Whew!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

We have all lost things in our lives. If you haven't you are a rare creature. I had been on a roll and had not misplaced anything in a while and felt like maybe I had passed the 'peace test'. But then it happened. I looked at my wrist as I was entering a local eating establishment  and my Fitbit was missing. I tried to stay calm. Much better than in the past. I left quickly and retraced my steps. I prayed and had prayer sisters pray. Searched my car. Returned to the coffee shop and it had been turned in. Oh happy day! Honest people. 

Life requires us to maintain cool emotions. Both my sons are in career fields that require calmness and cool thinking. Maybe your job requires you to stay cool and collected as well. Getting all flustered about losing objects does not bring them back any quicker. Sometimes it is necessary to resolve that no matter what, you will move on. Do not let it wreck your day or your life. Don't let missing things tear you apart. I know this is easier said than done especially when looking for keys, passports, birth certificate, adoption papers, car titles and other things like those. But still, fretting does not do one thing to help you or get the object back.

To help maintain a life of calmness and be able to function well at work and at play give your care to God. Fuming does not help but only creates more tension and stress. Ask God to help you. He is only a prayer away.

PRAYER: First of all thank you for helping me find most things I have lost. Thank you for honest people that turn things in that do not belong to them. Help me stay cool when I should misplace things in the future. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Jesus Says Chill and Be Still

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. Isaiah 30:15

I am sure almost everyone has heard someone utter the short phrase "chill out" basically meaning calm down, or relax. A local friend of mine here would also jokingly say "simmer down now." Why is it we feel compelled to fret and fume about things we have little control over? I guess the answer would be 'human nature.' If we claim to know God we are supposed to try to have a new nature conformed to the image of Christ.

This is so easy to say but often times in the midst of things going totally wrong, can be difficult to actually put into practice. What do you accomplish when you get yourself worked into a tizzy? Not a thing. The best thing to do is to slow down and pray. Stop running about trying to figure things out and rely on God to see you through good times and not so good times.

Your assignment for today no matter what is going on in your little corner of the world, is to trust God with any situation that comes your way. He knows you have trouble handling things and He wants to hear from you. Why not call Him up in prayer right now?

PRAYER: I truly do want to chill out and be still. Sometimes it is so hard to do and I just really need your perfect peace to get through certain things. I choose to look to you Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Close Calls

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

 Recently as I sat down to write and turned on my computer, Facebook stuff popped up. I read for first  post where my daughter in law had been hit by a car while riding her bike to work that morning.After a call to my son I was cool, she is okay but 3000 miles away. After I waited, and tried to get to writing, the tears came. I was so thankful she was okay. For a brief moment I experienced the panic that sets in when a family member finds out something is wrong with another family member. Both my son and his wife are medical professionals so deal with hurting families all the time and now they were the hurting family.

 Have you gone through the unimaginable where you are enjoying a wonderful day then comes the dreaded phone call? This call changes your day and sometimes your life. A car accident. A son or daughter injured or killed in the war. A parent has died. Whatever the news we are never really ready to have it happen. There is never a good time.

The first thing to try to do is remain as calm as possible and to pray. Prayer has a way of soothing your soul in the toughest of times. Just try to get alone and be calm with God and let Him do the rest. Above all be thankful for those around you daily!

PRAYER: Lord you are my great comfort in the trials of life. When the unexpected happens you are there. Oh Lord I thank you for watching over me and my family. I praise your name forever. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ANGRY? TRY PRAYING!

 

Do you have an anger problem or maybe simply just get upset every now and then? In today's world not just people can upset other people, but in the area where I reside, there is a military installation and the threat of furlough looms for many. This can create anger towards an out of control and abusive government with their priorities all out of whack. Whatever it is that may have you angry and you feel like you could scream, try praying instead. You will always get a better outcome if you pray first. Getting angry will not solve anything and it simply feeds the fire and could end up getting people hurt or in trouble.

The Bible says in James 1:20( NIV) 'human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.' If you live with or know someone who has an anger issue first pray for them. Often deep seated issues can cause flare ups. A truly angry individual may need counseling. Some of these issues may be from wounds of the past. Try to let go and let God as the familiar saying goes.

Think about the things people argue about. Sometimes they are quite minor and silly, yet flare up till they are out of control. Our enemy Satan loves to get "godly" people in a tizzy and get them fighting. Don't let arguments start in the first place.

Situations in life can stir up anxiety and fear but to take the next step and get upset is not the direction to head. John 14:27(NIV) is a verse I use a good deal in my writing and it would be an ideal one to commit to memory. It says '

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' Indeed peace is what to seek in life. A calm from the storms of life. Turn to Jesus and let Him be your shepherd and guide you into peacefulness. PRAYER: Lord sometimes I may get mad about something but I know it does not bring glory to you. Help me to seek to turn to you when I am upset to calm my heart and to turn anger over to you. Give me the ability to not overreact. In Jesus' name. Amen.

IS CALM POSSIBLE?

 The answer is yes. I can imagine for folks living in a huge city such as Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles it would be hard to find a place to go to sit still and be calm. Parks are always nice.

But is calm of all sorts possible? By this I mean, in the world we live in, that is getting further away from God's word and freedom, are we able to relax and know that God is still on the throne?

It is very difficult to remain calm and centered on Christ if you make it your priority to feed your mind on the fears going on in the world. Sometimes you have to take a "news break" and instead have a "prayer and praise break".

We are told in scripture in 1 Peter 2:11(The Message version) 'Friends this world is not your home so do not make yourselves too cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.' That is so very true. We are here on earth but for a moment it says in Hebrews 13:14(NIV). The verse reads as follows 'For here we do not have an enduring city but we are looking for the city that is yet to come.' God is going to take care of His people.

James 4:14(NASB) reminds us 'Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.You are just a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away.' A good verse to commit to memory to stay calm is Isaiah 26:3(NIV) which says 'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast for they trust in you.'

The prescription for a calm spirit is to spend more time talking to God and less time letting the cares of daily life consume you.

PRAYER: Today Lord I know you are in control. I choose to not let the fear of our leaders lording over us consume me but to only trust that you are indeed on the throne and rule on high. Protect my mind from believing the lies of the enemy. In Jesus' name. Amen.