Keep Your Peace
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:4-9 NASB
Do you want peace? Well, the Bible tells us how to get it! The first thing mentioned here is to rejoice in the Lord in all things. Just think about that. How much stressing can you do if you are spending all of your time rejoicing in God? If all you dwell on is the goodness of God and what He has done for you, you won't have time to fret and worry.
The next thing Believers are told to do is refuse to be anxious. I know that can seem like an impossible feat at times because life can be crazy, but if you follow these few simple principles faithfully, it can be done. God wouldn't instruct us to do something that we are incapable of doing. Instead of being anxious, we are to pray and praise the Lord. In every situation that pops up, learn to first give it to God in prayer and then praise Him through to the victory. That’s the way to keep your peace in stressful times!
Finally, the Holy Ghost through Paul tells us what things we should be thinking on- things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute! If your thoughts don't meet each of those requirements, then stop dwelling on them! Think on good things, the things of God. When you consistently dwell on right things, when you do what the Word says, it will work for you!
If you will learn to practice the Word, you will have peace in every situation you face in your life. The devil can try to throw everything (including the kitchen sink!) at you, but if you keep your eyes focused on God's truth it won't be able to move you! Pastor Mark always says you can be like a palm tree in a hurricane! The winds might be strong, but that won't matter if the roots are deep. It's the same way with the Word of God in life. The pressures of the enemy can be on every side, but if your roots are deeply planted in the Word, you won't be uprooted either!
Love,
Brittany