Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (KJV)
Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)
Galatians 5:22-23, " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message)
Peace
Peace is described as "freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, obsession, etc. ; tranquility, serenity."
I know I tell my story quite often, but peace was one of the fruits of the spirit that seemed too far away for me. Anxiety stole it a long time ago. Patience, sure. I had that. I HAD to have that. I wasn't getting any better-- but I kept waiting for Him to help me. LOVE, sure. I had that. Love was all I seemed to have. Unconditional love from the people that cared for me and wanted to see me get better. But peace.... peace seemed unattainable.
I had settled in to that life. A life of playing games on my phone, watching TV til 2.. 3 in the morning because laying in bed meant thinking about anxiety. I did anything to keep my mind off of it. I lost sleep. I lost sobriety. I nearly lost my family... trying to fill that lack of peace with anything I could find.
Peace was the one fruit of the spirit that I promised myself I would WORK for because I wanted so bad.
How many of you out there are struggling to find peace today?
I promise you aren't alone.
How many of you lay in bed at night worrying? How many of you are sick day in and day out because of fear? How many of you don't do certain things because of fear? How many of you feel like you are trapped in a cage? How many you feel like you can barely breathe some days?
I've been there.
Some days I still am.
It's a battle.
But thankfully, NOW...I'm not fighting alone.
Battlefield of the Mind
One thing I have learned about peace is a lot of times it is all in your mind. The battling, the fighting... we do most of it mentally and spiritually.
I heard a quote once on this journey that said, "Worrying is worshipping the problem." And I can't think of a quote that fits anxiety more perfectly. Worrying is taking our eyes off of WHO is with us... we are strictly focusing on WHAT is going on.
A great Psalm to read... memorize.. post beside your bed... record on your phone... is Psalms 4. In my Bible, it is described as "Thoughts in the Night." It got me through some pretty lonely, lost, broken evenings.
I wish I could allow you to see the person I was at night for so long. The feelings. The emotions. The hurt. The confusion. The destruction.
I remember reading these verses over and over and over again. Screaming. Pleading. Crying.
God, you showed that I was innocent.
You gave me relief from all my troubles.
So listen to me now when I call to you for help.
Be kind to me and hear my prayer.
Men, how long will you try to dishonor me?
Do you enjoy wasting your time searching for new lies against me? Selah.
You can be sure that anyone who serves the Lord faithfully is special to Him.
The Lord listens when I pray to Him.
Tremble with fear and stop sinning.
Think about this when you go to bed and calm down. Selah.
Give the right sacrifices to the Lord
and put your trust in Him!
Many people say, "I wish I could enjoy the good life.
Lord give us some of those blessings!"
But You have made me happier than they will ever be with all their wine and grain.
When I go to bed, I sleep in peace.
Because, Lord, You keep me safe.
When I go to bed, I sleep in peace.
I said this verse over and over again.
I claimed it over my life...
Overcoming Anxiety
... and finally, I sleep in peace.
I sleep without having to be 'buzzing' before bed.
I sleep without having to play games on my phone until I can't keep my eyes open.
I sleep without crying myself to sleep.
I sleep without wondering if I can keep doing this night after night.
I sleep without feeling like I'm going to vomit all night from stress.
I sleep without fear of dying in my sleep.
I can sleep.
I can breathe.
I can relax.
I can rest.
All by the grace of God.
I wish I had a way to reach every single person out there suffering from a lack of peace. I wish I could wrap my arms around all of you and tell you it gets better. Promise you that God cares and wants to heal the pain.
I wish I had answers as to why it seems like it takes forever. I wish I had answers as to why some days, it feels like He isn't listening.
All I can say is: HE IS.
He cares and He loves you and He hates to see you suffering. He hates to see you depressed. He hates to see you sad. He hates to see you lost.
But He Needs Your Help
One thing God has talked to me about concerning my battle with fear and my desire for peace is this:
I NEED YOUR HELP.
He can try His hardest to push aside my anxiety and fill my soul with peace BUT
if I have all of this gunk in my soul and heart... where is there room for peace?
if I am constantly filling my mind with negative thoughts.. where is there room for peace?
if I am constantly putting things in front of my eyes that is not of God... where is there room for peace?
"You create your own calm."
Through your thoughts. Through your actions.
We must subject all of them to Jesus.
And when we start cleaning out our hearts... He can start filling it up with the GOOD things like love, joy, peace, patience, humbleness.
Speak Peace into Existence
Psalms 61:2- " From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."
Isaiah 26:3- "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
Romans 15:13- "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
Psalms 91:11- "He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go."
Philippians 4:6-7- "Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds."
One thing I have to come to realize on this journey is this:
The Word of God is a healer. It can pierce through the darkness in to places we cannot. It is the written words of Jesus Christ filled with power and authority.
Speaking it in to the air is what we must do.
Ephesians 2:2 says, "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Satan is often described as the prince of the power of the air.
As we speak the word of God out loud, we cut through the air--- with the words of the Almighty.
You Can Do This. I Promise.
I know it might seem like peace is a million miles away right now, but you can do this. I promise.
"Something will grow from all you are going through. And it will be you."
You will grow in peace.
You will grow in the Word.
You will grow in strength.
You will grow in God.
Today, subject your thoughts to Jesus. Think about pure things, good things, true things. Ask God to remove every doubt, every fear. Pray without ceasing. Whatever it takes to fill your mind with Him-- do it. Set your radio to the Christian station. Play the Bible on CD. We must be proactive and put feet on our faith. He can't move the good things if we are still holding on to what is not like Him.
Next, speak the Word of God out loud. Find every single verse you can that talks about peace and letting go of worries.. write them on index cards.. hang them in your room... record them.. Speak them into existence, consistently.
And finally, rest in Him. Trust Him. I know it seems like He isn't listening, but as we continue to clean out our souls, He will be able to push through easier. I had to find that out the hard way. I had so much nasty stuff in my heart. It was awful. As He started purging me, He started filling it with His goodness, His peace, His grace.
"What consumes your mind, controls your life."
Lord, consume our mind today, so that You can control our lives. We give it all over to You today. Help us to subject every thought, every action to Your Word. Help us to think about YOU. Your goodness, Your grace, Your mercy. When we are scared, turn our thoughts to 'Who can I bless today?' 'Who can I talk to about Your goodness???' Change our thoughts to thoughts of YOU today, Lord. We pray over our minds, hearts, and spirits. Create in us a clean heart today. Get rid of the darkness, so Your light can shine through. Help us to have a spirit of peace. We love You today. In Jesus name, Amen.
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