I’ve lived in the miry clay of unrest when I couldn’t find the peace of God. It’s a horrible, tormenting dwelling place that I wish on no one.
The other day, I caught myself losing Jesus’ peace about something – Having severe PTSD and anxiety for so many decades, Jesus helped me to get to the place where I test thoughts and take them captive to His obedience, to my Prince of Peace. When I took the time to listen to Jesus about the matter, the Holy Spirit showed me He wasn’t the one who was stealing my peace.
Jesus does not lead us away from His abiding peace. The devil is the one who will do everything he can to steal the peace Jesus has for us. Jesus says our peace is not circumstantial – Be of good cheer, I (Jesus) have overcome the world (John 16:33). The devil tries hard to have us think otherwise. Even regarding the end times we’re living in, Jesus says to look up when we see end times events occurring. The devil would have us be consumed by worrying about end times events.
Stay close to Jesus in the dwelling place of peace found only in The Prince of Peace.
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Is it Worth It?
By Joyce Meyer
Therefore love truth and peace
Zechariah 8:19 NLT
It is God’s sincere desire for you to live a life full of peace. The closer you get to the Lord – the more you depend on Him – the more peace you will have.
No position or possession is worthwhile if you don’t have peace. Money, status, popularity – it’s all meaningless if you don’t have peace. You simply cannot put a price on the value of peace (So true for me – Mark).
Many people spend their lives trying to climb the ladder of success, but every time they go up one more rung, they lose more of their peace, joy, and time to spend with their family. Their whole life is consumed with the pressure and stress of trying to keep what they’ve gained. But we are never truly successful unless we have peace.
Some even work several jobs to acquire what the world dangles in front of them, saying, “You must have this to be truly happy.” They get those “things,” but they still don’t have any peace.
Romans 14:17 tells us, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink” – it is not things that money or status can secure – but it is “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (KJV). The kingdom of God is found in knowing who we are in Christ and having “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7NKJV).
God wants you to have your needs met abundantly and be in a position to bless others. Never doubt that God wants to bless you, but don’t seek to have anything if you cannot have it peacefully.
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Remember to always test the spirit behind thoughts. If a thought has you losing your peace, get back to Jesus and rest in His care for you.
God bless,
Mark