7 Ways to Practice Peace
Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life: A Daily Devotional
(YouVersion Bible Reading Plan)
“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 NLT
“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7 Message Bible
Living in God's peace is vital to enjoying life. I believe that one of the keys to living with peace in your life is taking small steps toward peace every day. Here are a few tips you can use to develop a more peaceful lifestyle.
1. Be selective with how you spend your time. You may be trying to do too many things and end up doing none of them well. Hurrying is the flesh trying to do more than the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. Be led by the Spirit.
2. Be prepared to say "no" nicely. Sometimes we take on things we shouldn't because we're uncomfortable saying no. Ask God to give you the words to say no when you need to.
3. Resist the spirit of procrastination. God's Word tells us to exercise self-discipline. Do what you know you need to do now so you can fully enjoy your times of rest.
4. Eliminate key distractions. If you know you are prone to certain distractions, such as watching TV, set some guidelines for yourself.
5. Set appropriate boundaries for interruptions. Life is full of interruptions, but you can learn to set boundaries that help you manage them in healthy ways, such as scheduling times when you are "off limits." Schedule time to give yourself a break.
6. Modify your life. Ask God to show you out-of-the-box ways to save time and trouble. For instance, when I don't have time to do the dishes, I use paper plates!
7. Pray and listen. If you can see that your plan is not producing peace, go back to God, pray for peace in the now, and for the wisdom to make changes that will benefit your life
The bottom line is to make peace a priority, take practical steps toward it, and let God lead you every day into His perfect peace that passes all understanding.
Prayer Starter: God, lead me into Your peace that passes all understanding. Show me the daily steps I can take to walk in Your peace for me.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Stressed? Personal Plans Spoiled?
“As soon as Jesus heard the news
(about John being beheaded),
he went off by himself in a boat
to a remote area to be alone.
But the crowds heard where he was headed
and followed him by land from many villages.
A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat,
and he had compassion on them and healed the sick. ”
(Matthew 14:13)
Have you ever been resentful because
your personal plans got spoiled?
And you acted out in anger
at whoever
because you didn’t get to do
what you wanted to do?
Jesus could have been resentful.
After all, He just wanted some “down time,”
some time out of the office!
He wanted some alone time to pray,
but instead
He had compassion
He healed the sick.
Jesus was able to handle the pressure
and his plans being interrupted because
He stayed connected to HIS source . . .
“I live by the power of the living Father who sent me;
In the same way, those who partake of me
will live because of me.” (John 6:57)
Jesus was God-focused . . . not self-focused
thus able to focus on others and to serve them.
“Immediately after this,
Jesus had his disciples get back into the boat
and cross to the other side of the lake while
he sent the people home. Afterward,
Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray.”
(Matthew 14:22-23a)
While Jesus was praying
the disciples, skilled fishermen / boatmen,
got into serious trouble on the lake!
Strong winds. Heavy waves.
At 3am, Jesus went to them through the storm
and said to them . . .
“It’s all right. I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
(Emphasis added)
Those words jumped right off the page
and slapped me right alongside my head!
Do I understand that Jesus
is not standing on the outside of the storm watching
but rather that he is in the storm with me?
is no respecter of persons!
He comes to me, and He comes to you,
right smack dab in the middle
of every bad-hair, stressed-filled day,
and He speaks those same words of comfort
I will stay connected to my source, Jesus,
through the word of God
through prayer
and I will be still and hear. . .
Dear Arlene,
"It’s alright!
I'm here!
Don’t be afraid!
Love,
Jesus"
(about John being beheaded),
he went off by himself in a boat
to a remote area to be alone.
But the crowds heard where he was headed
and followed him by land from many villages.
A vast crowd was there as he stepped from the boat,
and he had compassion on them and healed the sick. ”
(Matthew 14:13)
Have you ever been resentful because
your personal plans got spoiled?
And you acted out in anger
at whoever
because you didn’t get to do
what you wanted to do?
Jesus could have been resentful.
After all, He just wanted some “down time,”
some time out of the office!
He wanted some alone time to pray,
but instead
He had compassion
He healed the sick.
Jesus was able to handle the pressure
and his plans being interrupted because
He stayed connected to HIS source . . .
“I live by the power of the living Father who sent me;
In the same way, those who partake of me
will live because of me.” (John 6:57)
Jesus was God-focused . . . not self-focused
thus able to focus on others and to serve them.
“Immediately after this,
Jesus had his disciples get back into the boat
and cross to the other side of the lake while
he sent the people home. Afterward,
Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray.”
(Matthew 14:22-23a)
While Jesus was praying
the disciples, skilled fishermen / boatmen,
got into serious trouble on the lake!
Strong winds. Heavy waves.
At 3am, Jesus went to them through the storm
and said to them . . .
“It’s all right. I am here! Don’t be afraid.”
(Emphasis added)
Those words jumped right off the page
and slapped me right alongside my head!
Do I understand that Jesus
is not standing on the outside of the storm watching
but rather that he is in the storm with me?
is no respecter of persons!
He comes to me, and He comes to you,
right smack dab in the middle
of every bad-hair, stressed-filled day,
and He speaks those same words of comfort
I will stay connected to my source, Jesus,
through the word of God
through prayer
and I will be still and hear. . .
Dear Arlene,
"It’s alright!
I'm here!
Don’t be afraid!
Love,
Jesus"
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Truths Remembered
From a young age, I have had a love / hate / love relationship with keeping a journal . . . one you actually write in. Journals are so enticing with their beautiful covers and lined pages just waiting to be filled with a person’s life! When I step inside Barnes and Noble, a giant magnet snatches me to the journals in the stationery section . . . come look . . . hold . . . daring me to write.
After nearly 50 years of typing, my handwriting is ugly, to say the least. Handwriting seems archaic, a lost art. So why don’t I journal on my computer, you ask? Good question. Maybe the answer for both a paper journal and journaling on my computer is I don’t want to give “voice” to my thoughts and feelings. But in reality, this blog, “Reflections,” is a journal . . . about who God is to me and what He is speaking to me.
With that in mind, I’d like to share some reflections about the Great Sahara Desert and me and God.
Looking out the window of the airplane during our February 2011 flight to Kenya, all I saw for hours was the nothingness of sand, sand, and more sand! Until I saw a black line in the dessert. A river! Soon, another black line . . . a wide black line . . . the Nile River . . . winding through the Great Sahara. As we neared the southern edge of the Great Sahara, the sand gave way to farm fields and larger communities, then to tropical growth.
It takes several hours to fly over the Sahara, giving me plenty of time to wonder . . . what keeps the Nile River from being totally consumed by the hot and thirsty desert? The Nile's source is greater than itself, Lake Victoria. It also pours into something greater than itself, the Mediterranean Sea!
I saw communities here and there along the banks of the Nile and the green of trees and grass . . . proof that life and hope exist even in the desert! I think to myself as we fly over, stay close to the source, trees and grass and people, or you will be consumed!
Second, I wondered . . . why do rivers travel like a snake instead of a straight path? Obstacles! Every river has obstacles in its path, trying to stop the river from reaching its destiny! But the river just goes around, over, or through the obstacle. Resistance is futile!
2011 was a year-long desert season in my life. What got me through it? Truths remembered while 37,000 feet in the air, looking through a small window at the Great Sahara . . .
5. There is life and hope in the desert if I stay connected to my source: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
4. Nothing & no one can stop me from fulfilling God’s plan & purpose for my life except me.
3. The Holy Spirit, like the wind and river, carves a path to follow.
2. The desert season gives way to growth, spiritual growth!
1. God is greater than any desert, even the Great Sahara!
After nearly 50 years of typing, my handwriting is ugly, to say the least. Handwriting seems archaic, a lost art. So why don’t I journal on my computer, you ask? Good question. Maybe the answer for both a paper journal and journaling on my computer is I don’t want to give “voice” to my thoughts and feelings. But in reality, this blog, “Reflections,” is a journal . . . about who God is to me and what He is speaking to me.
With that in mind, I’d like to share some reflections about the Great Sahara Desert and me and God.
Looking out the window of the airplane during our February 2011 flight to Kenya, all I saw for hours was the nothingness of sand, sand, and more sand! Until I saw a black line in the dessert. A river! Soon, another black line . . . a wide black line . . . the Nile River . . . winding through the Great Sahara. As we neared the southern edge of the Great Sahara, the sand gave way to farm fields and larger communities, then to tropical growth.
It takes several hours to fly over the Sahara, giving me plenty of time to wonder . . . what keeps the Nile River from being totally consumed by the hot and thirsty desert? The Nile's source is greater than itself, Lake Victoria. It also pours into something greater than itself, the Mediterranean Sea!
I saw communities here and there along the banks of the Nile and the green of trees and grass . . . proof that life and hope exist even in the desert! I think to myself as we fly over, stay close to the source, trees and grass and people, or you will be consumed!
Second, I wondered . . . why do rivers travel like a snake instead of a straight path? Obstacles! Every river has obstacles in its path, trying to stop the river from reaching its destiny! But the river just goes around, over, or through the obstacle. Resistance is futile!
2011 was a year-long desert season in my life. What got me through it? Truths remembered while 37,000 feet in the air, looking through a small window at the Great Sahara . . .
5. There is life and hope in the desert if I stay connected to my source: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
4. Nothing & no one can stop me from fulfilling God’s plan & purpose for my life except me.
3. The Holy Spirit, like the wind and river, carves a path to follow.
2. The desert season gives way to growth, spiritual growth!
1. God is greater than any desert, even the Great Sahara!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Rocky, Thorny, Fertile?
One of my passions is landscape gardening. As a child, I put soil in a little paper cup, next a seed, then water, and then put the cup in the window. Then the not-so-patient waiting began. The seed looked dry and dead. But the power of life God has put inside the seed to break forth and reproduce itself in multiples, given the right growing conditions, has never ceased to WOW me!
In my lifetime, I have started many new vegetable and flowerbeds. The prep work needed to start new beds is hard work. One particular vegetable garden bed stands out above all the others . . . so far. It was at our new house in a new subdivision. Only a very thin layer of topsoil had been returned to the lot after our house was built.
In the fall, a friend came with his garden tractor, tiller attached, to till up my new garden plot (20 feet x 40 feet). This was no baby tractor and tiller he brought, yet the tiller tines bounced along the surface during his first pass . . . and the second pass. But eventually, he was able to break up the ground. Ken and I then cleared out the rocks and dug in, as best we could, horse manure and leaves and left the bed to winter’s freezing and thawing. Our friend came back in the spring and tilled it again. We repeated the tilling in of horse manure, leaves, and grass clippings each fall. Our reward: the most beautiful, black garden soil ever . . . the first part of the right growing conditions for seed.
What a graphic visual for me as I read the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
The footpath (hard path) . . . God’s word bouncing along the surface of a heart lacking in understanding. Seed snatched away before it can even sprout.
The shallow soil (rocky soil) . . . get all excited about the word of God, which begins to grow but “topsoil” has too many “rocks” (life’s problems and persecution) to retain water and sustain growth. Wilting sets in.
The thorny ground . . . sidetracked . . . too busy for God . . . the cares of life and the lure and pursuit of wealth / things crowd out God and His word. No crop/fruit.
The fertile soil . . . teachable heart, accepting the word of God into my spirit, producing a bountiful harvest, not just for my life but to share with others!
When I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, here’s what God did . . .
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT
“I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” Ezekiel 36:26 Message Bible
Now it’s up to me. My heart, like making good garden soil, is an ongoing process . . . a tilling up of my heart by the word of God and the Holy Spirit exposing those things . . . doubt, fear, unbelief, offense, cares of the world, pursuit of wealth / things, etc. . . . which keep the word of God from producing fruit in my life.
In my lifetime, I have started many new vegetable and flowerbeds. The prep work needed to start new beds is hard work. One particular vegetable garden bed stands out above all the others . . . so far. It was at our new house in a new subdivision. Only a very thin layer of topsoil had been returned to the lot after our house was built.
In the fall, a friend came with his garden tractor, tiller attached, to till up my new garden plot (20 feet x 40 feet). This was no baby tractor and tiller he brought, yet the tiller tines bounced along the surface during his first pass . . . and the second pass. But eventually, he was able to break up the ground. Ken and I then cleared out the rocks and dug in, as best we could, horse manure and leaves and left the bed to winter’s freezing and thawing. Our friend came back in the spring and tilled it again. We repeated the tilling in of horse manure, leaves, and grass clippings each fall. Our reward: the most beautiful, black garden soil ever . . . the first part of the right growing conditions for seed.
What a graphic visual for me as I read the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
The footpath (hard path) . . . God’s word bouncing along the surface of a heart lacking in understanding. Seed snatched away before it can even sprout.
The shallow soil (rocky soil) . . . get all excited about the word of God, which begins to grow but “topsoil” has too many “rocks” (life’s problems and persecution) to retain water and sustain growth. Wilting sets in.
The thorny ground . . . sidetracked . . . too busy for God . . . the cares of life and the lure and pursuit of wealth / things crowd out God and His word. No crop/fruit.
The fertile soil . . . teachable heart, accepting the word of God into my spirit, producing a bountiful harvest, not just for my life but to share with others!
When I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior, here’s what God did . . .
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT
“I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” Ezekiel 36:26 Message Bible
Now it’s up to me. My heart, like making good garden soil, is an ongoing process . . . a tilling up of my heart by the word of God and the Holy Spirit exposing those things . . . doubt, fear, unbelief, offense, cares of the world, pursuit of wealth / things, etc. . . . which keep the word of God from producing fruit in my life.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Know Jesus? Know God.
I’m reading,
and may re-read,
the gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Why?
Because
Colossians 1:15 says
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
So if I know Jesus
I’ll know God!
Life is made up of
daily
opportunities
tests
showing me how well I know God
I first need to know that Jesus wants to . . .
Man with leprosy: “Lord, if you want to, you can make me well again.”
Jesus: touched him . . . “I want to,” he said. “Be healed!”
And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Matthew 8:2-3
Do I trust the power/authority of His Word . . .
Roman officer: “Lord, my young servant . . .
paralyzed and racked with pain.”
Jesus: “I will come and heal him”
Roman officer: Just say the word from where you are,
and my servant will be healed!”
Jesus: “Go on home. What you have believed has happened.”
And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:5-8, 13
Power in the laying on of hands?
Synagogue leader: “My daughter has just died,
but you can bring her back to life again
if you just come and lay your hand upon her.”
Jesus to the crowd at the home:
“Go away, for the girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
But the crowd laughed at him.
When the crowd was finally outside,
Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up!
Matthew 9:18, 23-25
Confession, faith, and corresponding action . . .
Woman with hemorrhage:
She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought,
“If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
Jesus: “Daughter, be encouraged!
Your faith has made you well.”
And the woman was healed at that moment.
Matthew 9:20-22
Two blind men:
They went right into the house where he (Jesus) was staying.
Jesus: “Do you believe I can make you see?”
Two blind men: “Yes, Lord, we do.”
Jesus: touched their eyes and said,
“Because of your faith, it will happen.”
And suddenly they could see!
Matthew 9:27-29
These are examples
of healing
but the same holds true
for
every area
of my life!
God
wants to
and will
meet me
at my point of faith!
and may re-read,
the gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
Why?
Because
Colossians 1:15 says
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
So if I know Jesus
I’ll know God!
Life is made up of
daily
opportunities
tests
showing me how well I know God
I first need to know that Jesus wants to . . .
Man with leprosy: “Lord, if you want to, you can make me well again.”
Jesus: touched him . . . “I want to,” he said. “Be healed!”
And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
Matthew 8:2-3
Do I trust the power/authority of His Word . . .
Roman officer: “Lord, my young servant . . .
paralyzed and racked with pain.”
Jesus: “I will come and heal him”
Roman officer: Just say the word from where you are,
and my servant will be healed!”
Jesus: “Go on home. What you have believed has happened.”
And the young servant was healed that same hour.
Matthew 8:5-8, 13
Power in the laying on of hands?
Synagogue leader: “My daughter has just died,
but you can bring her back to life again
if you just come and lay your hand upon her.”
Jesus to the crowd at the home:
“Go away, for the girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”
But the crowd laughed at him.
When the crowd was finally outside,
Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up!
Matthew 9:18, 23-25
Confession, faith, and corresponding action . . .
Woman with hemorrhage:
She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought,
“If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
Jesus: “Daughter, be encouraged!
Your faith has made you well.”
And the woman was healed at that moment.
Matthew 9:20-22
Two blind men:
They went right into the house where he (Jesus) was staying.
Jesus: “Do you believe I can make you see?”
Two blind men: “Yes, Lord, we do.”
Jesus: touched their eyes and said,
“Because of your faith, it will happen.”
And suddenly they could see!
Matthew 9:27-29
These are examples
of healing
but the same holds true
for
every area
of my life!
God
wants to
and will
meet me
at my point of faith!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
God Has a Dream for You!
Last week, this quote by Joel Osteen was on facebook. I'm reading through the year with Joyce Meyer, and the devotional below was Thursday's, January 5th. I wanted to share both. (Emphasis added)
"God has set up seasons in our lives.
It’s easy to get frustrated when
our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable,
but every season is not harvest season.
There are plowing seasons.
There are planting seasons.
There are watering seasons."
Joel Osteen (Leviticus 26:4)
Joyce Meyers Daily Devotional
Thursday, January 5, 2012 (emphasis added) . . .
What is the dream that God's placed in your heart? I'm not asking if you have one, I already know it's there because God gives all of us dreams.
I've seen people do all kinds of things to their dreams. Some people bury them so deep in their hearts in order to protect them from the criticism of others. Some people set them out of sight so they don't have to think about them anymore. And some people finally just give up on their dreams because it hurts too much to hold on.
If your dream needs a jump-start, there are two things I want you to remember. First, you need to get a vision that's clear. And second, you must keep your vision in front of you at all times.
But having a vision doesn't mean that it will instantly appear. God's as interested in the process of vision as He is in the end result.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 that he had learned how to be content and satisfied to the point where he was not disturbed by whatever state he was in. In other words, he never allowed himself to get upset with where he was at the moment, he was always looking forward to where he could be.
That means you, like Paul, need to find a balance between contentment and ambition. Here's the key: Learn to enjoy where you are on the way to where you're going.
When you have a dream or a vision, you have to keep it in front of you. If it helps, write it down. And remember, God will help you live the dream He's given you, step-by-step, one day at a time.
Prayer Starter: Jesus, even though I don't always feel like it and life tries to get me to quit, I believe You have a great plan for my life. I choose to trust You to help me live the dream You've given me more than I trust my circumstances.
* * * * * * *
God's Word Says in Proverbs 29:18. . .
Where there is no vision, the people perish:
but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. KJV
Where there is no message from God, the people don't control themselves.
But blessed are those who obey the law. NIRV
When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
But whoever obeys the law is joyful. NLT
"God has set up seasons in our lives.
It’s easy to get frustrated when
our dreams aren’t coming to pass on our timetable,
but every season is not harvest season.
There are plowing seasons.
There are planting seasons.
There are watering seasons."
Joel Osteen (Leviticus 26:4)
Joyce Meyers Daily Devotional
Thursday, January 5, 2012 (emphasis added) . . .
What is the dream that God's placed in your heart? I'm not asking if you have one, I already know it's there because God gives all of us dreams.
I've seen people do all kinds of things to their dreams. Some people bury them so deep in their hearts in order to protect them from the criticism of others. Some people set them out of sight so they don't have to think about them anymore. And some people finally just give up on their dreams because it hurts too much to hold on.
If your dream needs a jump-start, there are two things I want you to remember. First, you need to get a vision that's clear. And second, you must keep your vision in front of you at all times.
But having a vision doesn't mean that it will instantly appear. God's as interested in the process of vision as He is in the end result.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13 that he had learned how to be content and satisfied to the point where he was not disturbed by whatever state he was in. In other words, he never allowed himself to get upset with where he was at the moment, he was always looking forward to where he could be.
That means you, like Paul, need to find a balance between contentment and ambition. Here's the key: Learn to enjoy where you are on the way to where you're going.
When you have a dream or a vision, you have to keep it in front of you. If it helps, write it down. And remember, God will help you live the dream He's given you, step-by-step, one day at a time.
Prayer Starter: Jesus, even though I don't always feel like it and life tries to get me to quit, I believe You have a great plan for my life. I choose to trust You to help me live the dream You've given me more than I trust my circumstances.
* * * * * * *
God's Word Says in Proverbs 29:18. . .
Where there is no vision, the people perish:
but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. KJV
Where there is no message from God, the people don't control themselves.
But blessed are those who obey the law. NIRV
When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
But whoever obeys the law is joyful. NLT
Monday, January 2, 2012
Without God, Change is Futile!
January 1st
A date to mark my desire
to change whatever in my life?
Or just the start of another year.
January 1st looks much like
the second day of a diet . . .
well, I messed up
so I won’t count today . . .
I’ll think about that another day!
Just call me Miss Scarlett.
New Year’s resolutions . . .
repeats
year after year after year after year
Insanity!
Doing the same thing over and over
expecting different results!
Resolution reality check . . .
I cannot change anything in my own strength!
January 1st . . .
just another day
with no power to bring change
But God
wants to
can
will
bring change
in my life
and in the world around me
Go ahead, make my list!
share my desired changes
with God and see
if they line up with
His desired changes for me!
Spiritual change
will bring the change in my natural world!
But with God
All things are possible!
A date to mark my desire
to change whatever in my life?
Or just the start of another year.
January 1st looks much like
the second day of a diet . . .
well, I messed up
so I won’t count today . . .
I’ll think about that another day!
Just call me Miss Scarlett.
New Year’s resolutions . . .
repeats
year after year after year after year
Insanity!
Doing the same thing over and over
expecting different results!
Resolution reality check . . .
I cannot change anything in my own strength!
January 1st . . .
just another day
with no power to bring change
But God
wants to
can
will
bring change
in my life
and in the world around me
Go ahead, make my list!
share my desired changes
with God and see
if they line up with
His desired changes for me!
Spiritual change
will bring the change in my natural world!
But with God
All things are possible!
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