Discovering the Gift of Peace
It seems to be socially acceptable to worry about our kids or family members. I hear people say all the time, "I only worry because I care" or "your worry just shows that you're a good mom."
The problem is that this line of thinking is just not healthy.
Fear and worry are evil spirits that we can choose to agree with or stand against. Living in mental peace is a battle. We need to see the battle for what it is and fight. Let’s not agree with the enemy and let him mess with our heads.
Did you know that you can live in perfect peace? Did you know that fear and worry are some of the most common tools of the enemy to keep you from your destiny? I am so tired of the enemy tricking us into thinking that fear and worry are some kind of normal emotions.
Ok, where to begin: we have to be aware of our self-talk…the voices in our head. Every single thought you have is not your own. The devil whispers lies constantly and we have to practice recognizing them and not agreeing with them.
It is great to have a healthy friend or mentor to tell your thoughts to. They should be able to help you see where the thought is coming from. When we agree with God’s thoughts towards us, we grow in peace and joy. When we agree with the enemy, we open the door for him to come in and destroy our peace.
The Holy Spirit is our Friend and Helper. We need Him so much. As we take time to value Him and soak in His presence, the worries fall away. Quieting the heart does not come natural to everyone. Living in peace is a skill that you can practice.
As children of God it is our nature to love. It is not our nature to live in fear. A few years ago our oldest son started experiencing bouts of extreme dizziness and ringing in his ears along with some hearing loss. After consulting with doctors it was determined that he needed to have an MRI. Basically they needed to check to see if he had a brain tumor. Wow, that was unsettling!
It’s so hard to go through these kinds of tests when you have to do so much waiting. It's like they say, "This is really serious; go home and wait and wait and wait until we find time to help you out."
I remember doing my daily chores and fighting this mental battle at the same time. I had to choose to put the thought of cancer aside and think about other things. It's like I actually imagined in my mind pushing the worrying thoughts over to the side and bringing thoughts of things I could control into the center.
Jesus gives us peace as a gift. He also commands us to not let our hearts be troubled. Sometimes not letting your heart be troubled requires you to fight. Peace is not the absence of war.
The MRI did come back clear and he was diagnosed with Meniere's disease. Miraculously his hearing loss has been restored!
If you fear, you can't hear.
If you allow your heart to be troubled, you won't be able to hear the whisper of Holy Spirit as He guides you in your life choices.
John 14:27 says, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
KEY IDEA: PRACTICE UNTIL PEACE AND JOY ARE YOUR NATURAL DEFAULT.
What's one fear that you are choosing to let go of today?
To enter to win Beth's latest book, 30 Days of Spirituality, comment below in response to her Key Idea (above). The book winner will be announced via email this FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22. Are you a subscriber at Sanctuary?
Ministry wife Beth L. Olson and her husband, Christopher, have been married and in the ministry for 19 years. The couple has four children and currently serve at Heartland Church (Ankeny, IA). Beth shared that her lifelong value of peace has shaped much of her ministry. "I don't mean the kind of peace that is the absence of confrontation necessarily, but peace that grows into joy that is your strength to fulfill your God-given destiny." In her free time, Beth enjoys spending time with her family, going for walks, and learning new things. "My greatest passion in ministry is to help people experience God's presence and launch from there into a life of strength and victory." To read more from Beth, head over to her site, www.bethlolson.com .
