inspirations

Finding Peace.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28,29

I once had a conversation with a non-Christian who told me "I don't get the whole Christian-thing. Every Christian I've ever met STILL has problems, issues and stress in their lives".

EXACTLY.

Live without stress and burdens and issues is called...death. Only when we die are we completely free from trials, stresses, burdens and the issues of life.

One of the greatest things I've learned as a Christian (and am still learning) is that peace in the Lord has more to do with how I handle stress, tragedies, burdens and the issues of life than with the issues themselves!

Peace comes from a deep, real relationship with God and the knowledge that He promises us that He is IN the situation with us and that He will never forsake us.

As a Christian, I have learned that no matter what the difficulty is going on in my life, God is in control. At any given moment He can change my situation. Knowing this gives me peace IN the situation I am facing. The fact that He doesn't change it? That's where faith comes in. And faith brings peace. And peace, joy.

I used to hear Christians talk about the "peace of God" and never really understood it. Until...I started seeking it. I set out to really understand it, find it, experience it. Little bit by little bit, I am learning that the real peace that the Lord talks about comes about when we spend significant amounts of time with Him each and every day.

The more I look at the world...the more I am IN the world. The more I look at God...the more I am IN the presence of God and the more peace, joy and love I experience!

By "looking at God", I simply mean this: filling my mind, my heart, my ears, my life with the things that cause me to remember Him, think about Him, pray and talk with Him. Obviously this means reading the Bible and praying. But the more I replace worldly influences through media sources, music choices, conversations and people with Godly influences through these same sources, the more my life and character starts to resemble the things of God and this...brings peace into my life.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (How can you learn to better claim these promises? What attitudes, choices and/or actions are holding you back?)

Seek Him...know Him...love Him...find peace.

"Dear God: I want to know the joy of peace in my life more and more. Please lead me into a deeper relationship with You and help me to understand Your ways and Your will for my life. I truly want to seek You more diligently. Help me to overcome the worldly obstacles that take up my time away from You. Amen."

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers today...especially my very own mommy. "...her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her...charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:28,30

The Fruit of the Spirit is PEACE.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

I love the above scripture. It plainly states and reminds me that there is a difference in my life when I look to God for peace versus looking to the world for peace.

God's peace is everlasting---it's sustaining. The Bible tells me that no matter what is happening in my life, I am assured of a deep sense of security and peace in knowing that God is always on my side, in control and unconditionally in love with my soul.

Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone seeks joy. And everyone wants a sense of peace and security.

The bookstores are filled with rows and rows of books on how to be filled with peace; how to pull out of depression; how to be anxiety-free. The doctors are ready and willing to prescribe a pill for everything under the sun from stress, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, etc.

But God says plainly that all we need is Him...He IS love. He IS joy. And He IS peace.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

In Romans 5 versus 1 through 11, I believe the crucial point is this: Jesus died for my sins. I believe He is the risen Christ. Therefore, I am saved.

As Christians, that alone gives us a deep sense of peace in knowing that we are reconciled to the Almighty God and have everlasting life because of His plan for our salvation! The more I get to know my Lord, the closer I draw to Him and the deeper I fall in love with Him which breeds true joy and in turn breeds genuine and real peace in my life.

Each of the fruits of the Spirit are all connected...they all reveal the true Character of God and draw us into a deeper relationship with Him. The closer we draw to Him through a daily walk with Him, the more evident these fruits are in our own lives.

Peace. It's the opposite of anxiety and stress, worry and fear. It's what the world wants but never finds...until falling at the foot of the cross.

Great peace have those who love Your law. And nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165

"Lord, thank you for reminding me each and every day that You are my peace and my joy. Please help me to share this with others in my life so that they, too, can experience the great peace that only You offer. Amen."

JOY that lasts.

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11;24, 25

Being a Christian is not easy---in fact, it's challenging at times. Being a Christian is all about finding Jesus IN the trials. Seeking Him IN the struggles. And then praising Him and not forgetting Him IN the good times.

Moses' decision to give up the throne of Egypt was definitely not "politically correct". He very well could have decided to stay in Egypt and become the next Pharaoh. He could have rationalized that God could do His will through Him in the luxury of Egypt. After all, it's not that hard to rationalize things like that because there are so many good "reasons" to make a wrong decision.

Being a committed Christian comes with no promise of fame, fortune and wealth. It does, however, come with the assurance of lasting joy. Joy comes when we are in the presence of and within the will of God.

In the end, our hope, our salvation, our joy, our everything, has to depend on something greater than this world. No matter what our circumstances, we need to turn from thinking about ourselves and instead dwell on what Jesus has done for us...this is where our true inward joy comes from!

"Lord, lead me into a deep knowledge of what You have done for me; turn my thoughts away from my own circumstances and provide me with opportunities to serve You and Honor Your name today. Bless me with Your joy. Amen."

 

JOY in tough times.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the wold you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer (have joy!), I have overcome the world'. Jesus in John 16:33

Okay...consider this...the possibility that many believers don't experience joy simply because they are self-centered.

Regardless of our situation, there will always be others around us in need. By focusing on our own problems, we only make them worse in our own minds. The reality is this: we DO have reason to rejoice no matter what the circumstances...not in ourselves, but in GOD!

If our true security is in Jesus, we would reach out to someone else in our times of trouble knowing that self-pity can be turned into deep joy by the simple act of the will towards someone else. It is a reality that turning our thoughts, acts and will towards someone else fills us with unexplained joy..."And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends." Job 42:10.

No matter what our trials are, no matter what our situation is, God calls us to give of ourselves to others. In this giving of our time, love and acts of kindness, God replenishes us with His joy. It works. Try it.

"Lord, please fill me with a desire to give of myself today. You intimately know my struggles and circumstances; help me to rise above them and give of myself to a needy person today. Provide me this opportunity and bless me with Your joy. Amen."

Fruit of the Spirit is JOY

These things I have spoken to you that My Joy may remain in you and your joy may be full. John 15:11

Joy and happiness are two different things: Happiness is the result of favorable experiences and situations. Happiness can be here today, gone tomorrow; it's fleeting! True joy, which is inward joy, is the result of a deep relationship with God and is a constant, even through trials and tribulations.

Our joy can be robbed by life circumstances if we don't have a daily and personal relationship with the Lord---and Satan works overtime at distracting us in every way possible. If we are too busy to spend devotions with the Lord we are robbed of the joy of this relationship. Relationships are cultivated and deepened when we spend time with the very person we want to get to know better!

Pursuing a deep and personal relationship with Jesus through daily prayer, daily time in scriptures and a daily pursuit of His presence results in a deeper knowledge of Him. A deeper knowledge of Him results in true, inward joy.

Inward joy defeats discouragement; happiness covers it up. Inward joy is lasting; happiness is temporary.

The world says happiness is the result of material gain, status and beauty. God tells us that real joy is a result of simply being in His very presence: You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy." Psalm 16:11

There is evidence everywhere that the world is lying about what can bring us joy...the wealthiest of people experience depression, divorce and pain. Fame and Fortune isn't the answer either: Hollywood is full of immorality, suicide and drugs to medicate empty lives. People that pursue the world's definition of happiness and joy come up empty-handed even in the presence of wealth and success.

We can't always rejoice in our circumstances or people because we can't always control these things and they can be unpredictable. But we can rejoice in the Lord, because He is always good, and He never changes! God loves; God saves; God IS!

Rejoice in the Lord always,. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

"Lord, thank You for the promise of full joy! I pray that You will draw me closer to You daily, that my joy can be complete in Your presence. Teach me how to rise above the circumstances of my life and experience the joy You have promised me. Let my joy be full and let it flow through me to all that I connect with today and always. Amen