July 15, 2024

LIVING IN PERFECT PEACE

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Isaiah 26:3 NLT

---

TODAY’S THOUGHT

God wants us to live in “perfect peace.” That sounds like an impossible ask—how can we live in “perfect peace” when we are surrounded by imperfect people who make a lot of messes and hurt a lot of people? How can we live in “perfect peace” when we mess up ourselves?

Here are two questions to ask and three strategies to consider so that we can live in “perfect peace.”

First, ask the question, “Did I cause this problem?” The Bible is very clear that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). A lot of the frustrations of life are caused because we messed up. If that is the case then let’s confess and repent before God so that we can receive His grace and mercy to get us out of the situation.

The second question is, “What can I learn from this problem?” We know from the Bible that God is able to work all things together for our good (Rom 8:28). God works the good, bad, and ugly things of life together to accomplish His purpose in our lives when we allow Him to do so. The pain is a pathway to a better person. But we must learn the lesson we need in the pain.

Once we ask these questions then we can take some positive steps to “perfect peace.” First, let’s decide we will give God praise even in our pain. Worship is warfare! We are told that we are to give God thanks “in” all things (1 Thess. 5:18) We don’t thank God “for” the problems, but we can thank God “in” the problems. It is a mighty man or woman of God who can worship in their pain. God is still God even in our pain.

Another great step is to turn our frustration into humor. Solomon tells us a cheerful heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22). Learning to laugh in the middle of our pain is a great mark of maturity. Recently I was having a time of prayer with Cindy and another woman about some need in her life. As we began to pray, I felt the Holy Spirit release over me a sense of laughter. I had never had it like that. As a laughed a moment, there was a release in my spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to turn your sorrow into to laughter. We can laugh at the devil in our pain.

Finally, we need to ask God to fill us with love. During times of pain, we can be full of anger, resentment, bitterness, jealously, revenge, anxiety, worry, confusion, frustration, and a lot of other negative emotions. All those emotions steal our energy and joy. Love is God’s gift to fill our hearts with “perfect peace.” When we are fill of love, we keep no record of wrongs and we are not easily angered (1 Cor. 13:5). If we are keeping records of wrongs, we are not full of love. 

Let’s choose to live in “perfect peace.” The world will wonder what is wrong with us because we are praising, laughing, and loving while everyone else is falling apart.

---

TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit help me to take the right steps to live in “perfect peace.” I want to be a witness to my world that my God is bigger than any problem Satan or man can bring against me. 

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”