PEACE with GOD!

My People,

Hello! I am sorry, for the delay. I had a terrible fall on Friday the 7^th of December hurt my right knee quiet bad. Took a minute, to get up, realized that if there was no one, I would sit there for quiet some time more.

A kind lady enquired if I had any pain. I said yes a little on my knee. Then I said thank you, and God bless you. She looked at me with amazement. But really I was grateful.

What I realized from the fall is that I carried a whole load of thoughts with me. I understood what it must have felt for Jesus. Jesus carried all of our sins on Himself. I wonder when Jesus fell carrying the cross, Would Jesus, have felt better that moment? Would the fall have given my sweet Jesus, some moment to rest and then get up?

Jesus liberated me with that fall.

Love – the most beautiful word in the English dictionary, and when translated to any other language, it never looses its essence.

Our deepest longing is always to be loved. To matter to the one person whom we love the most in the world. A world without love, would you imagine that? Love is like a hunger – until we understand the full meaning of it, we cannot be totally happy.

When two people really love each other, they never offend each other.
 

When you love somebody, you want to keep them safe. You want to give them the world, because nothing seems impossible. When you know that you are loved by the one you love, you become like the candle in the dark.

Today, the 4th December, 2012. I thank You God, for the gladness, only You know, when and how it comes to my heart.

Just saw a rerun on the TV, the program ‘American Idol Season 11’.  Watched Colton Dixon a 19 year old make his exit. The judges were not too good with their feedback. So later when he was asked for his comments, he just stated ‘I don’t care’. When the results were declared, he immediately apologized to the judges and told them that he would use their advice for his future in his singing career. If you think this is all, do I have news for you? I’m glad, that I watched this programme, I’m glad that our future is not bleak. I’m glad to hear Colton Dixon sing to God.

This is what Colton Dixon sang, You’re all I want: Below is just a part of the praise and worship song. This should move your heart.

Find me here, speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You still my heart, and you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
Cause you're all I want,
You're all I need
You're everything... everything

This, coming from a 19 year old, its amazing and even more so, because when defeated and taking ones exit, the hardest thing to do is sing a song of praise to God. But what Colton, did was what the Bible tells us to do. We must praise especially when it is the hardest to praise. Because Real praise is not when there is the sunshine. But real praise is when everything is bleak.  Praise the LORD with all your heart.

People often do wrong to each other. And really what’s most astonishing is that there is no remorse felt. Revenge is never a good thing. The very thought of doing wrong to a person is an evil thought. And acting on it, has its own consequences.

I often watch people who have the capacity to make a difference absolutely always take the wrong turn. I watch them do wrong, just because they can. And I watch them go down too. I have never watched a man do wrong and never pay for the consequence. Sirach 7:1 states-‘Do no evil, and evil will not overtake you.’

Nearly two months back, I wanted so much to go for the Bible study. I kept asking God what should I do? Of-course I wanted to go. You got to know this, both the Bible study time and the Church time clash. So I looked for signs that God would give. It was a very good session. As I entered Church, after the study, to talk to Jesus, I felt all of Jesus pain in my heart.  I never want to ever miss going to church.

On All souls day, I just felt lazy, and I thought okay, I could easily go for the next mass, no sooner had I thought that, I heard Jesus calling me, ‘Come, I wait for you.’

When it came to the matter of our faith, there could be no questions. My mom, I think she must have been trained in the military. My mom was strict about prayers, and about God. There could be no seconds. The first of the TEN COMMANDMENTS State: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. I thank God for my mom.

Sometime back I overheard one of my colleagues say that parents are known by their children. I disagree. What a topsy-turvy world that would be? The fourth of the TEN COMMANDMENTS States: HONOUR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.   

Sirach 3:2 states-For the Lord sets a Father in honor over his children and confirms a mother’s authority over her sons.

Take a closer walk with God. This Christmas season, all I ask for you is to open your heart to God. Invite Jesus, into your heart and into your life. May the Peace of Jesus follow you.

With all my Love,

For LOVE PREVAILS!
AnitA.

“To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.” St. Augustine

Shalom is a Hebrew word that means peace.

Peace with GOD is the highest form of inward satisfaction that will reflect upon the outward person.
"Thou wilt keep him (her) in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:because he (she) trusteth in thee. Trust in the Lord for ever: for in the
Lord GOD is everlasting strength".  Isaiah 26:3-4

WHY, aren't most people experiencing PEACE?
Because.....most people are not TRUSTING IN GOD.
"Trust in The LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths".    Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Peace of mind is something that we all want. We all want to be able to rest, to not have to worry, to feel free to enjoy life, family, friends, work, church, hobbies, entertainment, etc.

Sometimes when we can't find peace of mind, we get depressed.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:7

GOD will not leave us nor forsake us, and this feeling of comfort is partly a manifestation of that. You are His and He has not forgotten about your troubles. Neither have they taken Him by surprise.

God gives us what is called the “Comforter”, The “Counselor” and we are promised that He will be with us forever in John 14:16. The Holy Spirit is the source for this peace that the world just doesn’t comprehend.

You ARE NOT ALONE in this life if you have Christ Jesus. You will be surprised sometimes by the peace that you are given over troubles. You have to trust Him. Sometimes things happen that we just don’t understand how or why. Everything happens according to His will and timing. Just know that you are in His hands and GOD WILL MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY.

God's promise of peace Is to every believer. This peace, however, doesn't come from what or who we are, but from what God has done—how He has justified us in response to our faith.

 

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." John 14:27.

Peace is lost in the world without Christ. People worry, doubt, and long for things they want or need. They must have just one more thing, or one more fulfilled desire. Without direction from God, they are out of the will of God and then complain to God and doubt Him when their prayers go unanswered. The result is a lack of peace. So, to solve this problem people often try to create a false peace with alcohol, drugs and other addictions. Sometimes they deny their sin and push away the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They no longer feel the touch of God's correcting movement in their hearts. They are left to their own ways.

True peace can only be found in being in the will of God. True peace is a gift from God found only through Christ. If you knew you were in the will of God, and even though things were tough, your confidence and hope in life would not be based upon the situations around you, but upon God who lives in you. That way, true peace will always be yours.

Peace is rest in the heart. Though life may be hard, though our bodies be frail, though pain is our companion, to be in the will of God is to abide in the peace of God. Let me find the will of God and walk in it and let all other things be as they may.

 

A Christian with a troubled and fearful mind dishonours GOD. We need to understand that to be troubled, to be fearful means we do not trust God’s sovereignty, God’s wisdom, God’s faithfulness and God’s goodness. It is an indication that we have not yet completely turned our lives over to the Lord.
In Philippians 4:6 Paul states, “Be anxious for nothing.” We are not to have anxiety or worry or any kind of fear.

Paul tells us, in Philippians 4:7, that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The peace that comes from the Lord can banish all worry and distress from our hearts and minds and can keep it away.

The world cannot give you nor teach you how to experience peace. It comes from God alone.

Here are the four keys to receiving it -
Prayer. Paul says, in Philippians 4:6, “in everything by prayer and supplication…let your requests be made known to God.” Whatever we are facing that gives a cause for mental or emotional distress, we need to bring it to the Lord’s attention. If it brings concern to us, it is a matter of concern to Him because He wants us to be at peace.
Paul says, “let your requests be made known to God.” What would you like for God to do?
We need to be specific in our requests. We need to tell God exactly what we want changed. If it is not an unrighteous desire, we need not be shy in stating our requests.
We may ask whatever we wish of God. But, it is important that we believe that God can grant our request. We must believe that God can answer our prayer in bringing-about that which we desire.
We must remember what we are told, in James 1:6-7, “let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts…..let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.” Perhaps, before we take our requests to the Lord, it may be good for us to look at Ephesians 3:20, where the Apostle Paul says of God that He “is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.” Once we have made our requests known in faith, we need to with faith wait patiently for Him to answer.

GOD will answer by delivering whatever is best for us. Matthew 5:7-11, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father Who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
Did you notice that last phrase - “how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” The Lord will always answer by giving us, what is good for us. That means that sometimes He will answer our prayers precisely as we requested. That means that sometimes He will answer in a way different than we had envisioned.
Our basis for peace is that God hears and God answers us and He answers us by giving us what is best.
Once we take a matter to the Lord, we must leave it with Him. We let Him make the next move and rest in knowing that He will respond “at the proper time” by giving us that which is for our good.

 

Thanksgiving. Paul states in Philippians 4:6 that we are to submit our requests along “with thanksgiving.”

Too many times, when we are full of worry and fear, we fail to count our blessings. We fail to acknowledge how good God has been to us. We need to reflect upon how God has faithfully  brought us to the present moment and thank Him for His past care. Think of the many dangers, GOD has delivered us from and thank Him for it.
But, do not only thank the Lord for past blessings and deliverance. We need to thank Him for present blessings. No matter how distressing our current circumstances or situation, surely we can acknowledge that we are enjoying many blessings right now.
Psalms 118:29, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His loving-kindness is everlasting.”

Dwell on the Positive.
When it comes to our thinking, we must dwell on the positive. Paul states in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” I tend to believe that this is the key to our having peace of mind where we fail most. Too often we allow our minds to dwell on the negatives in our lives than on the positives.
With God being with us, for us and working in our lives for our betterment, we should never have a care in the world.

Obedience to God’s Word. Philippians 4:9 states, “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.” There are three ways that obedience leads to peace.
** If we obey God’s Word, we will avoid many pitfalls in this life that bring unnecessary heartaches. We can stay away from so many problems if we would truly strive to apply the teachings of Christ to our lives. Psalms 119:165, “Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble."

** True peace comes when you know in your heart and mind that you are doing all that you can to please God. If we are sincere in our religion, our conscience will be troubled as we know that we are not walking in obedience. A clear and clean conscience promotes peace of mind.

** The teachings of Christ emphasize looking beyond self and serving others. The more we take our focus off ourselves - our troubles, our difficulties - and focus on how we can make life brighter for someone else or how we can glorify God, our minds will be liberated. We need to put into practice Christ’s demand for selfless service. Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”

The God of peace wants us to enjoy His peace. I close by quoting Paul, from 2 Thessalonians 3:16, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.”

 

 

REMEMBER: Love with all your heart. Love everybody. Love especially when it is the hardest to love.

CONCUSION: In this season, I hope for you to breathe in the spirit of peace. That you can touch others, as St. Paul said, with the holy kiss of peace, and that you in your own way can do the things that make for peace. That is the real gift of Christmas in fact. Amen.

PRAYER: Abba Father, I love you with all my heart. And this is my prayer, that Your will be done. Keep me obedient and always faithful to You, I pray.

PROMISE DATE: 3^rd December, 2012.   ISAIAH 55:11

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.