2 Peter 3:14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
So what do we do when things seem to conspire against us? We know we're supposed to be full of peace and joy and instead we can feel like we want to go off pop with sheer frustration at so many things; like the systems the world has in place that wont let us talk to a real human being but just an automated machine when you want to buy something or your central heating system needs repairing! I expect you know what I mean!
We probably all have weeks where one thing leads to another and you just feel the pressure rising like steam in a kettle. It helps to recognise the warning signals and not ignore them but take some time to ask the Lord for help to calm down again. Don't wait till you go off pop!
The trouble is we very often ignore the signs and get more and more frustrated or upset. So if things have been 'getting' to you at all, I hope the following may help to diffuse your kettle!
Psalm 34:14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Peace is something we're told to seek and pursue. In other words we have our part to play. We have to choose to go after it and say 'No' to whatever is trying to get us so upset by nipping it in the bud as soon as it starts.. Jesus gives us His peace as a gift (John 14:27) but we have to consciously receive it which is the seeking and pursuing.
When we focus on the problems we lose our peace but when we focus on God and the promises in His word His peace will begin to flow again. We need to allow Jesus' peace in!
I know we just want to have a rant and rave about things but believe me it's not the way to go! I tried that and it made things worse! So we can choose frustration or we can choose peace.
2 Peter 3:14 In this verse the Amplified Bible describes peace as being in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts. So next time you find yourself getting all agitated, with the steam levels rising, and feeling anything but serene(!) just take a deep breath and call on the Holy Spirit for His help to let it go and bring you back to that place of calm. We can't do it on our own but with His help we can.
Let's allow Jesus to bring His supernatural peace back into our hearts today.
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