We can have a lot of things in life, but if we don't have
peace, we're never going to truly enjoy our lives the way God intended.
(Courtesy of Joyce Meyer Ministries)
First Peter 3:11 (AMP) is one of my favorite scriptures. It
says, "Let him search for peace…and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire
peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but
pursue, go after them!]"
"Pursue" is a strong word. It requires action and
doing whatever it takes to maintain peace in our lives. It means not always
getting "our way" or having the last word in an argument. It requires
us to trust God even more with the people in our lives. But it's all worth
it.
Are you ready to enjoy new levels of peace? If so, here are
some ways you can cultivate peace with God, yourself and others…
1. Receive God's forgiveness. Peace
with God is the foundation for peace in every other area of our lives. Jesus is
the "Prince of Peace," (Isaiah 9:6) and it's only through a
relationship with Him that we will ever experience true contentment.
When we sin, the greatest thing we can do is repent, ask God
to forgive us, and then make a decision to not live in guilt. Guilt is useless.
Constantly feeling guilty actually weakens us and causes us to fall into more
sin.
I encourage you to read and meditate on 1 John 1:9 (AMP):
"If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is
faithful and just…and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and
[continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness…."
2. Make a decision to like yourself. This
may sound funny to ask, but what kind of relationship do you have with
yourself? The truth is you can't get along with anyone else until you get along
with you.
For years, I dealt with self-hatred because of the sexual
abuse I endured growing up. Because I didn't like myself, it was almost
impossible for me to enjoy peace with my husband or other people. However, as I
spent time in God's Word and asked Him to change me, I eventually began to see
myself the way He sees me; I began to like myself!
I encourage you to find out what God says about you in His
Word. Ask Him to help you change your self-image. Because enjoying life and
enjoying other people all begins with knowing who God says you are and truly
liking yourself.
3. Don't compare yourself to others. Comparing
and competing with other people is one of the fastest ways to lose your peace
and joy. There is such freedom in learning to be happy with who you are without
being jealous of someone else's skills or achievements.
For example, I have a friend who likes to memorize parts of
the Bible. There was a day when I would have been threatened by that, feeling
like I should do the same thing. I know a lot of Scripture, and I have even
memorized several verses, but memorization has never been my strength…and
that's okay. It doesn't mean I am less spiritual or somehow not as good as my
friend. It just means I am being myself!
4. Accept other people just the way
they are. I almost wore myself out trying to change people until
I realized they're not all supposed to be like me. We are all born with
different God-given personalities and were never meant to be the same.
For example, my husband Dave is easy-going and has the
ability to enjoy just about anything he does. I'll never forget our grocery
trips as a young married couple. I had my list and was serious about
accomplishing our mission. Dave, on the other hand, was pushing the kids around
in the cart, laughing and having a great time. It made me so mad!
Dave has always been a very wise and responsible man, but I
wanted him to be "serious" like me. When I finally stopped trying to
change him, it brought tremendous peace. Now, I truly enjoy and value Dave's
personality. In fact, over the years the Lord has helped me to enjoy my life
and be even more like him!
Sure, we all have areas where we truly need to change, but
only God can change us. The best thing we can do for others is to
pray for them…and accept them right where they are.
5. Let God have control of your
life. Proverbs
16:9 (AMP) says, "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his
steps and makes them sure." I used to have a plan for everything –
including my husband, my kids and my ministry – and would sometimes get
frustrated if things didn't go accordingly. In other words, I wanted the Lord
to do things my way! However, God is smarter than we are, and He wants us to
place our trust in His great plan for our lives.
I often say that trust requires unanswered questions. In the
moment, we may not always understand "why," but like the psalmist
David we can say, "My times are in Your hands" (Psalm 31:15). Later
on, we'll look back and discover the Lord had our best in mind all along.
I encourage you to continue trusting God even when things
don't make sense. It's one sure way to enjoy your life…and experience more
peace than ever before.
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