Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. Ephesians 4:2-3
This is an interesting verse of the day today considering everything happening. Another verse is when the Lord said “my peace I give you, not as the world gives it but as I give it.”
So far 2026 has been a crazy month. I lost my dog of 13 years, the best dog ever. Very loyal and obedient and taught me a lot about obedience to God, and how to love. She loved me more than anyone ever has, always at my feet and extremely happy to see me when we were away.
I lost my 6 year old car, it just broke down completely, the engine went out. We sold it last night to a junk yard. It was also extremely dependent, a toyota Prius. It gave me 210,000 miles with no problems and very little gas. This one is not a big deal, not like losing my dog.
On the other hand I have watched my investments do well, especially silver. For years I have known silver would explode and it did. But then this week, especially today, it was manipulated and a HUGE drop. Nothing ever like it ever before. There is no explanation for what happened, but to save you the details. It is obvious the big money people manipulated it.
So there are both good and bad things going on in my life this month and new year. Seems the same as always although these are bigger issues than ever. The funny thing is with the silver dropping 30% in just one day today, I have no concerns, why? Because I know money is not what will save me and that is my main focus. Second I know it is manipulated big time to make this happen as it has NEVER done anything even close to this ever. And today was a big day for the big banks who are short metal investments and if they were not successful in dropping the price they would have a HUGE financial cost to pay.
Plus I know in China the price is still $120 plus, so it will rebound as quick as it went down. 5 times this week they tried to break it, which is also a first.
But the main point is the peace (shalom) of God, it comes not because you have a lot of money or a good dog or a perfect family. It comes because you trust in him and remain in him no matter what happens around you. And you know his truth.
For example, losing my dog is sad, but I still ate today and had water and lived. Silver is down $30,000 for me today, but we still ate and had water. I did not have to sell my house. I wanted to open a brokerage account to trade silver on top of the physical we own, but the Lord made sure it did not happen. I now see why. I would have been called out of the position multiple times and lost a ton on a futures contract. With the physical not so much. Also I have it in my head that because of the way the laws are, they will take your trading accounts and everything in them.
But here is the interesting thing, it does not matter, but it does. We are to turn 5 talents into 10, but to not love money more than God. If I die broke serving and obeying God, then does it matter how much I made and had? No, my judgment is not on that but what I did, my actions or works. And my actions either keep me in peace in God or they do not. That is dependent on if the works or actions are done in Yeshua or on my own. I seek to do them in the Lord and his way. That is where the peace comes, which also the salvation comes. If you do not have his peace, you do not have his salvation.
If you fear dying, it is because you do not have his peace and salvation. When you obey him and not your own lust and the world, then this peace comes naturally. I do not fear dying, and part of me hopes it comes sooner than later. But another part of me wants to be around to help my kids and wife obtain this peace.
The other interesting thing is how the world tries to take your peace. For example through manipulation of money like we saw this week, and other things.
Lately the Lord has been showing two things, manipulation and people with demanding spirits. Kind of one in the same thing. If you are a demanding person you know how to manipulate to get your way, and if you do not you make hell for the person refusing to cooperate. I see this over and over. And these people believe themselves to be “good” and worth of the Kingdom of heaven.
But God sees it differently. When you come to know God and his way, truth and light or wisdom. You see how evil the human being in the flesh is. And it seems especially those who are religious which you would think would be the opposite. There are many religious “christians” who are extremely manipulative and demanding. And when you do not cooperate with this, they call you names and tell you you things like you are not going to heaven. Or you are not right with God.
Now when I hear these things I do not automatically brush it off. I seek the truth in God, because ultimately I want to be right in him, and if he uses someone to convict me of something I am doing wrong, then so be it. But 99.9% of the time it is of satan and him using manipulation and a demanding spirit of the other person trying to make you feel worthless and evil, when the truth is you are standing firm in the peace and grace and truth of God.
Men of the flesh cannot understand this, because they do not understand God. They understand their version of a God who supports their manipulation and way (which is exactly who satan is). So when a true man of Yeshua stands firm, in their mind that man is not of God when the truth is they are.
Keep in mind they even killed the true son of God, Yeshua because they believed or made it that Yeshua had a demon and was not of God. How crazy that sounds when we look back on it with our men teachers. But to the men teachers of the day they were convinced they were right, and then even killed the apostles when they kept teaching what Yeshua told them to teach about him.