How to Have Inner Peace in a Stressful World

Peace...a mind at peace...a heart at peace...a life at peace. Isn't that what we all want? Perhaps you know someone who walks around with a smile on their face and a spring in their step. Even during difficult times in their lives, they rarely seem depressed, worried or angry. There's something about them that says, "I'm at peace and all is right with the world." It may be a friend, a relative or an acquaintance of yours who just seems to have it all together. How does one achieve that inner peace that is so elusive in this fast-paced, competitive, materialistic world in which we live?

                                                   What is the answer?

I believe the answer lies in truly knowing who God is and in realizing who we are in relation to him as believers in Jesus Christ. Most of us tend to live such a defeated existence, not understanding the power and hope we have in Jesus Christ. Another key element is living with a heavenly mindset...embracing the truth and glory of our eternity with God. We have an earthly and temporal mindset as we go about our lives day to day...trying to get by on our own resources and thinking that the outcome is all on our shoulders. The humanistic idea of ourselves being in control of our destiny begins to creep in. We forget that we should be living in light of eternity...what matters is only what will matter then...when we face God himself and he asks us what we did for his kingdom with the time we had on earth.

                                  What does the Bible say about peace?

The Bible has much to say on the idea of peace. In John 16, Jesus is painting a picture for his disciples of his impending death.He wants them to be prepared for all that they will face once he is gone. They seem to finally embrace and understand who he is when they say in verse 30, "This makes us believe that you came from God!". Jesus then tells them in verse 33, " I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  Do you understand, fellow believer, that he has overcome the world?! This world...the one in which we struggle, stress and worry. And...in the end...he wins! We win!

There is a passage in Romans, as well, that speaks to the hope, grace and glory that we have in Jesus Christ. It also addresses another important point about how the trials that we go through in this life are God's way of refining us, growing us up spiritually, sanctifying us...making us into who he wants us to be. The passage is Romans 5:1-5:

Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

A Daily Spiritual "To Do" List

1) Pray

2) Spend time reading, studying and meditating on God's Word. 

3) Minister to my husband and strive to be a joyful  helper, encourager and supporter to him.

4) Take care of my children to the best of my ability and model God's love, patience and grace to them.

5) Do what I can to make  sure that my home is a clean, orderly and peaceful place where my family can feel safe and comfortable and where guests will feel at home.

6)  Open wide my spiritual eyes and ears so that I am ready to meet the needs of those who God places in my path today,  whether those needs be physical, emotional, or spiritual.

7)  Take care of my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, by eating right, getting some physical exercise and resting, so that I will
have the health and energy to do your work.

8) Pray!

Are you Making Excuses for Spiritual Stagnation and Apathy?

We humans are masters of excuse. We have an excuse for everything from why we don't exercise to why we lose our temper or why we can't stop smoking. Sometimes we are vocal about our excuses and other times we just rationalize them in our own heads. We often blame others for our faults and issues.

One thing we often make excuses about is why we are not actively participating in God's plan for our lives and for the redemption of the earth. In other words, why we have no desire to grow spiritually or to participate in sharing God's message of salvation to the world.

Let me give you some examples here about what I am talking about:  Maybe you are so focused on making ends meet and assuring the comfort of your own family unit that you haven't in any way considered how you can help spread God's message of hope to your wider community or around the world. Perhaps you are a member of a church but have not really fully engaged in it's ministries by using your gifts within the body of Christ. You are not willing to sacrifice any time, money or your own convenience to do so. How about spending time in the Word of God, the Bible? Is it still sitting on a shelf in your home collecting dust? Have you gotten serious about learning what God has to say about life and his purposes for you? Do you have a desire to grow spiritually?

So many of us waste years of our life on vain and fruitless pursuits that have no eternal value. We are content to stay right where we are spiritually...content to remain as babes in Christ and to never go any deeper. We never take that extra step to engage in God's mission by teaching, serving, leading, studying. We prefer to just show up in church as much as possible and to soak up what we can to improve our lives during that hour on Sunday morning.