Peace?

a very good friend of mine sent this to me. It's taken from one of Rick Warren's book, "The Power to Change your Life".

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John 14:27 reminds us of how God's Peace is a gift; we do not need to earn it. His Peace does not depend on our circumstances, rather it is God-dependent.
There are 5 ways we can achieve this perfect Peace:


1. Principles - we need to follow God's principles found in His word: We obtain His peace when we are obedient to Him. (Ps 119: 165, 167)

2. Pardon - we need to accept God's forgiveness. (Micah 7:18). The no1 destroyer of peace is guilt. 1Jn 1:9 reminds us that if we repent and ask God for forgiveness, He'll pardon us.

3. Presence - try to focus on His presence instead of on our problems (always easier said than done but also always worth a try:)). Focussing on God helps because our solution is found in Him, whereas worrying about our problems doesn't change anything. Ps 46:1 says: God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of need, and Ps 46:10 reminds us to be still and know that He is God. Sometimes, in the midst of our business, we may feel very tired and burned out; and it is at this point that God may be trying to tell us to keep still for a while and let His Spirit fill us and refresh us once again.

4. Purpose - we need to trust that His ways are higher that ours, and that he knows the plans He has for our entire life. When things seem uncertain, we feel we're not in control anymore and it is at this point we need to remember that there is Someone who knows what's going on; and He knows it even better than us. We need to acknowledge that God is in control (Prov 3:5-6) and that He is the Master controlling what goes on in each and every one of us. Indecision often produces stress but when we trust in God, he makes our paths straight and not stressful.

5. Pray - peace is a gift from Him but we need to ask Him to give it to us. (Phil 4 :6-7). If you're not praying, you're more likely to be worrying. Therefore, when you feel pressure mounting up, don't panic - pray instead!


Finally, peace does not mean we are free from trouble, but it does mean that we can be calm in the midst of life's troubles.

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more on my thoughts later...


-bea-