asked me to pose for him. I agreed, and asked if I could pose holding my Bible.

As we composed the scene, I chose to open my Bible to Isaiah 43. My initial plan was to spend the posing-time segments—when I had to sit perfectly still—memorizing Scripture. The bottom of the right-hand page contained this passage:

When you pass through the waters I will be with you

I knew phrases such as “pass through the waters” and “walk through fire” were poetic references to suffering. God doesn’t promise a trouble-free life. Sometimes we get soaked; sometimes we get singed. What’s important is knowing that God is with us through it all.

My initial intention was to learn new verses each time. Yet, session after session, I found myself wanting to see—needing to see—those reassuring promises from Isaiah: “…When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… when you walk through fire you shall not be burned”. Little did I know just how important those promises would be.

“Stand therefore… take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”

Ah, but this time I knew what to do. I knew the source of the fear, and I was equipped with the Truth.

Not wishing to wake Joanne, I rose to my feet and said softly, “Lord, I know you’re right here with me.” Then I began to recite God’s Words: “When you pass through the waters I will be with you… when you walk through fire you will not be burned.” As I spoke those Words softly into the darkness of the bedroom, the rush of fear and panic quickly subsided.

In a moment it was over. The feeling of impending doom was gone! Do you know why? Because to do battle with satan is to do battle with a bully, and that’s how bullies respond. When confronted with greater strength (in this case, the power of God’s Word), they run!

“It Is Written…”

The other crucial part of the process was the fact that I had pre-decided what I would do when facing fear. That’s how the victory is actually won. Like a soldier in battle, you have to know ahead of time what you will do. I knew that fear and panic are really battles against satan. So, following Jesus’ model in Matthew 4 (“It is written…”), I had rehearsed in my mind over and over my plan to attack Satan’s lies with the Truth of God’s Word.

A week or two later, a devil took another run at me as I slept. I dreamed I was lying awake in bed, in the midst of a full-blown panic attack. In my dream, the bed was shaking so hard it woke Joanne. She asked what was happening, and why the bed was shaking. I told her a devil was trying to overwhelm me with panic. Then–still in the dream–I said to Joanne with just a bit of a smile, “Watch this!”

Once again I quoted God’s promise from Isaiah 43: “When you pass through the waters I will be with you. When you walk through fire…”.

Suddenly, I was awake. The dreaded feeling was totally gone! I nearly burst out laughing in the middle of the night as I realized how God had just come through for me again!

The next morning, I related my dream to Joanne.

“You have,” she observed, “hard-wired yourself so completely that satan can’t even get to you in your sleep!”

Do you see why I like to encourage people to memorize Scripture? That’s how you get victory over demons. Look at these Words regarding satan from the lips of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

“There is no truth in him… he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

To deal with Satan is to deal with lies. When the lie Satan places in your mind says—as it did in my case—“ You’re all alone in this, and you’re going to lose everything”, don’t panic. Instead, rest in the comfort of God’s promises: “I’ll be with you even in this time of trouble. As you persevere and put your trust in Me I’ll bring you through it. In the process, your faith will grow stronger.” (That’s not a quote, but it’s a summary of what God will do for us, when we release our problems to Him.)

Now, I’ve read the Barna polls, and I know that about 2/3 of Americans do not believe that Satan and his demons are real. This, despite the fact that there are 250 references to demons, by various names, in the New Testament.

But to deny the existence of demons is to call Jesus a liar. Stated simply: If you deny the existence of Satan or his ability to attack you, he has you!! You’re playing right into his hands.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus also said,

“If you remain in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

Peace and freedom are yours WHEN you know God’s Word. And so now you can see where I got the title for this story from:

God Keeps Us In Perfect Peace

What was I doing when I quoted the Bible and banished the devil? I was keeping my mind on God, not on my problems.

Remember that old saying: “What you don’t know won’t hurt you”? That’s a lie! (Satan probably started that.) The truth is: “What you don’t know can never help you.” In my case, once I did the work of knowing, and began acting upon that knowledge, God did the part I could not possibly do.

God meant for us to use His Book. He loaded it with word pictures showing how He relates to us and how to live in harmony with Him. It’s packed with truths and principles that He gave us. Those truths are our weapons against an adversary who knows we’re defenseless without them.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God…”

The transformation process I’ve just described was not instantaneous. Like forming any new habit, it took time for God to burn His Truths into the creases of my brain. All I can honestly tell you is that I’ve lived by the principles of God’s Word for years. And, despite current circumstances that would drive many to panic, I live in complete freedom from fear.I don’t know what my future holds, but I rejoice every day because I know Who holds my future!

Portrait Of My Father

“Portrait Of My Father” by Jeffrey Smith

www.jeffreysmithart.com

How To Live “In Perfect Peace” — Part 2

When I arrived at work on the morning of Monday, November 14, 1988, I was senior design engineer for a local manufacturing company.

By mid-morning, I was not. I had been fired.

For just a moment, try to imagine what that felt like.

Or perhaps you don’t have to imagine, because you’ve been there. You’ve known the feelings of shock, humiliation, helplessness, perhaps even anger and bitterness.

Wouldn’t you agree, though, that the worst part is the fear that follows? For me it would always invade in the middle of the night.

Consider my situation. The job I had just lost had provided the only income our family had to live on. Joanne and I had four children, a house with not one but two mortgages, and many of the usual monthly bills.

What if I couldn’t get more work? Would we lose everything? What would become of us?

Actually, my situation was way worse than just losing my job.

Let me explain.

Something I didn’t realize when I went into engineering was that engineers are supposed to eventually move into management. Technical skills become obsolete very quickly. I was 46 years old, and 17 years out of college. Companies can often hire younger, more recent graduates at a lower salary.

I had never aspired to management and to be honest, my heart was no longer in being an engineer. So not only was I out of a job, I was also out of a career.

I knew I’d have to start over.

Trouble was, I wasn’t ready yet with another marketable skill.

And so the torment of fear and panic would come. Night after night I would find myself half awake. For a tiny fraction of a second, everything would be all right… and then I would remember.

In my half-conscious state, I’d notice that the bed was shaking. Then I’d realize it was because my whole body was trembling as wave after wave of panic swept through my body. Worst of all, I felt completely helpless to do anything about it.

Let me ask those who know: do I exaggerate? Or do I paint an accurate picture of the torment that grips a terminated employee?

Of course, loss of a job is only one of many causes of fear. Perhaps your circumstance is the loss of a spouse, or a child who’s in trouble. Maybe you’ve just gotten a bad report from your doctor.

Whatever the cause, the fear is the same.

For the sake of brevity, I’ll skip over many details of the next few years.

I changed careers, going from engineer, to entry-level computer programmer, to independent consultant.

I also began what will be for the rest of my life the daily practice of learning and applying life-transforming principles from the Bible.

That is by far the wisest decision I have ever made.

By the end of 1993 I had ventured into my own software consulting business. Part of my step of faith was the realiza­tion that asking God to protect us from financial ruin meant we had to give Him control of our finances.

Of the many scriptures that instruct us about stewardship, Jesus put it the quite succinctly when He said, “Give, and it shall be given to you…” (Luke 6:38)

That’s when we started following God’s principles of stewardship. And for several years, our family enjoyed a degree of prosperity.

Then came the economic downturn of 2001. When the year began, I had several active projects and a couple of likely prospects. By mid-September… gone. All of it. As in… nothing… no work.

But instead of feeling let down, I had learned to trust God to the point where I was certain He was at work and was using my predicament to teach me something.

I was right.

In mid-December of 2001, God called me to make another change.

I’ll tell you about that in the next installment.

~ jan

How To Live “In Perfect Peace” — Part 1

Have you ever noticed how a seemingly ordinary day can suddenly become memorable? Often you don’t recognize those days until after they’ve happened. You look back and think, “Because that happened, this is a day I’ll always remember.”

When I became aware of that “after-the-fact” aspect years ago, I decided to try to recognize “in the moment” when an  ordinary day was about to become a day I would always remember.

One such memorable day was a joyful event: Thursday, March 3, 1983. The  moment of recognition came early that morning. I was preparing to leave for work, and was also scheduled to teach a session in my popular “How To Improve Your Color Photography” class that evening.

I recall being in the basement making a quick inventory of materials and equipment for my evening class when my very pregnant wife, Joanne, called from the top of the stairs. “You’d better call your work”, she announced, “we’re going to the hospital today! In that moment, I knew: this was about to be one of those days.

That evening, I was present in the operating room to hear a nurse call out the time, “9:26!” Our son Jacob was alive, in the world, and breathing oxygen!

But from the moment I’d heard Joanne’s admonition that morning, I knew March 3rd would be forever an important day in the lives of the members of our family. I savored the details throughout the day.

Some memorable days are not exactly joyful. Does the date “Monday, November 14, 1988″ mean anything to you? It might, if it was when you were born. (I recall that a friend of my daughter, Jenni, gave birth to a daughter in the wee hours of that morning.)

But for me, that date — November 14, 1988 — is a day I will never forget. My life changed on that day. I began a journey through hell-on-earth.

In tomorrow’s installment, I’ll tell you what happened.

~ jan

August 19, 2011 – jan Smith

jan Smith - taken today

I thought I’d share something with you that I’ve been thinking about for a while.

I don’t remember exactly when it was, but one day in the last year or so I was thinking about the fact that my dad died (as a result of injuries) a few days short of his 69th birthday.

That got me thinking, because as those in my family know, my own 69th birthday is approaching soon. So one day, I sat at my computer and did a little math.

My dad was born on December 24, 1914. He died on December 1, 1983. I subtracted his date of birth from the day he died. The result was 25,179. That’s the number of days my dad lived.

I added that number of days onto my own date of birth, September 11, 1942. The result is: August 19, 2011.

That’s today. As of right now as I’m writing this, I have caught up to my dad.

I’ve thought about this a lot during recent weeks and months. I can’t honestly say why, except that I would love to talk to my dad. There are so many questions about himself and his life that I have no answers for. I loved him and respected him, but I realize now how much I really didn’t know him. I would love to ask him, but I cannot.

I don’t recall my dad ever expressing a desire to share with my sisters or with me any of the details of his life. Had he tried, would I have been interested enough back then to listen?

I don’t know of one single thing in writing that my dad left behind! I really wish he had.

I’m determined not to repeat that pattern. I’ve written plenty of things, some of which are on my web site. Not all of those are accounts of my life experiences, but you can tell a lot about me by reading them.

I want the members of my family (I include not just my children but also those with whom they live closely) to know that I pray for you every morning. I go to bed early so I can get up early and spend a couple of hours learning the Bible and praying for you. I’m using my booklet more as a guide these days, adapting to changing relationships. But the substance of the prayer in the booklet still applies. It is the desire of my heart that every one of you comes to have as close a relationship with Jesus as I do; or even closer.

Well,  I just wanted to share this with you. I’m having a great day, and I hope you are too.

I love you, one and all!!

dad

P.S. Here’s something I’ll tell you about myself. Have you ever noticed how I usually sign off with a lower-case “d” in the word “dad”? I do the same when I write my nickname: “jan”. Every time I do that, it’s a reminder to myself to keep an attitude of humility. It’s about others, not about me.

No Wonder You’re Anxious
Jan Smith
February 20, 2011

Imagine this: you walk through a doorway, and suddenly find that you’ve stepped into some kind of transporter that put you down in the middle of a war zone somewhere in the Middle East. Bombs are exploding, bullets are flying, people are screaming, and others are bleeding and dying. All around you is nothing but danger, noise, chaos, shouting, explosions… the stuff or war.

“What am I doing here?”, you wonder.

A hail of gunfire makes you dive for cover. You peek out and see what you assume are enemy fighters coming toward your position.

Let’s pause the action for a moment.

What emotions would you be experiencing at this moment, if the above scenario happened to you? Fear? Worry? Doubt? Panic? Anger? Rage? Despair? All of these?

And there you are, without so much as a pea shooter to defend yourself with.

But you know, there are people who encounter moments like this on a routine basis. They’re the members of the armed forces who have allowed themselves to be in harm’s way, for the sake of others.

They certainly feel some of those negative emotions, too. But with them it’s different. Why? Because they’ve been trained in combat techniques, and they are fully armed and ready.

In a very similar way, we’re all in a battle. Every one of us is living in a war zone. Our battles are not being fought with guns, bombs, and tanks. Our battles take place in our minds, and our enemies are Satan and his demons.

The diabolically evil beings have the ability to wreck havoc upon our lives. They do it in hundreds or thousands of ways. Their favorite weapons are fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, panic, anger, and so on.

But the vast majority of the population of Earth do not know this or have heard about it bud don’t believe it. Thus the enemy has their way with them. These victims are unarmed, untrained, and easily tied in knots of fear, panic, worry, etc.

Just as with the soldiers in the army described above, we all need training and weapons in order to overcome and live in the war zone we find ourselves in.

The prime weapon is the Word of God — Scripture from the Bible. Simply stated, Satan and his demons cannot stand to hear the Word of God spoken. When a Bible-believing Christian begins to speak out loud passages from the Bible, the demons have to back off. There is a supernatural phenomenon that takes place here. The power of the Holy Spirit of God comes to bear, and all the demons of hell are as nothing before the power of God.

Paul, writing under the inspiration of God, said, “If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Demons are like cockroaches. Just as these filthy insects flee when the light comes on, demons flee when the light of the gospel comes on. That happens when we speak God’s Word.

How to get rid of the devil? Turn on the light!

The year was 1973 when my wife Joanne and I and our little five-month-old daughter Jennifer moved into this house. Richard Nixon was president at that time, and gasoline cost just over 30 cents/gallon. I think I was earning $900/month as an engineer at that time.

Joanne and I had saved enough money to afford new appliances for our house. These included a stove, a refrigerator, an washing machine, and a dryer. The kitchen appliances were avocado green color, which was very popular colors back in the 70′s.

Nothing lasts forever, but I always felt it was unwise to discard big-ticket items like those just because some part was broken that could be replaced. And so whenever one of our appliances needed fixing, we got it fixed. Actually, sometimes I was able to fix some of the problems myself.

In the Bible, Paul wrote in the New Testament book of Philippians about being content. He said, “For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can to all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13). I always felt that if he could be content as he sat in a prison cell, I can be content with what God has given me.

I mention all this because a few days ago our son, Joe, drove into our driveway with a new stove in the back of his truck. I knew we needed new appliances, but I had no inkling as I cooked a tortilla sandwich for Joanne and I and heated some apple juice for Joanne that that would be the last time I would use the stove I bought so many years — decades — ago. I remember saying to Joanne that I couldn’t recall when I had used 3 burners at the same time. Indeed, for some time now I’ve adopted the practice of praising God for each appliance as I used it. I was content with what I had.

That wonderful act of unsolicited generosity shocked me! I thanked Joe — I think I also hugged him — and together we carried the new stove in, moved the old stove out of the way, and installed the new stove.

I could not help but think back on the thousands of times that old stove cooked our food, baked our bread, baked Thanksgiving turkeys, as well as Christmas and Easter dinners. There were many birthday meals cooked on that stove — and how many ordinary everyday meals.

Just so you know: I do not lust after “things”. I did in the past, but not any more. Like the great apostle Paul, I have learned to be content.

And thanks, Joe, for the fantastic new stove!!

by Joanne Smith

I had been pining for a webcam where we could spot the occasional moose in Alaska. Imagine my surprise when I clicked on Talkeetna Air Taxi’s site very late the other night and saw the two visitors below! [Since it was nearly dark at the time, Jan did have to lighten the saved image in PhotoShop.] Isn’t it amazing that you can watch moose in Alaska from Minnesota?

Joanne

Jan Smith – 02/12/2009

Just a quick note here to tell a little part of the story of Joanne’s knee surgery. She found it best to spend some time at a nursing home/rehab center for intensive physical therapy, rather than returning directly home from her surgery on Feb. 4. Sure enough, they put her to work, playing the piano for the elderly residents. (She used to volunteer and work there, 15-20 years ago.)

Here you see Joanne and her friend Dianna singing with the residents. She was a big hit!

She hopes to return home early next week.

jan

Jan Smith – January 3, 2009

Someone sent this to me on the internet. I liked it, so thought I’d post it here for others to read. I’m 66, and I can remember, when I was a small boy, seeing my own mother doing many of the things described in this article. We didn’t live on a farm but aside from that my mom used her apron in much the same way as this writer described. – jan

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.

Send this to those who would know, and love, the story about Grandma’s aprons. Or it can be a good history lesson for those that have no idea how the apron played a part in our lives.
REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I don’t think I ever caught anything from an apron………….

But Love !!

Jan Smith – January 2, 2009