Need Peace?

When I am tempted to have a pity party about life, I need to read the book of Philippians. Paul's life was not a picnic, by any means. What was his secret? How did he “learned to be content whatever the circumstances?"
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He practiced doing things like "“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He also did not try to live in his own strength. He said things like ““Even if I am able to trust in myself, still I don’t do it. If anyone else thinks they have a reason to trust in themselves, they should know that I have a greater reason for doing so.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:4‬ ‭ERV‬‬

But I am thinking the main thing he did was to control his thoughts. He did not let his thoughts control him. He practiced thinking about things that were true and honorable and pure and respectful. Look what happens.

"And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds. Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected.
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7

I want that peace to stand guard over my thoughts and feelings. Don't try to do this in your own strength. You may can do okay on your good days. But when life gets tough, you are going to fail in your own strength. The peace that we all are looking for is not within ourselves. Quit looking there.

instead of giving up, try looking up.

Heart At Peace

Our whole life can be thrown out of balance by the lack of “a heart at peace.” That, of course, is exactly what the devil wants. He pursues his evil goals in four ways: he makes accusations, stirs up animosity, floods us with anxiety, and pollutes our minds with garbage. But with God’s help, we can reclaim peace.~Jim Cymbala

Think about those four things. Did any of those things happen yesterday? Fight to reclaim that peace. Talk to the Lord today while you are reading your bible. 

He Will Keep Me in Perfect Peace

“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:165‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Great reason to keep your goal of reading the Word everyday! This promise belongs to those who read the Word and love the Word. God promises us that we will not stumble. He did not say that we will never have troubles. But the powerful promise that we will not stumble or lose our balance when life brings us troubles.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

He promises us peace in the middle of those troubles. When I start the day with His Word, I can start the day with peace because my mind is focused on Him. So many people start the day with Facebook. Last time I checked, Facebook does not bring you peace.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The best reason of all to start the day with His Word...we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We will be able to discern God's will. The world is not starting the day with God's Word. We need to!

Know Who Your Father Is

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you would like to have perfect peace, look at verse 3 going backwards. "Because they trust in you."

When something happened recently that shook my peace, I began to recount all the times when God was unbelievably faithful to me and my family. I started listing all of the blessings that I have. I began to praise Him for His power, for His kindness, for His resources, for His patience, for His perfect timing. By the time I finished, I was realizing that God is enough. I am not enough to handle this but God is more than enough.

Mark and I do three minutes of exercise each morning. We start by planking for 60 seconds and giving praise to God. If you recognize who your father is, your attitude changes. If I realize that my father owns the cattle on a thousand hills, why do I need to worry? If my heavenly father can do immeasurably above and beyond what I ask for, why am I afraid?

The Lord is good. He is a safe place to go to in times of trouble. He takes care of those who trust him.”
‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭ERV‬‬