Peace - God's Treasure You Already Possess

Imagine walking into a frozen forest of dense trees. You are cold and lost. You do not know where to go and are dressed inadequately suddenly you realize there is a pile of gold that seems to be glowing beside you. Then you realize in your pocket there already was some of the gold. It produces a heat that warms you when you focus on it. God gives you the revelation that the gold is actually the peace of God. You realize you have a choice, you can focus on the forest where your circumstances are unknown and be truly afraid or you can focus on the fact that no matter your circumstance in life you carry the gold -- the peace of God. Which would you choose?

The above is a vision God just gave to me. Can you choose to focus on that peace with me? What would your life be like if you focused on that gold in your pocket -- allowing the warmth of God to fill you with a sense of peace, of purpose, of life? Life gets hard and we can get easily distracted into the present and try to solve all of the problems, yet, God wants to carry these problems and have us truly feel His peace in all circumstances.

Which do you choose today?

Can You Control the Tightrope? Or Do You Fall into the Abyss?

In life, there is a tightrope we walk. A rope of faith and hope where below us there is an abyss of worry and fear. You might feel wobbly in your faith (unsure of what is coming next - which is doubt). You might feel unsteady and try to step backwards into the past looking only at "what worked before" rather than stepping forward into the unknown in faith. Or you can free fall into the abyss of worry and fear, always falling, but never, ever reaching the steady ground. The choice is yours.

The phrase "Fear not" is mentioned 365 times in the Bible. Think of the beauty of that in God's word. He has given you a "Fear not" for each day of your year. He wants you to remember daily to release fear and trust. "But," you might say to me, "You do not understand what I am going through."
I may not, but God does.

My main question to you is this, "Have you given control of this fear or worry to God?"  I find in my own life, I often hold on tight to the biggest concerns or fears. I kinda pray about them, but mostly I try to solve it on my own (searching the internet for answers and researching; asking multiple people for their opinions; etc). Do you see how in this situation it is I who is trying to control the situation? I'm sure you can all imagine how well this goes when I follow this philosophy. Needless to say, I am not walking in faith when I do this and I worry more and rest less. In addition, my way is NEVER better than when I release it to God.

Let's go back to the tightrope analogy. In life, daily, you have choices. You choose what to think, what to wear, what to eat, what to say. You have a choice about walking in faith or falling into the abyss of fear. You can try to control your stance and balance on that tightrope all on your own will or you release the worry and truly trust God to keep your footing steady and solid. Doesn't He already know everything? Can't you think of a time when He truly protected you? Doesn't He have absolutely your best interests at heart? Doesn't He love you more deeply than the ocean?

Why can we not, together, walk forward and trust? Take your right hand and put it in front of you. Now, put that worry or fear into your hand. Say with me, "God, I trust you. You have never left my side. I give this to you. If I start to think about it or worry, I will hand it back to you. I give up the control and I walk forward in faith powerfully, boldly and with Your great love. AMEN."

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:1b-2 

How to Live in a State of Joy, Peace, and Love

Life, people, circumstances, the words of others, work... so many things can pull us from the natural state God wants us to be in - a state of peace, joy, and love. 

Last night God wanted to remind me of 1 John 4:18, "Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (NLT)

I find that I tend to slide into worrying (which is a state of fear). This tendency displays a mindset of wanting to control or "handle" the issues that arise. Perhaps as a child you were taught to solve your own problems, for instance.

But, is that God's view of life and what does all of this have to do with his perfect love? 

Do you understand how deep and wide and full is the love that God has for you?

At one point in my thirties, I read that verse "I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you."(Jeremiah 31:3, AMP). I suddenly understood God really does love me no matter what I have thought, said, or done. 

What does it look like to not only understand this with head knowledge, but to truly embrace it? 

The bottom line is, you matter to God. YOU do! You are not worthy WHEN. You are worthy NOW.

That, in itself, can be a hard concept to grasp and agree with - especially if you have always seen yourself as a driven person. 

Now, let's return to the initial topic. What is running your life right now? What is running your brain? Could it be fear or worry? Could it be to provide the perfect life for your kids or have your house looking the way it "should"?

What would happen if just chose to stop thinking that way. It isn't easy. Your mind is a battlefield, but what you choose to meditate on really does alter your state of peace, joy, and love. When a thought or something comes up, instead of trying to solve the problem yourself, could you take a deep breath and just ask God for the next step? Or if it is an unfounded worry (such as something the could happen in the future, but is not true or real) could you take any Bible verse you know and say it to yourself instead? Replace the yuck with truth. 

Take a step forward with me to choose joy, peace, and love over worry and control. #renewyourmind #changeyourmindsets #youareworthit

How to REALLY Trust God...

I was just praying and felt very convicted. I have been worrying about something. God has told me He's got this.
Why do our hearts get so troubled? God wants us to truly rest and let Him take whatever ails us.
I know this in my head, but how can I really DO this?
1. Let go of ALL fear - you may need to work on holding ANY thought captive that resembles fear or worry. For me, I sometimes get into a pattern of worry. Not okay to worry at all. Drop the fear and trust.
2. Rest - rest in the midst of your trouble. What does this look like? What is your pattern when you are troubled? Do you relentless search the internet for answers? Do you call multiple friends and tell them about your concerns? Do you get very busy or frantically clean (one of my neighbors used to do that when her heart was troubled). What would it look like to rest - really rest? Trust.
3. Stop being stubborn. Has God told you the way to solve the problem and you refuse to take the next step. Are you arguing with God about the next step? What if falling into His arms and truly trusting Him is the answer?
4. Stop trying to solve the problem at all. I often look for solutions and ask for many people's opinions. God has told me to STOP completely. There is no peace when one is running around trying to find the answer.

What about you? Is there a problem in your life that you feel fear or worry about? What does God want you to know about the situation? Can you give it to him, really relinquishing it, and simply trust?

Fear Feeds Fear

Have you ever noticed if you begin to focus on a fear or a worry, it seems to grow? Satan feeds our fears. We have a choice if we want to believe them or firmly put a stop to them. Where does God weigh in on the subject of fear?

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

If you are feeling fearful, stop and breathe. Center yourself through prayer. Know that fear is NEVER from God. Rather God has given us power, love, calm, a well-balanced mind, and self-control. 

Spend some time with God and ask Him what you are truly afraid of. Then, ask God to show you what he wants you to know about these fears. [Not sure if you know how to hear God's voice? Click here].

Fear does nothing good and seems to lead me away from God. God is always telling me to trust. If I get stuck thinking about a fear/worry over and over again, God's peace seems further away. But, this is not the way it has to be. I have found what works for me to stop whatever I am doing and spend just a few minutes centering in on God and releasing the worry to Him. I actually visualize myself handing him the problem and just dropping it into His capable hands. 

Then I, literally, hold out my right hand and imagine taking hold of His. "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 41:13. It is true, God is here to be our ever-present help, the great counselor, and loving father. I repeat to myself, "Do NOT fear." For I feel, this is a command of peace from God. He encourages me to let Him handle the worry and to rest in His peace. 

If the fear comes back, I hold it captive and repeat the process above. With stubborn fears, you may have to do this several times. Also, I feel worrying is a bad habit. Therefore, with any habit there will be a learning curve as you break through the pattern and then it is finally gone.