"For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you."
Isaiah 54:10
There are times when my life seems chaotic and out of control. This is when I know peace is missing. In the past, I didn't know that I could pursue and find peace. At this time, I would not only have a lack of peace for myself, but my home, family, and work would all feel chaotic. Longing to find peace, I started to work on finding peace for every area of my life, and, now, I am able to live peacefully on a more regular basis.
Peace is important in our lives, so that we can live healthy, happy lives. When we have peace in our lives, we are able to complete tasks quicker and with a more positive attitude. It is also valuable, because, most of the time, we are not peaceful due to dwelling in the past. The moment peace shows up, we find ourselves with the ability to let go of past mistakes and wrongs. This is why I know that peace gives us freedom from negative emotions. Negative emotions and peace cannot cohabitate, so allowing peace to rule our lives is the key to eliminating depression, anxiety, and other negative emotions.
Since I was a young teenager, I struggled with depression and anxiety, but I am now free due to the peace that I have found. Does that mean that depression and anxiety doesn't try to creep back into my life? Of course they do, but I now know how to combat them and regain my freedom. There are some steps that I take to regain this peaceful freedom. These steps include praying, reading, studying, and meditating on God's Word, having a positive attitude, cleaning up physical and emotional messes, and singing or listening to praise and worship.
Praying
"I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints (those who are in right standing with Him) - but let them not turn again to [self-confident] folly.
Mercy and loving-kindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven."
Psalm 85:8, 10, 11
Praying is sometimes the last thing we try. When we are not peaceful, we will try everything else before prayer. There are times when we try shopping to bring us peace, but we usually end up feeling worse after we have spent the money. Other times, we try eating extremely fatting foods, but this definitely leaves us feeling horrible about ourselves and doesn't bring us peace.
If I have problems and I pray, I receive the peace that I need to carry on. When I pray, I always start with praise and worship. This helps me align my thoughts with God, and it helps me understand that He is in charge and the only one who can give me peace. Next, I give Him the situation and leave it in His hands. Finally, I end with thanks, which helps me to get in the mind-set that the problem is resolved and I am at peace. Every time I feel the peace to dwindle, I begin to thank God for His peace.
Reading, Studying, and Meditating on God's Word
"Acquaint now yourself with Him [agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will] and be at peace; by that [you shall prosper and great] good shall come to you."
Job 22:21
The second way to get peace back into our lives is by reading, studying, and meditating on God's Word. Reading God's Word helps us learn to live in the Spirit. When we live in the Spirit we produce His fruit, which includes peace. The Bible is packed full of scriptures that relate to peace. We need to check out the following scriptures about peace and read them when we need more peace in our lives:
Job 22:21
Psalm 85:8, 10, 11
Proverbs 16:7
Isaiah 26:3
Isaiah 54:10
Isaiah 58:8
John 14:27
Philippians 4:7
II Thessalonians 3:16
Hebrews 12:14
Studying the Word of God is a little different than reading. When we read the Word of God, we may read maybe once or twice. To study, we concentrate on each scripture and learn it, so we can apply it to our lives. One way of studying is to write a scripture on an index card or piece of paper, and reading it every time we have our devotions or do not feel peaceful.
Meditating on the Word is an intimate way to study the scripture. When we meditate on God's scripture, we think about the scripture until it is deep in our hearts and minds. Through meditation, we can get questions answered and a peace that calms every storm. For me, meditation has taken time to learn. Every time I try to meditate on the Word, I have to work on focusing my mind on the scripture and not my circumstances. Although I am learning how to meditate, I still do not meditate on God's Word like I should. Practice makes perfect, so we should be patient with ourselves and do our best.
Having a Positive Attitude
"Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]"
John 14:27
If we constantly dwell on negative thoughts, our whole attitude will be negative. When we have negative attitudes, we are more likely to worry about our circumstances. God has given us everything we need to succeed. This is why we need to change our negative attitudes to positive attitudes. Our attitudes can allow us to enjoy life and not be affected by the world.
Having a positive attitude is one of the most difficult steps for me. Every little inconsistency in my life can cause me to get irritated, so I have to watch that I immediately deal with that irritation and get rid of the negative attitude. The best way for me to deal with my negative attitude is to stop and give the negative attitude to God, and ask Him to show me what is causing me to have this attitude.
A lot of times, my negative attitude is stemming from fear, negative thoughts, or low confidence. When God shows me what is causing my attitude, I ask God to take away the negativity and replace it with love. If I follow through with this process, I find peace that calms my fears, changes my negative thoughts to positive, and gives me a confidence in who I am through Christ. Suddenly, my attitude changes and I am able to show love to others and to myself.
Cleaning Up Physical and Emotional Messes
"And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7
When I don't feel good or my house is messy, it is more difficult to feel at peace. The last couple of weeks, I have worked on organizing and cleaning my home. This helped my house feel peaceful, so my family and friends could enjoy the house and each other.
Of course, cleaning up emotional messes is even more important to a peaceful life. It is extremely important to forgive anyone who has offended us, so that it does not leave us bitter. When we forgive others, peace can be restored to us. Other negative emotions that we need to get rid of are hate, impatience, depression, anxiety, and selfishness.
Some may wonder why I included selfishness, but I included it from personal experience. The emotion that robs me of peace is selfishness. We usually associate selfishness with children, but adults are just as selfish as children. There are times where I catch myself getting upset, because I didn't get my own way. Every time I start feeling selfish and restless, I give it to God and allow Him to change me.
Singing or Listening to Praise and Worship
"Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;"
Hebrews 12:28
Praise and worship is a powerful way to bring peace into our lives. When I sing praise and worship, I feel a peace that stops the chaos. If I am unable to sing, I put on a CD and listen to praise and worship. Sometimes, when we are in the car and my kids are unsettled, I put on praise and worship. Each time I put on the praise and worship, the kids calm down and I feel at peace.
Some Sunday mornings, I may not feel like going to church, but, after the praise and worship starts, I feel the peace and my body no longer hurts. In God's peace there is joy and healing. It is important that I do not leave praise and worship at church. Singing and listening to praise and worship throughout the week is vital to peaceful life.
This Week's Challenge
"Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you."
John 14:27
When we find peace, we are more joyful and healthier. Peace can help calm anxiety and ease depression. This is why our challenge for this week is to pursue peace. We can pursue peace by praying, reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God, having a positive attitude, cleaning up physical and emotional messes, and singing or listening praise and worship.
For additional information on some of these topics, please check out the following links:
Studying the Word
http://mymondaymaptosuccess.typepad.com/my-monday-map-to-success/2012/04/studying-the-word.html
Thoughts
http://mymondaymaptosuccess.typepad.com/my-monday-map-to-success/2012/01/thoughts.html
Positive New Language
http://mymondaymaptosuccess.typepad.com/my-monday-map-to-success/2012/01/positive-new-language.html
Forgiveness
http://mymondaymaptosuccess.typepad.com/my-monday-map-to-success/2012/02/forgiveness.html