“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
(Philippians 4:6-7)
Peace of mind is something that we all want. We all want to be able to rest, not to have to worry, to feel free to enjoy life, family, friends, work, church, hobbies, entertainment, etc. We want to be able to enjoy ourselves and not be burdened with worries that rob us of vigour, life, and purpose.
Jesus said, “I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give. It is not like the peace that this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid” (John 14:27).
As we learn to walk each day in the power of Holy Spirit, we will begin to experience the peace that is promised as part of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22; Isaiah 32:17). Every time anxiety creeps into our lives, we can turn to the Lord and “God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand” (Philippians 4:7).
The peace of God in our lives means that things are in order, that our hearts and minds are fixed on God and that our trust is secured in Him. If peace is absent, it means that something is wrong and out of place. I have experienced on numerous occasions that when my relationship with God is where it should be, I have peace in my soul. However, when we do what we shouldn’t do it is as if peace drifts away. It is true, however, that God doesn’t become distant nor does He forsake us, it is only us who feel that way, but God cannot relate to sin nor connect to it. We can only come to Him on His terms. Essentially, I believe that joy must be an evident fruit with every believer. Joy is our strength and is that which sets us apart, and we have various reasons to be joyful!
Several things can steal our peace, and they include the following:
Love of money
Money is beneficial, but when it takes priority over God in our lives, it becomes destructive. When money becomes our god, it takes control of our lives. It causes us to have misplaced priorities; nothing else will matter to us. For instance, our relationships and family will suddenly not be as important, which will eventually lead to family or relationship breakdown.
Also, our minds will be pre-occupied with how to make this money, causing much stress, which will have a negative effect on our health.
Contention
Contention is a common little fox that robs people of peace of mind. We cannot have strife and have peace at the same time. One must give way for the other. Once contention steps in, peace steps out.
Cares of life
Worrying about what to eat, drink or wear, or about paying bills robs us of peace of mind. Anxiety has no record of offering solutions to problems. Instead, it’s known to compound issues. Yes, we should do whatever is right within our power to solve the problem, but we need to ensure that we do not step over into anxiety. We must allow God to take care of that challenge for us.
Fear
Fear precipitates the lack of peace. Fear of failure or the unknown, etc. torments the mind and slows down progress. Fear says, “God, step aside, you can’t solve the problem”. Fear takes our focus off of Jesus and places it on the challenge, which we are facing. It troubles the heart and dispels our peace of mind.
Do not allow the lies of the enemy concerning you to steal your peace; neither allow the opinions of people to form you. Agree with God’s declaration of you and your self-esteem will improve tremendously.
Lack of spirituality
Lack of spirituality takes away our peace. Dwelling in the flesh removes our focus from Jesus, the Prince of peace. Walking in the flesh is to walk into the challenges facing the world. A carnal mind is at enmity against God and so cannot discern the ways of peace nor follow them.
Wickedness
A wicked heart cannot have peace of mind. God has judged the wicked and pronounced that they will have no peace. Wickedness is of the devil and peace is of God: They don’t go together.
We need to depart from our wicked ways and peace will be restored to us.
Disobedience
To love God is to obey His commands. Disobedience to God and His word is another little fox that robs us of our peace of mind. It keeps the Prince of peace far from us. Obedience distinguishes us as children of God.
The premise is simple: We must not allow anything to steal our peace. We must make a decision today that we will not give our peace away in the cheap transactions of life. Peace should be our constant companion and a continuous welcome friend in our lives. When strife enters, man’s life goes out of balance. I essentially believe that we cannot operate effectively if we don’t have peace with ourselves and peace with the world we operate within. But these can only come if we have peace with God, as noted earlier.
Questions to Ask:
Please take a moment and ask yourself the following questions. Think hard and long before you answer:
– Do I lose my peace easily?
– What are the things that steal my peace?
– How can I avoid peace-thieves that rob me of my joy?
– How can I experience more peace in my life?
– What should change so that I may enjoy better peace of mind and heart?
– Do you feel at peace with God?
– Do you feel at peace with yourself?
– Do you feel at peace with others?
– If you are married, are you enjoying peace in your marriage? If not, why?
– Is your thought life at peace?
God wants His children to have joy and peace in their lives. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” In God, we find inner strength and peace that surpasses anything we could ever find elsewhere. The joy that the world gives is fleshly, superficial and fleeting at best. Only the joy that comes from God can sustain and inspire the believer to be more and do more for God. It is this same joy which flows from our hearts that shows those around us that we have something they need: A relationship with Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we have the most important, vital commodity in the entire world: Eternal salvation.
Let’s pray together:
Father God, please forgive me for giving my peace away so easily. Please help me to keep the peace that You give me. I choose today to let go of any peace-thieves that may be in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
This was an extract from my book,
“Unlocking Destiny”
The full version is available in the Store on
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