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Tag: Peace

July 21, 2025

July 21, 2025

Do you find, as I often do, that Monday mornings tend to leave me feeling like I need an extra dose of God’s peace and reassurance? There are fresh to-do lists to tackle, including ones that didn’t get completed last week, and it’s a challenge to figure out how to accomplish it all in the week in front of me.

 

I often rely on these verses from Philippians 4, especially in The Message version of the Bible, and the thought of “shaping” our worries into prayers, even into praise! When you think about it, we have a choice to make, not only on Monday, but every day.

 

Do we trust the Lord that everything will come together for good? Do we allow ourselves to feel His peace settle down on us, or are we determined to hold onto our worries and to fret?

 

Our Heavenly Father wants to replace the worry in our life with the peace that only He can bring.

 

Are you up for choosing to let Him take over and shape your worries into prayer and praise?

December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024

Advent, meaning ‘Coming’ in Latin, is the word most churches use to describe our focus on Jesus coming into the world as a baby. Advent is a time to concentrate on what Christmas is really about!

 

After telling His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, He said to them, “Peace I leave with you, My Peace I give to you, not as the world gives . . .”

 

Today, the prospect of peace, both in our country and our world seems more distant every day. Our world appears out of control. We wonder if we can ever find peace and whether that peace will be lasting.

 

There was also a great deal of unrest in the world at the time of Jesus’ birth. As it happened, Christ’s coming brought conflict rather than peace, ending with His death. But, as He promised, following His resurrection, He will provide the gift of personal peace to all who are willing to surrender their pride and put their trust and faith in Him, the Prince of Peace.

 

Our acceptance of Jesus, a personal gift of Himself, includes His abiding presence along with the gift of His peace! He is with us continually, even in the midst of the storms. His peace is a lasting peace.

 

Have you accepted Jesus and the peace of His presence? 

December 2, 2024

December 2, 2024

In the first week of Advent, we are called to prepare our hearts with Hope.

 

When we suffer great losses and are weighed down with grief and sorrow, how can our hearts be filled with hope?

 

The true anchor for our souls is Jesus. There is peace in His presence!

 

When we belong to Jesus, we can lean on Him. Being aware of Jesus’ presence with us keeps us from becoming discouraged or giving up. So, when we sense discouragement, we need to stop and consider our focus. Are we focusing on our problems or discouragement? If so, we need to consciously direct our attention to our all powerful Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

Putting our focus and faith on Jesus assures us that our hope is truly anchored (1 John 5:4). As we put our trust in Him, we can confidently expect that He will fulfill His promises to us of a “hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

 

The real truth is that as we walk through life with Him, He is always available to impart His power to us moment by moment. He is our Rock on which we can keep standing, our “anchor to windward”.

 

During this first week of Advent, we need to ask ourselves what we are putting our hope in. We need to thank the God of Hope for sending Jesus to us on that first Christmas, and if we have accepted His gift of salvation, the question we need to ask is, will we keep our focus on Him and allow Him to fill us with His joy and peace? If we can, we’ll experience an overflow of confidence and a genuine hope provided by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13)!

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

A little humor to begin the week! A friend shared this meme with me recently, knowing well that it would hit home. It’s funny, but it’s also convicting. Can you relate?

 

When I feel frazzled and overwhelmed, one remedy is to sit down, close my eyes, and meditate on one of my favorite verses, Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God…”.

 

God can handle anything that comes our way, and if we’re relying on Him, He will quiet our mind, show us what to do next – and give us His peace.

 

What do you do when you’re feeling frazzled?

September 23, 2024

September 23, 2024

Have you accepted God’s free offer of forgiveness for your sins?

 

The mercy of God is poured out on those who are willing to confess a need for forgiveness. Recognizing our need provides God with all that He asks or seeks to avoid His otherwise inescapable judgement.

 

God’s forgiveness extends to remembering our sins no more. He is “a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in faithful love”. (Nehemiah 9:17)

 

Once we have received God’s mercy and forgiveness, God then tells us to extend a like forgiveness to our brothers and sisters. By doing this we follow God’s lead.

 

As Charles Stanley puts it, we need to be “willing to place every hurt and injustice into the hands of God and trust Him to heal our hearts and deal with those who have wounded us.” We’re not expected to deny our hurts, but our forgiveness frees those who have harmed us from blame. Focusing on our hurts, past injustices and sins only creates hostility and bitterness. “Vengeance is mine”, says the Lord!

 

Are you up for receiving God’s forgiveness and aligning with God in reflecting His mercy to others?

January 22, 2024

January 22, 2024

Jesus answers His disciples question about what they should pray for in Luke 11:9, telling them “seek, and you will find”.

 

The verse quoted above in the picture provides the answer to the question of what each of us needs to focus on. Who, rather than what, is the key for our focus. 

 

Seeking the Lord’s presence includes admitting that we are needy, helpless even. This is difficult for most of us, but an essential step toward arriving at a place of trust and dependence on God.

 

No matter how difficult our circumstances, as we seek the Lord’s presence, He redirects our minds to things above. In the process, we glorify God as we focus on Him and His strength and ability to meet our needs.

 

Putting ourselves in His presence brings us peace, joy, and contentment, all of which leads to rejoicing! “In His presence there is fullness of joy!” (Psalm 16:11)

 

As we seek, He confirms His presence with us, guides us, and provides everything that we need for the situation at hand.

 

Have you tried seeking His presence recently?

January 1, 2024

JanuarY 1, 2024

Here’s to your health in 2024!

 

God desires for His children to be healthy and to enjoy healthy, loving relationships.

 

Loving others well begins with understanding and accepting God’s love for you and understanding that you are a precious child of God!

 

As He promises to bring health and healing to Jerusalem (Jeremiah 33:6), He wants you to be complete in Him and to fulfill His plan and purpose for you.

 

He will heal His people and they will enjoy abundant peace and security!

 

Are you going to accept God’s best for you in the new year?

December 4, 2023

December 4, 2023

We all experience various forms of turmoil in our lives. Often it’s a relationship that causes pain and suffering. We all would like to experience greater peace and contentment despite the storms that sometimes rage around us.

 

It is possible! This quote about peace from Charles Stanley is worth a close reading…

 

“God’s peace is not an escape from reality. We are not transfixed or somehow mentally ‘removed’ from feeling pain or struggling…Rather, peace is an undergirding rock-solid foundation so that no matter the tears we cry or the sorrow we feel, deep down inside we know with an abiding assurance that God is with us. God is in control, and the joy of the Lord is going to emerge far greater than any depth of agony we may be experiencing.”

 

This kind of peace is a principal focus of my coaching practice.

 

Interested?

November 27, 2023

November 27, 2023

Praying for someone who has hurt us is not an easy thing to do.

 

Forgiving them is even tougher.  But keep in mind that allowing someone to keep hurting you is not a criteria of forgiveness.

 

Add to that the fact that God welcomes your cry for help with forgiving. Along with it, He’ll provide restoration, healing of your heart, strengthened faith and His peace!

 

Also, you’ll have an answer to the question: “ What have I learned from being wounded?”

November 20, 2023

November 20, 2023

One of the things I am most thankful for is being able to sit and rest in God’s Presence.

To know He is there and to feel Him with me.

To receive that which He has to give me in those special moments.

His Words, His Wisdom, His Power, His Majesty.

I can relax and bask in His Love whenever I choose to.

Feel His loving arms enfold me.

Feel His Holy Spirit surround me.

This is the mindset of Praise and Thankfulness.

Joy, contentment and peace are our reward.

Have you entered His gates? Are you thankful?

Does He have your devotion and your time?