“Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]”— John 14:27 AMP
Many things can trigger a state of anxiety and fear in people. Some of these things can be a real and legitimate cause for concern for those who are confronted by it. But how we handle these periods of challenges is very important. Seeking the right information, help, or advice can help quickly reduce or eliminate fear, and anxiety and help to promote peaceful living.
On the other hand, when we are troubled and worried over issues that we have no control over or cannot change, we deny ourselves a peaceful living. These can be issues such as what tomorrow holds, worrying about the opinion of others or what they think about you, the stock market, government laws, etc.
Another robber of peaceful living is being unable to move on from past errors or mistakes and failures. We don’t have control over what happened in the past, however, lessons learnt from past mistakes can help avoid similar situations in future.
Are you harbouring resentment over what someone said to you? Has it driven you into your shell, brought up insecurities and made you lack self-confidence? Constantly and negatively blaming oneself or others for what happened will rob you of peace of mind.
We live in an age that promotes the notion that you’ve not really “arrived” or successful until you have certain things. The quest to meet up and keep up is one of many reasons some people suffer breakdown, anxiety and poor mental health.
In my early years as a young Christian, some of the messages from the pulpit, books, audio and video tapes were not very helpful. The messages encouraged Christians materialistically. To meet this expectation, people would often take up multiple jobs, and work many hours with hardly any time to rest or enjoy their families.
The problem this created was that people that had these things became too engrossed in them and would do anything to keep up. Those who didn’t have, were constantly striving and labouring to acquire these things sometimes to the detriment of their health and families.
Jesus cautioned that we should not heap tomorrow’s troubles on the present day. He said, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Matthew 6:34 (NLT)
“And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]” Philippians 4:7 (AMP). The peace that Christ gives drives and banishes worry, fear, anxiety and hopelessness from the heart and mind because He is in control of all circumstances.
So, from today, make it your desire to pursue peaceful living.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 