“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” ~Philippians 4:8
What are you focusing the majority of your thoughts on? Are you worried and stressed, are you consumed with anger and resentment or are you surrendering everything up to God believing that He can and will take care of it all? God repeatedly tells us, in no uncertain terms, what we need to be thinking about.
Being free from illness is not only the results of what we put into our physical bodies, it’s also what we focus our minds on. What kind of stuff is filling your heart and mind? Being consumed with anger and resentment—fear and hate—can be just as toxic to our physical well being as eating and drinking foods that contain toxins. Stress-related diseases are at an all-time high. If we eat a healthy diet and refrain from unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking and neglecting exercise, but continue to worry and stress over everything, we will still be at as great a risk of contracting a disease.
Our bodies are controlled by our minds. If our minds are not filled with the things of God, they will be consumed with fear and anxiety. Stress is one of the biggest culprits of health-related problems.
So, what’s the secret to staying in this mental state of peace? God! Faith in His unfathomable power and love—and nonstop communication with our only source of tranquility. Surrendering every aspect of your life to Him, through obedience to His word, His commandments, and laws—this is serving the Lord.
Every time I surrender a problem or a difficult situation up to God, I receive His pure, perfect peace in its place. Funny how this works, if you focus on God and believe with all your heart that He will take care of you, you will experience peace in the place of anxiety.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6-7
Look at it this way, if you’re full of problems and worries, there’s no empty space for peace. But if you offload some of these worries, you’ve then freed up a vacancy for the Holy Spirit to occupy, and in doing so, you will then be allowing His all-encompassing peace to fill you.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” ~1 Peter 5:6-7
Worry is the opposite of trust, and fear is the opposite of faith. If we can just teach ourselves to let go, to trust that God has everything under control, we would not only enjoy this life a whole lot more, we could actually be far more productive in His plan for our life.
How can I stay at peace . . . ?
Peace comes from surrender, absolute, total, surrender. We must put everything into God’s hands. Once we give it all up to God, no matter what it is or how bad it might seem, He is then free to fix it! In fact, we need to take it even one step farther; we need to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God is in total control and has already fixed our situation. Pray in gratitude, as if you have already received what you are asking for.
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." ~Mark 11:24
I just heard this saying today . . . “No peace means no power.” I really like it because it’s very insightful. If we surrender everything to God, that is, all of our worries, problems, illness, frustration, anger, and fears — and just trust in Him to handle it all, we are then allowing Him to go to battle for us. And releasing all of these things to Him, knowing deep in our hearts that God is all powerful, is what allows us to truly have peace. We become filled with peace in knowing that He has our back, He’s in control and will win the battle on our behalf. When we are at our weakest He can shine through and make us strong—we can do anything with Jesus at our side!
“And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Believe me when I tell you that I’ve had more than my fair share of being blindsided! You know those shock me stupid, take me to the wall kind of issues in life, whether insults from a bully or just hatred and anger from mean, angry people. When these issues arrive out of thin air everyone gets the wind knocked out of them, and that’s a perfectly normal reaction. This reaction doesn’t make us a weak person or a bad Christian, it simply makes us human.
“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” ~1 Peter 5:10
Jesus completely understands our suffering and will lift us up and strengthen us. He knows how we feel in every situation; He has sympathy for us when we are upset. All we have to do is ask for His help in every situation and then believe!
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” ~Hebrews 4:15
Q: Do you surrender all your problems to God?
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