The Peace of God

 What does it mean to have the peace of God, in our minds, hearts, spirits?  

That is a loaded question.  I like to think of it as being unique to your situation, my situation, and others.  I’d like to think that whatever we are going through as individuals is unique to us as individuals. For you it may be you have an overwhelming peace in God for His provisions for all of your needs and your family’s needs.  For our neighbor it may be having God’s peace for their job. For me, it may be several different things that I feel God’s peace in my life. 

Throughout my life I have faced some very serious, even life threatening illnesses.  Most of them came into my life as a result of one major illness/injury.  All of these resulting in surgeries to save my life.  And again I am facing a major surgery that is not related to the past illnesses.  It is just a result of normal circumstances in our lives.  However, the thought of another major surgery is hard to swallow.  That is, it is hard to swallow alone.  

You see I haven’t faced any of these alone.  I have my husband and my family with me, and my church family praying.   But most importantly I have the comfort and peace from God.  Jesus promises us we will have the understanding and peace we need to face our situations.  When His peace pours over you, it is awe inspiring, a magnificent feeling of being held by our Almighty God, and a knowing deep in your heart that all will be okay. 

”Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.“.    Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

 The peace of God…..  people have often commented to me or asked “how do you do it?”  I do not do it, but it is Jesus and His Holy Spirit alive in me.  Does that mean I’m not nervous before surgery?  Of course not, I am definitely nervous or anxious about it. But that nervousness or anxiousness does not control me.  I have chosen to walk with Jesus, and follow Him.  I have asked Him into my life.  He is invited, I invited Him in.  That means I have chosen Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.  And with that invitation to Jesus also came all that He has for me.  The miracles, the provisions, the answers to prayers, His protection over my life, and many many more promises from Jesus.  

Whatever you are struggling with,  hand it over to Jesus.  Whatever fear you have, give it to Him.  He wants to pour His love into us.  He wants to comfort us.  He loves us so very much!  

Give your cares over to Jesus.  Let him comfort you always.  

Faith in Your Salvation

 As I was praying about this blog post I had so many topics going through my head.  Things we need to do, or things that have to be done.  This could be spiritual or just regular things in our daily lives. I was praying for several people on my heart.  And the list could go on.  So I decided to be still while praying and listen for God’s voice.  Wait and let God speak to me.  And what spoke very loud and clear to me, FAITH.  Okay then, faith.  That is certainly a wide open topic.  

The Scripture I have is 1Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)

”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.“

We love Jesus. I can say that with total confidence. I‭‭ love Him! I know that deep in my heart.  Even though I have not seen Him in the flesh, I still love Him.  I do that in faith.  How can I love someone I have never seen? By faith.  And this brings me so much joy.  To be able to trust in someone in every aspect of my life.  Wow!  That’s faith.  

Then the second part of the Scripture comes in verse 9.  The end result of our faith is our salvation.  Why does the verse say the “end” result?  Because what is more important to us other than our eternal salvation through Jesus Christ?  For me, nothing!  What I want the most in my life is to spend eternity with Him in heaven.  It will be glorious, beautiful, timeless, full of joy. And most of all Jesus is there all the time, forever and ever, Amen.  

I know I want to live forever in a place where there is no more evil, no more pain, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more hatred, no more hopeless, no more helpless.  You might think, that sounds like a perfect place.  It is perfect.  Jesus is perfect.  His love for us is perfect.  I want that!  And I know how I can get it.  By loving my Lord Jesus with my whole heart.  By asking Him for forgiveness of my sins, and knowing, by faith, that He loves me unconditionally, forgives me, and promises me I will be with Him forever, in eternity, and in that glorious place we call heaven.  

Jesus died for our sins on that cross.  Yours, mine, and so many many more.  He rose again as He promised.  He then ascended into heaven, and sent His Holy Spirit to be with us on earth. To help us, guide is, speak to us, and reassure us that FAITH is real. Jesus said He will never leave us or forsake us.  He will not abandon us.  There is so much more I can think of to add.  But I must remember this is a blog, not a book.  😉

How can I be so assured in someone I have never seen? How do I know these things are true?  How do I know I will be with Him forever in heaven?  Because of the faith I have in Jesus.  Ever hear the saying “I know in my knower”? Well that’s me, I know in my knower.  Jesus is Lord.  He is faithful and true.  If  you feel doubt creeping in, call on the Holy Spirit for help and reassurance.  

I hope this encourages you my friends and reminds you just how important faith is.  

Faith is the foundation of our salvation 

Praying with Compassion

 This week when I heard of the earthquake in Taiwan I felt so much compassion for the people there.  An earthquake is such a devastating thing to go through.  No matter who you are, it is a very scary horrific event.  This made me start thinking about what my attitude is like when I am praying. Do I pray just because someone asked me to?  Do I pray because I know someone who was directly affected by the event? Was it God who placed the prayer on my heart? 

Or was it like this, when I heard the need I felt compassion for the people? I prayed because I truly cared for the people.  When I felt the need for prayer from the Holy Spirit I felt a deep “ache” inside knowing that God wants us to care for His children, and pray in earnest for them.  Pray like you truly mean it.  

And then we have this scenario.  God has placed it on your heart to pray for a specific individual.  Turns out this person has a great need.  But it also turns out that you know the person, and you do not really care for that person.  How will we pray for that person?  Say a quick “Lord bless them” type of prayer, and say amen.  Is that really what the Lord desires in our prayers?  I would say no.  At least for me, that is not how God wants me to pray.  He wants my heart clean before Him.  He wants me to confess my sins before Him so that I am clean before Him. So that I am not a hypocrite praying.  

So how do I deal with not liking the person very well.  It is not up to my liking a person or not.  It is up to me being obedient and praying for anyone, regardless of race, color, male or female, where they live, how wealthy are they, and so on.  When Jesus reveals a need to me, it is up to me to be proactive and pray for that need.  You may say, I don’t have the words to pray.  That is when we need the Holy Spirit. Let Him put the words in your heart.  Or simply just pray and ask the Lord to touch that situation and minister to those involved.  

I am sure there are many times that I will not know how to pray for someone.  It is during those times that I must lean in and ask God to move on the behalf of those involved.  And while we are at it, why not ask God to put compassion in your heart for the person you don’t like very much.  

Our Lord Jesus died on that cross for all of His children. Not just for you or for me, or for those we are friends with.  He loves us all.  He asks that we show His love to all people.  We do not have to like what they are doing or who they are to pray for them.  

Next time we hear of a need, let’s all pray for the need.  I am confident Jesus will honor those prayers regardless of who they are.   It is not up to us to judge.  God will take care of that.  

”When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. “Therefore, you should pray like this: 

Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬-‭13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

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