Peace Devotional

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Don't worry?! For someone who has been a chronic worrier those words are hard to hear. I've spent so much of my life allowing fear and anxiety to dictate my decisions and control my mind. I've wanted to surrender control to God, but I've been reluctant to let go. I thank God for His incredible patience as I have walked out this journey. The irony is the more I surrender control and cast my cares onto Him – the less anxiety and worry I experience. But I have found that it is easier said than done. It's a daily practice. A daily surrender. A daily picking up of my cross. A daily dying to my flesh. And His mercy is ever ready to gently (and sometimes less gently - He knows best :)) usher me down the aisle towards the marriage supper of the Lamb. He's always preparing His bride to be ready for Him in eternal matrimony where fear will NEVER be allowed. Peace is a Person. His Name is Jesus. His Name is God the Father. His Name is the Holy Spirit. This song came to me at a time where I was really fighting anxiety. I love how honest David is in the Psalms, yet always giving God the honor, He alone deserves ... “How long oh Lord?! Where are You God - have You forgotten about me? ... (then) - I will trust in Your unfailing love”. Man, there's beautiful tension in that. And in that tension is where the cross comes all the more alive. He alone is able to meet us in the mess and deliver us - either out of the fire or bringing peace smack in the middle of it. When my mind is like a battlefield And my heart is overcome by fear And hope seems like a ship that's lost at sea My enemies on every side And I'm tempted to run and hide Your gentle whisper reaches out to me Peace that holds me when I'm broken Peace that passes understanding When the whole wide world is crashing down I fall to my knees And breathe in Your peace If ever there was a time, we needed the peace of God, it is now. Peace is part of the fruit of His Spirit. Peace is a promise to God's children—the blessed assurance that no matter what fiery trial we are walking through, we can truly rest in the profound TRUTH that we are deeply loved by the Creator of the universe, and He is holding us in His embrace both now and forever! Come Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace. Based on the song Peace by Bethel Music and We The Kingdom. Original post by We The Kingdom is available on YouVersion based on the album Holy Water.

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Peace Be Still Devotional

When we sat down to write the song Peace Be Still, our lives were filled with circumstances that had us feeling fearful. We were all standing face to face with some scary situations. We knew that fear was present in our personal lives, but we also knew that we could choose to declare the promises of God in the midst of our fears, and His presence would flood us with peace that silences every wave of fear, and anxiety or worry. Worship is a weapon to defeat the schemes, lies and voices of the enemy. Worship is a way to stand upon the waves and tell the storm to go to sleep. I can't begin to tell you how many times, I have personally had to sing the lyrics of Peace Be Still over my own life, mind and situations. I have battled fear and anxiety a great deal in different seasons. At times, I have failed to anchor myself in the word of God through scripture or song and the waves of anxiety and fear have overtaken me. The aftermath of those storms have sometimes left damage that took more time and energy to restore than God ever intended. However, when I chose to grab on to the lifeline of God's word, declaring His promises over my life, the storm was silenced, either in me or in the natural. As we started this new decade, all over the world, we are facing a health pandemic that hasn't been seen in over 100 years. People feel confused, scared, uncertain and worried about the future. It feels like a storm of fear and anxiety has hit us pretty hard. Right now, we can choose to get swept up in the waves of fear and worry, doubting that God is for us or we can choose to remain anchored in the presence of God and allow His peace to wash over us and calm the storm inside our hearts and minds. We don't know what the future holds. We don't know how this current world situation will play out in the following weeks and months. What we do know is that our God is our shield, our fortress, our deliverer, our provider, our healer and our strong tower. Psalm 91:1-4 (God's Word Translation)Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High will remain in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” He is the one who will rescue you from the hunter's traps and from deadly plagues. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth (word) is your shield and armor. Worship builds a reservoir of God's truth to draw from when we face difficult moments. I know that every time I choose to worship, it builds my faith in God. It reminds me once again, that my God is greater than any storm and He speaks PEACE OVER ME! My prayer is that during these times of fear and uncertainty you will find refuge in the Almighty, declare His promises, sing His praises and know His Peace that passes all understanding! Hope Darst, has been leading worship, growing her family and serving the local church. She wears many titles…wife, mother, worship leader and songwriter. Peace Be Still was written by Hope Darst, Mia Fields, Andrew Holt, and featured on the Peace Be Still album.

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