Month: May 2020

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭‬‬

We have looked at the subject on peace this month. We have focused mainly on Godly Peace which comes from Jesus Christ. We have also laid out the difference between worldly and godly peace. Then last week, we focused on what Godly Peace can do.

It is kind of a tease to talk about peace and not talk about how to access this kind of peace. Personally, I love practical applications of what I have studied. I can’t stand too much theory, and I want to believe the same goes for you, fellow reader.

With that said, let us dive right into it. From the verses we read, you will see two factors that can lead to us experiencing Godly peace.

1. Prayer– what is that? It is a time set aside to talk to God like a father and friend. He truly exists and He truly does listen when one will practice this art.

“‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jeremiah‬ ‭33:3‬ ‭

This is a promise for all reading. God is all ears and willing to answer if only you will call on Him in prayer by faith. This story is about Jeremiah, a prophet, who was confined in the courtyard of the guard. That was a trying time for him. In the midst of that, he heard God talking to him and said what I just quoted. Pray for peace and believe God wants to give you peace. That act of faith drives away anxiety.

2. Thanksgiving- a grateful heart also releases the peace of God. You will develop an attitude of gratitude the more you will hit your knees in prayer. Apart from receiving peace through the medium of prayer, the other effect is you are filled with gladness and hope which makes you thankful. You suddenly develop a healthy appreciation of things around you. There are some practical steps like remembrance which helps us to be thankful, but there is the other side of forgetfulness which sets in every now and then. A master key to always remaining grateful is through prayer. The more you are thankful, you will experience the peace of God. Thanksgiving puts you in a posture of worship. Someone may ask, what is that? It is the act of thanking God and recognizing Him as your chief source of everything.

With these two keys being practiced, expect and believe to experience the peace of God which is beyond understanding, and can serve as a garrison to your heart and mind.

Why don’t you hold me up on this challenge and practice this for a week, and let me know the outcome. I talk from experience that this really works! I am not just quoting something I read.

Always enjoy reading your comments and feedbacks. Also want to say thank you for supporting the blog through your likes, shares and subscriptions.

Happy Memorial Day to all celebrating on this side of town. Enjoy the meats!

The rest, have a peaceful week.

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love

“and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬

Hello, I trust we all had a restful weekend? Today, we continue on our Peace series. In part I, we realized that true peace comes from Jesus Christ. Last week’s was about peace which is beyond understanding. There is no logic or basis to that.

Today, based on our scripture passage, let us look at peace as a garrison. A careful look at the verse above suggests the underlined word guard has the same etymological meaning as garrison. What is a garrison? It is a fortified town where troops are stationed to fight and protect against enemies. I guess if you have watched any of the war movies, you kinda get a picture, right? Now let us look into what peace guards according to this verse.

1. Peace guards our hearts- our hearts are the seat of our value system, beliefs, priorities and practices. In these times of this devastating pandemic, it is easy for your value system to be out of place. Our priorities and beliefs can come under attack. Peace ensures those things are intact. Peace also fights against the force of bitterness. It is easy to get bitter when you are laid off your job, lost a loved one to this COVID-19, and so much more. We have a right to be angry at this outcome, but NOT bitter. Bitterness is a poisonous emotional reaction if not dealt with, makes us retrogress. It is hard for a heart guarded with peace to be poisoned by bitterness.

2. Peace guards our minds- our minds are the centers of our thought life. As the mind is, so is the man (or woman). Peace ensures that we have a sound mental health. Many minds have been attacked during this crisis. Suicide rate is on a gradual climb as a result. Life has a way of breaking your intelligence into pieces and will leave you having more questions than answers. That is a harsh reality of life- it can be brutal. Peace also help us to apply critical thinking, have a strategy and be innovative in these times. That is the offspring of a sound mind.

Peace is indeed a garrison! From today, see peace as a powerful weapon. We truly need peace in these times to keep our heads above water.

I pray for anyone reading today that may you experience the peace of God- this peace that surpasses understanding and is a garrison.

May we all come out of this dark episode we are currently experiencing with a sane mind and a soft heart.

Please comment, like and share today’s post. I believe someone apart from you needs to read this.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t.

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love

‭

“I give you peace, the kind of peace only I can give. It isn’t like the peace this world can give. So don’t be worried or afraid.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭

Hello, glad to come your way again. I hope you had a great weekend? On my side of town, it was Mother’s Day and I was thankful to God for all the women in my life. It was a quiet one of reflection.

Last week, we ended with this bible verse of Jesus promising to give us peace, and it is not like the peace the world can give. How are different are they? Let us look at some facts on worldly peace and compare it with Godly peace.

1. Worldly peace is attached to a place– the peace the world gives sometimes can be found in certain countries. People have migrated from one country to the other all in the name of peace. Asides that, there are certain places like waterfronts, lakes, parks where people go to sit to have peace of mind. The serene nature of that place has a calming effect. Many years ago, I visited a work colleague’s house who was also a friend. And as he was taking me on a tour of his beautiful home, he was so much in a hurry to show the me most important place. Guess what? He had created a mini aquarium in one of the rooms with just a single chair belonging to him. He told me this is where he has peace and creativity to be productive. I always remember that.

2. Worldly peace is attached to happiness– happiness have to deal with the happenings in your life and around your world. Worldly peace is explainable and has some understanding. In the midst of this pandemic, some companies are not stressed at all because of higher stock shares, higher profit margins and of course low turnover rate. Some companies like Amazon, Netflix and Zoom have emerged as the biggest winners in this season. They are at peace because of the happenings around them. It is impossible to have peace when you are unhappy.

3. Worldly peace and emotions are linked– we all hear this expression from time to time, “I feel at peace”. Emotions play a major role in how peaceful we feel. That is why for some people, music has a great calming effect because it appeals to your emotions. Worldly peace sometimes demands our feelings as evidence that we are truly at peace.

Now, the peace Jesus was talking about is independent of the aforementioned factors. It is a peace that passes understanding. It is illogical.

“And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding…” Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭

With Godly peace, parks, pools, aquaria may be closed to the public in this season, but you have an inner serenity and calm confidence that it is going to turn out well for the greater good when all is said and done.

Let me close with this illustration from a Bible story:

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Mark‬ ‭4:35-39‬ ‭

This is the perfect picture of Godly peace. Jesus was asleep on the boat whilst there was a great windstorm. When he awoke to the cry of his friends, he spoke peace to the stormy situation. You don’t have to wait for “all your ducks to be in a row” to experience this peace. Maybe, you are scared and very uncertain about how this year will turn out to be and what impact this pandemic will have on this world. You are the one I am talking to through this blog: Jesus wants to give you peace that is beyond understanding. Having this peace doesn’t mean you are aloof or blind to the cold, hard facts, rather a calm disposition in the face of adversity which makes you fearless to bring a solution to the problem.

Let us pray: “Father we receive this peace which you promised us. There is no better time than now to receive it. I pray that the minds and hearts of my readers be stabilized. We hope against hope, because we choose to believe in YOU. Amen”

Please comment, like, share and subscribe to this blog. Let us stay safe and follow the CDC and WHO precautions during this time.

Stress less!

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love

“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.” John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‬‬

This is a promise we can all take to the bank! It is an expensive commodity or virtue needed certainly in these times we are in- the COVID-19 pandemic. Glad to come your way again as we look at today’s subject on peace.

What is it? A friend (Gifty) defined this to me many years ago in our conversation and it has really stayed with me, so I will use her definition for today: “…calmness in the midst of adversity”. The peace most of us know is different from this definition. Most of us will have this picture of perfect rest and everything around us at ease. That is true, but in this fast and changing world we are in, that is becoming more of a mirage.

When we look at this Bible passage, Jesus talked about two fields: “in him” and “in the world“. He talks about what each of the fields generate. The former produces peace; the latter, trouble. We are currently in trouble now as I write, because we are trying to wrap our heads around this pandemic which has altered our lives in a major fashion. Some are looking for ways best to navigate through this uncharted waters we are in. The devastating effects are too tall to list like the global economic meltdown, for example, China’s economy has shrank for the first time in a quarter of a century. Countries known with the most resilient economies are really quaking in their boots now- the G10 (the world’s eleven most industrialized countries) currently have no answers.

The death toll has really been something to write home about- too much depression, sadness and heaviness I see around. The world is in trouble. That is the product of the world indeed- we will be solving crisis after crisis until we die. Do you think when this pandemic is over, that will be the end of all problems? I really don’t think so.

That is why our definition of peace as picture perfect and all at ease needs to change. Jesus didn’t just talk about this peace which is “calmness in the midst of adversity”. He also wants to give us this peace, so that when we watch, listen to and read this week’s news; we will still be calm regardless. If your peace is not attacked, you will be confident and have a different outlook. A confident outlook will keep us afloat.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“This peace” is not hard to find, don’t search too far. Jesus wants to give you this peace. It is not what the world gives. How different are they?

Make a date with me next week on that!

My favorite part is always reading your comments. Will love to receive your feedback as usual. Thank you for supporting this blog and if you are new here, please comment, share and like. Don’t forget to subscribe as well.

Please kindly follow the CDC guidelines and stay safe!

Till I come your way again…

Peace & Love