Last month’s blog series was focused on “No Stagnation”. As I prayed for what to discuss this month, I really didn’t have an answer. I started writing another series but it didn’t feel right. As we progressed through the first week of August, I’ll be honest … I was struggling with what to share. As I continued to pray, I received an overwhelming response dealing with the August Bible Challenge which is promoting peace. I realized that many of us are struggling in this area, so I decided to help shed some light and tackle this topic. This first post we will focus on accepting peace.
In order to be at peace, you must accept the Provider of Peace. True peace comes from knowing Jesus Christ and establishing a relationship with Him. If you have not made peace with God and accepted Him as your personal Savior – I truly encourage you to do so. When you have Christ, you have hope. When you have hope, you then are at peace. We get unsettled easily because Christ is not our anchor. If Christ was truly your anchor, he would be the source of your peace.
One thing we must realize is that peace comes from God - not our jobs, getting in a relationship/married etc We make peace about people, places and things when true peace comes from Christ. Trust me, once you achieve the things you want you can still be in personal conflict. They are only fulfilling for a moment, peace from God is eternal.
Acceptance means the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered. Christ offers peace that surpasses all understanding. Philippians 4:7 says “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. The peace that Christ provides will guard both your mind & heart. The first step is acceptance. First you must accept Christ as you Savior. If you have already done so, you must accept that Christ is the source of your peace. Putting your source in anything else is fatal and will only leave you disappointed.
It is also important to accept peace from others. This means if someone is extending their hand or an “olive branch” … swallow your pride, forgive and move forward. When you do not forgive others, you are held in captivity and bondage. You do more damage to yourself than others. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you (Matthew 6:14).
To close, I leave you with Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
For His Glory Only,
XOXO
Danielle J.
