Being with the God of Peace

Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 and sisters, 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.

Greetings My Beloved!

I hope you are having a wonderful week. I was surprised by the drop in temperature, and can't seem to get the chill out yet. I'll be honest with you, this week has been a challenge for me. The enemy has robbed me of my sleep, filled my head with insecurities, and my emotions have been on a rampage - my poor husband has been kind enough to support me and comfort me during this troublesome week. It is so easy to get wrapped up into the cares of this world, that you neglect your spirit man, who is just aching for more God time. God is also longing for that time of just you and Him, yet we get so wrapped up in our day to day lives it is so easy to slip out of that spiritual time with the Father. In the mean time, you start to wonder, "Why do I feel so bad?" Let's face it, the further we get away from God, the further removed we feel from His Peace. I'm not saying that we are denying God, and becoming heathens. What I am saying is it takes one compromise, one justification, and you start down this slippery slope. Does it mean you're a bad person? No, what it means is you have to fight that much harder to get back into the Lord's presence. How do I know this, because it happens to me all the time.

This scripture says to "Rejoice in the Lord always." How easy it is to rejoice in the good times, but what about the bad times? What about when you're feeling sick, or tired because you spent the whole night worrying about things you have no control over? What about the times when nothing seems to be going right, are these times to rejoice? There is something about Rejoicing in the Lord, when your mouth starts singing praises, and your focus starts to change from self to the Lord. James 4:8 says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." It's like a magnet pulling in to attach itself to it's polar opposite. The closer you get to God, the closer He pulls to you - it's so beautiful!

It is at that time, in the Lord's presence, that you can tell Him anything. Tell Him about your concerns, your worries, your doubts and fears. Tell Him that you love Him, and thank Him for all of the wonderful things that He has done! Then just sit and listen - bask in His presence, you'll never want to leave! Yet the chaos of the world is calling, and because we are still bound to this earth, there are some responsibilities that we can't ignore. Take God with you - His omnipresence really never leaves. Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Life seems so much easier when you have God on your side. It's not to say that troubles won't come. The Bible is very clear about that, but there is good news:

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

It is at that time you can achieve true peace, God's peace. It's recognizing God is in control, God is the source of everything, and that even when bad things come along, there is reason to rejoice, because God is alive, and He will take care of everything.

So, don't let your thoughts go to waste thinking about the should of..., would of..., could of... No, think about the beauty of the Lord, and His majesty! Think about the God of Peace being by your side. So, be encouraged my friends, not to live another day in bondage, regretting the past, worried about the future, or the burdens of today, but think about How the Lord predestined your life. He has walked by your side every step of the way, and has a purpose and a vision for your life. So step into your destiny today!

Blessings!

Christina