Peace Derailed

          In my journey for peace, there are times when a curve ball gets thrown at me or I get derailed. When the Bible talks about peace, it does not say that it is conditional on our circumstances. It would be easier if God made concessions for peaceful living. If God said something like, “If everything is going well, be peaceful.” Yet, would we ever be peaceful? For  life is uncertain and messy. James 1: 2 states, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (NLT)

            Recently, I got derailed. One of my children is dealing with something I never thought that we would deal with. My peace was stolen, yet I let it be stolen. It was almost as if I said, “I give up, I need to worry, to be anxious, and to fret.” The enemy did not have to work too hard to take my peace, I gave it away. As Christ followers, we know we will have trials, yet we do not expect them and we are surprised when they hit. For about a week, I walked around in shock, forgetting all my ammunition (prayer). Yet, God did not stop trying to pursue me with His peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” (John 14: 27 NIV)

            Peace is a gift, He did not take the gift away when life surprised me. I gave it away. I let fear of unknowns terrify me. I let guilt and “shoulds” take over and I gave peace away.

            Guess what- it did not help the situation? It only made me feel a little shocked, distracted, and crazy? About a week into the situation, I woke up and thought, “I am taking my peace back, I need to remember that I have a God that does miracles and fights the enemy. What am I worried about?”

            Is there a situation, worry, unknown stealing your peace?  Maybe you are like me and you are giving your peace away.

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Phil. 4:6-7 MSB)

            Our ammuniciton is to change our worries into prayers. Continual prayer is the answer to changing worry into peace. If there is something bothering us, we can pray daily throughout the day. My situation has not changed, we are still struggling with the same issue with one of my children. But I have changed. I am asking boldly in the name of Jesus for a miracle.

            What is causing you to worry, what is stealing your peace?

Lord,
You gave me Your peace, I am so sorry that I gave it away. I take it back, thank you for this gift of peace. I give You the situation in my life that is battling for my peace. I speak the resurrection power of Jesus over this situation and cover it in the blood of Jesus. May Your power make miracles. In Jesus name


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