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Monday, July 22, 2019
Page #14
The Lord will bless his people with peace Recently, I had the opportunity to sit with a nice elderly lady and she was sharing with me about her health issues and other concerns. Suddenly she Dr. Billy stopped and Holland wanted to know if she could ask me a serious question. I said of course, and she proceeded to relay that she felt silly asking me about salvation, especially with her being a church member since she was a child. Her question was, “How can I really know that I am going to heaven?” I do not believe this is anything to be embarrassed about, in fact, it’s rather common as I’ve actually examined my own soul from time to time. I could sense the heaviness of doubt was stealing her spiritual joy, and this can escalate into fear and anxiety. I spent some time reminding her of the basic fundamentals pertaining to faith and God’s truth which can never fail. I suggested that she just be honest with God and tell him how she feels. After I left, I continued to think about how easy it is for any of us to drift away from the peaceful harbor of hope and encouragement and how important it is to keep a positive perspective and remain focused on God’s promises.
will require persistent prayer and self-discipline. Faith believes that God can see into the future and that nothing surprises him which includes him understanding the trials we are going through and all of the situations we will encounter. Being convinced that Christ will provide for us along with accepting that his power is greater than any problem that might threaten us can bring comfort and assurance. Constantly reminding ourselves that God listens to us and that he is aware of everything that is going on in our lives can help us to trust and rest in his perfect peace. Psalm 29:11 promises, “The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.”
There is no greater confidence or joy than to be filled with God’s peace. Spiritual peace is far beyond our physical emotions as his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His peace is stronger than our fears and chases away our worries and anxieties as it floods our heart with courage and fortitude. Jesus is victorious and his promises are guaranteed to quiet our soul and replace our restlessness with his safety and contentment. Proverbs 3:24 reminds us, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” One of the many names for Jesus is the Prince of peace and soon, He will return and establish his kingdom of peace for all eternity. We rejoice in this truth and look The opposite of peace is being forward to experiencing the freedom anxious and many times we from conflict and fear, but we do not experience fear and worry when we are uncertain of what is going need to wait until then to embrace this lifestyle of calmness. If we to happen. This negative energy choose to abide in God’s presence no has the intention to consume us matter how intense the storms are and control our mind and will raging, we are supported under the continue to haunt us until we shadow of his protection. The world choose to battle against it. growing darker and chaos increasing Spiritual warfare is a reality and it’s the believer’s responsibility to cannot limit or diminish our hope and peace. It is only when we drift call on the Lord for help as we away from his truth and lean on our defend against the darkness of own understanding that we become panic, pity, and depression. Living in peace is not something troubled and perplexed. The Lord is that happens naturally, but rather giving us an offer that we must not refuse which is to give him our is a learned behavior. People or circumstances cannot dictate our worries in exchange for the thoughts, we choose our response tranquility of his presence. Listen to Paul’s encouragement found in and reaction. We talk about our Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for need to trust God and how we nothing, but in everything by prayer must stand strong in the times of and supplication, with thanksgiving, adversity, but this state of mind
let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.” Read more at billyhollandministries.com
Verse of the Week James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
