Be At Peace

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

Today is a world full of chaos and head spinning events almost too much to comprehend. If you happen to be brave enough to turn on the news, you might find yourself getting a major headache and a heavy heart. Tuning your ears to the ever present sound of sirens from emergency vehicles blaring all day and night. The occasional gunshots that permeate your peaceful thought process and quiet mind space. They all are ingredients for stress and worries to build up enough pressure to send us emotionally places we would rather not be. There are many more stressors that we can add to our lists. Our own set of worries keep us in a state of worry and continuing to be ill at ease.

When we are robbed of our peace it is hard to function in life. Sleep goes, health goes, good decisions go, relationships suffer, and anything else that requires our attention. Our joy is taken away. We can’t seem even to enjoy the day we planned of our favorite thing to do. Our worry is still lurking in the back of our mind. Anxiety is a creeper when it comes to invading our daily thoughts. We worry, often missing the opportunity to gain information on solving a problem. It is by way of the fear associated with anxiety. We push out the incoming peace to walk out our daily life. The worry is like a vice that squeezes harder the more life we give to it.

How Do We Resolve This Vicious Cycle?

First our mindset has to be one that knows God will always take care of us and all that concerns us. Secondly, if we make a list of the facts, pros and cons and take our emotions out of the problems, we will have a much clearer mind to proceed with problem solving. Things we have no control over we have to let go of. The majority of fears are never realized. Our best place to be, is living in the moment. The centered peace will bring us to just BE. Learning how to just BE in the moment or just being , is an attainable place in our life. There is no striving or jockeying for position. We fully accept our realm of peace.

Here Below Is The Famous Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; lcourage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next. Amen.

(Prayer attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971)

This prayer is a great way to start realizing how we can slow down, breathe and be grateful for our peace.

Life Giving Scriptures

But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld. – Job 36:17 NLT


A psalm of David. Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. – Psalm 37:1 NLT


Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. – Psalm 37:7 NLT


Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. – Proverbs 12:25 NLT


They keep saying to those who despise my word, ‘Don’t worry! The LORD says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’ – Jeremiah 23:17 NLT


“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? – Matthew 6:25 NLT


“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. – Matthew 6:34 NLT


When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. – Matthew 10:19 NLT


Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life–whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. – Luke 12:22 NLT


And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? – Luke 12:26 NLT


Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. – Philippians 4:6 NLT


But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. – 1 Peter 3:14 NLT

TRUSTING GOD

Leaving everything at the feet of Jesus who died for us to live in wholeness is the best way we can navigate this world. It is full of ups and downs and instabilities. We can always be at peace knowing He will never leave us. The following scriptures are descriptive of how he loves us.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? – Romans 8:31 NLT
Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? – Romans 8:32 NLT


Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one–for God himself has given us right standing with himself. – Romans 8:33 NLT


Who then will condemn us? No one–for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. – Romans 8:34 NLT


Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? – Romans 8:35 NLT


(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) – Romans 8:36 NLT


No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. – Romans 8:37 NLT


And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. – Romans 8:38 NLT


No power in the sky above or in the earth below–indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:39 NLT

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. – John 14:27 KJV

Nina Peppers Testimony

Episode 22

Sharon sits down with the mighty woman of God, Nina Peppers. Nina shares her story related to relationships and the hard places she found herself in her life. Please, note that we had trouble with a dog barking in the first part of the testimonial, but everything was worth it in the end.


Fun & Play for More Creativity

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

The following is an excerpt from the book I am currently writing called, Hardwired for Life: Art Supplies for the Mind.

Explore

ā€œA merry heart does good, like medicineā€¦ā€ ā€” Proverbs 17:22, New King James Version (NKJV)

We must play and have fun because we will often need to refill and recover after long periods of creative activity. Creativity can be even more draining than other mental work activities because it is emotionally challenging. Itā€™s emotional to tap into our target audienceā€™s thoughts, feelings, and desires. It takes some intentional and serious mental gymnastics to walk a mile in our user, viewer, or readerā€™s shoes. We have to become someone else as we develop our craft in order to get it right. What better way to recover than to have some fun?

Creative work demands creative outlets for us to rest and reset our bodies, spirits and souls. Having fun and playing around are perfect ways to restore our energy and creative flow. When we are having fun, we are disengaged from stress, chaos and drama. The world takes a back seat when we are having fun and nothing else matters. Pain and other symptoms of dysfunction disappear during play and our bodies thrive in the rest.

When we are creative, we are drawn into the ā€œnowā€ moment and are able to tap into Godā€™s power and Spirit. The same is true when we are having fun. We become childlike when we play and can find the innocence it takes to connect with God. Play needs to be creative and fun.

Play is full of joy and peace though it can take on a competitive quality that brings more stress than healing. Fun on the other hand is just fun without agendas. True strength and power come from the type of creative play that leaves us laughing and experiencing joy. Joy carries permanent healing, whereas play can be used unwisely and only holds temporary stress relief.

Using Play in Our Lives

People often use play ineffectively. Many forms of sports and hobbies are considered play. We play golf, we play football, we play tennis, etc. all of which have the stresses of technicality, strategy, and physical and mental strain. Play can become a war with ourselves and others.

We have a built-in need to play as human beings that must be satisfied. Unfortunately, we also play at war. Play that is unrighteous puts us at odds with one another. We end up playing negatively in battle with each other at all levels of government and society. We compete with political parties, we rival with fashion, and we chance our health, all in destructive ways.

The key is understanding that innate need we have to play and use it constructively for Godā€™s Kingdom. We can use play for Godā€™s Kingdom by getting healthy and then helping others to play effectively. We must heal in body, spirit, and soul in order to begin to make an ongoing difference in Godā€™s Kingdom. Healing helps us to be wise about our service to God. We also become more creative when we are working from wholeness.

We will never be perfect here on earth, but we can heal enough to run our race of salvation as a winner. When we are healed, we see Godā€™s will and plan for our lives. We can see that we are truly victorious just where we are at, and that is a priceless expression of success. When we are healed, we know that we are running the best race possible. We are co-creating with God, we are having creative fun and playing appropriately in our lives, and we are more free.

Jesus Loves Me Podcast: Biblical Healing

Episode 15

Healing has such a controversial history, but the Bible is very clear on its meaning today. Listen as Jana and Sharon discuss the ins-n-outs of healing in the Christian church as believers in Christ Jesus. Healing may not mean what you think.


Podcast: Colossians Part 2

Photo byĀ Fabrizio ContiĀ onĀ Unsplash

Colossians Part 2

Jana & Sharon read and discuss the middle section of the book of Colossians. We learn about Christ as Godā€™s secret treasure and key to life.

Podcast Audio Only

This is an audio version of a Video-Cast done a few months ago for readers who like to listen. Link to the Video Here. You can find us on iTunes, CastBox, Spotify, iHeart Radio and more.


Season 2, Episode 21

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