суббота, 6 апреля 2013 г.

21 Ways to finding Peace and Happiness

HER BOOKS BY JOYCE MEYEh


The Everyday Life BiblT
Woman to WomaJ
The Confident WomaJ
Look Great, Feel GreaQ
Battlefield of the MindX
Battlefield of the Mind Devotionaf
Approval AddictioJ
Ending Your Day RighQ
In Pursuit of PeacT
The Secret Power of Speaking God’s Worb
Seven Things That Steal Your Jo[
Starting Your Day RighQ
Beauty for Ashes Revised EditioJ
How to Hear from GodX
Knowing God Intimatel[
The Power of ForgivenesO
The Power of DeterminatioJ
The Power of Being PositivT
The Secrets of Spiritual PoweN
The Battle Belongs to the Lorb
Secrets to Exceptional Livinh
Eight Ways to Keep the Devil Under Your FeeQ
Teenagers Are People TooQ
Filled with the SpiriQ
Celebration of Simplicit[
The Joy of Believing PrayeN
Never Lose HearQ
Being the Person God Made You to BT
A Leader in the Makinh
“Good Morning, This Is God!W
Jesus—Name Above All NameO
Making Marriage WorV


(Previously published as Help Me—I’m Married!.
Reduce Me to LovT
Be Healed in Jesus’ NamT
How to Succeed at Being YourselS
Weary Warriors, Fainting SaintO
Be Anxious for NothingX
Straight Talk OmnibuO
Don’t Dreab
Managing Your EmotionO
Healing the Brokenhearteb
Me and My Big Mouth!X
Prepare to ProspeN



Do It AfraidQ
Expect a Move of God in Your Life . . . SuddenlyQ


Enjoying Where You Are on the Way to Where You Are Goinh


The Most Important Decision You Will Ever MakT


When, God, Whenk
Why, God, Whyk
The Word, the Name, the Bloob
Tell Them I Love Thed
PeacT
The Root of RejectioJ
If Not for the Grace of GodX
If you purchase this book without a cover you should be aware that this book may have been stolen property and reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher. In such case neitheP


the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.a
Copyright © 2004 by Joyce MeyeP
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, oP
stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisherb


Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken fromK
HE AMPLIFIED BIBLE (AMP).K
HE AMPLIFIED BIBLE, OLDK
E
AME‹
, copyright © 1965, 1987 byK
he Zonderva_
Corporation.K
HE AMPLIFIED NEWK
E
AME‹
, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 byK
he Lockman Foundation. Used by permissionb
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the KING JAMES VERSION of the Bibleb


Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken fromK
HE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 byK
homas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reservedb
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW I‹
ERN.
IONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used bL
permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reservedb


Scripture quotations markedK
are taken fromK
HE LIVING BIBLE © 1971. Used by permission ofK
yndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reservedb


LB

Faith WordT
Hachette Book Group US.
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 1001


Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.co^
Originally published in hardcover by Warner Faith as In Pursuit of Peace: 21 Ways to Conquer Anxiety, Fear, and Discontentmentb
First eBook Edition: May 200


he Faith Words name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group USAb
ISBN: 978-0-446-19541-



CO‹
E‹


Introductio_


Part I
BE .
PEACE WI
H GO.


Peacekeeper #1:K
rust the Lord of PeacU
Peacekeeper #2: Make PeaceK
hrough a Surrendered Wil\
Peacekeeper #3: Know Your EnemL
Peacekeeper #4: Don’t Worry About the FuturU
Peacekeeper #5: Don’t Be Double-Minde]
Peacekeeper #6: Stay Supernaturally Relaxe]
Peacekeeper #7: Avoid Strife to Maintain Peace with Go]


Part II
BE .
PEACE WI
H YOURSEL.


Peacekeeper #8: Stop Rushind
Peacekeeper #9: Accept YourselJ
Peacekeeper #10: Focus on Your Unique StrengthT
Peacekeeper #11: Keep Your Priorities in OrdeP
Peacekeeper #12: Protect Your HealtR
Peacekeeper #13: Avoid Financial PressurU
Peacekeeper #14: Keep YourK
houghts Above Life’s StormT


Part k
BE .
PEACE WI
H .
HER


Peacekeeper #15: Esteem Others as Higher than YourselJ
Peacekeeper #16: Adapt Yourself to the Needs of OtherT
Peacekeeper #17: Beware of IdleK
alY
Peacekeeper #18: Establish Boundaries with PeoplU
Peacekeeper #19: Let Go of OffenseT
Peacekeeper #20: Maintain a Quiet Inner LifU
Peacekeeper #21: Aggressively Pursue PeacU
About the AuthoP
.
HER BOOKS BY JOYCE MEYEh



I‹
RODUc
IO‹


he first forty years of my life, I lived without the blessing and benefit of peace; therefore, I can say from experience, life without peace iT
miserable. One cannot enjoy life without first having peace. Without it, we live in turmoil—always worried, anxious, and upset about somethingb


I came to a point in my life of being so hungry for peace that I was willing to make whatever changes were necessary in order to have it. As S
result of that decision and the investment I made during the following years, I now enjoy a life of peace that often passes understanding. In otheP
words, I enjoy peace during the storms of life, not just when the storms don’t exist. I am not saying that I have arrived at a state of perfection in mL
pursuit of peace, but I have made a lot of progress. As the apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:12, I have not arrived but I press onb


here were times in my life when I could be peaceful if everything was going my way, but since that seldom occurred, I rarely had peace. Now I
have learned to change what I can change, accept what I cannot change, and regularly seek wisdom to know the difference. What I can do, I do witR
God’s help; what I cannot do I turn over to Him so He can work.K
his leaves me free to enjoy my lifeb


A life of frustration and struggle, a life without peace, is the result of trying to do something about something you cannot do anything about.K
hU
apostle Paul said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to GodM
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV)b


Once we realize we are struggling with something and feel upset, we need to start praying and immediately turn the situation over to God. YoN
and I are not called to a life of frustration and struggle. Jesus came so we could have righteousness, peace, and joy (see Romans 14:17). He said
`
he thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till iV
overflows)” (John 10:10).K
he Word teaches us to “search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts.
and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]” (1 PeteP
3:11, italics mine)b


Simply desiring peaceful relations is not enough. We’re to pursue peace with God, peace with ourselves, and peace with our fellow man. In thiT
book, I will share with you many things within these three areas of relationships that needed to change in order for me to enjoy peaceb


If you sincerely want a life of peace, you will need to be willing to change too. Peace does not just come; we have to pursue, crave, and go after itb
Walking in peace must be a priority, or we will not make the effort needed to see it happen. I spent years praying for God to give me peace an]
finally realized He had already provided peace, but I had to appropriate itb


Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do noV
let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to bU
fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]” We will refer often to this verse throughout this studyb
We can see that Jesus has already provided peace, so now we must take action and stop responding to unpleasant things by being upsetb
Being upset certainly does not change anything, but it does make us—as well as the people around us—miserableb


Jesus made the statement recorded in John 14:27 after His death and resurrection and prior to His ascension into heaven.K
here were manL
things He could have taught His disciples, but He chose to talk about peace.K
his fact alone reminds me of how important peace is. What a tragedL
it would be if we spent our lives without peace when it was available all the timeb
Some people don’t have peace with God because they are not born again and need to trust Jesus Christ to be their Savior. But some, eve_
Christians, still lack peace because they have not responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit simply to do what is right.K
hey don’t have peacU
because they are living in disobedience or they have built up a bad habit of worrying over the years. And some people don’t have peace becausU
they are mad at God. Perhaps they prayed for something and it didn’t happen. Perhaps somebody else got what they wanted. Perhaps somebodL
they loved died, and they don’t understand why, or they were praying for a healing and didn’t get itb


here are many, many reasons why people don’t trust God, but in order to enjoy peace, we must learn to trust Him in all things. We must trust thaV
God is totally and completely just, which means He always makes wrong things right if we continue to lean on Him.K
he Bible says we know “i_
part.” I believe God has an individual plan for everyone. God is perfect; He never does anything wrong. We don’t know everything, and we’re noV
ever going to know everything. Sometimes we make ourselves unhappy because we don’t trust enoughb


We always want God to change our circumstance, but He’s more interested in changing us than He is our situation. A lot of people have faith tM
ask God for deliverance from something, but they don’t have enough faith to take them through anythingb


Job said, “Even though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (see Job 13:15). If we’re asking God for something and don’t get it, then we have tM
believe God knows more than we do. We need to trust God beyond what we see and beyond what we know. We cannot have peace without thaV
trust in Godb
We tend to think that the persons with the greatest faith are the ones who get the miracles. I’m not really sure about that, myself. We make sM
much out of miracles when they happen. We think, Oh, what great faith they have! They got a miracle. But I think the ones with the greater faith arU
the ones who keep their peace even when they don’t get the miracles they wanted. I think the greater faith is in those who have to walk it out an]
decide to love God anyway.K
he people who don’t get everything they’re asking for, and who might not understand why, but yet continue to love an]
praise God, are truly trusting God.K
hey stay in church, give their tithes and offerings, and stay full of peace.K
hat is remarkable faith, in my opinionb


homas wanted proof that Jesus really had risen from the dead. He said he would not believe unless he could see in Jesus’ hands the markT
made by the nails and actually put his fingers into the nail prints and put his hand into Jesus’ side. Jesus allowedK
homas to do so but told him thaV
those who believed without having to see were blessed and happy and to be envied (see John 20:24–29)b


We all would enjoy a miracle breakthrough every time we had a need, but we should have enough faith to stay the course if God chooses to takU
us on the long, hard routeb



If you are ready to do whatever you need to do to enjoy a life of peace, this book is for you. I cannot promise that all your unpleasanV
circumstances will change, but I sincerely believe you can have and enjoy peace no matter what your circumstances are if you are willing to lear_
how to respond to people and situations the way Jesus didb


I pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten you and grant you revelation as you press toward a life of peace.K
he book includes twenty-one ways yoN
can do this. Even after you have completed the book, I suggest you read it often to remind yourself of the principles of peace. If you find you arU
slipping back into old ways (something we all do at times), go back over the principles and see where you have begun to backslide. I pray this wil\
be one of those books you can use the rest of your life to help you maintain peace, which I believe is one of the most important benefits an]
blessings that God has given usb



Part I


BE .
PEAC.
WI
H GO.


Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact thaQ
we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)g


O
HE APO
LE PAUL, Romans 5:Y



Peacekeeper #


RU
K
HE LORD OF PEAC.


God wants us to enjoy life and see good days. In fact, God’s Word tells us to search for peace, and seek it eagerly (see 1 Peter 3:11). We are noV
to merely desire peaceful relations with God, with our fellow men, and with ourselves, but we are to pursue and go after peaceful relationshipsT


he first way to find peace is in learning to trust God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We cannot havU
peace with God, others, or ourselves without His lordship in our lives.K
he Bible says that Jesus is our wisdom from God (see 1 Corinthians 1:30)b
His Word teaches us how to live properly. He doesn’t just give us wisdom—He is our wisdom.K
hrough trusting the Prince of Peace and having S
personal relationship with Him, we actually have indwelling wisdom from the Lord’s presence in usb


If we would get still long enough to let that wisdom rise and minister to our minds, we wouldn’t do so many foolish things.K
oo many times, wU
react through our emotions and we don’t pay any attention to the wisdom in our hearts. We tend to make decisions according to our thoughts ratheP
than living by discernment and according to what the Holy Spirit is placing in our hearts. Consequently, we get ourselves in troubleb


I believe that Jesus is everything we need in any situation. He is sufficient to meet the need for every circumstance that we will ever face. So, wU
certainly must learn how to go to Jesus for much more than just salvation or a ticket into heaven. We need to take Him as our everything in life
including as our Prince of Peaceb


JESUS GOVERNS OUR LIVE
Isaiah 9:6–7 says, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be calle]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shalf
be no end” (italics mine)b


he government that is upon the shoulders of Jesus is not a political government; the verse is referring to the governing of our lives. We are noV
supposed to be running our own lives. In fact, we are not capable or qualified to run our own lives. Not one of us is intelligent enough to know what iT
best.K
hat is why we should be thankful for God’s interferenceb


I like the promise that there will be no end to the increase of His government and peace.K
he more His government increases in my life (the morU
He governs my life, my thoughts, my conversations, my decisions, and my actions), the more peace I am going to haveb


Peace doesn’t come from success and money and promotions and feeling good about everything in life. We find peace in the kingdom of God
which is righteousness, peace, and joy within us. Being right with God, knowing we are right with God, and doing the right thing out of knowing whM
we are in Christ is a process, but it leads us to peace, and peace leads us to joyb


And if we don’t have righteousness, peace, and joy, then we are not enjoying the kingdom of God as we should. Sometimes we may need to takU
a vacation from all the other things we look for and instead seek the kingdom. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek (aim at and strive after) first of all HiT
kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides” (italicT
mine)b


We work and struggle and strive at “all these things,” such as food and clothing and position in society. But what we should be doing is searchind
out God’s kingdom; we should seek Jesus and His government in our lives. Colossians 1:10 says, `
hat you may walk (live and conduct yourselves.
in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things.a


BE A DISCIPLE OF JESU


Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34 NIV). If we want to have peace
we have to stop following other voices; we must be God pleasers, not man pleasers, and we must choose to follow Jesus on a daily basisb
For many years, I was in a church that gave me a great foundation about salvation, but I never learned much past that. I had many problems in mL
life, but I wasn’t getting any victory over any of them. I certainly didn’t know how to pursue or go after peace. Satan distracted me by getting mU
involved with many activities that did not produce good fruit in my lifeb


I was not taught to study God’s Word myself, and because I didn’t know the Word of God, I wasn’t aware of the many deceptions that can grosslL
mislead people. For example, before I was in ministry I worked at an office where a coworker studied astrology. At the time, the things she talke]
about seemed to make sense (because I had no knowledge of God’s Word on this subject). She believed the position of the planets and starT
directed her life. She said there were even optimum times to get a haircut to have the best resultsb


oday, advice is easy to obtain from psychics, tarot card readers, sorcerers, and people skilled in divination who would like to run people’s livesb


hey may give information that seems to make sense, but it will not produce lasting peace in a person’s life. As I look back at those early years oJ
being a believer, I am sad to say that nobody in my church told me not to follow these voices of deception. No one warned me that the Bible clearlL
says those who practice these types of things will not enter the kingdom of heaven (see Revelation 21:8). We are to follow God, not psychics
astrologers, mediums, tarot card readers, or any such thing. God’s Word actually says that these things are an abomination to Him.K
o enjoL
peace, we must be led by the Lord of Peaceb


o be a disciple of Jesus means to study His teaching, imitate His life, and correctly analyze the Word ofK
ruth (see 2K
imothy 2:15). We will havU
God’s power to live our lives well if we devote our attention to God’s Word and allow Jesus to transform us by following the peace that He alone ca_



giveb


Peace is our inheritance from Jesus, but we have to choose to follow Him daily. Colossians 3:15 teaches us that peace is to be the “umpire” i_
our lives, settling every issue that needs a decision.K
o gain and maintain peace in our hearts, we may have to learn to say no to a few thingsb


For example, if we don’t feel peace about something, we should never go ahead and do it. And if we don’t have peace while we are doind
something, then we shouldn’t expect to have peace after we have done it. Many people marry others they didn’t have peace about marrying, an]
then they wonder why they don’t have peace in their marriages. Many people buy expensive items they didn’t have peace about buying, the_
continue to lose their peace every month when they have to make payments on themb


I want to repeat the text I used previously because it is vital to living life well. Colossians 3:15 says to let the peace from Christ “rule (act aT
umpire continually)” in our hearts.K
he presence of peace helps us decide and settle with finality all questions that arise in our minds. If you let thU
Word have its home in your heart and mind, it will give you insight and intelligence and wisdom (see v. 16). You won’t have to wonder, Should I oN
shouldn’t I? I don’t know if it’s right. I don’t know what to do. If you are a disciple of Christ, He has called you to follow peaceb


Dave, my husband, and I were trying to make a decision on a large purchase we needed to make. We called some of our board members fro^
the ministry and presented the need to them, asking, “What do you think?a
hey all gave their opinions, but as I listened to them I knew suddenly that I didn’t have peace about going forward with the plan. We have learne]
by experience to wait if we don’t have peace for something. Everyone agreed to wait on God to give us all peace before we proceededb


I was out shopping recently and went into a children’s clothing store. It was one I had not been in for perhaps a year or more. I saw some itemT
that I thought would be perfect for two of my granddaughters.K
hey were little pink shirts with rhinestone hearts on them. It was Valentine’s Day and I
wanted to give them something, so I called my daughter to check on their clothing sizes before making my purchaseb


She said, “I cannot believe this! I was in that shop last night, looking at those exact shirts, but I didn’t have peace about spending any money. I
really wanted to buy them for the girls but felt I needed to honor God by not doing something I did not have peace about.”K
hen she said, “Mom, I
believe God is blessing me because I obeyed Him.” She was very excitedb


Letting her girls receive the shirts as a gift was much more fun than purchasing them. Had she disobeyed what she felt in her heart and done whaV
she did not have peace about, she probably would have been uncomfortable in her spirit, perhaps even miserable. We both got to be part of S
miracle because she chose to follow peaceT


Following the Lord of peace may mean that you have to make some adjustments in your life. You may not be able to do everything your friendT
do. You may not be able to buy everything you wantb


You may not be able to have something just because a friend, or a sister or a brother, has one. You may have to wait. But I believe that peace iT
the most important, the most valuable thing we can have. If we follow peace, we will end up living holy lives and thoroughly enjoying themb


Many people cannot hear from God because they have too much turmoil in their lives.K
heir insides are like a freeway during rush-hour trafficb
hey literally don’t know how to be peaceful; it is as if they are addicted to turmoil.K
hey keep things agitated and stirred up, seemingly on purposeb
In fact, they get comfortable living in a state of chaos. It has become their normal state, even though in God’s economy it is not normal at allb
It sounds strange, but when I started learning to be peaceful, I was bored at first! I was so accustomed to having something major going on in mL
life all the time that I wondered, What am I supposed to do with myself? Romans 3:17 says, “And they have no experience of the way of peacU
[they know nothing about peace, for a peaceful way they do not even recognize].a


hat describes how my life used to be. I had no experience at all in enjoying a peaceful life; I did not even know how to begin. I had grown up in a_
atmosphere of strife, and it was all I ever knew. I had to learn an entirely new way of livingb


But now I’m addicted to peace. As soon as my peace disappears, I ask myself how I lost it and start looking for ways to get it back. I am believind
that as you read this book you will become so hungry for peace with God, peace with yourself, and peace with others that you will be willing to makU
whatever adjustments you need to make in order to have it. I am also believing that you will begin to follow peace at all times, because peace wil\
lead you into the perfect will of Godb


Jesus said that if we follow Him, He will give us peace (free of charge). In fact, He said He will bequeath His own peace to us (see John 14:27)b
HE GOSPEL OF JESUS BRINGS PEAC.


I want to see people love God’s Word and put it first place in their lives. I believe there is an anointing on the Word; it has inherent power that makeT
positive changes in us.K
he Word of God is truth, and John 8:32 says, “And you will know theK
ruth, and theK
ruth will set you free.”K
ruth sets us freU
from turmoil and leads us into a life of peace when we follow itb


he gospel of salvation through Jesus makes peace available to us in all areas of our lives. First Corinthians 1:21 says that when people faile]
to find God through earthly wisdom or by means of their own philosophy, God saved people through the preaching of salvation “procured by Christ.a
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible says the Greek word translated as “save” in that verse is sozo, which means God “delivers
protects, heals, preserves, saves and makes whole” those who believe, trust in, and rely on Himb


We will experience peace in our personal lives when we stop trying to do so many things ourselves and just rely on God to deliver, protect, heal
and save us, as He wants to dob


And God will also lead us to peace in our relationships. Ephesians 2:14 is an awesome Scripture that says, “For He is [Himself] our peace (ouP
bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividind
wall between us.” Where there is no unity, no harmony, God Himself will break down and abolish the walls that divide people. He has broken dow_
walls between so-called classes of people. He makes equal those who have higher education and those without any education at all. SomebodL
with a lot of money is no better to Him than somebody without money.K
he preacher is no better than the person who cleans the toiletsb


he Lord loves each of us unconditionally.K
he hand of God uniquely created and personally designed each of us.K
hat doesn’t mean that wU
don’t need some sandpaper to smooth our rough edges or polishing to make us shine. We all need to change and grow, but we can still be aV
peace about who we are without comparing ourselves with somebody else. We can stop thinking we are flawed because we are not like anyonU
else we know. We must have peace with ourselves before we can have peace with othersb


I believe God wants you to have peace about where you are in your spiritual growth and to realize that you won’t always stay the way you areb
Anyone seeking God regularly is always changing, but we can enjoy where we are on the way to where we are goingb


In the next chapter, I will share more about how we can surrender our will to God’s leading. He doesn’t want us to wait to have peace until we havU
all the things that we may want and desire or think are necessary to our lives. He doesn’t want us to be jealous or envious of those who have thU



things we want and don’t have, or those who can do what we can’t do. He wants to prove to us that He is our peaceb


God has an individualized, customized plan for your life. As you trust Him, He will bring it to pass in His timing, not yours. Waiting on God’s pla_
and timing is wise because His ways are always best. He is the Lord of peace, and as you surrender your heart and life to Him, you will experiencU
the peace that passes understandingb



Peacekeeper #f


MAKE PEACEK
HROUGH A SURRENDERED WIL.
he apostle Peter challenged believers to find “every kind of peace and blessing, especially peace with God, and freedom from fears, agitatind
passions, and moral conflicts” (1 Peter 5:14). Surrendering our wills in order to maintain agreement with God is the foundation for all peace in ouP
lives. God has a good plan for each of us, but when we go against His will by pursuing our own wills, we experience turmoil rather than peace. Go]
is the source of all peace, and it stands to reason that He will not release peace to us unless we are following His ways and not our own. Go]
desires for us to live free from fears and agitating passions, and He does not want us to be in bondage to immorality of any kindb


he Bible teaches that God will lead us by the presence of peace. Again, peace is the umpire in our lives that lets us know if we are in God’s wil\
or out of it. Ask yourself the following question, and be honest with your answer: Are you walking in God’s known will to the best of your ability, or arU
there areas in your life in which you know you are not obeying Gody


You will not experience peace if God is pulling in one direction and you are pulling in another; you will feel as if you are being torn apart. God wil\
not force us to do what is right. He shows us what to do but leaves the choice to us. If we make right choices, we will reap good results that we ca_
be happy with; if we make wrong choices, all we have is regret. Many individuals want their lives to change, but they don’t want to do what God iT
showing them to do. If we are really serious about having change, we must follow God, no matter how difficult it isb


Carnality and God do not mix well together. We are called to walk in the Spirit, to be guided and willingly controlled by the Holy Spirit, who wil\
lead us to make choices that make and maintain perfect peaceb


We read in the book of Jonah how God told him to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the people there. But Jonah did not want to, so hU
went toK
arshish, which, according to geography, is the exact opposite direction from Nineveh. Running from God does not help us to be at peacU
with Himb


What happens when we go in the opposite direction from where God has directed us? What happened to Jonah? When he boarded a ship an]
headed in his own direction, a storm arose. Many of the storms we face in life are the results of our own stubbornness, and nothing else. We may trL
to blame them on other things and people, but the truth is that in many instances, we have been disobedient to the voice and leadership of Godb


he violent storm that came upon Jonah frightened the men on the ship, and they knew if something did not change, they would all die.K
hey casV
lots to see who was causing the trouble, and the lot fell on Jonah.K
hey asked Jonah what he had done that made God so angry. He knew he ha]
disobeyed God, so he told the men to throw him overboard in order to deliver them from danger.K
hey did as he requested; the storm stopped, an]
a great fish swallowed Jonah. From the fish’s belly (not a pleasant place), he cried out to God for deliverance and repented of his stubborn waysb


he fish vomited Jonah upon the dry land and in chapter 3, verse 1, we see that the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, and it was nM
different from the first time: God told him to go to Nineveh and preach to the people thereb


No matter how long we avoid God’s instruction, it is still there for us to deal with when we stop running. God’s will makes us uncomfortable only aT
long as we are not pursuing it. In other words, we always know when something is just not right in our lives. Eventually we see that being in God’T
will, not out of His will, is what brings peace and joy to us. We have to surrender our own wills, because walking in our self-centered ways is whaV
keeps us unhappyb


Running from difficult things never works long term. I know a woman who ran from everything in life that was difficult. She ignored things shU
needed to deal with, including abuse in her home. She lived in fear and actually had a very miserable life. She ultimately carried so much turmoi\
she had a complete mental and emotional breakdown, and she has never totally recovered. Pretending that her problems did not exist did noV
make them go away.K
hey were there, pressuring her, all the time. God was trying to lead her to deal with her conflicts, but she would not trust Hi^
enough to do sob


God never leads us anywhere that He cannot keep us. If God is leading you to deal with some unpleasant situation in your life, don’t run from itb
He promises to be with you at all times and never to leave you, or forsake youb


Surrender can be frightening when we first begin to practice it because we don’t know what the outcome will be if we yield ourselves to God’T
will. However, once we have surrendered, and we begin to experience the peace that passes understanding, we learn quickly that God’s way iT
better than any plan we could ever deviseb


Not knowing exactly what will happen in the future, but trusting God to take care of us and enjoying peace, is far, far better than erroneouslL
thinking we have life all figured out while continuing to live in fear and anxiety.K
o enjoy peace with God, we must become comfortable with noV
knowing what the future holds.K
here is no such thing as trust without unanswered questions. If God is leading you to do something difficult, jusV
begin to take baby steps of faith, and after each one He will show you what to do next. We don’t have to have an entire blueprint for the future; wU
don’t need to have all the answers. All we need is to know the One who knows, and that is Jesus Himselfb


We must realize that we are not nearly as smart as we think we are. God’s Word advises us not to be conceited in our own wisdom and not tM
think more highly of ourselves than we ought. God has the answers; we don’t. We need to seek Him, and He will lead usb


Proverbs 3:5–7 are some of my favorite Scriptures, and ones I have to return to frequently.K
hey say, “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in thU
Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, an]
He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes.” Notice we are told to “be not wise in [our] own eyes.”K
o mU
that simply means we should not even think that we are smart enough to run our own lives. We need an attitude of humility that helps us lean on Go]
for everything. An independent, I’ll-do-it-myself attitude and dependence on God can’t coexistb


Reasoning, struggling, and trying to figure out everything in life will steal our peace. God says to trust Him with all of our hearts and minds. I use]
to say I trusted God, yet I worried; therefore I did not truly trust Him. As I learned to keep my “ways” before God for alteration according to His will



He started guiding the events of my life, and the quality of it improved greatlyb


GOD LEADS US BY PEAC.


One of the major ways we hear from God is through peace. As I mentioned before, peace is our umpire in life. “And let the peace (soul harmonL
which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, i_
that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]” (Colossians 3:15)b


We are to follow peace. If our decisions and actions produce peace, we know God approves and we are safe in going ahead. If we don’t havU
peace, we need to stop or at least wait. What we are doing or considering may be wrong, or the timing may be wrongb


People do so many things they don’t have peace about, and then they wonder why they have big messes in their lives. If we follow His Word, Go]
has promised us that we will enjoy blessed and peaceful lives. He also warns us that we will be miserable and live in turmoil if we follow our own wil\
and walk in our own ways (see Deuteronomy 28:15-33)b


I hear people say things like this all the timel


• “I know I shouldn’t do this, but—a


• “I know I shouldn’t buy this, but—a


• “I probably shouldn’t say this, but—a


What they are saying is, “I know this is wrong, but I am going to do it anyway.”K
hey have a check in their spirits, a little bit of an uncomfortablU
feeling deep inside, a “knowing” that the action they are taking is not right or good for them, but they won’t surrender their wills to God’s leadingb


We have to learn to release our plans when we don’t have peace and wait to find God’s good plan for our lives. When we sense we are losind
our peace, we should know that it means danger to press on the way we are going. We really need to have a healthy fear of not following peaceb
We should respect what God says in His Word about peace being the umpire in our lives, and let peace make final decisions for usb


Over the years, I have learned many things, but one of the most significant is the importance of walking in peace and staying in the rest of God. IV
is God’s will for us to live free of upset and frustration. He wants us to enjoy our lives, and we cannot do that if we don’t have peaceb


Do you enjoy a peaceful atmosphere most of the time? Do you keep your peace during the storms of life? Are you at peace with God?K
hese arU
important questions. We need to take a “peace inventory,” checking every area of our lives to see if we need to make adjustments anywhere. JesuT
said, “My peace I’ve given unto you.” If He gave us His peace, He wants us to walk in it and enjoy itb


We must resist the devil at his onset.K
he minute we sense that we are losing our peace, we need to make a decision to calm down. Eve_
allowing ourselves to become upset places us out of God’s will.K
o establish it in our hearts, let’s look again at what Jesus saidl


Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts bU
troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful anb
intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.] (John 14:27, italics mine.


We can see plainly from this Scripture that Jesus has provided the peace, but we must appropriate it, not letting our hearts be troubled or afraidb
We cannot just passively wait to feel peaceful. We are to pursue peace and refuse to live without it. As Jesus said, “Stop allowing yourselves to bU
upset.a


In 1 Peter 3:10–11, the Bible teaches us that if we want to enjoy life and see good days, we should keep our tongues free from evil, we should dM
right and search for peace and harmony with God, with ourselves, and with our fellow man.K
hese Scriptures have had a major impact on my ow_
life, and I pray they will impact yours.K
hey are core principles to enjoying peace in our livesb


What is life worth if we are at war in our relationship with God, people, and ourselves? Not much of anything, as far as I am concerned. As I
mentioned, peace with God is the foundation for all peace in our lives. How can we be at peace with ourselves if we are not at peace with God, an]
how can we enjoy peace with other people if we don’t have peace with ourselvesy


here may be personal issues you need to settle with God before you can enjoy peace. God may have been dealing with you about certain thingT
for a long, long time which you have been ignoring. Remember, ignoring God’s will does not change it. You can go around the same mountainT
again and again, pass through storms, or find yourself in uncomfortable places the way Jonah did, but when all is said and done, God’s will is stil\
the sameb


Do you sense a tug-of-war inside yourself about some issues in your life? If so, I encourage you to not spend one more day in turmoil. Face thU
issue, and give God the right of way. In other words, lay your ways down and adopt His ways. Make a decision to stop running and deal with anL
issues God may be placing before you. Are you doing something that is bothering your conscience? If so, that is God letting you know He is noV
pleased with that action or decision. Your conscience is actually intended to be your friend; it is a great blessing in life. It will keep you out of troublU
if you learn to respect and listen to itb


When God has His will for our lives and we have other wills, life gets hard and uncomfortable. But we can have and enjoy peace by surrenderind
our wills to God’s. God will not surrender to us; He is waiting for our surrenderb


R.
H LEADS USK
O PEAC.


We gain peace with God through facing the truth about the changes He is asking us to make. God never asks us to do something without giving uT
the ability to do it.K
ruth is not easy to face, but it is the avenue to peace. When we hide from, avoid, and evade God, we are usually running fro^
His will for usb


A man once told me he had run from God’s truth for so long he had finally run past himself. He meant that he had totally lost himself and anL
understanding of what God wanted for him. He was confused and miserable. He felt like a total failure, as if he had completely wasted his life. HU
was depressed, discouraged, and without vision for his futureb


I don’t think I have ever seen anyone who was more unhappy and pitiful than he was. Why? Because he had spent his life doing what he wante]
to do, what he felt like doing, rather than walking in God’s plan for him. He was reaping what he had sown, just as we all ultimately dob



I thank God for the ability to turn around and go in the right direction.K
hat is actually what true repentance is. It is not just a feeling of being sorry
but also a decision to go in the right direction from now on. We get into trouble through making a series of wrong decisions, and we will get our liveT
straightened out by a series of right decisions. It took more than a day to get into trouble, and it will take more than a day to get out. Anyone who iT
ready and willing to make a real investment of time and right choices can see his or her life turn around for the better. God’s mercy is new everL
day. He is waiting to give you mercy, grace, favor, and help; all you have to do is say yes to whatever God is requiringb


he miserable man I referred to did what was right for about two years, and his life really began to change. He had every opportunity to have S
great life, but he did not “keep on keeping on.” He eventually went back to his old waysb


Recently I talked with a Christian sister who was very depressed and felt as if she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. As we talked, I
discovered she had spent years not making right decisions and then found herself overwhelmed with the outcome of her own poor choices. ShU
had not raised her children in church, and she said they were out of control and impossible for her to manage. She had been very difficult to geV
along with, and the result had been the loss of several friendships and family relationships. She certainly had serious problems, and I did not havU
an easy answer for herb


She wanted me to tell her what to do, so I seriously pondered before the Lord what I should suggest. All I could tell her was that she needed tM
start making right decisions, and eventually they would overtake the crop she was now reaping from her previous bad decisions. People usuallL
want to overcome a lifetime of bad choices in a short period of time without much effort on their parts, or they want other people to deliver the^
from the messes into which they have gotten themselvesb


I sincerely felt compassion for her, yet I also realized she had been a Christian for over twenty-five years and had spent much time (at least in thU
early years of her walk with God) studying God’s Word and ways. I felt she knew better than to behave the way she had. When we lack knowledge
we often experience a “special grace” in our lives from God. However, once we have knowledge of God’s Word, we become responsible to apply iV
to our lives, and I personally believe we reap what we sow much quicker as knowledgeable persons than as ignorant onesb


God wanted to work with this sister and help her. He would give her mercy and grace and another chance, but there really was no easy answeP
like the one she appeared to be seeking. We cannot do right a few times—we must continue on. Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are yU
my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (see John 8:31–32 KJV)b


Both the brother and the sister I have mentioned gained help in their lives through applying God’s principles, but they did not maintain.K
hey di]
not continue in the truth they had learned. Galatians 5:1 teaches us to stand fast in the liberties we have; that means to gain and maintain. It haT
helped me to realize that I will need to stand fast for the rest of my lifeb


We cannot get lazy and start letting things slip. Each time God convicts us of wrong behavior, we need to listen to Him. Anytime we lose ouP
peace even slightly, we need to stop and find out what is wrong.K
hat loss of peace is God letting us know something is not going the way He wantT
it to gob


We gain a right relationship with God through complete surrender to Him, and through repentance of all of our sins. We maintain it througR
continued right living: making right choices, honoring our consciences, and following peace. Being a successful Christian is a full-time job; we musV
be on guard all the time against the deceptions of Satanb


Just going to church for one hour on Sunday morning is not enough to maintain peace. We need megadoses of God’s Word, prayer, and regulaP
fellowship with God and other godly people in order to stand fast in God’s willb
Peace with God is available to every person, but we cannot have it on our own terms. Surrender seems so frightening because we are not surU
what God may require. Will we suffer? Will God ask us to do things we don’t want to do or don’t even know how to do? Will we ever get to have anL
of the things we want? We all have these questionsb


We may not get things our way, but we can trust that God’s way is better. God is a good God, and He said that He has good things planned foP
His children: “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to givU
you hope in your final outcome” (Jeremiah 29:11)b


We should not be afraid of harm, because God is not an ogre, He is not mean. He is good. Everything good in life comes from God. He wants uT
to trust Him, and when we take a step of faith to do so, we will see the goodness of God manifested in our lives.K
he more we surrender, the betteP
life becomesb


HE HOLY SPIRI
FILLS US WI
H PEAC.


In Acts 2:4, we see that believers were all “filled with the Holy Spirit,” and later in Ephesians 5:18, we find the instruction to “be filled with the Spirit.a
One Scripture tells us what happened on the day of Pentecost, and the other is a commandb


What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? It does not imply a state of high excitement, or being perfect in all of our ways, nor is it a state i_
which we have no need for growth. It is having our entire personalities yielded to the Holy Spirit and being filled through and through with HiT
awesome power daily. It is daily surrender; it is yielding to God’s ways and plans for our everyday livesb


he following Scriptures are absolutely wonderful; I encourage you to meditate on them oftenb


May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] SpiriV
[Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality] . . . R
hat you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselvesS
the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all thT
fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]Q
(Ephesians 3:16, 19, italics mine.


Just imagine having your personality filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God and being a body wholly filled with God Himself!K
he apostle Pau\
was a man filled with the Holy Spirit; he was also a man who had forsaken all to follow Jesus. Any area of our lives that we hold back from God is a_
area where we cannot be filled with His Spirit. I encourage you to open and surrender every room in your heart to God. Your time is His, your moneL
is His, as are your gifts and talents, your family, your career, attitudes, and desires. He wants to be involved in every area of your life: how yoN
dress, whom you choose for friends, what you do for entertainment, what you eat, and so onb
After conversion, Jesus is our Savior, but is He our Lord? Any area we claim as our own is one we have not surrendered to the lordship of JesuT
Christb
I lived a defeated life for many years simply because I was not fully surrendered. I had accepted Jesus as Savior; I had enough of Jesus to staL



out of hell, but I had not accepted Him as my Lord, I had not accepted enough of Him to walk in victory.K
here is a difference. I lacked peacU
because I was still trying to manage my own lifeb


he blessedness of being filled with the Spirit is clearly visible in the change in the people’s lives after Pentecost. Peter, for example, who ha]
displayed great fear in not being willing to even admit that he knew Jesus, became a bold apostle who stood in the streets of Jerusalem an]
preached the gospel so fervently that three thousand souls were added to the church in one day. Complete surrender brings good change into ouP
lives. Surrender to God actually opens the door to the things we desire, and yet we waste our own energy trying to obtain access to them our ow_
wayb


Realize that every act of obedience brings with it a corresponding blessing. Consecration, commitment, yielding, surrendering, obeying: all thesU
words may sound frightening, but remember that fear is not from God. Fear is from Satan; he uses it to prevent us from entering God’s plan for ouP
lives. He uses fear to prevent progress. Each time we feel fear, we should recognize it as opposition from the enemy of our soulsb


I share more about living a Spirit-filled life in my book Knowing God Intimately. I encourage you to read that book if you feel you need tM
surrender to the Lord in a deeper way. Being filled with the Spirit is like finding the “pearl of great price” that the following verses speak ofl


he kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all hU
has and buys that field. Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls, who, on finding S
single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44–46.


he kingdom of heaven, as God intended us to enjoy it, includes being wholly filled with the Holy Spirit.K
hese Scriptures teach us that we musV
“sell all” to buy the pearl of great price.K
hat simply means we surrender everything we now have in order to gain the one thing we truly need to enjoL
kingdom living.K
he kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (see Romans 14:17)b


Perhaps as you read this book today, you realize you have something against someone. Perhaps God has dealt with you to give up some bitteP
attitude, but you have stubbornly held on to it, feeling justified in your anger. I tell you that if you will surrender that attitude, God will give you peace i_
the place of itb


You may spend many days feeling sorry for yourself or being jealous of what someone else has. God has asked you to lay aside those ba]
attitudes and be content. If you will do so, His peace and joy will fill your lifeb


People may have more possessions than you do, but they can never have more peace and joy than you do if you follow the leading of the HolL
Spirit. It is not what we own that makes us happy and peaceful; He is our joy and our peaceb


A CONSECR.
ED, DEDIC.
ED LIFE RESU.
S IN PEAC.


God’s Word instructs us to be vessels fit (consecrated) for the Master’s use.K
o be consecrated is to be set apart for a special use, as thesU
verses explainl


But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also [utensils] of wood and earthenware, and some for honorable an]
noble [use] and some for menial and ignoble [use]. So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himselJ
from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noblU
purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work. (2K
imothy 2:20–21.


o God, we are precious treasures. According to His great plan, we are vessels He has set aside for a special purpose. God wants to show HiT
glory through us. He wants to use us to bring others to Himself. We are His representatives, His ambassadors here on earth. God is making HiT
appeal to the world through His children (see 2 Corinthians 5:20)b


o dedicate is to give, to offer to another, or to set aside for a purpose. If I were to say a room in my house is dedicated to prayer, that woul]
mean I wanted that particular room used primarily for that purpose and not for other thingsb


I own some dresses that I use only for fancy parties. I have set them aside in a certain place in my closet and keep them inside garment bags foP
protection.K
his makes them special; they are not used for ordinary purposes but are set apart for special purposes.K
hat is the way God views usM
we are not to be used for the world’s purposes, but for God’s. We are in the world, yet Jesus tells us we are not “of” the world. Don’t be worldly
adopting its ways and methods. Even after we have dedicated ourselves to God, we should rededicate ourselves to our real purpose, as thU
following verse encourages: “I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedicatio_
of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is youP
reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1)b


It is not too much for God to ask us to dedicate every facet of our being. It is actually our worship and spiritual service. Under old covenant law
God required animal sacrifices to atone for sin. He no longer wants dead sacrifices; He wants us offering ourselves as “living sacrifices” unto Hi^
for His purpose and useb


here is nothing we can offer to God that He has not first given us, so we are only offering what already belongs to Him anyway. In reality, we arU
stewards, not owners. Andrew Murray taught in his book Consecrated to God that if God gives us everything and we receive everything, then whaV
comes next is very clear: We must give everything back to God again. God gives us a free will so we can freely and willingly give ourselves back tM
Him. He does not want robots, who have no choice, serving Him. He wants us to choose Him! What a privilege, what an honor to give ourselveT
willingly to Himb


Offer Him your mouth to speak through, your hands to touch through, your feet to walk through, your mind to think through. Dedicate every area oJ
your life to Him, remembering that anything we give to the Lord He gives us back many times over, and we get it back in much better condition tha_
when we gave itb


When I gave my life to the Lord, it was an absolute wreck. He has now given me a life that is wonderful and beyond imagination. Ephesians 3:2g
states that He is able to do much more than we could ever imagine if we will give Him the opportunityb


God wants you to enjoy a life of peace, the peace that passes understanding, and it begins by being at peace with Him.K
his requires regulaP
surrender, consecration, dedication, and a willingness to let God be in the driver’s seat of your life at all times. But beware; you have an enemy whM
plans to make it difficult to surrender your life to God. Next, we will look at what God’s Word says about that enemyb



Peacekeeper #k


KNOW YOUR ENEMi


If finding peace is a struggle for you, it is a sign that your enemy is working hard to keep you from receiving what is rightfully yours. Are yoN
confused about who your real enemy is? According to God’s Word, your enemy is not a person, or even circumstances— it is Satan himselfb
Knowing your enemy, and the weapons that God has given you to defeat him, is the third way to keep in perfect peace with Godb


“For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, againsV
[the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) spherea
(Ephesians 6:12). We can never win our battles if we are fighting against the wrong source in a wrong way.K
he source of our troubles is Satan an]
his demons. We cannot fight him with carnal (natural) weapons, but only with supernatural ones that God gives us for the destruction of Satan’T
strongholds (see 2 Corinthians 10:4)b


What exactly are these weapons? I believe the weapons God gives include His Word used in preaching, teaching, singing, confession, oP
meditation. Our weapons are righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, and we can and should use these against Satan, our enemy. Yes
peace is a weapon!K
he Bible talks about putting on the shoes of peace. Righteousness is a weapon! “By [speaking] the word of truth, in the poweP
of God, with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand [to attack] and for the left hand [to defend]” (2 Corinthians 6:7)b


hrough faith in Christ we are placed in right standing with God. And by faith, we are covered with His robe of righteousness (see Isaiah 61:1g
AMP). In other words, because we are trusting in Jesus Christ’s righteousness to cover us, God views us as right instead of wrong. HiT
righteousness becomes a shield that protects us from Satan. He absolutely hates it when a child of God really knows who he or she is “in Christ.a


In and of ourselves, we are less than nothing; our righteousness is like filthy rags, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (seU
Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). But we are justified and given a right relationship with God through faithb


`
herefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that weS
have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)” (RomanT
5:1).K
his Scripture teaches us that righteousness brings peace and joy. When we feel all wrong about ourselves, we do not have peace. Sata_
seeks to condemn us in order to steal our peace. Remember that Satan is your enemy, and you need to know that it is he who tries to make yoN
feel bad about yourself. He works to steal your peaceb


Satan uses people and circumstances, but they are not our real enemy; he is. He finds things and people through whom he can work and delightT
in watching us fight and war without ever realizing he is the sourceb


When Satan used Peter to try and divert Jesus from going to Jerusalem to complete the task God had sent Him to do, “Jesus turned away fro^
Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]” (Matthew 16:23, italics mine)b
Satan used Peter, but Jesus knew that Peter was not His real problem. He turned away from Peter and addressed the source of His temptationb
We need to look beyond what we see or initially feel and seek to know the source of our problems toob


Usually we blame people and become angry with them, which only complicates and compounds the problem. When we behave in this manner
we are actually playing right into Satan’s hands and helping his plans succeed. We also blame circumstances and sometimes even God, whicR
also delights Satanb


Yes, we need to know our enemy—not only who he is but what his character is like.K
he Bible encourages us to know the character of God so wU
can place faith in Him and what He says. Likewise, we should know Satan’s character so we do not listen to or believe his liesb


S.
AN IS A LIAh


First and foremost, Satan is a liar, and Jesus called him “the father of lies” (John 8:44 NIV). All lies originate with him. He lies to us in order tM
deceive us. When a person is deceived, he believes lies.K
his is a terrible condition to be in, for one does not know that he believes lies.K
he lieT
are his reality because he believes themb


For example, I believed the lie from Satan that I would never overcome my abusive past. I believed I would always be tainted, second best, an]
soiled merchandise because of the things that had happened to me in my childhood. As long as I believed these things, I was trapped in my past. I
could not really go forward and enjoy the future God had always planned for me (see Ephesians 2:10). I could not receive it because I was noV
aware of it. I believed what Satan said because I did not know what God had saidb


I was miserable, hopeless, bitter, and in turmoil all because Satan was lying to me, and I believed his lies. When I began to study God’s Wor]
and His truth started renewing my mind, I knew Satan for what he is: a liarT


People who have had long-standing financial pressure are often convinced by Satan’s lies that things will always be the way they are.K
he enemL
tells them they will never have anything, never own a decent car or have a nice house.K
hey believe they will never have enough, and so it becomeT
reality for them. We receive what we believe, whether what we believe is positive or negativeb


God’s Word says that He wants us to prosper (see Deuteronomy 29:9). It states we can and will be blessed in every way when we walk in God’T
statutes. Satan seeks to keep people hopeless. Hopelessness steals our God-given peace and joyb


Refuse to be hopeless. Be like Abraham, of whom it is said that although he had no reason to hope, he hoped on in faith that God’s promiseT
would come to pass in his life. As he waited he gave praise and glory to God, and Satan was not able to defeat him with doubt and unbelief (seU
Romans 4:18–20)b



S.
AN IS AK
HIE.


I often repeat John 10:10, which states that “the thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.”K
he passage is referring to Satan and hiT
system. Just as God has a system that He encourages us to live by, and He promises blessings if we do, Satan has a system and his hope is thaV
we will live by it so he can steal our blessings. Remember, he wants to prevent us from having righteousness, peace, and joyb


He steals through lying, and all of his tactics are connected in some way.K
hey are all perverse in nature and the opposite of anything God woul]
have for us. Satan steals from us through fear. Actually we receive from Satan through fear, just as we receive from God through faith. One mighV
say that fear is faith in what Satan says. Fear threatens us with thoughts of harm or disappointment. Satan shows us a circumstance and the_
makes us afraid it will never change. God wants us to believe His Word is true even while we are still in the midst of the circumstances. RomanT
8:37 says, “Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.a


In God’s economy, we must believe before we will see change or the good things we desire. Satan seeks to steal our vision and hope for thU
future. He tries to steal our sense of right standing with God through guilty feelings and condemnation, through self-rejection and even self-hatredb
He steals our joy because the joy of the Lord is our strength, and he wants us to be weakb


Satan is a thief. He tries to steal every good thing that Jesus died to give us. Jesus gave us peace as our inheritance, but Satan does everythind
he can to rob us of itb


Recognize your enemy, know him, and stand aggressively against himb


S.
AN IS A LEGALI


You may already have deep furrows in your brow, trying to figure out what I could possibly mean by the statement that Satan is a legalist.K
his iT
what I mean: He pressures us to be perfect, to live without making mistakes, to never, never break any of the religious rules. When we do makU
mistakes—which everyone does—he then tries to make us feel condemned by our guilt because we have not followed all the rules and regulationsb


What rules and regulations am I talking about?K
he ones some so-called religious organizations and systems impose.K
hese include things likU
praying for certain amounts of time, doing good works, reading a certain amount of the Bible each day, observing religious holidays, and usind
various formulas that will supposedly give us God’s approvalb


When Jesus stated in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden” (KJV), He was talking to people who werU
struggling while trying to live under the law, but who were always failing.K
here is nothing wrong with any of the rituals I have listed, and they are i_
fact good Christian disciplines. But if we view them as something we have to do to gain God’s approval, rather than something we want to dM
because we love Him, they minister death to us instead of life.K
hey become a burden rather than a joy.K
he Word teaches us that the law kills, buV
the Spirit makes alive (2 Corinthians 3:6)b


Jesus had much to say about religion, and none of it was good. Why? Because religion in His day was, and often still is, man’s idea of what Go]
expects. Religion is man trying to reach God through his own good works.K
he Christian faith teaches that God has reached down to man througR
Jesus Christ. By placing our faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the benefits from the work He has done for us. His work, not our own works of religion
not following rules and regulations man prescribes, justifies us and makes us right with God, as these Scriptures confirml
• For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Lawb
(Romans 3:20.
• [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His un-merited favor and mercy)
through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24.


Many might describe a Christian as “someone who goes to church.”K
his, of course, is not a Christian. A Christian may go to church, but onU
does not become a Christian through church attendance alone. I can sit in my garage all day, and that won’t make me become a car. A Christian iT
someone who has had his heart changed by faith in Jesus Christ. He has had a change in his moral nature (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). He is not jusV
someone who has agreed to follow certain rules and regulations and observe certain days as holyb
Religion is filled with rules and regulations one must follow to be part of a certain religious group. Christianity, however, is agreeing to follow thU
leadership of the Holy Spirit entirely. We must remember that God has invited us into personal relationship and intimacy with Him through the deatR
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His invitation is not to be in a religious organization, where we strive to follow rules in order to gain acceptancU
and right standing with Himb


Religious rules and regulations steal peace and joy.K
hey rob us of what Jesus died to give us.K
hrough religion we become works oriented
rather than faith oriented. We pray because we are supposed to, rather than because we want to. We study the Bible because we are obligatedM
we have made it a rule. We have been taught that we should, so we do because we are afraid not to. We may do good works, but our motive iT
wrong if we do them to gain acceptance from God, rather than to reach out to someone in love because of what Christ has done for us. Religio_
causes us to live under the tyranny of the “shoulds” and “oughts.a


Religion is the topic of discussion in John 9.K
he religious leaders were upset because Jesus had healed a blind man on the Sabbath. You see
with religious people, everything must be on the right day and done in the right way—their way.K
he results don’t really matter as long as you folloZ
their rules. If you don’t follow the rules, they will not validate youb


he Pharisees interrogated the blind man over and over to learn exactly how Jesus did this work that gave him sight.K
hey felt that Jesus must bU
a common sinner because He worked on a holy dayb
Finally the man said, “I don’t know all the answers to your questions. All I know is I was blind, and now I see.”K
hen he asked the religious leaderT
if they wanted to be Jesus’ disciples, at which point they became enraged and stormed at him (see John 9:27–28)b


he Bible says the religious leaders sneered and jeered at the man’s question. Isn’t it a shame they could not rejoice with him? But then again
rejoicing with others is not what those types of people do. Enjoyment is foreign to them, and they want to make sure nobody else enjoys himself oP
herself either. Righteousness, peace, and joy are not part of their religious system.K
he man whom Jesus had healed had a very simple answer: “I
was blind, and now I see.” God intends Christianity to be simple, but religion and its systems can become very complicated and confusingb


I know many people who have struggled a lifetime to follow all the rules, and they still feel like failures.K
his is not God’s will for His childrenb
Again, Jesus said that He came that we might have and enjoy our lives (see John 10:10)b



You might ask, “Doesn’t God want us to be holy? Doesn’t He want us to do good things?”K
he answer is yes, a thousand times yes. But we don’V
accomplish holiness through our good works. Christ Himself imputes holiness to us as a gift from God. We receive holiness by faith, not by goo]
works. FirstK
hessalonians 5:23 states, “And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through.” It is God Himself who will do it, wU
don’t do it, and it is impossible for man to sanctify or make himself holyb


Jesus seriously chastised the religious leaders—the scribes and Pharisees—of His day. In Matthew 23, He called them “pretenders” an]
hypocrites because they demanded that others do things they were not doing themselves. He said they were play actors.K
hey did good works, buV
their hearts were filled with wicked things.K
hey paid their tithes and followed other rules, such as fasting, but they did not treat people justly an]
fairly. Jesus said they tied up heavy loads for others to carry but would not help bear the burdenb
Like many others trying their best to serve God, I have experienced judgment and criticism from various people. Most of those people have bee_
“religious” folks who actually don’t know me at all.K
hey assume and presume and accuse, but they never come to me in a loving manner to give mU
an opportunity to share anything about my life with them.K
hey don’t like anyone who does not do things “their way.a


hey are faultfinders who magnify every flaw they can find but never bother to examine or even mention any of the good fruit that has come fro^
my ministry over the years. In Matthew 7:17–20, Jesus explained that we will know people by their fruit. He did not say, “Examine people, and if yoN
find any fault at all, broadcast it to everyone you know, hoping to ruin their reputations.” Faultfinders are angry with anyone who has prospered oP
succeeded.K
heir “ministry” becomes criticizing the ministry of others.K
his is a sad state of affairs. Jesus has called us to love Him and to love onU
another, not to be faultfinders in the body of Christb


People like this have deeply hurt me in the past, as they have many others, but I must remember that even Jesus Himself was attacked by thU
religious people of His day. Satan attacks, hoping to get people to quit and give up. He wants to drain us and wear us out, but God gives uT
endurance and makes strong in Himb


Satan is the author of this legalistic system that sucks the life out of people.K
he Holy Spirit ministers life to people.K
he Holy Spirit adds to us
Satan steals from us. In John 10, Jesus was making reference to the scene regarding the man who had been born blind when He said, `
he thieJ
comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)” (vb
10). Remember that Satan is a liar, a thief, and a legalist. Don’t be deceived by him any longer—know your enemyT


S.
AN IS AK
ROUBLEMAKEh


he word trouble in Webster’s II New College Dictionary is defined in part as: “distress, affliction, danger or need; malfunction, to stir up or agitateM
to inconvenience or bother.” Needless to say, we all experience these things on a rotating basisb


When people accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and begin to study His Word, when they make progress in any way, Satan launches an allm
out attack against them. He wants to entangle people in trouble so they will focus on the wrong things. He wants us to focus on things we cannot dM
anything about, rather than growing in Godb


Mark 4 illustrates what is called the parable of the sower. It tells us of four types of ground onto which someone sows seed. In this parable thU
seed is the Word of God, and the ground is the heart conditions of mankind. Verse 15 says, `
he ones along the path are those who have the Wor]
sown [in their hearts], but when they hear, Satan comes at once and [by force] takes away the message which is sown in them.a
Verse 17 says that some have the Word sown in their hearts, but “they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; the_
when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and theL
stumble and fall away.a


Verse 19 says, `
hen the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour an]
deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomeT
fruitless.a


We can see from these verses that Satan works diligently to cause trouble and bring distractionsb


he Word teaches that Satan will attack us for a season, and if we pass all of our tests, if we endure the testing and remain firm in our faith, hU
goes away for a while and waits for another time to attack. Luke 4:13 confirms his tactics: “And when the devil had ended every [the complete cyclU
of] temptation, he [temporarily] left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and favorable time.a


his verse refers to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Even Jesus Himself was not immune to Satan’s being a troublemaker.K
he Bible neveP
promises us a trouble-free life, but we do need to know who the source of our trouble is. It is SatanT
Hold your peace. Satan may be a troublemaker, but Jesus is yourK
rouble Solver. He is your Deliverer, your Hiding Place.K
hese times of testing
too, shall passb


Satan tries to cause trouble in virtually every area of our lives. He does not attack every area at one time, but eventually he gets to everything. HU
will bring inconvenience of every kind, and it seems the wrong thing never happens at the right time. Problems never come when we are ready tM
deal with themb


He may attack people in their finances, relationships, physical health, mind, emotions, job, neighborhood, or projects.K
he apostle Paul sai]
there were times when he was abased and times when he abounded (see Philippians 4:12). In other words, he experienced good times and har]
times, as we all dob


We recently invited four different men from four different parts of the country to be guests on our television show.K
hese men were all involved i_
the restoration of morality in America.K
hey were all praying for revival. Dave and I are also very interested in this, and we wanted to impact thU
nation with some special programming along these linesb


wo of the four men had major delays with their flights. One had a flight entirely cancelled and was very late, and another sat on the runway for twM
and a half hours without any real explanation except that it was raining. What was Satan trying to do? He didn’t want them to come at all, but if theL
were going to come, he wanted them to be upset when they arrivedb


wo out of four of our guests having this type of trouble is more than coincidence. Satan sets us up to get us upset! He wants to steal our peacU
because our power is connected to it. I have learned that my ministry does not have much effect if I am not ministering from a heart of peace, so I
strive to stay in peace at all times. Satan tries to steal my peace, and with God’s help, I try to keep itb


We can trust God not to allow more to come on us than what we can bear (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). Paul also said that during all those times, hU
had learned to be content (satisfied to the point where he was not disquieted or disturbed.) It sounds to me as if he always kept his peace, nM
matter what was going on in his lifeb



his is an example we should seek to follow. Paul actually told the believers to follow him as he followed Christ. He believed he was doing whaV
Christ would do. Jesus is “the Way.” When we follow Him, we always end up enjoying a great victoryb
Nobody likes trouble, yet we all have it. Everybody gets upset about it, and it never does any good. It is time for change! Don’t go around an]
around the same mountains all of your life—learn a different approachb


I spent years getting upset every time trouble came, and Satan prized my response. I was following his lead, not the leading of the Holy Spirit. ML
response gave Satan power over me.K
he outer storms of life have no real power over us unless we let them rage on the inside of us. We cannoV
always do something about how life turns out, but we can do something about our inner responsesb


I know you have probably heard the statement, “Attitude determines altitude,” and it is very true. A good attitude will take you farther in life tha_
most other things. I had a bad beginning in life; Satan had brought trouble for me as long as I could remember, and I had a bad attitude. I was fille]
with self-pity, bitterness, and resentment. I was jealous of those who had experienced an easier life than I hadb


Jesus taught me to have a good attitude. He said I could not be pitiful and powerful at the same time, and He let me know that I had to choosU
which path I would take. By the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit, I made the right choice, and although it has been a long journey, it haT
been worth itb
Remember that peace must be aggressively pursued. I am encouraging you to adopt a new attitude toward trouble. Remember that what thU
enemy means for harm, God intends for good, and all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposU
(see Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28)b


HE WEARING-O.
K
Ac
ICS OF S.
A‹


Daniel 7:25 says that Satan seeks to wear out the saints of the Most High God. How does this wearing out take place? Often his work is barelL
noticeable, because he slowly tries to wear us down—a little here and a little there. Satan sends people to irritate us just as he did with the apostlU
Paul (see Acts 16:17–18)b


A woman followed Paul and Silas, crying out that they were servants of the Most High God.K
his she did for many days. It annoyed Paul, it grate]
on him that she continually shouted the same thing all throughout the day. Paul finally turned to the woman and cast an evil spirit of divination out oJ
her. Satan hopes we will just be aggravated and never deal with the situation aggravating us. He does this to wear us outb


Felix used his authority to postpone Paul’s trial and keep him in prison. He wanted money from Paul, so he continued to send for him (see ActT
24:26). We know this went on for at least two years: Paul continued to argue about uprightness and purity of life, and Felix continued to prolond
Paul’s sentence without trialb


When people continue to be irritating, it has a different effect than someone who is irritating once or twice. In Judges 16:16, we see that DelilaR
pressed Samson daily until her deception worked, and he revealed the secret to his strengthb


Likewise, Satan seeks to wear me out in various ways, but one of his favorite tactics is through trouble with employees—and not just onU
employee, but several in a row. For example, we might have to deal with several people who are initiating strife with other employees or remin]
people we have hired them to do specific jobs, not to run the ministry. Not too long ago, we had to deal with three issues concerning pornography i_
a ten-day period of time.K
hat had never happened before, but suddenly we had three separate situations to confrontb


You may be shocked to think that people working in a Christian ministry would have problems with something like pornography or commit sucR
obviously disobedient acts, but they are tempted the same as everyone else, if not more so. Satan worked through their weaknesses and use]
them to drain me of much-needed energyb


I want you to pay particular attention to the fact that I said it had never happened before, and suddenly we had three issues with pornography aV
one time.K
hat sounds like a wearing-out tactic of Satan to me. Satan not only attacked the people involved, but also the people who had to dea\
with the issue. He often works through other people to get to leaders of ministries. If Satan cannot get to you directly, he may try to work through thU
weakness of someone you know or love, hoping he can upset you through themb


Once we had a trusted employee steal from us. We had chosen him to help with a special financial project in which he had to count a lot of cashb
We selected him because we “knew” we could trust him.K
hen five hundred dollars was missing, and at the same time, this man’s wife was sharind
how she had mysteriously found five hundred dollars in her mailbox at work. We questioned him, along with everyone else involved in the project
and of course, he denied any involvement. We had no proof and had to let the situation rest; however, we were convinced in our hearts he was thU
guilty party. A few months later, he and his wife quit working at the ministry and moved back to their hometownb


A few years went by, and one day we got a call from him, asking our forgiveness for stealing the money. I was glad for him because he could noV
have had peace with God until he told the truth and asked for forgiveness from God and us.K
his situation was most unfortunate for the man and hiT
family, but Satan also used it to try to wear us out. It is draining when you trust people and find out they are dishonestb


hese, of course, are isolated cases, and 99.9 percent of our employees at the ministry are quality people who walk in truth and integrity. BuV
Satan does seek to find someone to work through to bring aggravation and troubleb


Another way he might seek to wear me out is through something I mentioned earlier: judgment from people in the world or the church who knoZ
absolutely nothing about the ministry, or the price we have paid to get from where we began to where we are today. People are jealous of thU
success of others, but they don’t want to do what they did to get thereb


I have to remind myself all the time that it is not my concern what people think of me; my concern is what God thinks of me. I will stand before Him
not anyone else, on Judgment Day. I want to have a good reputation because I know people cannot receive from me if their hearts are not open, buV
I cannot make myself responsible for what everyone thinks of me, and you cannot make yourself responsible for what everyone thinks of youb


It seems these situations also come in groups. A long time may go by without any occurrences at all, then suddenly it seems that the faultfinderT
and troublemakers come from every direction. Satan knows it takes more than one attack to wear us out, so he relentlessly comes again an]
againb


Satan seeks to wear out the saints by stealing our time, forcing us to deal with trouble that he starts. He actually would like us to spend our liveT
trying to put out the little fires he buildsb


What is the answer? James 4:7 says we are to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee. We see that we have to resist the devilb
When should we resist him, how long should we wait, how much should we put up with before coming against him?K
he Bible teaches us aT
Christians to be patient, but we are not to be patient with the devil. First Peter 5:9 shares a wonderful and most important principle; it says
“Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined].” We are to resist the devil at hiO



onset. I have benefited greatly over the years as a result of this Scriptureb


When Satan attacks, we should immediately begin to praise God; in this way, we resist Satan. When he speaks lies, we should speak truth.K
hU
instant we sense an attack, we should draw near to God and pray.K
he Bible tells us to be alert for when we can practice prayer. Several times thU
Word of God instructs us to “watch and pray.”K
his means to watch for things going wrong in our own lives or the lives of others and immediatelL
pray—don’t wait— prayQ


Another way to resist Satan is to apply the blood of Jesus by faith to the situation. Just as the Israelites were delivered from death by putting thU
blood of a lamb on the lintels and door frames of their homes during Passover (see Exodus 12:1–13), so we can apply the blood of our PassoveP
Lamb, Jesus, by faith and be protectedb


Remind Satan of the cross on which Jesus totally defeated him; remind him that he is already a defeated foe and that you will not be deceived oP
deluded in any way. Let him know that you recognize that it is he who is coming against you and that you won’t blame people, God, or lifeb


Satan wants us weak and worn-out; that way we have no power to resist him. He knows that if he gains a foothold, he can get a stronghold. As I
said before, resist the devil at his onset! Be aggressive; don’t wait to see what will happen. If you wait, you won’t like it. Stir yourself up in the HolL
Ghost, fan the embers of your inner fire, and don’t let it go out during trouble. Remember that Jesus, the Victory, lives inside you—you have thU
VictoryT


Matthew 11:12 teaches us that the kingdom of God has suffered violent assault, and violent men seize it by force. When we study the origina\
Greek of this word violent (as defined by Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible), it reads more like this: `
he kingdom of God haT
suffered violent attack, but the energetic take it by force.”K
he Amplified version adds:K
hey take it “[as a precious prize—a share in the heavenlL
kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].a
Satan loves a lazy man or woman; he knows that our inactivity is victory for him. We are to resist Satan in the power of the Holy Spirit; if we do
we will trouble him instead of his troubling us. As one minister said, `
rouble your trouble.a
You will trouble your enemy by keeping peace when he tries to bring you worry, fear, and dread. Read on to see how to overcome these commo_
temptationsb



Peacekeeper #h


DONo
WORRi
ABO.
K
HE F.
UR.


Worry, fear, and dread are classic Peace Stealers. Anxiety is a problem for many, if not most people, and it is a sure sign that they are noV
pursuing peace with God.K
hese Peace Stealers are all things God tells us in His Word not to do, because all of them are a total waste of energyM
they never produce any good resultsb


Worry can drain our energy, make us grouchy, and even make us sick. Worry has many negative side effects and none that are good. It is totallL
useless! We worry simply because we don’t trust God. We worry because we think we can solve our own problems if we dwell on them lond
enough. We worry because we are afraid things in life won’t turn out the way we hopeb


he only solution to worry is total abandonment to God and His plan. Even when unpleasant things happen, which they do in everyone’s life, Go]
has the ability to make them work out for the good if we continue to pray and trust Him (see Romans 8:28)b


AKE LIFE AS I
COME


Like most people, I resist things I don’t like. One day the Lord said to me, “Joyce, learn to take life as it comes.”K
hat does not mean I am to liU
down and become a doormat for the devil and people who would abuse me; it does mean there are many things that I can do nothing about, so it iT
pointless to fight themb


If we are traveling somewhere and suddenly find ourselves in heavy traffic due to an accident or bad weather, it doesn’t do any good to resist itb
Only time will change it. Worry will not change it, being upset will not change it, so why not relax and find some way to enjoy the timey


God has equipped us to handle life as it comes, but if we spend today worrying about tomorrow, we find ourselves tired and frustrated. God wil\
not help us worry! Each day has enough for us to consider, we don’t need to anticipate tomorrow’s situations while we are still trying to live ouV
todayb


Jesus said, “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is itT
own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).K
his is some of the best advice any of us will ever receiveb
Ask yourself: What good does it do to worryy
ell yourself: It does not do any good at all. It never solves the problem, it actually adds to itb


Most of the things we worry about are solved in time; sometimes they even solve themselves. Somehow an answer comes, and all the time wU
spent worrying was a total wasteb
I have realized that when I worry, it is because I am really concerned about me. Worry is rooted in selfishness, just like so many other sins. WorrL
is a sin because it is not faith, and Romans 14:23 states that “whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin.a
Usually when I worry, it is rooted in what I fear people will think of me, what people will say about me, what will happen to me, or what I am goind
to do. All of us worry about other people and what they will do or what may happen to them, but we can do less about them even than we can abouV
ourselves. If we cannot even control our own destinies, how can we hope to control someone else’sy


Worry definitely torments us.K
here is always, absolutely always, something to worry about unless we consciously choose not tob


Peace and worry do not cohabit together. If you intend to enjoy a life of peace, worry is one thing that you will have to give upb


he Lord wants us to be free from all anxiety and distressing care. He wants us to be free to serve Him without being “drawn in divergind
directions” (1 Corinthians 7:34). He does not want our interests to be divided between Him and the things in this world we feel we need to worrL
aboutb


We should strive to keep our lives as simple as possible; it helps us to have fewer temptations toward worry.K
he more we are involved in, thU
more we face temptation to be concerned in new areas. I have discovered, for example, that the less I know, the less I worry. I was the type oJ
person who wanted to be “in the know,” but now I would much rather have peaceb


Paul even went so far as to instruct people to consider remaining single in order not to have spouses they would have to please. He said `
hU
unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly matters—hoZ
he may please his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:32–33)b


It is certainly not wrong to get married, but Paul’s point was that we should keep life as simple as possible so we are free to serve the Lordb


Married or single, we should seek simplicity in our daily livesb
L.
GODK
AKE CARE OF YO.


God wants to take care of His children, and He has promised to do so: “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all youP
concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully” (1 Peter 5:7)b
We can either try to take care of ourselves, or we can trust God and He will do it for us. Psalm 55:22 says to cast our care on Him, and He wil\
sustain us.K
he Holy Spirit is a gentleman, and He will not force His help on us. We must ask for itb
We can say that we trust the Lord, but He also wants to see the fruit of it. One of the ways we show our trust in God is by refusing to worry and bU



anxiousb


Because of being abused in my childhood, I learned at an early age to take care of myself.K
hose I turned to for help had let me down; theL
disappointed me, so I vowed not to trust people. It took me a while to learn that God is definitely not like people; if He says He will do something, HU
never fails to do itb


I was thrilled to learn that God wanted to take care of me, but learning how to cast my care so He could do His job was a long lesson. It seeme]
so foreign to me not to worry about situations. I still need more growth in this area, but at least I’m not where I once wasb


I admit that worry has been a problem in my life. I had many burdens at a young age and didn’t know anything else to do except worry. I forme]
bad habits, and they have not been easily broken. It seemed I was literally addicted to worry and reasoning. I could not settle down and fee\
peaceful until I thought I had an answer to my situation.K
he main problem was that I always had some sort of situation; therefore, I rarely had thU
pleasure of being at peaceb


If you are one of those people who seem to worry about everything, I want you to know that I know how you feel. I do believe the Lord can and wil\
deliver you.K
here are biblical principles you can learn that will bring freedom from the bondage of worry. Retire from self-care! Make a decision tM
let God take care of youb


First Peter 5:6 says we are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, so in due time He might exalt us. It says in verse 7, as we’vU
seen, to cast all our care on Him, for He cares about us.K
hese two verses together are saying that humility leads us into freedom from worry. WU
will worry as long as we think we can solve our problems, but humility says, “I need God, I need help.a


Proud people are independent, but God requires us to be totally dependent upon Him. Habakkuk 2:4 teaches us that the soul of the proud perso_
is not right within him. Part of the soul is the mind, and God does not consider our minds to be “right” when we are worrying.K
he just and righteouT
man lives by faith; he leans on God for everythingb


First Peter 5:5 states that God resists the proud but gives grace (help) to the humble. Humble people know they are nothing without God, thaV
they can do nothing of any real value without Him. I did not even begin to enjoy any measure of freedom from worry until I faced the fact that I was noV
able to solve my own problemsb


If we know what to do, we should do it; if we don’t, we should admit itb


MEDI
.
E ONK
HE WOR.
If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. It means to think of something over and over. Meditation on God’s Word is one of the majoP
ways you can find deliverance from worrying. Just as we once formed a habit of worrying (meditating on the problem), we can form a new habit oJ
meditating on God’s Word.K
ake portions of Scripture that comfort you, and roll them over and over in your mind. Do it on purposeT


As soon as you are facing a difficult situation that tempts you to worry, begin to confess and meditate on Scripture. In this way, you do warfarU
with the enemy of your soul (Satan)b


When you begin to worry, go find something to do. Get busy being a blessing to someone; do something fruitful.K
alking about your problem oP
sitting alone, thinking about it, does no good; it serves only to make you miserable. Above all else, remember that worrying is totally uselessb
Worrying will not solve your problemb


FEAh


Worry cannot exist without fear. We can fear things into existence. Fear looks into the future and imagines the worst that can happen. “Fear hatR
torment,” according to 1 John 4:18 (KJV). Anyone who has experienced fear can say a loud Amen to that statement. Fear definitely tormentsT


Having revelation on God’s love for us and placing our faith in that love is the only antidote for fear. We can relax and live free from worry and feaP
when we know that God is good and that He loves us. He loves us with a perfect, full, and complete love. He loves us unconditionally, which meanT
there are never days—not even moments—when God does not love us. Knowing this helps us feel better about ourselves, and it also delivers uT
from tormenting negative emotions such as worry and fearb


God is on our side, and no matter what happens, He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He said, “Fear not, for I am with you.a


Meditate on this Scripture until it becomes a reality in your life: `
here is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) lovU
turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reache]
the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection]” (1 John 4:18)b
God loves you, and you can live without fear because He does. He has promised to take care of you, to meet your legitimate needs. I am noV
promising that God will give you everything you want.K
here are times when we want things that God knows would not be good for us. He promiseT
in Luke 11 that if we ask for bread, He will not give us a stone; likewise, if we ask for a stone, He will not give us a stone when what we need iT
bread. God will always do what is best for us, and we need to trust that.K
hat kind of faith leads us into lives of peace that passes understandingb


KNOW GOD’S CHARAc
Eh


God is faithful, and because faithfulness is embedded in His character, He cannot fail us or let us down. Experience with God gives us experiencU
with His faithfulness. We have needs, and He meets them time and again. He may not always do what we would like, but He does do the right thingb
He may not be early, but He is never too lateb


I have seen God come through multitudes of times during the years I have been serving Him. I can truly say, God is faithful. He has given mU
needed strength, answers that came just in time, right friends in right places, open doors of opportunity, encouragement, needed finances, an]
much more.K
here is nothing we need that God cannot provideb


God is good. Goodness is one of His many wonderful character traits. When something is part of an individual’s character, we can expect him tM
respond in that way every time. God is not good only sometimes, He is good all the time. He is good to people who don’t deserve it. He helps uT
even when we have done dumb things, if we will just admit our mistakes and ask boldly for His help. We can always ask God for help: “If any of yoN
is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it wil\
be given him” (James 1:5)b



What good news! God will give us wisdom when we have trials—He will show us the way out. All we need to do is ask, and He will give withouV
finding fault with us. Amazing! We don’t have to be afraid that God will not help us because we have been weak or made mistakesb
Another one of His character traits is mercy. Mercy chooses to be good to people who, in reality, deserve punishment. His mercy is new everL
morning. I have always said that God makes a new batch of mercy daily because we used up all of yesterday’s supplyb


Study the character of God (I have a tape series available on the subject); it will increase your faith and help you not to worry or be fearfulb


Remember that fear is a demon spirit Satan sends out from hell to hinder our progress. Fear stops us and even drives us backward. It causes us tM
shrink back. Hebrews 10:38 says, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (KJV)b


he Amplified translation of that verse says if we draw back and shrink in fear, God has “no delight or pleasure” in us.K
his simply means thaV
God is not delighted when, through fear, we are cheated out of what Jesus died for us to have and enjoy. We must keep going forward in God’T
plan and never fall back. Satan hates progress, and more than anything, he uses fear to prevent itb


I believe fear is the master spirit Satan uses to control people. It seems that so many of our problems are rooted in fear.K
he only answer to feaP
is to face it with courage. Courage is not the absence of fear—it is going forward in the face of it. Courage overrides fear; it refuses to bow its kneU
to it.K
he only acceptable attitude toward fear is: I will not fearQ


o fear is to take flight or to run away. We are truly afraid if we run from what God wants us to confront. When the Israelites were afraid oJ
Pharaoh and his army, God told Moses to tell them to “fear not; stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (see Exodus 14:13)b
We will never see or experience God’s delivering power if we run from things in fear. Stand still, and see what God will do for you.K
rust Him; givU
Him a chance to prove His faithfulness and goodness to youb


When fear knocks on the door, send faith to answer. Don’t speak your fears; speak faith. Say what God would say in your situation— say whaV
His Word says, not what you think or feel.K
he book of Mark relates an account of a woman who had been bleeding for twelve long years. ShU
heard of Jesus and believed that He could help her. “For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health” (Mark 5:28)b


he very next verse says, “And immediately her flow of blood was dried up . . . and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed.”K
hiT
woman received her miracle because of faith, but notice that her faith said somethingb


Whatever is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. Are you speaking fear or faith? Both can produce results. Faith produces positive results
and fear produces negative ones. Did the woman sense any fear? I believe she did.K
he Bible records that the crowds were so heavy that peoplU
pressed Jesus from all sides. I am sure the woman looked at those people and thought, How am I ever going to get to Jesus? What if I cannoQ
press through to Him?K
he devil offers fearful thoughts of that natureb


But the woman made a choice: In the presence of fear telling her she wouldn’t make it, she pressed on! She did not shrink back in fear, shU
pressed on, and that is exactly what God wants all of us to do. She pushed forward and kept speaking her faith, and she got her miracleb


Jesus told the disciples that if they had “faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed,” they would say to the mountain, “Move,” and it woul]
move. He further said that with faith, nothing would be impossible to them (see Matthew 17:20)b
We see that once again Jesus told us that faith says something. I ask again, what are you saying in your situation? When trouble comes, are yoN
able to keep a good confessiony
In Matthew 21:21, we find Jesus saying basically the same thing to the same group of men. He was reminding them that if they had faith and di]
not doubt, even if they said to the mountain, “Be cast into the sea,” it would be done.K
he mountains mentioned in these verses refer to obstacles i_
our wayb


Imagine having that kind of power! God wants us to have power, but He also wants us to have spiritual maturity. He would not allow us to use HiT
power for carnal, personal desires. We are His representatives on earth, and our goal should be to see His kingdom come and His will be done o_
earth as in heavenb


During our trials and tribulation, during the times of what Paul called “abasing,” we should hold fast our confession of faith in Jesus, wait patiently
and know that He will never fail usb


What we talk about has a lot to do with our level of personal peace. Why? Because Proverbs 18:20 teaches us that we must be satisfied with thU
consequences of the words we speak.K
he next verse adds, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat thU
fruit of it (for death or life).a


We can encourage ourselves with our own conversation, or we can discourage ourselves. We can decrease and even eliminate our peace oP
increase it. I encourage you to be accountable for your words—they are powerfulT


DONo
BELIEVE YOUR FEELING


God wants us to enjoy lives of peace. Jesus provided it, and we must aggressively pursue it and hold on to it. Second Corinthians 5:7 says that wU
walk by faith and not by sight; that means we do not make decisions by what we see or feel. We have to search our hearts, where faith abides, an]
live from there.K
he kingdom of God is within us, and we are to follow those inner promptings that lead to righteousness, peace, and joy in the HolL
Spiritb


Feelings can mislead us and steal our faith more than any other single influence.K
he problem with feelings is that they are ever changing. WU
can feel one thousand ways about the same thing in thirty days. One minute we may feel like doing a thing, and the next minute we don’tb


Feelings provoke us to say things that are unwise; we talk a lot about how we feel. Do you believe the god of your feelings or the God of thU
Bible?K
his is a question we must all ask ourselves. More than anything, people who come to me for help and counsel tell me how they feel. WU
should be telling each other what the Word of God says, not just how we feelb


Our feelings do not convey truth to us; Satan can use them to deceive and lead us astray. Emotions are unreliable; don’t believe them. Respon]
with your heart, where the Spirit of God abides, and see if you then have peace. Check with your heart, not your emotions, before makind
decisionsb


For example, I may meet individuals with whom, in the natural


I would like to form relationships.K
hey may have gifts or talents that I think would benefit my ministry. But the more I am around them, the morU
uncomfortable I become in my spirit about themb


I can sense strongly if people are phony or their motives are impure. I may not have anything natural to base my knowledge on, but the inneP
sensing will not go away, and I do not have peace about making alliances with them. I have learned to trust those promptings of the Spirit but tM
distrust emotional feelings. I may want to do something in my flesh but know in my spirit it is the wrong thing to dob



I remember one woman we hired at the ministry.K
his woman seemed to have strong gifts of leadership, and some of our key leaders wanted tM
promote her. I had a sense that something was not right but could find no natural reason for my feelings. We desperately needed good leadership
so I finally relented, even against what I sensed within, and agreed to put the woman in a place of authorityb


She seemed to function in that position well for a while, so I assumed I must have been wrong. But after a period of time went by, we began tM
have complaints of her mistreating other employees. She was always very respectful to me and other people in authority, but to those under heP
leadership she was a different personb


A phony is a person who pretends to be one thing to one group of people but is quite another at other times. I know she had the ability to bU
respectful because she treated me well, but she abused people when she thought she could get away with it. I absolutely despise that kind oJ
attitudeb


More than anything, Jesus despised the phonies of His day. He rebuked openly and often those who behaved well when someone was watchind
them but who, inside, were devouring wolves. People can pretend for a while, but under pressure the real person always shows up. I realized lateP
that I should have listened to those inner promptings. God was giving me discernment about the woman that would have prevented a lot oJ
heartache and wasted time and money had I listenedb
here are intuitive (spiritual) feelings we should respect, but most of our emotional feelings will lead us into trouble if we obey or follow themb
Emotions will tell us to bow down to fear, when actually that fear will destroy us if we don’t resist it.K
hey tell us to give up on things that God intendT
us to finish or to purchase things we cannot afford and don’t even need. Satan uses our emotions to wreck our lives. Not only does Satan comU
against us through our emotions, but he also wars against our thoughtsb


Examine your thoughts and feelings carefully. Don’t follow them unless you are sure they are conveying God’s willb


L.
PEACE BE YOUR UMPIR.


Paul told believers to let peace decide with finality every question that came up. We are to follow peace. If we will remember that, we will have liveT
we can really enjoy, not ones we just endure. I hate to see people with lifeless attitudes, people who are just going through the motions and endurind
each day. I was one of those people for a long, long time, and I know from experience that we must press into peace and joy if we intend to havU
them. Satan definitely tries to steal the best in life. He is not enjoying himself and does not want any of us to enjoy life eitherb


If we would obey the teaching from Colossians 3:15, which says peace is to be the umpire in our lives, we would save ourselves unbelievablU
misery. We open the door for many difficulties in our lives through doing what we think or feel rather than following peaceb


I’ve mentioned that, out of fear of being lonely, some people marry people whom deep down inside they don’t have peace about. I married out oJ
fear when I was very young, and it ended in divorce a few years later. As I have mentioned in my teachings, I felt like used merchandise because oJ
my father’s abuse. I was afraid that nobody would ever want me, so I married the first boy who showed interest in me. I think I knew it would neveP
really work, but the fear of being lonely caused me to ignore the lack of peace I felt insideb


My first husband had lots of problems himself, and I know God was warning me that I would only get hurt more, but I took a chance. I gambled thaV
maybe I could make a wrong decision and get right results.K
his, of course, was very foolish, and because of my decision I added another fivU
years of torment and mistreatment to the ones I had already experienced. By the time my first marriage ended, I was twenty-three years old an]
could never remember being truly happy or having any real peace in my lifeb
It was not until I learned, many years later in life, to follow peace that I broke these negative patterns in my life. Peace is a wonderful thing; it leadT
us into many other blessings. We should be completely unwilling to do without it. As Psalm 34:14 states, crave peace, inquire for it, require it, an]
go after it! Don’t let worry or fear steal your peaceb


DONo
LIVE IN DREA.


Dread is closely related to fear. We might say it is the forerunner to fear. I believe a lot of people dread many things and yet don’t realize what S
problem it is. We dread everything from getting out of bed to going to work, doing dishes, driving in traffic, paying our bills, confronting issues, an]
just about any little thing we can think ofb


Why do we dread something we have to do anyway?K
hrough the power of the Holy Spirit, we can enjoy every aspect of life. An unbeliever maL
not be able to avoid dread, but a believer in Jesus Christ can. We have supernatural strength and ability available to us. Unbelievers have tM
depend on their feelings, but we can go beyond feeling and live by faithb


How we approach any situation makes all the difference as to whether we will enjoy it. We will, of course, be miserable if we approach driving tM
work in traffic with a negative, complaining attitude. It won’t do any good, because we must drive to work anywayb


It is actually extremely foolish to dread things we must do and know we will do.K
he main thing dread does is steal the peace and joy of life. It alsM
drains us of energy and strength we need for the dayb


God commanded the Israelites to “dread not,” nor fear their enemies (Deuteronomy 1:29). Can something like traffic be an enemy? Yes it can, iJ
we perceive it that way. Anything that we don’t want in life, that hinders or aggravates us, we can perceive as an enemy. We are not to dread or feaP
anything—we are to live courageously and boldlyb


Dread drains, faith energizes. Being negative drains us while being positive energizes us. Millions of people in the world today are tired.K
heL
see doctors who cannot find any real reason for their condition, so they tell them it is stress. Often we take medication for conditions that would bU
totally solved if we would eliminate worry, fear, and dread from our lives. If we will make a decision to approach every aspect of life, no matter whaV
it is, with a pleasant, thankful attitude, we will see major changes for the better, even in our healthb


he future is coming, no matter how much we fear or dread it. God gives us what we need for each day, but He does not give us tomorrow’T
grace or wisdom today. If we use today trying to figure out tomorrow, we feel pressure because we are using what we have been allotted for todayb
Probably one of the greatest ways we show our trust in God is by living life one day at a time. We prove our confidence in Him by enjoying todaL
and not letting the concern of tomorrow interfereb
It made a big change in my life when I began to gain insight from the Holy Spirit on this problem of dreading things.K
his truth about living one daL
at a time greatly increased my peace and joyb
I learned that it really was not the event I was facing that was so bad—it was dreading it that made it bad. Our attitudes do make all the differencU
in the world. Learn to approach life with an “I can do whatever I need to do” attitude. Don’t say that you hate things like driving to work in traffic



going to the grocery store, cleaning house, doing laundry, changing the oil in the car, or cutting the grass.K
hese chores are all part of life. Don’t leV
the events of life dictate your level of joy. It is the joy of the Lord that is your strength. Be joyful that you are going to heaven, that you have someonU
who always loves you, no matter what. Look at and concentrate on what you do have, not what you don’t haveb


Everyone has to attend to some unpleasant details in life. We would not know what God’s peace was if we never had any difficulty to go throughb
It is in these difficulties that we learn how valuable His peace is to usb


Some things are certainly more naturally enjoyable and easier to do than others, but that does not mean we cannot purposely enjoy the otheP
more difficult tasks. We can choose to have attitudes of joy and peace. Usually, if we don’t feel like doing something, we automatically assume wU
cannot enjoy it or have peace during that time, but that is a deception. We grow spiritually when we do difficult things with a good attitudeb


I don’t always feel like being nice and pleasant, but I can choose to in order to honor God. We live for His glory, not our own pleasure. Dreadind
things does not glorify God. He wants us to live aggressively, to be alive and face each day with courage. How would any parents feel if theiP
children got up each day and said they feared and dreaded the day the parents had prepared for them?K
hey would, of course, feel terrible. God iT
a parent—He is our parent.K
he psalmist David said, `
his is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (see Psal^
118:24). Notice he said, “We will rejoice,” not “We feel like rejoicing.a


WH.
DOESK
HE F.
URE HOLDy


he future holds a mixture of things we will enjoy and things we would rather do without, but both will come. In Philippians 4:11–12, Pau\
experienced abasing and abounding, but he also stated that he was able to be content in both, and we also have this option (and ability) as a gifV
from Godb


Jesus promised us that in the world we would have tribulation, but He told us to “cheer up” because He had overcome the world and deprived it oJ
power to really harm us (see John 16:33). Dreading hard times will not prevent them from coming, but it will make them even more difficult than theL
would have been. Make life as easy as possible; don’t dread it. Face it with courage and say, “I will not fear, because greater is He that is in mU
than he that is in the world” (see 1 John 4:4)b
No mortal really knows what the future holds, only God knows, and He does not usually tell us what it is. Why doesn’t He reveal more to us abouV
the future? Because He wants us to trust Him that everything will work out for our ultimate good, that all things work together to help accomplish HiT
will for each of us. We may not know what the future holds, but we can be satisfied to know Him, the one who does knowb


I spent some time today thinking about the future, and I realized that everything out there won’t be something I will welcome with open arms. I wil\
face things that I would rather not have to deal with, but I cannot stop them, so I may as well embrace and go through them with a smile on my faceb


I am convinced of one thing: I may go through difficulties, but God also has wonderful things planned for me. He always balances things so wU
don’t become discouraged and defeated by too many difficult days without good ones in between. Remember, God never allows more to come o_
us than what we can bear, but with every temptation He also always provides the way outb


I have noticed in my life that when I have truly had all I can take, something happens to relieve the pressure for a while. I get built up, rested, an]
have times of joy, then perhaps go another round with the trouble. When I feel I have reached my limit, I pray for good news, because the Bible sayT
that good news nourishes us, it encourages us and strengthens us. Another Scripture says that David prayed for God to show him evident signs oJ
His goodwill and favor (see Psalm 86:17); I also pray for that, and God always gives me what I need when I need itb


Remember, James 4:2 says we have not because we ask not. Ask God for good news—ask Him to encourage you.K
oo often in life, we go tM
people for encouragement or even get angry at them when they are not giving it to us. We should go to God because He is the God of all comforV
(see 2 Corinthians 1:3)b


We would not need faith if everything in life went the way we wanted. We would need no patience if we never had to wait for anything. Faith an]
patience work together to bring our breakthroughs. While we are waiting, let us do so with joy and peace.K
his shows that we are children of Godb
he whole world lives in fear and dread, but God’s children should not. We are to behave differently from the people in the world; we should leV
our light shine. Just being positive in a negative circumstance is a way to do this.K
he world will notice when we are stable in every kind of situationb


Make up your mind right now that all of life does not need to make you feel good in order for you to face it with peace and joy. Make a decisio_
that you will not dread anything you have to do. Do it all with a thankful attitude.K
here are people who are sick and diseased or perhaps in thU
hospital who would absolutely love to be able to move about enough to do what you may be dreadingb
I never considered driving down the street to get a cup of coffee a huge privilege until after I had been hospitalized with breast cancer and ha]
surgery. When I was released, I asked my husband to take me out for a coffee and a drive through a local park. It was amazing how much joy I feltb


I was doing a very simple thing that was previously available to me every day, yet I had never seen it as a privilege. When I had faced thU
possibility of death or long-term treatment for cancer and discovered I would not only live but was pronounced well, I suddenly loved life so much thaV
very simple things brought extreme joyb


Our son went on an outreach with a team of people who go visit the homeless each Friday evening. After helping in this ministry, he called mU
and said, “If I ever complain again, please knock me down and then kick me for being so stupid!” He was appalled at himself for the things he ha]
murmured about in the past once he saw by comparison how some people were living. We would all feel exactly the same wayb


hose without a place to live would love to have a house to clean, while we dread cleaning ours.K
hey would delight in having a car to drive, eve_
an old one, while we complain about needing to wash ours or take it in for an oil changeb
I am sure you are getting my point. We lose sight of how blessed we are most of the time, but we should work at keeping it in the front of ouP
thinking. Be thankful you can do anything, and don’t dread things you have to dob
Choose to bless God all the time, no matter what is going on, as David did: “I WILL bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be i_
my mouth” (Psalm 34:1, italics mine)b


PROSPERI
Y AND PROGRES


God certainly wants all of His children to enjoy prosperity and progress, but once again I want to remind you that worry, fear, and dread can stoO
and hinder both of these.K
his verse says all that I am trying to say: `
hen you will prosper if you are careful to keep and fulfill the statutes an]
ordinances with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Dread not and fear not; be not dismayed” (
Chronicles 22:13)b



he negative expectations of worry and dread hinder and prevent progress. Live courageously, live with faith, and keep a good confessionb


Good things will not just fall on us; we must aggressively pursue them like the woman with the issue of blood pursued Jesus. She refused to takU
no for an answer, and she got her miracle breakthrough. We can have the same results if we press in and press on instead of drawing back in feaP
and dread. God will either give us a breakthrough, or at the very least He will give us grace to go through whatever we need to and enjoy our liveT
while we are doing itb


Recently a group of pastors asked me a question: Besides God Himself, what one thing had helped me get from where I started in ministry to thU
level of success I currently enjoy? I immediately said, “I refused to give up!”K
here were thousands of times when I felt like giving up, I thought abouV
giving up, I was tempted to give up, but I always pressed on. I thank God for the determination He gives usb


Don’t let life defeat you—face it with boldness and courage, and declare that you will enjoy every aspect of it. You can do that because you havU
the awesome power of God dwelling in you. God is never frustrated and unhappy. He always has peace and joy, and since He lives in us and wU
live in Him, surely we can attain the same thingb


Right now, as I am writing this portion of this book, I have a terrible backache. I did some new exercises yesterday and apparently strained somU
muscles, but I will not dwell on the pain and let it ruin my day. I have something to accomplish today, and by God’s grace, I will do it. I will not worrL
that I might still have the same pain tomorrow or dread it if I do. Whatever we go through, God will always be with us. I choose to believe that JesuT
is my Healer and that His healing power is working in my body right nowT


When tempted to worry, Dave always says, “I am not impressed.” He believes we should be more impressed by God’s Word than our problemsb
He says if we don’t get impressed, we won’t get depressed, then oppressed, and ultimately perhaps even possessed by our difficulties. No matteP
what you are facing right now, God has a great life planned for you. It includes prosperity and progress in every area of life. It includes great peace
joy unspeakable, and every good thing you can imagine. Refuse to settle for anything less than God’s best for youT



Peacekeeper #›


DONo
BE DOUBLE-MINDE.


Double-minded, indecisive people are always miserable; they certainly don’t enjoy peace with God. Nothing is worse to me than being betwee_
two decisions and not making either one of them. I am usually a very decisive person. At times in life I have made decisions too fast and madU
mistakes. I have also found that I can slip into being double-minded and indecisive if I am not carefulb


I believe this is something the devil tempts all of us with at various times. He does anything that steals our peace because he knows that withouV
peace, we are without power. We often don’t make decisions because we don’t want to make mistakes. But making no decision is still a decisio_
and a mistake. Decide to decide! It will produce peace in your life, as long as you don’t second-guess yourself and fall back into being indecisivU
once againb


Stick with your decisions unless you are definitely shown that they are wrong. Sometimes we find out whether a decision is right or wrong only bL
making it and seeing what happens. Making a wrong decision is not the end of the world, in most cases, and it is usually better than making nM
decisionb


Some people do nothing most of their lives because they are afraid to commit to action. I hope you are not one of those people, but if you are, I
want to help you. Please realize you need to start somewhere. Begin with smaller things, and work your way up to major decisionsb


DONo
BE AFRAID OF WH.
PEOPLEK
HIN.


Most of us would not mind making a mistake if we thought we could make it privately. It is not the mistake, but people knowing about it that botherT
us. We are afraid of what people think, and yet their opinions cannot really harm us. Our indecision canb
Many people have destroyed their lives by being overly concerned about what others think. Saul lost his kingdom and the opportunity to be kind
because he cared so much about what people thought that he disobeyed God on more than one occasionb
We have all experienced having to choose between God and people. It really should not even be a contest, but somehow it always is—at leasV
until we are delivered from the fear of manb
Can someone’s thoughts really harm us that much? I think I have finally realized that if someone wants to judge me, he will find some way to do it
no matter what I do; therefore, I may as well follow my heart and get about enjoying my lifeb
We will be judged, criticized, and misunderstood at various times in life, and we really can’t do much about it. Fear of people’s thoughts about ouP
decisions only prevents us from making progress. We decide nothing and then nothing happens, with the exception that we remain frustrated whilU
going back and forth and being confused about what we should dob


Satan always threatens us with, “What if . . . ?” He shows us the most terrible thing that could happen, and it always revolves around our making S
mistake. When needing to make a decision, we must remember that there is as much of a chance that we will be right as wrongb


We will never fulfill our destinies if we have undue concern over what people think. Let them think what they want. If they think wrong thoughts, theL
will pay the price by being miserable. Wrong thoughts can do nothing except produce misery. Many people blame their unhappiness and lack oJ
peace on their circumstances when it really is rooted in their own lousy thinkingb


People who can break free from caring about what other people think will instantly upgrade their level of living.K
hey will increase their joy an]
their peace one hundredfoldb


BE CONFIDE‹


God wants us to live with confidence and approach life boldly. Being indecisive is neither. Make a decision today to start being decisive. It wil\
never happen if you don’t. It may be a bold move for you if you have spent a lot of your life in fear and indecision, but it is necessary if you really wanV
to enjoy a life of peace. Indecision is not a peaceful placeb


Put your confidence in Christ and who you are in Him, not in what people think of you. We cannot base our worth on what others have said or hoZ
they have treated us. People who are hurting will hurt others. If you have come into contact with people who are hurting, they may hurt or reject youb
hey may have transposed their pain onto you, when in reality you were not the real problem at allb


Know yourself! Know your heart, and don’t wait for other people to dictate to you the truth about your value. Don’t assume you are wrong everL
time someone does not agree with you. Believe that God’s wisdom dwells inside of you. Believe you can make decisions.K
here is no point at all i_
believing something negative about yourself when it is just as easy to believe something positive—and it’s certainly a lot more beneficialb


People who are indecisive are usually more passive in nature or insecure.K
hey are fear-based and should be faith-based individuals. Is fear, oP
faith, motivating most of your actionsy


A believer without confidence is like a jumbo jet sitting on the runway with no fuel in it. It looks good but goes no place. People who are indecisivU
are the same way.K
hey may have all the qualities needed to be successful, but if they refuse to make decisions, they go nowhere and accomplisR
nothing. Progress begins with a decisionb


BE COURAGEOU



Courage is a vitally necessary quality if we intend to do anything worthwhile with our time here on earth. Leaders are not always, or even usually, thU
most gifted people, but they are people with courage.K
hey step out when others shrink back in fear.K
hey take bold steps of faith, they do thingT
that to other people might even seem foolish or unwise, but they are willing to take a chance.K
hey may be wrong occasionally, but they are righV
enough of the time that it doesn’t matterb


I would rather try to do a lot and accomplish a little than try to do nothing and accomplish all of it. If I try nothing, I will accomplish nothing.K
he worsV
thing that can happen is I will be wrong, and that really is not the end of the world. After all, nobody is right all the time. I would rather take a chancU
on being wrong and trying to accomplish something than definitely be wrong because I have done nothingb


God expects us to increase, to be fruitful and multiply (see Genesis 1:28). He admires courage; in fact, He demands it from those who will worY
alongside of Him.K
he Lord told Joshua that he was to take Moses’ place and lead the Israelites into the promised land.K
here was one stipulationl
He had to be strong and of good courageb


Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. OnlL
you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you.K
urn not from it to thU
right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. ...Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. BU
not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:6–7, 9.


It doesn’t matter what qualities or provisions we do not have, as long as God is with us. He is all we need. He makes up for anything we arU
lacking. God told Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5). Moses was great because God was with him and he tooY
courageous steps to do what God told him to do.K
he same thing would hold true for Joshua—and will be true for any one of us who follows God’T
ways in these areas. His way is not one of shrinking back in fear, but of going forward courageously in faithb


God’s way is one of being decisive. We are not to make decisions so quickly that we don’t give them proper thought and prayer. We should seeY
wisdom and be sure we are following peace. But once we have done all we can do to assure we are making a right decision, as far as we know
there is nothing else to do except be courageous and do something, lest we do nothingb


DECIDE BY YOUR HEAh
, N.
YOUR HEA.


A person who needs to have everything all figured out will not be courageous. People who do courageous things follow their hearts.K
hey may noV
always fully understand why they feel courage, but they are bold enough to follow it. I am not suggesting we follow our emotions, which would not bU
good since they are rather unstable. But we should follow our born-again spirits, our heartsb


People who do bold things step out in faith even though they have no real proof they will even work.K
hey make decisions by discernmentb
Discernment means to be able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. It is the ability to see what is not obvious based on circumstances. .
person might say he makes decisions by his “gut.”K
his simply means he does what he believes is right even if he feels uncomfortable. JesuT
Himself did not make decisions based on natural knowledgeb


And shall make Him of quick understanding, and His delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge bL
the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness and justice shall He judge the poor and decide witR
fairness for the meek, the poor, and the downtrodden of the earth (Isaiah 11:3–4.


We see from this Scripture that He did not decide “by the sight of His eyes,” or the “hearing of His ears,” yet He was of “quick understanding.” IJ
we follow our hearts, we can understand quickly what we could not learn by natural means in a lifetime. It is sad, but most people are afraid tM
operate in the supernatural realm; they want to understand everything in their mindsb


One year a man was helping me do my income tax. When he observed that we gave 10 percent of our income to the church each year, hU
promptly told me that we were giving too much, that it was not necessary, and we should stopb


He was looking at our giving in the natural and could find no reason why we would want to do such a thing. We were looking at it according to ouP
knowledge of God’s Word. We understood spiritually what we were doing and believed that if we gave, God would always take care of us. I tried tM
explain God’s principles on sowing and reaping to him, but he insisted that even if we wanted to give, it did not need to be that much, especiallL
since we didn’t have an abundance left over after giving to the church and paying our billsb


his is an example of a natural man not understanding the spiritual man. First Corinthians 2:14 explains that the natural man cannot understan]
spiritual things because they must be spiritually discerned.K
his simply means that spiritual things take place in the born-again spirit of the inneP
man, not in the natural mindb


his is one of the reasons God’s Word instructs us to let peace be the umpire in our lives, deciding with finality everything that is questionable. IJ
we could go two ways, which way do we go? What do we decide? We decide to do what we have peace in our hearts about, what we arU
comfortable with inside of us. God speaks and communicates to the heart of man, not necessarily to his head. We know God in our hearts. HU
dwells in our heartsb


his is the reason people who depend on their intellects have a difficult time believing in God.K
hey don’t see Him, they don’t feel Him, and manL
of His principles don’t make sense to their natural mindsb


Naturally speaking, what sense does it make to tell people that they will have increase if they give away some of their money? It makes no sensU
at all.K
he Bible says that the first will be last, and the last will be first.K
hat makes no sense to my mind, but I know by spiritual understanding that iV
means when we try to push ourselves forward into first place, we will end up last. When we wait on God to promote us, even if we start out last, wU
will end up firstb


I am very grateful for discernment and spiritual understanding. I appreciate the fact that you and I, as believers in Jesus Christ, filled with HiT
Spirit, can make decisions courageously because we can trust what is in our heartsb


If you have been having difficulty making a decision, try this: Let your mind rest. Don’t be thinking about what you should do.K
hen see what is i_
your heart—what do you know inside that you should do? Whatever you have peace about, do thatb


A person might want to purchase a new car but not have real peace about it. Emotional excitement is not peace. If you are confused, you are noV
in God’s will. He is the Author of peace, not confusion. Satan wants you confused. It is really very simple: If you don’t have peace, don’t buy the car. IJ
you do purchase it without peace, I can guarantee that later on you will be sorry that you did. You will either have purchased something that will noV



meet your needs, it will require a lot of maintenance, or it will create financial pressureb
We don’t have to know why God is not giving us peace to do a certain thing; we just need to follow His leading. He is not obligated to explain, buV
we are obligated to trust Himb


HE DOUBLE-MINDED MA‹
IS UN
ABLE AND UNRELIABL.


In James 1, we find that when we need wisdom we should ask God for it, and He will give it—but we must ask in faith. We are not to waver
hesitate, or doubt.K
he person who does these things will receive nothing he asks for from the Lord. Why? If the man cannot settle on somethind
and make a decision about what he believes, how can God give him anything? “[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious
irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]” (James 1:8)b


he double-minded man is unreliable and unstable.K
his is not a reputation anyone wants to have. I want people and the Lord to be able tM
depend on me, to know that I mean what I say and won’t change my mind without a very good reasonb


Paul told the Corinthians that when he said yes to them, it meant yes. He promised that yes would not end up being no (see 2 Corinthians 1:17P
18). In other words, Paul was promising not to be double-minded. He was telling the church members that they could count on him to be stable, an]
he would keep his word to themb


Integrity is extremely important for every person, and especially for those who lead others. How could Paul expect to be respected if he waT
unreliable? He couldn’t, and neither can web


I want to be in relationship with people I can depend on, people I know who are decisive, stable, and reliable. I want to be able to trust peopleb
Good relationships are built on trust. I was recently involved in an event that required people to sign up ahead of time, indicating whether or not theL
would be attending. We had nine hundred people say they were coming, and only seven hundred showed up. Very few of them made any effort tM
cancel or even communicate that they were not coming.K
he problem was twofold: First, they did not keep their word, and second, we ha]
purchased and cooked meat for nine hundred, and since seven hundred showed up, we obviously had lots of meat left overb


his was inconsiderate on their parts and harmful to them spiritually because they didn’t honor their commitment.K
his is a widespread proble^
today in our society. Most people don’t think anything at all about saying they will do a thing and then changing their minds without any good reason
except they did not feel like doing what they said they would do.K
heir excuse is “I changed my mind.a


he very least we can do when we have made a commitment and cannot or will not keep it is to make a phone call and say so. Don’t just leavU
people hanging, not having any idea what happenedb


hose who didn’t attend the event I mentioned thought it didn’t really matter. But it always makes a difference if we don’t do what we say we willb


Our word is a verbal contract.K
his verse shows that God considers it to be a vow: “When you vow a vow or make a pledge to God, do not put ofJ
paying it; for God has no pleasure in fools (those who witlessly mock Him). Pay what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that yoN
should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4–5)b


We should take these Scriptures to heart and view them seriously. Don’t make commitments rashly without giving thought to whether or not yoN
are prepared to follow through. I am sure that some of the two hundred people who failed to show up had good reasons for not doing so, but I a^
equally sure that most of them just plain didn’t see the need to keep their wordb


When we keep our word, even if it is inconvenient for us to do so, it shows good character. We should be concerned about our example becausU
the world is watching those of us who claim to be Christians.K
hey want to see if we are all talk, or if we are living what we are saying we believeb


I have witnessed people signing up for things and not showing up numerous times during my years of involvement with people in the church. I
started out being shocked because I assumed church people could be trusted, but I quickly learned that just because someone goes to church, hU
is not automatically honest and truthfulb


he ones who don’t keep their word always have an excuse of some kind, but I don’t believe they have peace. We cannot be double minded
unreliable, and unstable and enjoy peace at the same time. We may try to override the feelings of conviction about not keeping our commitment, buV
its presence nibbles away at the peace God wants us to enjoyb


One of the ways to maintain peace with God, with yourself, and your fellow man is to do what you say you will do. Once you have made up youP
mind, don’t change it unless you have no other choiceb


DONo
BE DOUBLE-MINDED
EVEN IN SMALL M.
ER


Although I am usually very decisive, I have been known to be double-minded about little things, like what to wear or where to go and eat. Go]
showed me that even being double-minded in these things places pressure on me and robs me of available peace. I like my meals, for example, tM
be perfect. I think of one restaurant that has the salad I like, but then another comes to mind that has wonderful coffee.K
hen I remember the pastS
dish I love at another one, and before I realize what I am doing, I have spent a half hour or more going back and forth in my mind and in conversatio_
with others about where I want to eatb


It’s so bad that it has become a family joke. My son says to me early in the morning, “You better start thinking now about where you want to gM
eat, so you have a decision by tonight when it is time to go.” Or when I tell him to make a reservation at a restaurant for all of us, he might say, “I wil\
check with you in two hours and see if the decision is still the same, so I won’t have to change the reservation three times between now and then.a


I am doing better, but I still find myself falling into the trap of being double-minded in this area simply because I want to get a perfect meal—an]
there is probably no such thingb


I have a large classic-movie collection and I often get double-minded about which movie I want to watch. I may choose three or four and keeO
going back and forth. I read the back of the box and ask others in the family what they think. I make a decision, but then I might ask people who havU
seen the movies which one is the best and change my mind again. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I end up watching nothing. I turn the televisio_
on and flip from channel to channel for an hour and then go to bed.K
his is a ridiculous waste of time, and it is another habit I am in the process oJ
breaking. As you can see, I am not perfect in this area either, so if you need to change too, we can change togetherb


My main point is that even being double-minded in small things, which would not seem to matter very much, can still steal your peace, and it iT
simply not worth itb

he only way to find out if I will enjoy a movie that I have not seen is to start viewing it. If it does not suit me, I can try another one, but at least I
need to do something besides be double-mindedb
According to Scripture, it is the little foxes that spoil the vine. In other words, it is not always big things that cause misery; often it is small, almosV
imperceptible things—things we would not think matter at allb


Some people who lack peace search in all the wrong places for the sources of their problem, but it may simply result from being indecisive, eve_
in the small matters of everyday life.K
o overcome this, they must practice being decision makers in less-consequential situations, and it will helO
them gain confidence for larger issuesb


CHOOSE WHOM YOU WILL SERV.


Joshua was obviously a man who had his mind made up about what he was going to do, and it didn’t matter to him what others did. He said, “And iJ
it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the otheP
side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). WU
should not wait to see what other people will do before making our own decisions, especially when it comes to serving Godb
James talked about believers who cannot make their minds up whether they want Jesus or the world when he wrote: “Come close to God and HU
will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals witR
divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery]” (4:8). James referred to people with divided interests as “spiritual adulter[ers]”l
hey choose the world as a friend, therefore making God their enemyb
We cannot serve God and the world. We are in the world, but the Bible instructs not to be like it. We can live in it, but we cannot love it. God musV
have first place at all timesb
Keeping the Lord first requires consistent decisions and a refusal to be double-minded. Just about the time we make a decision to do the righV
thing, someone will come along and try to convince us to compromise. We have to stand firm on what we believe is right for usb


James referred to those who cannot decide whether they want God or the world as “sinners” and told them to purify their hearts of being doublem
minded. Satan tried to tempt Jesus with the world and all it had to offer, but Jesus quickly responded by quotind
Scriptures to him. Jesus knew what He wanted, He knew what was really important, and He stood firm on His original decision to do what Go]
had sent Him to do (see Luke 4)b
emptation will come. It is a defining moment in our lives each time we face temptation yet remain firm on what we know is right.K
he devil’T
ultimate plan is to destroy us. He may make sin look inviting in the beginning, but in the end, we will be sorry if we fall into his trapb
I repeat, don’t be double-minded. Make up your mind to serve the Lord, and don’t bow down to the devil or anyone through whom he is trying tM
work. Be like Joshua: Have a firm attitude toward others who try to move you off of your righteous stand. No one else will stand before God and givU
an account of your life, only you will (see Romans 14:12), so make your own decisionsb


Every decision is a seed you sow, and every seed produces a harvest. Before changing your mind and giving in to temptation, ask yourself if yoN
want to reap the harvest of the seed you are being tempted to sowb
he Bible is literally filled with promises of good things to those who follow God’s commands. Decide to follow Jesus, and don’t ever change youP
mindb
In Luke 10, we see that Jesus visited two sisters named Mary and Martha.K
hese women had quite different natures. One was very interested i_
seeking Jesus; the other was interested in impressing Himb


Martha was busy about much serving. She wanted everything to be clean and in the right place. She became angry with her sister, Mary
because she was sitting at the feet of Jesus, wanting to learn all she could and enjoy Him while He was presentb
Martha even complained to Jesus and told Him to tell Mary to get up and help her. Jesus replied by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious an]
troubled about many things; there is need of only one [thing]. . . . Mary has chosen the good portion [that which is to her advantage]” (Luke 10:41P
42)b
Mary made a firm choice, and even when Martha became angry with her, she did not change her mind. We must realize that people will often geV
angry with us if we don’t make the choices they want us to make, but we should remain steadfast and follow our own heartsb
Learn to relax and be more like Mary. Martha believed that she had to take care of everything herself. She wanted everything to be perfectb
Sometimes we can find ourselves like Martha, tense even when we don’t have anything to be tense about. It isn’t really our circumstances that makU
us tense; most of the time it is our own approach to life. In the next chapter we will examine ways to relax and enjoy trusting God’s faithfulness tM
take care of usb



Peacekeeper #


Stay Supernaturally Relaxe]


he longer we know the Lord, the more relaxed we should become when we face situations that try to steal our peace. Previous experience witR
God is valuable because we learn that somehow He always comes through. Each time we face a new crisis, we can remember that even thougR
He may not have done exactly what we wanted Him to do, He always did something that worked out. Relaxing in the face of trials helps us tM
maintain our peace with Godb


New believers who do not have personal examples on which to build their confidence in God must be more dependent on examples in the BiblU
of God’s faithfulness.K
he testimonies of other believers can also greatly encourage themb


Remember, Jesus said that we are to come to Him when we have problems, and He will give us rest.K
he Amplified Bible translates His wordT
as: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest [I will ease and relieve and refresh youP
souls.]” (Matthew 11:28)b


hat sounds to me like Jesus wants us to live in a relaxed state, not tense, uptight, worried, or anxious about yesterday, today, or tomorrow. WU
can stop reasoning and trying to figure out what we need to do. And the Lord doesn’t want us to be upset with other people who aren’t doing whaV
we want them to, eitherb


Jesus wants us to trust Him and relax. I call this being supernaturally relaxed, because in the natural we may have difficulty learning how oP
finding time to relax. But when God adds His super to our natural, we end up with supernatural. We can have supernatural relaxationT
Jesus was saying, “Come to Me about anything, because I always want to help you with everything.”K
here’s nothing too little and nothing too bid
to take to Him. You can’t take too much. You can’t have too many requestsb
JESUS I‹
ERCEDES FOR U
I believe that in order to stay relaxed, you must understand the present-day ministry of Jesus. Jesus keeps working on your behalf as long as yoN
keep your trust in Him. Even as you are reading this book, you can pray: “Lord, I leave all my situations and circumstances in Your hands. I leave thU
past behind. I know I can trust You to work all my situations together for my good.K
hings are going to be different from now on, because I am goind
to relax and simply enjoy You.a


Release your confidence in God through faith-filled words, and through short little prayers throughout your day. Every prayer doesn’t have to bU
long and eloquent. Pray your way through the dayb


One of the most blessed present-day ministries of Jesus is that He is interceding for us.K
he Word says of Jesus: `
herefore He is able also tM
save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living tM
make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them” (Hebrews 7:25)b


All that Jesus asks of the Father, God answers. So whatever He is praying for me, whatever He is praying for you, we’re going to get it! JesuT
never stops praying for us.K
his means that we can relax, because the Word promises that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedeT
for us (see Romans 8:34)b


In order to stay supernaturally relaxed, it is important to understand the relationship between the Vine (Jesus) and the brancheT


(us, the believers). John 15:4–5 teaches that Jesus is the Vine, and the Father is the Vinedresser. He cuts away any branch that doesn’t beaP
fruit, but He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit to make it even more productiveb


I realized a long time ago that pruning is just a fact of life. We are pruned if we do bear fruit and pruned if we don’t! According to Webster’s NeT
College Dictionary,K
theK
word prune means to cut off or remove living or dead parts, to shape or stimulate growth, to remove or cut out aT
unnecessary, to reduce, to remove the super-fluous or undesirable. In other words, God is going to deal with us because we are as branches thaV
should be bearing fruit, ultimately so the world can pick that fruit and be fed. God wants us to meet people’s needs, be a blessing to them, and livU
for His gloryb


he more strength of Jesus’ life that we receive through Him, the Vine, the more fruit will grow on us, the branches. But branches don’t have tM
struggle to bear fruit, just as we don’t have to labor or be heavily burdened to produce good results in our lives. We don’t reach our goals by trying
but by believing. We’re supposed to abide in Jesus, and as we just “hang on” the Vine, Jesus will pour His life into us so that we bear fruitb


ABIDE IN CHRI


All we need is more of Jesus!K
he more we relax and trust Him, the more we are abiding in Him. I have never seen a peach tree frustrated, upset
and all stressed-out trying to produce peaches.K
he tree rests in the ground, and the life from the vine flows into the branches and produces fruitb
his is God’s will for each of us: resting in Jesus and producing good fruitb
Whenever I return home from ministering in conferences, I renew and revitalize myself by abiding in Jesus. I pray, meditate on His Word, an]
spend time with Him. I say, `
hank You, Lord, for strengthening me.K
hank You for refueling me. I need You, Jesus. I can’t do anything without You.a


I know I must abide in Him if I want to bear good fruit. Abiding replenishes the energy I use in my conferences. For many years I ministered in mL
conferences, returned home, and went right back to the office or out on another trip without spending the time I needed with the Lord. I alwayT
ended up worn-out, depressed, crying, and wanting to get out of ministry because of the pressureb



If we drive our automobiles without filling up the tanks, we ultimately run out of gasoline and break down somewhere on the road and have to bU
towed in. We can do the same thing as individuals. We will break down mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually if we don’t stay full of JesuT
by abiding in Himb


Most mornings, Dave and I spend from two to three hours with the Lord, praying, reading, meditating, pondering, writing, resting, trusting, an]
abiding in the Lord. By the time I face my family or work responsibilities, I’m full of good fruit in case anybody has a need. Sometimes people “picY
on us,” and when they do, we want them to be able to pick good fruitb
If I abide in Jesus, the Vine, I’ll always have what I need to give to others. If I don’t spend time with the Lord, I will become like the fig tree that waT
full of leaves but without fruit.K
he Bible said Jesus was hungry when He saw a fig tree in the distance, and He went to get something to eat from it
but there was no fruit on it. So He cursed it and He said, “Fruit will never grow on you again” (see Matthew 21:19). I remember thinking that it wasn’V
the fig tree’s fault.K
hen I read that when the fig tree has leaves, it is also supposed to have fruit. I believe He cursed it because it was a phony—iV
had leaves but no fruitb


I think a lot of people are like fruitless fig trees.K
hey have all the Christian paraphernalia (the leaves), but they don’t have the fruit of real faith i_
their lives.K
hey look like they have the lives of Christians:K
hey have the bumper stickers, the fish on their cars, the big Bibles they carry to work
and they say, “Praise the Lord” on a regular basis. But when a coworker goes to them, hungering for kindness, patience, mercy, or love, they don’V
have what is needed—there’s no fruit (good works or pleasant attitude) because they have not been hanging (abiding) on the Vine.K
hey also livU
with the curse of not having the fruit of peace in their own livesb


I am afraid not to spend time with God because as a minister of God’s Word, I don’t do anything fancy when I teach. I know that if I don’t have thU
anointing from abiding in Christ, I’m finished before I ever open my mouthb


Jesus said that if we dwell in Him, He will dwell in us. If we live in Him, He will live in us. He said that we cannot bear fruit without abiding in Himb
But if we live, which implies daily abiding, in Him we will bear abundant fruit (again see John 15:4–5). Whether it is teaching or anything else I do i_
life, I have learned by experience that I need Him and cannot do anything of real value without Him. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor i_
vain that build it (see Psalm 127:1)b
o have peace, it is very important that we abide in Christ, and this means to spend time with Him on a consistent basis. In the world we live i_
today, a little bit of time with God is not enough. God has to be first in our thoughts, in our conversations, in our finances, and in our schedules. Don’V
try to work God into your schedule; work your schedule around Him. Put Him first, and everything will work properlyb


If you put God first in everything, then you will find yourself getting things done supernaturally. He may even send someone to help you whom yoN
were not expecting. I have had two people tell me recently that God moved on the hearts of people they knew to help them with housework or otheP
duties; the helpers said they felt that God placed it on their hearts and wanted to do it without charging any feeb


his same thing happened to me many years ago, when I started my ministry. I had four young children, no money, and not much time to preparU
for ministry. God sent a friend who offered to help me two days a week without payb


I want to say again, if you put God first in everything, then you will find yourself getting things done supernaturally. Putting God first is not abouV
having all the Christian paraphernalia I mentioned that we might refer to as “fig leaves.” Don’t forget that when Adam and Eve found themselves i_
trouble, they covered themselves up with fig leaves too. Fig leaves weren’t adequate to meet their need to cover themselves, so God provided thU
sufficient covering for them (see Genesis 3:21)b


We are not capable of making ourselves fruit-bearing Christians. Bearing fruit is the work of the Holy Spirit, and God gets the glory. Go]
promises to graft us into Himself so that His life pours through us (see Romans 11:17)b


he picture of being grafted in to the vine is an interesting concept because it requires taking a branch that is almost dead and wrapping it tightlL
to a living vine.K
his process brings life back into the almost-dead branch.K
his branch cannot do anything but receive life from the Vine. LikU
grafted branches, we are simply to relax in God’s presence and let His abundant life flow through usb


RU
YOURSELFK
O GO.


here is nothing that we can give to God, except ourselves. We can show appreciation for all He has done for us and praise Him for His goodnessb
rust yourself to God; He wants you! He wants to take care of you and be your everything.K
otal surrender of your life will bring an awesomU
peace with God—the peace that passes understandingb


We will keep our peace if we surrender our guilt for past sins to God. God wants us to ask for and receive His free gift of forgiveness, which haT
always been available to us. I encourage you to form a habit: When you ask God to forgive your sins, follow up by saying, “I receive that forgivenesT
right now, and I let go of the guilt.a


Learn how to receive; see yourself as a branch hanging onto the Vine. All you can do is receive life from that Vine. Confess, “I receive, Lord. I
give myself to You, and I receive You as my everything in life: my Savior, Lord, Strength, Peace, Righteousness, Joy, Justification, Sanctification
and all other things.a


All the branch does is receive what the Vine offers.K
o receive means to act like a receptacle and simply take in what is being offered.K
o staL
supernaturally relaxed, become a receiver and live by grace, and not by works or fleshly effortb


Living by grace is trusting in God’s energy, instead of our own work and effort, to do what needs to be done. And look what Christ can dol
Hebrews 1:3 says that He upholds and maintains and guides and propels the universe by “His mighty word of power”T


God makes this earth and all of the planets and stars spin perfectly through space. We don’t even know how big the universe is. If He can do that
shouldn’t we relax, knowing He can take care of us too? If He can run the entire universe, surely He can manage each of usb


Hebrews 1:3 goes on to say that Jesus “accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt” by offering Himself, then He sat down at thU
right hand of God. Sitting down is a picture of being relaxed because the work was doneb


So, Jesus is relaxed. He’s taking care of the universe, but it’s not even an effort for Him. Why isn’t He running around heaven, worried about ouP
situations? Why isn’t He wringing His hands, trying to figure out what to do? Surely there must be a lot of work involved in keeping this wholU
universe running. Yet He does it and remains perfectly calm. As we learn to live in Him, we, too, can enjoy this supernatural ease and relaxationb


RELAX INK
HE KEEPING POWER OF GO.


A lady who works for me says that she doesn’t have a “big” testimony. She just grew up in the church, loving God. She got married, was filled witR



the Holy Spirit, then came to work for us.K
hrough our ministry, she was moved by the testimonies of drug addicts and people who have suffere]
abuse. One day she asked God, “Lord, why don’t I have a testimony?a


He said, “You do have a testimony. Your testimony is that I kept you from all of it.” God had kept her from the pain that results from beind
separated from Him.K
he keeping power of God is a great testimonyT


Psalm 91 teaches that He will give His angels charge over us, and they will protect and defend us.K
his same woman was sitting in a boat onU
day, reading that very chapter. Her husband was fishing when the boat hit a wave and the lawn chair she was in fell over. She banged her head o_
the side of the boat at the same time she was reading about God’s protection. She said, “Lord, I don’t understand this!K
he Bible says that You’l\
protect me, and here I’ve hit my head.a


God said to her, “You’re not dead, are you?a


It’s true that a few things happen in our lives that we don’t like, but what has God kept us from that we never even knew Satan had planne]
against us? I marvel at the fact that we can drive in traffic and stay alive. We need to thank God for His keeping power. We can relax knowing thaV
He is our Keeper. Daily, God protects us and keeps us from the power of the enemy. We are sealed in the Holy Spirit and preserved for the fina\
day of redemption when Jesus will returnb


I don’t know how I’ve done what I’ve done over these past years. I look back at my calendars, and I see how hard I’ve worked. I read some of mL
prayer journals and remember some of the things I’ve gone through with people, and the hurt I’ve felt. I think, How did I ever get through that? BuV
God held me together. He strengthened me. He kept me. And I can see now that I worried about a lot of things I didn’t have to worry about becausU
they worked out okay anyway. God has a plan, and He is working His plan. We can trust that and relax. Psalm 145:14 says, `
he Lord upholds al\
those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down.a


his continual care of God is uninterrupted in our lives.K
here’s never a moment when He’s not taking care of us.K
he Bible says that God neveP
sleeps nor slumbers. When you go to sleep at night, He stays up and watches over you. You can relaxb


SIMPLY BELIEV.


he Bible tells us that we are to live sanctified lives, but then it turns right around and says God will do the work to sanctify us. We are to simply puV
our trust in Him, hang on to the Vine, and He does the work through us, as these verses promise: “And may the God of peace Himself sanctify yoN
through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body bU
preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). Faithful is He Who is calling you [tM
Himself] and utterly trustworthy, and He will also do it [fulfill His call by hallowing and keeping you]” (1K
hessalonians 5:23-24)b


he disciples asked Jesus, “What must we do to be working the works of God? What must we do to please God?a


Jesus replied, `
his is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on
and have faith in His Messenger]” (John 6:29)b
Joy and peace are found in believing, according to Romans 15:13. Simple, childlike believing enables us to live with an ease that releases joL
and peace. Hebrews 4 teaches us that those who have believed enter the rest of Godb
As believers, we are supposed to believe. Otherwise we’d be called achievers. But we’re believers, and to be believers we must first learn hoZ
to be instead of dog
Relax; all the good things that God has planned for you will come to you through Him, not through your works. Romans 11:36 confirms, “For fro^
Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all thingT
center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.]K
o Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).a


o be at peace with God, we have to learn how to maintain peace. Maintaining requires watchfulness and daily attention. As we will continuU
studying in the next chapter, we must avoid strife with others in order to stay supernaturally relaxedb



Peacekeeper #


AVOID
RIFEK
O MAI‹
AIN PEACE WI
H GO.


I’ve discovered over the years that peace is one of the greatest gifts God has given to us. But Satan works incessantly to steal our peace, so wU
must be aware of his tactics and be determined to live peaceful lives so we can live powerful lives. Once we have peace with God, we must learn tM
maintain it in order to enjoy it every day of our lives. Maintaining peace means that we must pursue peace, crave it, and go after it with all of ouP
mightb


Peace and power work together. Peace allows the anointing of God’s presence to flow through our lives.K
hat grace gives us the power to livU
the way God wants us to live, and to enjoy what God has provided for usb
I believe that the level of peace we walk in and the level of prosperity we have are directly connected. We can prosper from God’s blessings, buV
if we lose our peace in the process, we may also lose our prosperity toob
he loss of peace opens a door for the devil to rob us. Ephesians 4:26–27 verifies this when it says if we become angry, we should not let thU
sun go down on our anger. It says we should not give the devil any such foothold in our livesb


here was a time when our ministry was growing so fast that it was actually creating problems. We couldn’t hire enough people. We didn’t havU
enough space, and we had difficulty keeping up with the growth. It was important to keep our peace, but I felt that we were running to keep up witR
God all the time. He was blessing us, but we had to learn how to handle the blessings and stay peacefulb


he loss of peace can come from anything that causes us to feel we are on overload. Problems may make us feel that way, and even succesT
and growth can make us feel overwhelmed sometimes. At that time in our ministry, we suddenly found ourselves needing to deal with things we ha]
never dealt with before, and we had to learn to trust God in an entirely new wayb


We wanted to grow and prosper, but we strongly felt that God had instructed us to maintain our peace in order to do so. God works in a_
atmosphere of peace, not in turmoil and strife. I believe that God opens the door for many people to be blessed, but they quickly lose the blessind
because they allow their emotions to rule when they should be diligent to walk in peaceb


One of the ways we maintain peace with God is by maintaining peace with the people in our lives. Our new growth meant we had to make a lot oJ
new decisions, and Dave and I had to work at staying out of strife because we did not always agreeb


Avoiding strife with people is such an important aspect of peace that I have devoted an entire section of this book, which you will read later, tM
teach the various ways God has taught me to maintain peace with others as unto the Lord. But because the way we treat other people is importanV
to God, I also want to make clear how maintaining peace in our relationships with others helps us to be at peace with Godb


God does not like it if I mistreat someone. It grieves His Holy Spirit, and I feel a sudden loss of peace. I remember one night when I could noV


sleep. I tossed and turned until five o’clock, at which time I finally asked, “Lord, what is wrong with me? Why can’t I sleep?a


He instantly showed me a situation from the previous day whe_


I was quite impatient and rude to someone. I never apologized; I justified my actions and went on my way. I had grieved the Holy Spirit, and thU
loss of peace was keeping me awake. As soon as I repented of my sin, my peace returned and I went to sleep. And the next day, I also apologize]
to the person as soon as I couldb


As servants of the Lord, we must not have strife, because where there is strife, there is neither power to enjoy life nor prosperity in any area
including our relationships. Peace and prosperity are two components of the abundant life that God wants us to have. We cannot represent Hi^
properly if we are in strifeb


he relationship between Abram (later Abraham) and Lot illustrates the importance of maintaining peace in our relationships with othersb
Genesis 12 records the covenant of peace that God made with Abraham and his heirs. Abraham became extremely rich and powerful becausU
God blessed him. God chose him to be the man through whom He would bless all the nations on the face of the earthb


I find it interesting that in the very next chapter, Genesis 13, strife came between the herdsmen of Lot and Abraham’s cattle (see v. 7). Strife is thU
exact opposite of peace. God gave Abraham peace, and Satan went immediately to stir up strife. God wanted to bless Abraham, and Sata_
wanted to steal his blessingb


Sometimes God’s abundance can cause problems that lead to strife. He had blessed Abraham and Lot with so many possessions and cattlU
that the land could not nourish and support them.K
hey had to regroupb


he Bible says that Abraham went to Lot and said, “Let there be no strife, I beg of you, between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mL
herdsmen” (Genesis 13:8). He told Lot that they were going to have to separate, so Lot should choose the land he wanted, and Abraham woul]
take what was leftb


Abraham took a humble position to avoid strife, knowing that if he did what was right, God would always bless him. But Lot, who would have ha]
nothing if Abraham hadn’t given it to him, chose the best part: the Jordan Valley. Abraham didn’t say a thing; he just took the leftovers. He kneZ
God would bless him if he stayed in peace. People who walk in peace in order to honor God cannot lose in lifeb


But then God took Abraham up on a hill and said, “Now, you look to the north, to the south, to the east, and the west—and everything you see, I’l\
give to you” (see vv. 14–15). What a great deal! Abraham gave up one valley, and God gave him everything he could seeb


HUMILI
Y BRINGS PEAC.


God honored Abraham’s humility and blessed him abundantly with fruitful land. I believe that God’s got a good plan for all of us, but prideful attitudeT



can prevent us from having all that God wants us to have. A bad attitude is one of the most important things on which we can work with God tM
overcomeb


he Bible says that strife and contention come only by pride. You cannot have strife if you don’t have pride. Pride was Lucifer’s sin, and it is sM
deceptive that proud people don’t know that they are proud. When people are deceived by pride, they blame others for everything that goes wrond
and fail to see their own faultsb


Romans 12:16–17 says


Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and givU
yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what iT
honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyoneb


Some people are basically impossible to get along with, but I love Romans 12:18, which says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live aV
peace with everyone” (italics mine). We can’t do their part, but we must do our part of maintaining peace with othersb


I challenge you to be a maker and a maintainer of peace today and every day of your life. Go the extra mile to keep peace—even if it meanT
apologizing to somebody when you really don’t think you’re wrong. I’m not suggesting that you let everybody take advantage of you. But I a^
suggesting that you live life with humility so you can enjoy peace and the blessings that result from itb


he Bible says there are times that we will look like sheep being led to the slaughter. But right in the midst of all these things, we are more tha_
conquerors. If two people are arguing, the one who is proud, stubborn, and refuses to apologize is the loser, not the winner.K
he one who looks likU
a sheep on his way to disaster but humbles himself and says, “Look, I don’t want any trouble. If I was wrong, I’m sorry. Please forgive me” is thU
winner. He took the position that Jesus would have taken if He were there, dealing with that same situationb


Humility is hard on our flesh. But the Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. We need to learn how to follow the leading of the HolL
Spirit. We also need to recognize when we are not following the ways of the Lordb


People use the phrase, “Well, I got in the flesh,” but we need to learn how to get out of it just as quickly as we got in. We mustn’t get selfish an]
stay that way for long periods of time.K
he Bible says not to let the sun go down on our anger (see Ephesians 4:26). God knew there would be timeT
when we would get angry, but as soon as we know we’re angry, we can keep that emotion from controlling us. We can come back to a place oJ
peace before the day is over. It requires some humility and a decisionb


We can be Peacemakers and Peace Maintainers.K
o do so, we will have to treat people nicely who haven’t been so nice to us. We can havU
abundant lives, but we will have to do what the Bible says in order to have it. God’s promises of a good life are for “whosoever will”; not jusV
whosoever will receive the promises, but whosoever will obey what He tells them to do.K
hen the promises will be enacted in their livesb


hat’s why it is so important to know what the Word of God says, and let God work it out in our lives through our obedience to Him. It is hard tM
say we are sorry, but we can do all things through Christ. He will give us the grace to be Peacemakersb


One morning, Dave corrected me about something when I wasn’t feeling good. My first thought was, Oh my, not this morning! I was in Africa
preaching. I was already fighting jet lag, my back was hurting, my eyes were extremely dry, I was tired, and in general I did not feel good when mL
husband decided to correct meb


Why is it that when somebody corrects us, the first thing we do is get mad?K
hat’s what I did. Now, I had gained a little bit of control over mL
emotions, so I didn’t show my anger. But inside, I was not happyb


Naturally, the first thing we want to do when people correct us is start telling them everything that’s wrong with them. Dave was describing S
certain situation where he felt I hadn’t shown him respect. My response was, “Well, there are many times when you don’t show me respect.a


He said, “We aren’t talking about me. We’re talking about you.”K
alk about a flesh burner! Whoa! Lord, have mercyT


Now, I’ve learned a few things after twenty-five years in ministry. I was getting ready to preach that morning, and I knew better than to get into thU


pulpit with strife in my heart! Strife steals our peace and shuts down the anointing. So, I started praying for two thingsb
I said, “God, help me keep my mouth shut.”K
hat’s the first thing to pray for if you don’t want war. Never overestimate your own ability to keep quieV
just because you want to. You have to pray for help in this areab
hen I said, “God, if he’s right ...give me the grace to receive it.” I’ve learned that just because we don’t think somebody’s right, that doesn’t mea_
they’re notb
It is interesting how human beings have problems with being corrected.K
hat same spirit of pride that causes us to mistreat people will alsM
prevent us from receiving correctionb
he Bible says, “Only a fool hates correction” (see Proverbs 15:5). If you correct a wise man, he becomes wiser. If you correct a fool, he getT
angry and won’t even consider receiving itb


Why is it so devastating when somebody tells us we’re not doing something right or tells us, “I need you to change this”? I believe that ouP
insecurity can cause our pride to rise in defense and say, “Nobody’s going tell me anything. I’m right, and everybody else is wrong.” If we don’t lear_
to recognize this Peace Stealer, we will go around the same stupid mountain, again and again, dealing with the same problemsb


PRAYER BRINGS PEAC.


Well, it turned out that God showed me Dave was right. I made my first round of apologies, but I really wasn’t sincere. I was still a little bit mad
because though I agreed with God that Dave was right, I still didn’t like the way he told me. I didn’t like his attitude or his timing. I was willing to saL
that I was wrong, but I wanted also to talk about what Dave had done wrong. He wouldn’t talk about thatb


I could feel my flesh just screaming. I had to pray, “God, give me grace. Give me the grace to forgive. Help me talk to Dave. I don’t want to talk tM
him. God, help me talk to him.” When we get mad, a wall goes up. We say silently, “You hurt me, and I am not letting you back into my life to do iV
again.” I know this is exactly the way we all are.K
hen we just become polite. We talk only if we absolutely have to and use very few words. WU
answer questions with a simple yes or no, but we offer no further conversation. We avoid the person who hurt us as much as possibleb


Dave knew I was hurting, but he also knew I was really trying to do what was right. Even when we are trying to do right, our flesh can still hurtb
God’s Word teaches us we are to die to self.K
hat means we say yes to God and His will and no to our flesh that wants to rebel. Dave reached ouV
and patted me on the arm or leg to show love and understanding while I was trying to get over the correction he gave meb


We were traveling with many people on the plane that day, but I didn’t want to talk to anybody.K
hey were all asking, “Why are you so quiet?a



I said, “I’m just having a quiet day.” But the truth was I was hurting too bad to talk. My emotions were whacko, and I really wanted to just be lefV
alone.K
he entire day was a struggle for me not to cry or scream. It was very difficult for me to be civil to people, but I knew that God was dealind
with me and correcting me. I knew I needed to submit to His dealings if I was going to make progress and overcome in the area of beind
disrespectfulb


Sometimes, even after we choose to do what is right, we may hurt for a while. It is the pain that is doing the good work in us. It is actuallL
changing us and making us betterb


I have learned that if we don’t listen to God when He tries to correct us, then He will bring pressure from some other direction to get our attention. I
am sure God had been dealing with me for a long time about my disrespectful attitude toward Dave and some of the wrong things I said to him, but I
was not listening to God. So he led Dave to correct meb


I had a bad habit, and God knew that He needed to help me get free if I was going to do all He had for me to do in the ministry.K
he Lord wante]
to bless my life, but my attitude was hindering Himb


I kept praying for God to give me grace to submit to His dealing and no longer be angry with Dave. I wanted to do right and knew that grace is thU
power of the Holy Spirit to help us do what we can’t. After some time went by, I felt much better and knew God had done a work in me that woul]
help me enjoy more peace in my lifeb


If you want to be a maker and maintainer of peace when somebody hurts you, you better not think that you can do it just by decision or self-willb
Start praying, because emotions are strong, and they are a controlling force in our lives. Pride gets all tangled up in our emotions and causes strifU
and eventually lots of broken relationshipsb


Strife causes stress that can even lead to sickness and disease. God did not create us to live in the war zone all the time. We are supposed tM
have peace, and when something happens to disturb our peace, we have to work to get it backb


We’ve seen that the Word says to live in harmony with others, and be ready to adapt and adjust ourselves to people. We want them to adapt tM
us, but God puts the responsibility on each one of us to give ourselves to humble tasksb


When Dave corrected me, it didn’t really take me all that long to get my attitude right again. Well, perhaps it was a couple of days (though iV
seemed like a month), but forty-eight hours was a big improvement over the way I used to stay offended for weeks. Isn’t it amazing how time goeT
so slowly when we’re upset about somethingy


Finally, I knew that I had the grace to give a sincere apology. So, I said to my husband, “Look, I’m really sorry. If I’ve ever spoken disrespectfully
please forgive me. I don’t want to do that, but you know my mouth gets me into trouble sometimes.” Everything was fine after that. Peace returnedT


God has dealt with me since then about my mouth. Most of us say things that hurt and wound other people. I probably will have to endurU
correction in this area again, but I really do want to be all that God wants me to be. My desire to please God motivates me to go through whatever I
need to in order to be in His perfect willb


PEACE RELEASES ANOI‹
IN.


I encourage you always to pursue peace. You won’t have peace with God until you have peace with the people He has placed in your life. It iT
important to understand that in order to have peace with God, you must work through whatever issues are causing strife in your life and quickly brind
closure to them. Don’t pretend everything is okay when you are eaten up inside with strifeb


God knows everything that goes on behind closed doors, including the doors to our hearts. If our relationships aren’t right, our lives won’t be rightb
And if our private lives are not right, our public lives are not right. Whatever we do in private affects our public lives and ministriesb


Pride will absolutely ruin us. But the mighty God who dwells inside of us gives us the power to humble ourselves and say, “I’m sorry,” even if wU
don’t feel like itb


If you need to come to a new level of peace in your life, make a decision to become a maker and maintainer of peace.K
he Word says, “Blesse]
(enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor ...regardless of their outward conditions) are thU
makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!” (Matthew 5:9)b


It’s one thing to be a child of God, but to be called a son or a daughter of God implies a level of maturity: someone who can handle blessing
responsibility, and authority that children cannot manageb


he blessing of peace keeps the anointing and power of God flowing through our lives so that, like Abraham, we can bless other people o_
God’s behalf. God gives gifts to people, and He wants to fill those gifts with His anointed presence to bring blessing. It might be a gift to preach an]
teach God’s Word, to sing, to lead, to encourage, or to administrateb


here are certain character qualities that God will bless (anoint with power) and certain qualities that He won’t. Exodus 29 gives a detaile]
description of where the priest was to put the anointing oil. It was to be on the utensils, the altar, the priest’s garments, and the turban on his head
but he was not to put anointing oil upon the flesh. God will not anoint our fleshly actions or our fleshly behaviorb


We have to learn to surrender our wills to God and let the Holy Spirit lead us if we want to maintain peace and carry its anointing power in ouP
lives. But first and foremost, I encourage you to pursue peace through prayer today, and be determined to keep the strife out of your life. WithouV
peace you won’t have the power to enjoy life. Pursue peace with God, with yourself, and with your fellow manb


If you lack peace, pray something like this: “Father, I pray for peace with You. I don’t understand everything that is going on in my life. It’s not goind
the way I want it, but I am deciding to trust You. Help me to have peaceful relationships, and give me the power (the anointing of Your grace) to be S
maker and a maintainer of peace with others, in the name of Jesus. Amen.a


In the next part of this book, I will explain seven ways that I found to have peace with myself before I could focus on keeping peace with othersb
hrough wisdom from God’s Word, you can learn to have peace and enjoy your life every day, wherever you are. So next, let’s look at how slowind
down will help you to keep peace with yourselfb



Part f


BE .
PEAC.
WI
H YOURSEL.


Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin`
both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever]g


O
HE APO
LE PAUL, Romans 8:R



Peacekeeper #.



OP RUSHIN.


Much of the world is in a hurry, always rushing, yet very few people even know where they are going in life. If we want to be at peace with ourselveT
and enjoy life, we must stop rushing all the timeb
People rush to get to yet another event that has no real meaning for them, or that they really don’t even want to attend. Hurry is the pace of thU
twenty-first century; rushing has become a disease of epidemic proportions. We hurry so much, we finally come to the place where we cannot sloZ
downb


I can remember the days when I worked so hard and hurried so much that even if I took a vacation, it was almost over by the time I geared dow_
enough to rest. Hurry was definitely one of the Peace Stealers in my life and still can be, if I do not stay alert to its pressureb
Life is too precious to rush through it. I find at times that a day has gone by in a blur; at the conclusion of it I know I was very busy all day yeV
cannot really remember enjoying much, if any, of it. I have committed to learn to do things in God’s rhythm, not the world’s paceb


Jesus was never in a hurry when He was here on earth, and God is absolutely not in a hurry now. Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, `
O EVERi
HIN.
there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.” We should let each thing in our lives have its season and realize we ca_
enjoy that season without rushing into the next oneb
It is permissible to enjoy our morning coffee or tea without feeling we must hurry to get to the next thing. We can get dressed calmly withouV
rushing. We can leave the house in a timely fashion, without frantically running out the door already behind schedule. Rushing is a bad habit, but wU
can break bad habits and form good ones to replace themb


he way we get a day started is important. Often how we start is how the entire day goes. I have found if I allow the “hurry-up” spirit to grab mU
early in the day, everything within me gets into high gear, and I never seem to slow down or really relax the rest of the day. Hurry creates pressurU
that in turn creates stressb


Stress is the root cause of many illnesses and is therefore something each one of us desperately needs to resolve. God did not create us tM
hurry, rush, live under pressure and stress day after day. Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you.” He wants us to have peaceb


Pace is very important in life. Our pace not only affects us but others around us. I don’t like to be around people who are always in a rush; they arU
usually short-tempered and impatient.K
hey certainly don’t minister peace.K
hey make me feel as if I also need to hurry, which I am desperatelL
trying to avoidb


I have noticed in fine-dining restaurants that the hostess who seats people walks very slowly while leading customers to their tables.K
he waiterT
or waitresses don’t rush the table for orders; they give you plenty of time to think. I am sure this is because they want the customers to enjoy theiP
experience, and they know that will not be possible if they are rushedb


When following one of the hostesses who is exuding peace simply by the way she walks me to the table, often I am behind her thinking, GeQ
going, you’re moving too slow.K
hen I am reminded (I am sure by the Holy Spirit) that I don’t need to be in a hurry to enjoy the nice meal I am abouV
to pay forb


Our pace of living affects the quality of our lives. When we eat too fast, we don’t properly digest our food; when we rush through life, we don’V
properly digest it either. God has given life to us as a gift, and what a pitiful shame to do nothing but rush through each day and never, as they say
“stop to smell the roses.” Each thing we do in life has a sweet fragrance, and we should learn to take it into ourselves and enjoy the aromab


RUSHING BEGINS INK
HE MIN.


Rushing begins in the mind, just as all actions do. I have to hurry is a thought pattern we should avoid. When other people say to us, “Hurry up!” wU
can learn to resist following their suggestion or demand. It unsettles us and makes us feel rushed when thoughts constantly fly through our minds
one following upon another (especially thoughts that go in many different directions)b


hose of us who have a bad habit of rushing need to decide that we don’t have to do this. We can do only one thing at a time! When we hurry, wU
make more mistakes and often forget things that end up costing us more time than we would have used had we maintained a godly paceb


Did you know that you can think things on purpose? You can choose what you think about, and by doing so you help assure what your actions wil\
be. Yes, you can purposefully think thoughts such as I don’t have to hurry. I have time to do whatever I need to do. Speaking such affirmations ouV
loud is also helpfulb


Positive statements help give direction for future actions. Get up in the morning, and as soon as you feel rushed, say, “I am glad I don’t have tM
hurry. I have all the time I need. I will do things today at a pace that enables me to enjoy each task.a


his may sound strange, but the Bible teaches us to speak of the nonexistent things that God has foretold and promised as if they already exisV
(see Romans 4:17). God created the world with words, our words also hold creative power; words affect our futures.K
ake a step of faith, and trL
saying what you want, not just what you have at the current time, and I believe you will enjoy positive resultsb


If we feel hurried, we usually say, “I am so sick and tired of hurrying all the time!K
hat is all I ever do: hurry, hurry, hurry.” Statements like those maL
be facts describing the way things are, but circumstances don’t have to stay that way. I repeat, say what you want, not what you haveg


Peace of mind must precede peace in our lives.K
his verse promises perfect peace to those who keep their minds on God: “You will guard hi^
and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself tM
You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You” (Isaiah 26:3)b



hinking too much about everything we have to do sets the wheels in motion for rushing. We often feel overwhelmed when we think of all thU
future will require of us.K
his type of thinking is called anxiety. As we discussed earlier, when we spend today trying to figure out tomorrow, wU
struggle simply because God gives us grace, which is His strength and power, one day at a time. When we try to live tomorrow today, even if only i_
our minds, we feel pressured and begin to lose peaceb


We will never enjoy the peaceful and fruitful lives that God intends for us unless we learn to think right. I repeat what I have said on manL
occasions: Where the mind goes, the man followsg


LEARNK
O LIVE WI
H MARGI‹


Living without margin is one of the main reasons we feel we need to hurry.K
o live with margin means to leave room on either side of planne]
events or appointments to take care of unexpected things that come up. We seem to plan our days in an unrealistic way, as if everything will gM
exactly according to our plans and desires, which it never does. One unplanned phone call or traffic jam can change our entire timetable. One set oJ
misplaced car keys can upset a whole day’s schedulingb


I was feeling tremendously rushed every day at the office. I raced in and flew through my many appointments, and I am sure that I made all thU
people I met with feel as if I could hardly wait to get rid of them. I was always behind schedule and never got finished. At the end of every day, I waT
frustrated and went home feeling totally drained. It was so bad that I actually got to the point where I literally despised even going to the officeb


hen I learned about the principle of adding margin to my life, and I feel like a new person. I told my secretary that I wanted her to find out hoZ
much time each person who needed to meet with me felt he would require, and then just add ten to fifteen minutes to each appointment.K
hiT
margin would cover any unexpected things that came up during the meeting, and if we didn’t use the margin, it would be an extra blessingb


Now, one of our managers might be scheduled to meet with me for one hour, but when we finish in forty minutes, it is glorious! I almost always geV
finished with my day’s schedule and usually have some time to spare. Adding margin has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I was alwayT
the type of person who never wanted to waste one moment, therefore, I planned everything to the second so I had no downtimeb


If Dave and I needed to be on a flight leaving at ten o’clock, I wanted to arrive at 9:30 or 9:45, rush through the ticket counter, run down the hall
and hurry to get on the plane. Dave refused to do this because he is not a person who is willing to hurry. He has one pace—it is called Peaceful. HU
insisted we arrive at the airport no less than one hour early; this caused many arguments between us literally for years. I must say, though, that hU
was right, and I was wrongb


Having breathing room between planned events of the day is healthy, and it is actually mandatory if one is intending to enjoy his or her lifeb


One of the worst things a person can become is a busy man or woman. I have noticed upon meeting people and asking how they are that mosV
respond, “Busy,” and many say, `
ired.” Surely life is meant to be more. If our testimony of life is “I’m busy and tired,” that is very sad indeedb


Margin is another word for wisdom. It makes absolutely no sense to live without it, and nothing truly succeeds without it. We know fro^
experience that we always encounter things we did not plan for, so why not plan for the unplanned, which is what margin isy


KNOW YOUR LIMI


We are not all alike, nor do we all have the same tolerance level. Some people, by virtue of their temperaments or even natural stamina, can dM
more than others. Know yourself, and don’t be ashamed to admit you have limits. Don’t try to keep up with some other busy person you know—jusV
be yourselfb


I can accomplish a lot; I thrive on activity. Some of the people who work with me comment often that they don’t know how I do all that I do. God haT
given me a lot of natural drive, and I am very passionate about what I am called to do; but I have had to face the fact that I have my limits, and sM
does everyone elseb


I spent years pushing past my limits and eventually became ill and very discouraged, thinking, If this is all life is, I would rather go to heaveng
After pushing myself beyond reason and becoming very ill three different times, I knew I needed to changeb


I finally admitted I had limits and saw that it was not wrong to have them. I had to face the fact that I was not able to do everything I or other peoplU
wanted me to do. I had to make choices just like everyone else. I had to be willing to say no to people who wanted to hear yes, and even to things I
really wanted to dob


High achievers often feel it is a personal failure to say, “I can’t do any more than I am doing.”K
hat is, of course, wrong thinking, and Satan useT
condemnation to destroy people. Many “driven” people are just insecure people who are getting their worth and value from their accomplishmentT
in lifeb


I heard a story about a woman who worked in a shipyard, and her job was cleaning the ships. She believed that her job had value because shU
was doing it, not that her value was based on the job she did.K
his gave her wonderful freedom to enjoy herself, her job, and all of life. Many peoplU
would feel belittled by her job, but not her—she knew she had value. Our attitudes about ourselves really do affect all of our livesb


Learning that my worth and value are rooted in God through Christ has been life-changing. Quite often, people strive to have prestigious jobs sM
they feel important; this causes a lot of heartache in life. I know because I experienced it. I once was seeking promotion and success, but for all thU
wrong reasons. We could all learn a lesson from this woman’s story. You make what you do important; you are not important because you do itb


I believe that some people don’t have peace with themselves because they actually don’t approve of themselves, and they over-commit whilU
trying to find worth.K
hey stay busy trying to accomplish something that will make them feel important and valuable. When we come to terms oJ
peace with ourselves, we don’t have to live to impress people; we are free to follow the Holy Spirit, who always leads us into peace and balance]
livingb


“I can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13 KJV) doesn’t mean what some people try to make it mean. We can do what we are called tR
do, but we cannot do everything we would like to do, nor everything everyone else would like us to do. We have limits! God Himself has place]
these limits on us. Only He has no limits. He gives us the energy and grace to do what He wants us to do. Jesus said He came that we might havU
and enjoy life, and I don’t believe that is possible as long as we are rushingb


God gives us all gifts and talents, but they are not all the same.K
he Giver of the gifts is the same, but the gifts differ. He hands them out accordind
to His will and for His overall purpose in life. God makes sure that everything in life is taken care ofb


Sometimes Dave and I notice people doing jobs like washing windows on high-rise buildings or walking on construction beams high in the air



and we marvel that God calls someone to do every task that needs to be done. We would not want to do what these people seem to enjoy doing
but then they probably would not want to do what we do either. It has been helpful to me to realize that God gives us all talents and limits. We can dM
well and with peace only what God has assigned to us. Being overcommitted in order to feel good about ourselves is not wisdom and will neveP
minister peaceb


AccordingK
toK
JamesK
Dobson,K
overcommitmentK
isK
theK
number-oneK
marriageK
killer.K
IK
haveK
discoveredK
thatK
SatanK
wantsK
usK
toK
beK
eitheP
uncommitted or overcommitted. His entire goal is to keep us out of balance, one way or the other. First Peter 5:8 says, “Be well balanced . . . foP
that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring . . . seeking someone to . . . devour.” Satan cannot devour just anyone; he has to fin]
someone who is out of balanceb


he world applauds our being overcommitted, but heaven doesn’t. A busy person with too much to do is usually considered a success by thU
world’s standards, but not by God’s. How can we be successful if we fail at relationships (which are usually what suffer the most in the life of a busL
person)? Most extremely busy people don’t even take the time to really know themselves, let alone anyone elseb


What is the point in parenting children if they are all going to be strangers to you? Why be married if you never have anything left of yourself tM
share with your marriage partner? I can remember coming home so tired each night that I could not even think, let alone have meaningfu\
conversation. I thought I was doing my duty, being responsible—but now I realize I was being deceived, and the deception was aimed at destroyind
the life Jesus desired for me to haveb


Don’t give your family and friends the scraps you have left over while you give the world your best.K
he world will let you down in the end. It wil\
take everything you have and disappear when you are in need. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but even Scripture verifies my comment. Solomo_
wrote, “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it. An]
I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will succeed me” (Ecclesiastes 2:17–18)b


he writer of Ecclesiastes was a “busy” man, one who tried everything that could be tried and did everything there was to do. Yet, at the end of hiT
experience, he was unfulfilled and bitterb


How many people have given all of themselves to something that never gave anything back? A great example of this is what motivationa\
teachers refer to as “climbing the ladder to success only to find that it was leaning against the wrong building.” It’s true, I’ve never heard of anL
person who has said on his or her deathbed, “Gee, I really wish I had spent more time at the office.a


I recently talked with a woman in ministry whom I have known for many years. I saw her at one of my conferences and noticed right away that shU
seemed unhappy and totally worn-out.K
he joy, zeal, and enthusiasm she had previously were no longer there. I invited her to come early the nexV
day and speak with meb


When I asked her if she was all right, she told me that she had a serious case of burnout. She said, “For the first time, I am not enjoying everydaL
life. I have worked so hard and given myself to meet everyone’s needs without requiring anything for myself. Now I am bordering on being bitter an]
fighting the temptation to quit and give up.a


his woman needed balance; she needed to review all of her commitments and see which ones were really producing the fruit she was called tM
produce. Not everything that seems good is actually God’s will for an individual. In fact, good is often the enemy of the best. We can easily lose ouP
focus and get sidetracked. We are busy all the time, we work hard, but we don’t get the things accomplished that minister fulfillment to us aT
individualsb


I believe when we are in the will of God and giving ourselves to what He has called us to do, we will sense satisfaction and fulfillment. We will geV
tired, but it will be a tired we recover from, not one that never goes away. When we are flowing in God’s will, our schedules always leave time foP
good relationshipsb


Great relationships are one of the most precious treasures in life, but we must feed them regularly by putting time into them. If you find you havU
no time to develop and maintain strong, intimate relationships with God, with yourself, and with your family and friends, then you are absolutely toM
busyb


We all need to take a serious inventory of what we are doing with our time, get out the pruning shears, and as the Spirit of God leads, cut thingT
out of our lives until we no longer have to rush. Then we will be able to live with peace and joyb


Realizing that we have limits and cannot do everything, and then making choices to do what is most important, will definitely increase our level oJ
peace. Peace equals power; without it, we live weak, frustrated lives. Remember, we should strive to let the peace of God rule in our lives as a_
umpire. If we have peace, we can keep doing what we are doing, but if we do not have peace, we know we need to make a change. If you heaP
yourself complaining all the time, it is an indication that you need to make some adjustments. If you are doing what God wants you to do, you shoul]
not be complaining about itb


AKE CHARGE OF YOUR SCHEDUL.


I remember murmuring about my schedule to the Lord, complaining how terribly busy I always was. He responded in my heart by saying, “You makU
your schedule. If you don’t like it, change it. I never told you that you had to do all the things you are doing.” He put the responsibility right back o_
meb


If we are honest, we really are the only ones who can do anything about the busyness of our lives. We complain frequently about beind
overworked and too involved, but we never do anything about it. We expect everyone to feel sorry for us because we are under pressure that wU
place on ourselves. We say we would love to have just one free evening at home with nothing to do. Yet when, by some miracle of God, we fin]
ourselves alone for the evening, we are so tense from all our other hurrying that we cannot sit still and enjoy itb


One evening at about 5:15 PM, when I was home alone working on this book, our electricity suddenly went out. We were without power for threU
hours, and I was absolutely amazed at how I kept looking for something I could do. I eventually decided I would go to my aunt’s house because shU
did have power, so I could find something to do there. I got in my car, started it, headed down the driveway, pushed the button to open our electriQ
gate, and realized we had no electricity, therefore the gate would not open.K
here was a way to open it manually, but I didn’t know howb


I finally thought, Well, I guess God has trapped me in this house with absolutely nothing to do but look out the window, and He probably has U
lesson in it for me. Perhaps the lesson is found in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God” (KJV)T


wo days later we had a bad storm, actually one of the worst I can remember, and hundreds of thousands of homes—including ours—in St. LouiT
were without power for over twenty-four hours. I settled in more quickly the second time but found it amusing to watch how not only I, but also otherT
in our neighborhood responded to having nothing to do. One of our sons, who had shared that day how tired he was from a recent trip and neede]



to rest that evening, got in his car and went to the office because the power was on there. I think it is safe to say that most of us are addicted tM
activityb


Make your own schedule. Don’t allow circumstances and demands from other people to make it for you. Simplify life. Do what you really need tM
do, but don’t be afraid to say no to things that take your time yet produce few positive resultsb
I recently spoke with a young woman who had a husband, small children, and a part-time job. She shared how she felt so pressured by all of life
and how she committed to things, then resented doing them. She was even beginning to resent the people who were asking her to do them. HeP
attitude was becoming bitter, and she was confusedb


I strongly encouraged her to be realistic about what she could sanely accomplish and remain peaceful. I suggested that she simplify her life aT
much as possible. In other words, I encouraged her to be in charge of her own scheduleb


BE HONE
WI
H YOURSEL.


What is stress? Stress is too much to do in too little time. A fight with someone you love. A boss who is never pleased. Car trouble.K
oo little moneL
and too many bills. Another red light when you are already late.K
he Internet not working when you desperately need itb


Actually, situations themselves do not cause stress; it is our reaction to the situation that is the real problem. For example, we blame the red lighV
for being there at the wrong time when, in reality, we should have left home sooner, leaving some margin in our schedule. Only the truth makes uT
free. As long as we are making excuses for the stress in our lives rather than taking responsibility, we will never experience changeb


I spent years trying to get rid of everything that bothered me and found out it was impossible. I wanted all of the people around me to change sM
they would never upset me; I also discovered that is not going to happen. Out of desperation to enjoy peace in my life, I became willing to changU
my approach to life. One of the things I had to do was slow downT


In 2K
imothy 4:5, Paul gaveK
imothy instructions about his life and ministry, saying, “As for you, be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffeP
unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry.” Paul then said, “I am . . . about to be sacrifice]
[my life is about to be poured out as a drink offering]” (v. 6). Paul knew his time on earth was almost up, and he was givingK
imothy instructions thaV
he might not get another opportunity to giveb


If we were dying and wanted to impart last words to those we were training, I believe we would choose things we felt were very important. Pau\
said, “Be calm”; in other words, “Don’t let things upset you. Live your life at a pace that enables you to enjoy it. Even when difficulties arise, accepV
them, and keep doing what God has called you to do.a


Calm is the picture I get of Jesus when I think of Him and His earthly ministry. (We will talk more about the fruit of living a calm life in a lateP
chapter.) I don’t ever picture Jesus rushing from one thing to the next, being impatient with people who were not moving as fast as He wanted the^
to. Jesus lived in a manner that allowed Him to be discerning about what was going on around Him. He knew of danger before it approached an]
was able to avoid things that Satan had planned for His destruction. We need this kind of spiritual sensitivity in our own lives. We will not have it iJ
we don’t slow downb


CAREFULLY CHOOS.
WH.
YOU NEEDK
O BE INVOLVED I‹


We cannot be involved in everything and remain calm, cool, and steady. My own definition of hurry is this: Hurry is our flesh trying to do more thaJ
the Spirit is leading us to do. If God is leading us to do something, surely we should be able to do it and remain peaceful. He is the Author an]
Finisher of our faith, according to Hebrews 12:2, but He is not obligated to finish anything He did not begin. Often we begin projects in the flesh, an]
when we feel overwhelmed, we start praying for God to do something. We should learn to pray before we make plans, not afterwardsb


Don’t engage in everything that is going on around you. Choose carefully what activities you need to participate in. I often refer to it as “choosind
your battles carefully.”K
here are many things I could get involved in at my office that I have learned to just stay out of and let some other qualifie]
person handle. Previously, I wanted to be part of everything, especially things that pertained to some problem at the ministry. I learned the hard waL
that I simply cannot be involved in everything; too much is going on for me to do that. I pick my battles now, and it has greatly increased my level oJ
peaceb


Moses was trying to be involved in too much, and in a moment of intense frustration, he told God the burden was too heavy for him.K
he Lord tol]
him to choose seventy other qualified men, whom He would anoint to give them authority, then let them help with the burden of trying to lead millionT
of people through the wilderness (see Numbers 11)b
If we don’t learn to delegate work and authority, we will always feel overwhelmed. Please notice I said, work and authority. Don’t ever givU
someone responsibility without the authority that goes with it. I found myself at times trying to give someone else a job to do while still wanting to bU
in control of it. By doing this, I was not relieved of the burden I had. My actions said to the other person, “I don’t really trust you,” which destroyed thaV
person’s confidence and affected the outcome of his workb


In Exodus 18, we see another situation in which Moses was overworked, only this time Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, saw all that Moses waT
doing for the people and told him it was too much.K
here are times in our lives when someone else will recognize what we can’t see. We should bU
open to hearing that it is time to delegate some of our workload to another qualified individualb


Jethro told Moses that if he did not make a change, he would wear out both himself and the Israelites. Even people get worn-out when we don’V
let them help us, if God has put them in our lives for that purpose.K
hey will feel stifled, unfulfilled, and frustrated. I believe we frequently lose peoplU
because we will not permit them to do what God has assigned them. If you have the idea that you are the only one who can do what needs to bU
done, you need to seriously consider what I am saying. Don’t let pride destroy you— ask for helpT
Exodus 18 talks about leaders who could oversee thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens of people. Not everyone is qualified to lead the samU
number. If you are anointed to lead thousands and won’t let others lead the tens, fifties, and hundreds, you will burn out, lose your peace, and noV
enjoy your work or your lifeb


Moses was wise enough to heed what his father-in-law said. He began to judge only the hard cases among the people while allowing otheP
qualified people to judge the easier ones. He actually preserved his ministry by asking for help. We often have the mistaken idea that if we leV
others help us, we will be losing something, when actually the exact opposite is trueb
I firmly believe that God provides for whatever He assigns to us. He will make sure we have all the people we need to help us, but it is not theiP



fault if we won’t rely on themb


If you find yourself trying to do something and you don’t have the help you need, you might need to ask yourself if you are doing the right thingb
Why would God ask you to do something, then sit by and watch you be frustrated and miserable because the burden is too much? God meets all oJ
our needs, including the people we need to work alongside us.K
his passage of Scripture gives an example of this act of wisdomb


So theK
welve [apostles] convened the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not seemly or desirable or right that we should have to give uO
or neglect [preaching] the Word of God in order to attend to serving at tables and superintending the distribution of food.K
herefore select ouV
from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we maL
assign to look after this business and duty. But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word. (ActT
6:2–4.


Had the apostles not recognized their need for help, their priorities would have remained out of line and their true assignment unfulfilled.K
heL
would have ended up frustrated, just like the people they were trying to serve.K
hey could have lost their peace, and therefore, their power. It is verL
possible that the loss of peace was what triggered their decision to ask for help.K
his is a very good example for us to followb


A mother can delegate some of the household chores to her children.K
rue, they may not do the job as perfectly as she would, but they will relievU
some pressure and also learn, as time goes by, to do chores with more excellence. No matter what station we are in, we can always delegatU
some of our responsibilities to others at the right time, therefore making it possible to do what we are assigned to do in life with peace an]
enjoyment. When you start to feel frustrated and begin losing your peace, ask yourself what you are doing that you could delegate to someone elseb


I heard a man say that his wife desperately needed more time, so she “bought” some by hiring household help to do some of the chores. I thoughV
this was a good way to look at it. We all feel occasionally that we are out of time—that there is never enough. “Buy” some time by either hirind
someone to help or assigning chores to available peopleb


Once again, I want to stress that whoever you assign to jobs probably won’t do the job exactly the way you would. Look for a good outcome, an]
don’t be so concerned about the methods they use. We may all get to the same place by taking a different route, but the important thing is that wU
arrive. One person may prefer dusting the house before vacuuming the floors, while another may want to vacuum first and dust later. I can’t see thaV
it makes any difference as long as both jobs get done. We should be humble enough to admit that our way of doing things is not the only wayg


When we have to consistently hurry, we have not managed our lives well. We have shoved too many things into too little space, or we are trying tM
do more than our share and not allowing others to help usb


Once you learn to slow down, you will have time to evaluate your real priorities in life.K
he first place I suggest you begin is in self-acceptance. I_
the next chapter we will observe how deep peace begins when you learn to love who God made you to beb



Peacekeeper #


ACCE.
YOURSEL.


Many, perhaps even most people, are not at peace with themselves, and they may not even be aware of it. Our enemy, Satan, begins to work earlL
in our lives, poisoning our thinking and attitudes toward ourselves. He knows we are not a threat or danger to him if we have no confidenceb
Our goal is not to be self-confident but to have confidence in who we are in Christ. We should know the value of being children of God and thU
position it gives us. As children of God, we can pray boldly in faith, knowing that God hears and answers our prayers. We can look forward to thU
inheritance that is ours by virtue of our personal relationship with Jesus. We can enjoy righteousness, peace, joy, good health, prosperity, an]
success in all we lay our hands to do, intimacy with God through Jesus, and many other wonderful benefitsb


We can develop godly character and be used mightily by God to lead others to Christ and help hurting people. Yes, our lives can be absolutelL
amazingly wonderful through Jesus; however, Satan is the deceiver, and as such, he seeks continually to steal what Jesus died to provide for usb


If you are not at peace with yourself, you won’t enjoy your life. You are one person you never get away from, not even for one second. You arU
everywhere you go, therefore, if you don’t like and accept yourself, you cannot possibly be anything other than miserable. Also, if we don’t accepV
ourselves, we will find it hard, if not impossible, to accept othersb


Our faults stand between us and self-acceptance. We think that if we could only behave better, we could like ourselves. We are proud of ouP
strengths, natural gifts, and talents, but we despise and are embarrassed by our weaknesses. We rejoice in our successes and feel depresse]
about our failures. We struggle and strive for perfection, but somehow it always eludes us. Our pursuit is in vainb


Andrew Murray said in his book Consecrated to God that we are “not perfected, yet perfect.a


PERFEc
IN CHRI


God’s Word states that if we are willing to share His sufferings, we shall also share His glory (see Romans 8:17). We have a command (or perhapT
it is a promise) in Matthew 5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (NIV)b


In the past, I had always received that verse as a harsh command, yet it could be God’s promise to us that because He is perfect and is workind
in us, we can also look forward to sharing in His perfection. I think the Amplified Bible makes the verse easier to understand: “You, therefore, musV
be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as youP
heavenly Father is perfect.a


he apostle Paul said that although he had not already been made perfect, he pressed on toward the goal. He then said that those of us who arU
imperfect should be thus minded, to let go of what was behind (mistakes) and press on. In essence, he was saying that in God’s eyes, by faith i_


Jesus Christ, he was perfect, yet he was not totally perfected (see Philippians 3:12–15)b
Was there ever a time when Jesus was not perfect?K
he answer must be no; we know that Jesus was and is always perfect, the spotless, sinlesT
Lamb of God who was found worthy to take away our sins. Hebrews 7:28 confirms His perfection, saying, “For the Law sets up men in theiP
weakness [frail, sinful, dying human beings] as high priests, but the word of [God’s] oath, which [was spoken later] after the institution of the Law
[chooses and appoints as priest One Whose appointment is complete and permanent], a Son Who has been made perfect forever.a


his Scripture tells us plainly that Jesus was made perfect forever, yet Hebrews 5:8–9 says that although He was a Son, He learned obediencU
through His sufferings and thereby became perfectly equipped to be the Author of our salvation.K
his makes it clear that He was perfect, yet waT
also being perfected. At each moment of His life, He was totally perfect, and yet He needed to be perfected through suffering in order to becomU
our Saviorb


Perfection is a state God’s grace places us into through our faith in Jesus Christ, and He works in and through us in degrees of glory. I saw mL
babies and my grandchildren as perfect. I even said many times as I looked at them, “You are perfect.” On the other hand, they had faults; theL
needed to mature, grow, and changeb


We must learn to see ourselves in Christ, not in ourselves. Corrie ten Boom taught that if you look at the world, you will be oppressed, if you looY
at yourself, you will be depressed, but if you look at Jesus, you will be at rest. How true it is that if we look at ourselves—at what we are in our ow_
abilities—we cannot be anything except depressed and totally discouraged. But when we look to Christ, “the author and perfecter of our faith,” wU
can enter His rest and believe that He is continually working in us (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)b


According to Andrew Murray, there are degrees of perfection: perfect, more perfect, and most perfect.K
here is perfect and waiting to bU
perfected.K
his is simply another way of saying that God has made us to be perfect, and we are growing into it. It is like a child saying, “My motheP
gave me her wedding dress to use when I get married, and I am growing into it year by year. It is still my dress, even though it does not fit me yet.a


We always say, “Nobody is perfect.” What we mean is that nobody manifests perfect behavior, and that is a correct statement. Our behavior
however, is quite different from our identities.K
he Bible says that faith in Jesus makes us righteous, but in our experience, we don’t always do thU
right thingb


Well, if we are righteous, why don’t we always do right? Simply because we are still growing into people who do what is right. We do less an]
less wrong, and more and more right, the longer we serve God. Consider this verse: “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew nM
sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought tM
be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]” (2 Corinthians 5:21)b


I have said for years, “My who is completely different than my do.” In other words, who I am in Christ is one thing, and what I do in myself is S



completely different thing altogether. We are to become examples of righteousnessb


When we are born again, we receive new identities; God makes us His children, just as when my children were born, they became Meyers.K
heL
will never be more or less Meyers than they were on those days. In one moment of time, each became forever and completely a Meyer. Did theL
always act like a Meyer? Did they always act the way we would have liked our children who represent us to act? Of course not, but they werU
nonetheless Meyersb


Religion frequently teaches us to do things right (follow rules and regulations) to prove we are right with God.K
rue Bible Christianity teaches thU
opposite: we cannot do right until God has made us right with Him, which He does at our new birthb


Second Corinthians 5:17 says, `
herefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV)b


We suddenly become new creatures. I like to say we are new spiritual clay. We have in us the stuff we need in order to learn how to act the waL
God wants us to actb


It is vital for us to understand these things if we are to ever accept ourselves. We must believe that even though we are not where we need to be
neither are we where we used to be. We are, this very moment, perfect in God’s eyes and on our way to perfectionb


SELF-ACCE.
ANCE IS A FOUND.
ION FOR PEAC.


We have no foundation of peace if we don’t have peace with God and ourselves. Peace with God should take us to the foundational principle oJ
having peace with ourselves. If God loves us unconditionally, then we can love ourselves unconditionally. If He accepts us, we should be able tM
accept ourselves. Peace within ourselves, which is self-acceptance, is based on God’s having made us perfect and righteous in Christ; it is noV
based on our own works and behaviorb


In His Word, God refers to us (His believers) as being “holy.” Romans 12:1 says to offer our bodies a living sacrifice, “holy” and acceptable untM
God. First Corinthians 3:17 explains that God’s temple is “holy,” and we (believers) are His temple. Ephesians 3:5 speaks of God’s “holy apostleT
(consecrated messengers) and prophets.”K
hese Scriptures, and others like them, clearly show that God views us as holy, perfect, and righteousb
We either accept it or we reject it, and the choice we make greatly affects how we view ourselvesb


We are the house of God; we are His home. He has come to live in us; we are His new base of operation, so to speak. He works through us (HiT
born-again children) to draw the world unto Himselfb


He wants peace in His house! Have you ever screamed to your children, “I want some peace in this house”? I have, and chances are you havU
too. Hear God gently saying that to you right now, and come to terms of peace with who you areb


Accept yourself right where you are, and let God help you get to where you want to be. He loves and accepts you each step of the way. He iT
changing you from glory to glory (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). Get into agreement with God, and you will see new power in your life unlike anything yoN
have experienced beforeb


Being at peace with yourself in light of who God is transforming you to become will give you a firm foundation upon which to build a good lifeb
Remember, Satan wants you weak and powerless; God wants you to be strong and powerful, ready to enjoy life, so He can use you for HiT
purposes on earth. But we cannot grow spiritually and become perfected for His use until we are at peace with ourselvesb


ARE YOUR FAU.
S DI
RAc
ING YOUy


o make spiritual progress, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus instead of ourselves. Hebrews 12:2 teaches us to look away from all that wil\
distract us from Jesus, who leads us and is the Source of our incentive to have faith, and who will bring our faith to maturity and perfectionb


When we keep our eyes (our thoughts) on everything that is wrong with us, it prevents us from paying attention to the Lord. We need to seU
everything that is right with Him and believe He is working to reproduce it in us rather than taking a continual inventory of all of our faults. We shoul]
not have our eyes on other people, comparing ourselves with them; we should have our eyes on Jesus. He, not other people, is our example tM
follow. We will eventually stand before God, not people, and give an account of our livesb


And get your eyes off yourself; don’t meditate on everything you think you do right, or everything you think you do wrong. Focus on who God sayT
you areb
he Holy Spirit will convict you in areas where you need it, and when He does, your response should not be to feel condemnation. It should bU
appreciation that God cares enough about you to send His Spirit daily to help you stay on the narrow path that leads to lifeb


When I learned to respond to God’s correction (conviction) with appreciation instead of condemnation, it closed a door to Satan that I ha]
allowed to remain open all of my life. We cannot grow without conviction of our sins, yet if we always respond with condemnation, that also preventT
our growth. God intends that conviction of sin lift us up and out of wrong behavior, but condemnation presses us down and holds us prisoner to thU
sin. We can never get beyond something we stay condemned aboutb


VERBALIZE YOUR ACCE.
ANCE OF YOURSEL.


Many people have a bad habit of saying negative, downgrading things about themselves.K
his is dangerous and wrong. Words are containers oJ
power; they carry either creative or destructive influence. Proverbs 18:21 states that the power of life and death are in the tongue, and those whM
indulge it will eat the fruit of it for life or death. In other words, I can speak death or life to others, my circumstances, and myselfb
Previously in my life, I had a bad habit of saying ungodly, negative things about myself. What was in my heart came out of my mouth, just aT


Matthew 12:34 confirms, and I saw that truth operating in my life. I had a bad attitude about myself; I didn’t like myself, so I said things that werU
proof of what was in my heartb
I frequently ask in conferences where I am teaching, “How many of you regularly say negative, downgrading things about your own self out of youP
own mouth?” Most in the audience raise their handsb
Negative self-talk is a big problem that we need to seriously address. If you don’t understand the tremendous power of words, please obtain an]
read my book entitled Me and My Big Mouthg
As I gained revelation from God’s Word, I began to see how devastating this bad habit of speaking against myself was, and I slowly began tM
replace those bad things I said with good things. It was initially a step of faith, because I felt foolish standing around by myself, saying good thingT



about myself. I started doing it when alone because I certainly did not have the boldness to say anything complimentary about myself in front oJ
anybody. Instead of saying, “I am so stupid” when I made mistakes, I changed my response to “I made a mistake, but God loves me unconditionally
and He is changing me.” Instead of saying, “I never do anything right,” I said, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and He is working in me.a


I am not suggesting that we form a habit of telling people how wonderful we think we are—that would be prideful and unacceptable behavior. BuV
we should say good things rather than bad things when the occasion arisesb


For example, if someone asks you what your gifts, talents, and abilities are, don’t say, “I don’t have any. I’m really not very smart.” Say, “God haT
gifted me to do many things,” and then describe the things you are good atb


Perhaps you are good at encouraging people; that is a gift from God. Or you may love simply to help people, and that is one of the greatest giftT
God gives. I don’t know what I would do in life if I did not have people who just help with whatever needs to be done. You may not have gifts that arU
“showy,” but that does not make them any less importantb


Ask God to forgive you for all the times you have said negative things about yourself, your life, and your future. Make a decision to start speakind
in positive terms to everything in your life, including yourselfb


Say out loud several times a day, “I accept myself. God has created me with His very own hand, and I am not a mistake. I have a glorious future
and I intend to go forward and greet each day with peace and joy.a


For years, I wished I were just a little thinner, that my voice were not so deep, that I didn’t talk so much, that I were not so straightforward in mL
approach to people, and so on. I have since discovered that many of the things I didn’t want were the very qualities I needed in order to do whaV
God has called me to dob


How can we ever have peace within ourselves if we always want to be something we’re not? How can we have peace if we are mad at ourselveT
because we are what we are, or under condemnation because we are not perfected in behaviory


I recently read a statement by Watchman Nee that blessed me; he said that “we shall forever be what we are.” He did not mean that God isn’V
changing us in behavior as we grow in Him, but he did mean that God has given each of us a specific temperament, and we shall always be, at thU
root, those persons God made us to beb


God gave me my bold voice and personality. I can learn not to be harsh and rude, but I will always be bold and aggressive. I am a preacher an]
teacher of God’s Word. I am a mouth in the body of Christ, so to speak. God uses my mouth. I will always talk a lot. I can learn not to enter into idlU
talk, which we will discuss later, or say things that hurt people; but I will never be a quiet, soft-spoken personb


You will always be you, so accept the basic you and let God be God in your life. Stop wrestling with yourself, focus on your strengths, and enteP
into peaceb



Peacekeeper #1g
FOCUS ON YOUR UNIQUE
REN.
H


Part of self-acceptance is realizing that you are unique in yourself and will never be exactly like someone else. God wants variation, not borind
sameness. Actually, if we look around, we see that God is extremely creative. We enjoy different flowers, trees, birds, weather. It seems that a lot oJ
what God has created has many varieties, even peopleb


Don’t struggle to be a carbon copy of someone you admire. You are unique, and there is something you can do that nobody else in the entirU
world can do exactly the way you can. God had to teach me the all-important lesson of not comparing myself with others and competing with them oP
their abilities. He had to teach me to “be free to be me” before He could use me the way He had plannedb


I taught home Bible studies for five years, and then for one year, God sort of sat me on a shelf and I did nothing. During that year I decided I
needed to settle down and live a “normal” life. I decided I needed to be a “normal woman.” I had always thought my hopes and ambitions were ouV
of the ordinary, but Satan was tormenting me with thoughts that I was really weird and something was wrong with meb


I kept my house clean and neat but had no real interest in decorating to the degree that many of my friends did.K
hey went to craft classes an]
had home-decorating parties on a regular basis. I could hardly sew a button on my husband’s shirt, while one of my friends made clothes for heP
entire family. I felt destiny calling me while they were totally content doing things that really bored me. What they were doing was important also, iV
just was not what I was called to dob


I began to think that I just needed to straighten up and be what a woman “ought to be.” I wasn’t sure exactly what that was, so I tried to patter_
myself after other women I knew. One friend was really sweet in nature, so I tried to speak softly and be sweet like her. Another had a garden an]
canned vegetables, so I tried that. I also took sewing lessons and attempted to make some clothes for my family. I was miserable, to say the least. I
had forced myself into a mold that God had never designed for meb


All of these carnal ideas were birthed out of deep-rooted insecurities left over from my abusive past. I was insecure in who I was, I felt deeplL
flawed, and I had a shame-based nature, so I kept trying to reshape myself into what seemed acceptable to the worldb


Woman preachers were not exactly at the top of the list of what the world applauded, especially in 1976 when I began, and even more so in thU
denomination we were part of. I am sure these fleshly efforts of mine grieved the Lord, yet He allowed me to go through the process of comparing
competing, and being miserable until I finally realized I was not weird, I was unique. Something unique has value because it is one of a kind
whereas something just like many others is not as valuableb


I was comparing myself to wonderful women who were operating in their natural, God-given abilities.K
hey were happy because they were doind
exactly what God had assigned to them. I was unhappy because I also was trying to do what God had assigned to them to do. God patiently formT
each of us in our mother’s wombs with His very own hand. When you consider your strengths, remember this versel


For you created my inmost beingM


you knit me together in my mother’s wombb


I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully madeM


your works are wonderful, I know that full wellb


My frame was not hidden from yoN
when I was made in the secret placeb
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth
your eyes saw my unformed bodyb
All the days ordained for mU
were written in your booY
before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:13–16 NIV.
We are not accidents, not something that just got thrown together with no forethought. Each of us is here on purpose, chosen to live in thiT
particular time period on purpose. Fighting yourself is like fighting God, because you are His handiwork, predestined to good works (seU
Ephesians 2:10)b


When Paul was converted, he certainly had heard about the great apostle Peter. I am sure Peter was someone everyone looked up to becausU
of the great way in which God used him and the strong gifts he expressed. Peter was a leader among leaders. One would think that Paul woul]
have sought out Peter for approval and friendship, yet we see just the opposite. Paul went away into Arabia and remained there for three years first
then he finally went to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Peter.K
hen, after a period of fourteen more years, during which he ministered wherU
God led him, he went to Jerusalem again to meet with Peter and some of the other apostles (see Galatians 1:17–2:12)b


Paul had confidence in his call and did not feel the need to compare himself with Peter or anyone else. We see evidence of this fact in otheP
Scriptures: In Galatians 1:10, Paul stated that if he had been trying to be popular with people, he would not have become an apostle of the Lordb
Why? Because following people rather than God can get us on the wrong paths for our lives. God does not want copies—He wants originals. Pau\
was an original, not a copy of Peter or the others, and that is how God wants itb


In the beginning of my ministry, I tried to get into several different groups of well-known preachers. I wanted their approval, and I wanted tM
compare what I was doing with what they were doing to see if I needed to change anything. Although I made improvement the year I spent “doind
nothing” (except struggling to be what I thought was a regular woman), I still had insecurities and would have become a carbon copy of someonU
else if I had had the opportunity to do sob



I was quite frustrated when God would not allow me to have friends in ministry at that time, but I didn’t understand that He was training mU
personally and did not want any interference in those early days of preparation for my callingb


Insecure people are not good at saying no!K
hey are not good at being different; they usually bend in the direction everyone is going, rather tha_
following their hearts wholly. When God was ready to promote our ministry to a more visible platform, one of the things I often heard was, “You are S
breath of fresh air! You’re unique, not like everyone else out there.”K
hat does not mean all the others were not wonderful and needed, it simplL
means we need varietyb


Paul’s message was the same as Peter’s, yet with a different emphasis, and that is the way it should be in order for people to mature spirituallyb
We often fear being different; we are bored with sameness, yet somehow we feel safe with itb


Comparing ourselves with others and trying to be like them will definitely steal our peace; it is one of the most frustrating things we can gM
through. Beware of comparing any aspect of your natural or spiritual life with anyone else’s—it will produce only turmoilb


SPIRI
UAL COMPARISON


I remember hearing one preacher talk of how often he saw Jesus. I had never seen Jesus, so I wondered what was wrong with me. Another person I
knew prayed four hours every morning. I could not find enough to pray about to keep praying for four hours and always ended up bored and sleepy
so I wondered what was wrong with me. I had no gift to remember large portions of Scripture like someone I knew, who memorized all the PsalmT
and Proverbs as well as other entire books of the Bible, so I wondered what was wrong with me. I finally realized that nothing was necessarily wrond
with me because I could not do what they could.K
he fact was, I was preaching all over the world, and none of them were doing thatb


Whatever we cannot do, there are many other things we can. Whatever someone else can do, there are also things they cannot. Don’t play thU
devil’s game any longer. Don’t compare yourself with anyone in any way, especially not spiritually. We can see other people’s good examples, buV
they must never become our standard. Even if we learn from them how to do something, we still will not do it exactly the same wayb


Dave taught me how to play golf, and he taught me according to how he swung the golf club, but I don’t swing mine the way he does and neveP
will. We see this same example over and over. I hold the steering wheel of the car differently from the way he does, we apply the brakes differently
when I iron a shirt I start with the collar, my friend starts with the sleeve. What is the difference how we iron the shirt as long as it gets irone]
properlyy


I know people who say they have never felt the presence of God, and it really frustrated them when they heard others say things like “Did you fee\
God in this place tonight?” Some have great emotional experiences when they are born again or receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, while otherT
take it completely by faith and feel absolutely nothing, although they do see the fruit in their lives laterb


At some time or another, I think we all fall into the trap of wondering why we are not like others we know or why we don’t have the samU
experiences they do, but it is a trap—and a dangerous one. We are caught in a snare set by Satan when we enter into spiritual competition an]
comparison and become dissatisfied with what God is giving to usb


We should trust that God will do the best thing for each of us and let Him choose what that is. If we trust God in this way, we can lay aside ouP
fears and insecurities about ourselves. How we respond to God in different areas can be the result of many different things, such as our natura\
temperaments, past teachings, and levels of natural boldness. For example,K
homas was a doubter and God loved Him, but He also corrected hi^
for having little faith. Seeing and feeling are great, but Jesus said, “Blessed are those who believe and have not seen” (see John 20:29)b


I am sure we would all like to see into the spiritual realm and have an abundance of supernatural experiences, but being frustrated if we don’t onlL
steals our peace and certainly does not produce visions of Jesus. I have had some “experiences” with the Lord, but I have also gone for many yearT
without anything but faithb


I went through all the frustration, all the wondering what was wrong with me, wondering if I had committed some sin and God could not get througR
to me, wondering, reasoning, anxiety, unrest, no peace. . . .K
hen I found the answer: Don’t compare your spiritual life with that of anyone you knoT
or anyone you read about. Be yourself. You are unique, and God has a plan just for youb


COMPARING CIRCUM
ANCE


Comparing your circumstances with those of other people will steal your peace and cause confusion about God’s unique plan for you. Remember
the devil wants to devour the blessings that God has set for you.K
he Word says to “withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted
established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole bodL
of Christians) throughout the world” (1 Peter 5:9)b


his Scripture shows us that we are to resist the devil quickly, stand firm against him at the onset of his attack, and know that everyone is goind
through difficulties in life. When we are in tough times, it seems Satan taunts us with thoughts that no one has it as bad as we do, but that is not trueb
here is someone in much worse circumstances than ours, no matter how difficult your or my situation may seemb


Realizing this builds gratitude and thankfulness, rather than self-pity, in our hearts. We should not be glad that others are suffering, but it doeT
help us not to think we are the only ones waiting for a breakthrough from God. No matter how long we may have been waiting for God to dM
something we have prayed about, someone else has waited longer. No matter how sick, or poor, or lonely, or frightened any one of us may be
someone, somewhere is in worse conditionb


God never promised us a life without trials; in fact, He promised us the opposite. He said there would be trials but that we should not fear themb
“For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in anL
degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5)b


he presence of trials and tribulations does not mean that God has forgotten us or that He does not love us. We sometimes look at someonU
who seems to be having a wonderful life while we are suffering and ask, “God, why don’t You love me the way You do that person?” We are tempte]
to think the same old question: What is wrong with mey


No matter what Satan uses, his purpose is the same: He wants us to think something is desperately wrong with us, and that we should havU
someone else’s life or be like someone else. He wants to keep us from self-acceptance and the freedom to be who we are and enjoy our livesg


Don’t despise your life and wish for another just because you are going through trials. If you had someone else’s life, your trials might well bU
worse than the ones you have now. Besides, whatever you are going through right now, remember, this too shall passQ


Look beyond where you are, see with the eyes of faith, and believe God for even the impossible.K
he Bible says that Abraham had no reason aV



all to hope, but he hoped on in faith that God’s promise to Him would be fulfilled (see Romans 4:18). A hopeful mind and attitude ministers peacU
and joy, while fear and discouragement steal bothb


Don’t concentrate on your problems; keep your mind on Jesus and His good plan for your life. As you read God’s promises in the Word, adapV
the Word as a personal letter to yourself. For example, paraphrasing Isaiah 26:3 as a personal letter to you, God is saying, “I will guard you an]
keep you in perfect and constant peace as you keep your mind on Me, because you commit yourself to Me, lean on Me, and hope confidently i_


Me.a
Where the mind goes, the man follows. If we let our minds dwell on negative things (our problems instead of God’s answers), our problems see^
to multiply.K
he more we think about a problem, even a little one, the larger it seems to beb
I can honestly say now that I like myself. I admit it took a long time to get from where I was to where I am, but I really had nothing better to do tha_
press on in God, and neither do you. For much of my life, I literally hated myself, and I know now that type of attitude is insulting to God, who carefullL
made usb


It costs nothing to be positive and believe that God can change you and your life. Jump-start your blessings by saying you love your life, and bU
thankful in all things, no matter what the circumstances may be, knowing this is God’s will for youb


Each time you are tempted (which you will be) to compare yourself, or any aspect of your life, with anyone else, resist Satan at his onset. Don’V
even entertain thoughts of comparison to others. You are an individual, you are unique, and you have a right to enjoy your life, which must includU
enjoying your unique selfb


Embrace your life. Wrap your arms around yourself right now as an act of faith and say out loud, “I accept myself, and I love myself in a balance]
way. I’m not selfish, but I do affirm myself as a child of God, and I do believe He has created me and has a purpose for my life.a


ACCE.
ING YOUR UNIQUENES
OPENSK
HE DOORK
O BLESSING


I mentioned earlier that God had put me “on a shelf” for a one-year interval during my ministry, at which time I decided I had a wild imagination an]
was not really called to ministry at all. I tried to be what I thought the world expected me to be as a woman, wife, and mother. I felt during that yeaP
that God was doing absolutely nothing in my life; I saw no progress in my ministry, so I concluded that it was over when actually it was only about tM
beginb


During that year of comparing, competing, and finally coming to the realization that even if I was less than perfect, I still had to be me, God waT
actually doing one of the greatest works in me He has ever done. He was setting me free to be me!K
his had to take place before God coul]
promote me into the next level of my ministry. Right at the end of that year of trials, our family began going to a new church in town, and a short whilU
later, I found myself teaching a weekly Bible study that was eventually attended by over four hundred peopleb


I became an associate pastor at that church, taught Bible college three times a week, and learned a great deal that prepared me for the nexV
challenge of my ministry, which included the media ministry that I am currently enjoying. Our daily television program is available to 2.5 billio_
people, we are on 350 radio stations, and I’ve had the privilege of writing nearly 60 books, as well as other very fruitful outreachesb


Our television program is aired around the world in 21 different languages, and we are adding new ones all the time. We air in the nation of IndiS
in 11 languages and recently had the great privilege of doing a major conference in Hyderabad. In 4 days, we ministered to 850,000 people witR
250,000 decisions for Jesus Christ. Wow! What a privilege to be part of something like thatb


None of this would be happening today if I had not stopped comparing myself with others and competing with them. It is vital for your future thaV
you take this seriously and ask God to reveal any areas of comparison in your lifeb


If God has a plan for you and me, He certainly won’t bring it to pass as long as we are trying to be other people. God will never give us grace tM
be people other than ourselves. Without grace, life is filled with struggle, it is not a life we enjoy; but with His grace (power of the Holy Spirit), we ca_
enter the rest (peace) of the Lord and experience joy unspeakable and full of gloryb


When I was trapped in self-rejection, comparing and competing with many of the people God had placed in my life, He led me to an article thaV
was life-changing for me. I want to share excerpts from it with you, and I pray it blesses you as it did meb
he following article about “the consciousness of sin, and longing for holiness” was a letter HudsonK
aylor, missionary to China in the 1800s
wrote to his sister and was later reprinted; it is entitled `
he Exchanged Life.” HudsonK
aylor wrotel


Every day, almost every hour, the consciousness of sin oppressed me. I knew that if only I could abide in Christ all would be well, but I could notb
I began the day with prayer, determined not to take my mind off of Him for a moment; but pressure of duties, sometimes very trying, constanV
interruptions apt to be so wearing, often caused me to forget Him. . . . Each day brought its register of sin and failure, of lack of power.K
o wil\
was indeed present with me, but how to perform I found not. . . b


he last month or more has been, perhaps, the happiest period of my life; and I long to tell you a little of what thU
Lord has done for my soul. I do not know how far I may be able to make myself intelligible about it, for there is nothing new or strange oP
wonderful—and yet, all is new! In a word: “Whereas I was blind, now I see. . . .a


I felt the ingratitude, the danger, the sin of not living nearer to God. I prayed, agonized, fasted, strove, made resolutions, read the Word morU
diligently, sought for more time for retirement and meditation to be alone with God—but all was without avail. Every day, almost every hour, thU
consciousness of sin oppressed me. ...I hated myself; I hated my sin; and yet I gained no strength against itb


I felt I was a child of God: His Spirit in my heart would cry, in spite of all, “Abba, Father,” but to rise to my privileges as a child [of God], I waT
utterly powerlessb


I thought that holiness was to be gradually attained by diligent use of the means of grace. I felt that there was nothing I so much desired in thiT
world, nothing I so much needed. But the more I pursued and strove after holiness, the more it eluded my grasp, till hope itself almost died outb
...I knew I was powerless. I told the Lord so and asked Him to give me help and strength. . . b


When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear [John] McCarthy [in Hangchow, China] was used to remove thU
scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never seen it before. McCarthy, who had bee_
much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote (I quote from memory) “But how to get faith strengthenedy
Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.a


As I read I saw it all! “If we believe not, He [remains] abideth faithful.” I looked unto Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed) thaV
He had said, “I will never leave you.a



“Ah, there is rest!” I thought. “I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has He not promised to abide with me—never tM
leave me, never to fail me?” And ...He never willT


Joy will flow in our lives when we get our eyes off of ourselves and onto Jesus—off of what is wrong with us, and onto what is right with Himb
Finally, when we realize that we are one with Him, we can live the “exchanged life” rather than a frustrating oneb
Jesus took our old lives and has given us new ones. His life is in us, and He has given us His peace (see John 14:27). His joy is ours. He waT
made poor so that we might be made rich; He took our sin and gave us His righteousness; He took our sicknesses and diseases and the pain oJ
our punishment and gave us His strength. Yes, He took everything bad and has given us lives to enjoy along with the peace that passeT
understandingb
Remember, Jesus said, “I came that [you] may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” So enjoy the strengthT
that God has given to you, and focus on the life He wants you to enjoy. In the next chapter I will share with you how to avoid the paralysis of selfm
analysis and find peace by keeping your priorities in focusb



Peacekeeper #1


KEEP YOUR PRIORI
IES IN ORDEh


I believe that one of the reasons people lose their peace and fail to have the things they want is because they get their priorities out of line.K
herU
are so many choices to which people can give their time and attention. Without clear priorities, people can become paralyzed with indecision; I cal\
this paralysis of analysisg


Some of the choices we have are bad options and are easy to recognize as something to avoid, but many of our options are good. Yet eve_
good things can get our priorities all messed up. What is a top priority for somebody else could be a problem for us. So we have to be careful thaV
we don’t just do what everybody else is doing. We need to do what God is leading us individually to dob


When setting our priorities, it’s important to understand that Jesus is the holding power of all that is good in our lives. Colossians 1:17 says, “An]
He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).”K
hat is why He should always be our first priorityb


Jesus holds everything togetherb
A couple can’t have a good marriage if Jesus isn’t holding it together. In fact, people won’t have good personal relationships with anybody iJ
Jesus is not leading and influencing individuals to love each other. Finances are a mess without Jesus. Our thoughts are clouded and confuse]
without Jesus. Our emotions are out of control without Himb
Colossians 1:18 continues: “He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, sR
that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]” (italics mine). Jesus is the head oJ
the church body; therefore, He alone, in every respect, should occupy the chief place, stand first and be preeminent, in each of our livesb


hat means if Jesus is not first place in our lives, then we need to rearrange our priorities. Matthew 6:33 says that if we seek the kingdom of Go]
and His righteousness, that all other things will be added to our lives.K
he Amplified Bible translation of this verse says we are to “seek His way oJ
doing and being right.a


Seeking the kingdom means finding out how God wants things done. Finding out how He wants us to treat people. Finding out how He wants uT
to act in situations and circumstances. Finding out what He wants us to do with our money. Finding out what kind of an attitude we should haveb
Even finding out what kind of entertainment Jesus approves of for usb


Our lives will not be blessed if we keep God in a little Sunday-morning box and let Him have our priority attention for only forty-five minutes, oncU
a week during a church service. As long as we are here in this world, we will have to resist becoming like the world—and it is a daily battle. ThT
church is full of worldly, carnal, fleshly believers, and that is why we are not affecting the world the way we should beg


If Christians were putting Jesus first in everything, then the world would be in a better condition.K
here are, of course, sincere, God-fearing
dedicated believers in every church and in society, but not nearly as many as there should be. Each of us should remember the importance oJ
walking in the Spirit, not in the flesh.K
he world is watching us, we are Christ’s representatives; God is making His appeal to the world through uT
(see 2 Corinthians 5:20)b


E
ABLISH GRACE AS YOUR PRIORI
i


Our first priority of life should not be to earn a living or get an education. In fact, First Corinthians 8:1 says that “knowledge causes people to bU
puffed up,” but love “edifies.”K
his tells us that focusing on our love-walk is a more important priority than learning a career skill. (I am not saying thaV
God is against higher education, but wouldn’t it be an awesome world if everyone were required to spend four concentrated years of education tM
learn how to walk in love?.


Often we don’t think about what our priorities are, but we still have them. Our priorities are whatever is first in our thoughts and in how we plan ouP
time. Having real peace in our lives requires making God first above all other things that demand our attentionb


If you put God first in your finances, first in your time, first in your conversation, first in your thoughts, first in your decisions, your life will be S
success. I am living evidence of this truth. Before I learned to put God first, I was living in the worst messes that anybody could have. I had a ba]
attitude and couldn’t think two positive thoughts in a row. I didn’t like anybody, and nobody liked me.K
he abuse in my childhood had left me full oJ
bitterness, resentment, and unforgivenessb


Even when I became a believer, I still thought I could achieve approval only through good works. I didn’t understand the simple fact that JesuT
loved me, and God’s grace just didn’t make any sense to me. But eventually I learned that God’s grace is better than our worksb


Works breed reasoning and anxiety that will eventually strangle our peace. Grace and works are two totally different entities, which cannoV
partnership together. If grace has anything to do with works, then it’s no longer grace, and if works have anything to do with grace, then they’re nM
longer works. Romans 11:6 explains, “But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anythind
men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].” Even after putting God first, I had to learn to let gracU
(God’s power) bring about the fruit of my ministryb


I had no peace when I tried to accomplish through works what was in my heart to do. As you will read shortly, I couldn’t even enjoy a relaxind
bubble bath as long as I thought works would help me find my answers. It was several years ago that God brought this vivid lesson to my attentionb


I had already seen tremendous growth in our ministry through national radio andK
V. My secretary at that time, who was also our office manager
and her husband, who was our bookkeeper, lived in an apartment in the lower level of our home.K
hey had been with us for several years and tooY
care of our house and teenage son whenever we traveledb



Consequently, we talked a lot about business in our house. God had been trying to teach me that I needed to delegate work and stay out of somU
things if I wanted to have peace in my life. He had been showing me I should let Dave handle some of the things that frustrated me, and that I didn’V
even have to know about them. I could just go on about my businessb


But one night, I knew Dave was going to discuss some business matters with that couple, and I wanted to hear them too. Even though God ha]
instructed me to let Dave handle many of the things that were stealing my peace, I still wanted to get in on everything. So this particular night, I puV
aside some things I really needed to do in order to sit in on their meeting.K
hey just kept talking about other things, and it seemed to me that theL
weren’t going to discuss business issues after all, so I finally said something about getting startedb


Dave said, “Well, we’re just not ready yet. Why don’t you go ahead and take your bath?” So, reluctantly, I went upstairs and ran the bathwater an]
got into the tub, but as soon as I did, I heard everyone talking downstairs and realized they were starting their business meeting.K
here I was, S
grown woman, nearly fifty years old at the time, and I wanted to hear what they were saying so badly that I got out of the bathtub and tried to listen tM
their conversation through the grate in the floorT


When that didn’t work, I went to open the bathroom door so I could listen from the stairway, when suddenly the Holy Spirit made me realize hoZ
stupid I looked. I remember His saying to me, “Why don’t you just get in the bathtub, Joyce, and mind your own business?a


I tell all this to help you realize that I know firsthand how difficult it is to let go of works and to trust God’s grace to carry us where we want to go. I
know how difficult it is to delegate jobs to other people and then trust that those jobs will be done properly without any involvement from usb


If we cannot let the grace of God work for us in small areas, we will never learn to let it work for us in the big ones. I was so nosey, I could not eve_
stay in the bathtub when I thought Dave was discussing business and I wasn’t going to know what was going on.K
hat being the case, how could I
ever advance to trusting God to take care of larger mattersy


God wants you to understand that you have two choices: You can enjoy your life while He takes care of what needs to be done for you, or you ca_
labor and struggle in vain through your own works. He is willing to build your life or allow you to do it, but His grace and your works are not botR
going to bring results that you want. If you choose His grace, you will have to lay aside the works of your flesh you are planning to dob


God wants us always to be in a position of trusting Him. Worry is the work of our flesh and is unscriptural. Worry, reasoning, and frustration arU
internal types of work that do not please God.K
o worry is to torment yourself with disturbing thoughts, and is a clear indicator that God is not first i_
your lifeb


GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIE‹
FORK
ODAi


God will give you all the grace you need for today, and He will also give you grace for tomorrow, but as I’ve said, tomorrow’s grace won’t show uO
until tomorrow.K
he grace of God is just like manna was to the Israelites; every morning the manna came down out of the sky and was enough foP
that day. Whenever someone tried to store up provision for the next day, it rotted. It’s the same way with grace. We are to learn to live our lives onU
day at a timeb


When we have to stand in faith and believe God for a breakthrough in an area, we want to know immediately when the answer will come. God’T
answer is that it will come—one day at a time. And worrying or trying to make it happen will not help it come any fasterb


he Lord’s Prayer will help you stay in peace while you are waiting for a breakthrough. In Matthew 6:11, Jesus taught us to pray, saying, “Give uT
this day our daily bread.” God wants us to pray every day for whatever provision we need for that day. Jesus also said to “stop being perpetuallL
uneasy (anxious and worried)” about our lives (v. 25)b


I realized I was frustrated as soon as I got up in the mornings. I was always in such a hurry, no matter what I was doing, I had my mind on the nexV
thing I needed to do. As I was brushing my teeth one morning, I discovered I was hurrying because I was thinking about making the bed, and Go]
told me, “Slow down. Brush your teeth.a


God continued to show me how misplaced priorities were robbing me of the peace and enjoyment in my life. I’d rush to make my bed, buV
because I never kept my mind on what I was doing, I was already anxious about the next thing I needed to do. As I started making the bed, I thought
I better lay out some meat to thaw for dinner. So I’d leave the bed half made and rush downstairs to get meat out of the freezer, but on the waL
there I’d see a pile of dirty clothes and think, I better put those clothes in the washer and get the laundry started. Just as I put soap in the washer
the phone would ring, so I ran back upstairs to the kitchen to answer the phoneb


While I talked on the phone, I realized that I needed to load the dishwasher, so I put a few dishes in the dishwasher as I talked. But then whoeveP
was on the phone said, “Would you like to go to town with me?” and I’d think, Well, I do need to get some stamps to mail some letters, so I’d hurrL
to get dressed to go to townb


I’d carry on like that all day, never finishing what I started. By the time Dave came home, everything was in shambles and he asked casually, “So
what did you do all day?a


hat offended me and I threw a fit, saying, “What do you mean, what did I do all day? I’ve been running around here like a maniac trying to work!a


Now, that is not the way to enjoy your life.K
hat is anxiety! And anxiety is work that never accomplishes anythingb


Peace begins with our keeping priorities straight moment by moment. It is a challenge to thoroughly enjoy every moment that God gives us. BuV
when we learn to do this, we will enjoy our days. When we learn to enjoy our days, we will find that we are enjoying our livesb


We can learn to enjoy making the bed, doing laundry, and washing the dishes. We can enjoy getting meals for our families, going to the grocerL
store, and taking time to talk with friends. If we don’t enjoy every phase of our day, we will miss the life that God intended for us to enjoyb


Life cannot just be filled with things that are fun to do. But we can enjoy the more mundane things that we need to accomplish by staying filled witR
the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says, “Ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.” We can do this by singing spiritual songs while we work
and by keeping an attitude of praise in our hearts and talking to the Lord as we work. We stay filled with the Holy Spirit by giving thanks to God aT
we go about our daily tasks (see vv. 19–20)b


If you have never hummed a little tune as you worked, you will be surprised at how quickly this simple act lifts your spirit.K
he Lord designed us, sM
He alone knows what it takes for us to enjoy our lives and be free from anxiety. Keeping a melody in our hearts and an attitude of praise towar]
God will keep Him in first place on our list of prioritiesb


I challenge you to examine your life and ask yourself: How much of my life am I wasting on anxiety? You won’t have peace if you waste too mucR
of it.K
ime is something that we can never get back. Learn to enjoy all of your day. Have fun even while doing strenuous chores. And don’t wastU
time worrying or being frustrated about circumstances that you can’t changeb



GIVE GODK
HE BE
PAh
OF YOUR DAi


I’ve trained myself now to start each day by giving God the first-fruits of my time. I’ve realized that I’m not going to get through the day peacefully if I
don’t spend time with Godb


So, each morning, I get coffee, and usually while still in my pajamas, I just spend as much time with God as I need to in order to feel I can behavU
properly and walk in the fruit of the Spirit throughout the dayb


When I first started doing this, I used the time to murmur to God about all my trials in life, so one morning the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said
“Now, Joyce, are you going to fellowship with Me this morning, or with your problem?a


I learned to use the best part of my day to give God the best part of my heart. Giving God the first moments of the morning helps keep mL
priorities straight for the rest of the day. In fact, I’ve written a little book that will help you get in the habit of beginning your day with God, calle]
Starting Your Day Right. Each short devotion encourages you to meditate on God’s Word during this time and reminds you to ask Him to help yoN
rely on His grace your whole dayb


Don’t use this gift of time with God to meditate on your problems. Don’t spend that time worrying about all the things that you want God to do foP
you that He’s not done yet, or trying to figure out ways you can get Him to do them. During this time with God, set your heart as the psalmist did, whM
wrote, “But I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands” (Psalm 31:14–15, italicT
mine)b


he Bible says to “lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understandingb
In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyesa
(Proverbs 3:5–7)b


What’s the sense in our saying that we trust God, then spending our day trying to figure out how and when our problems will be solved? Go]
wants to hear us say, “Lord, I don’t know how You’re going to do this. I don’t care how You do it. However You do it, I know it’s going to be right. I
can’t do it anyway, so I’m not going to frustrate myself trying to figure out how I can do it, God. I trust all my circumstances to You. My times are iJ
Your hands.K
rusting You is my first priority in life.a



AY IN PERFEc
PEAC.


God wants us to enjoy perfect peace, and we cannot do that unless we give Him our worries. `
herefore humble yourselves [demote, loweP
yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you, casting the whole of your care [all youP
anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully” (1 PeteP
5:6–7)b


he way you humble yourself under the mighty hand of God is to refuse to try to figure everything out. Reasoning and worry are works of our fleshb
Remember, as I said at the beginning of this chapter, peace will come by grace, but not by worksb


Ezekiel 20:40 says that we should bring the Lord our firstfruits, the choicest selections of all our offerings.K
o stay in perfect peace, we shoul]
give God the best of our time and our goods. We must be honest with ourselves about what our priorities really are and start making changes tM
keep God in first placeb


Being too busy is not an acceptable excuse for not keeping focused on what is truly important. Everyone sets his or her own schedule. We nee]
to establish boundaries, and we need to learn to say no when people ask us to do something that leads us away from peace (I will talk more abouV
saying no in the next chapter)b


Be honest with yourself as you examine how you spend your time. Don’t give God your leftovers; don’t give Him the part of your day when you’rU
worn-out and you can’t think straight or hardly keep your eyes open. Give God the firstfruits of your attention. Give Him the best part of your dayb
hat’s where your real priorities will be foundb


God needs to be your priority in everything you do. From getting dressed to setting your schedule, you can ask God for wisdom to make choiceT
that will glorify Him. You can intermingle your time with God into everything you do to such a degree that you can pray without ceasing (as I
suggested earlier, pray your way through the day). As you become aware of His presence, it will not be possible to compartmentalize God oP
separate secular activities from sacred ones. Even ordinary events will become sacred because He is involved in themb


You can just talk to God as you go about your day, asking Him to direct you in the choices you are making and to empower you for the jobs yoN
need to get done. As you acknowledge that God is always with you, you will keep Him first in everything you set out to do, and He will show you S
direct path that will lead you to peace. You will experience pleasure, knowing you are partnering with God in all you dob


Following the moment-by-moment leading of the Holy Spirit will cause you to enjoy every day of your life.K
he Spirit of God is creative; HiT
mercies are new every morning, so if you follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit, He will keep your priorities straight. He will make sure your timU
with Him is right, and that your family time is right, and that you are fulfilling the work He has for you to dob


God will also energize you by grace to do whatever He leads you to do. If your priorities get out of order, you will labor in vain and tire quickly. I_
the next chapter we will look at how making healthy choices will help avoid stress, exhaustion, and upset so you can learn to enjoy your quiet timeT
with Godb



Peacekeeper #1f
PR.
Ec
YOUR HEA.



No matter what people own in life or what their positions are, if their health is not good, they will not enjoy anything. Good health is one of thU


greatest treasures we have; it is a gift from God.K
he psalmist wrote, “Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget noV


[one of] all His benefits—Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2–3)b
he apostle John wrote, “Beloved, I would that you prosper and be in health, even as I know your soul prospers” (see 3 John 1:2). We should dM


all we possibly can to protect our health, both physically and emotionally. It is sad to see people in our society regularly abuse their bodies and the_


wonder why they get sickb
I have discovered that it is much harder for me to remain peaceful under any kind of opposition if I also have the added stress of not feeling well. IJ


I am really tired, it is more difficult for me to get along with people or display the fruit of the Spiritb
I have had long periods of time in my life of not feeling well, and I have heard the doctors say over and over, “You are under stress.”K
heiP


diagnosis always frustrated me because I did not know how to live any way other than under stress. I thought I had no choice except to do all thU


things I was doing, even though I often admitted, “I can’t do all this. It is too much.a


Stress-related illnesses are rampant. I asked Dr. Don Colbert, a nutrition expert whom I greatly respect, to share how stress affects our healtR


and nerves. He wrote, “Approximately 75–90% of all visits to primary-care physicians are for stress-related disorders. Chronic stress has actuallL


been linked to most of the leading causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis, and suicide.a


Dr. Colbert agrees that individuals must learn to protect themselves against stress, saying


Few people realize that the fast-paced lives they are living, the increasing demands on their schedules, and the way that they cope or react tM
stress or stressful situations are all in their control. Yes, we all have a choice to continue this hectic schedule; we can choose to react bL
becoming more and more frustrated, or we can learn to limit the demands on our everyday lives and react in love rather than frustrationb


he following excerpt from Dr. Colbert is a report he shared with me of how the Canadian physician Hans Selye accidentally discovered thU
effects of stress on the physical bodyb


Selye’s vision was not to discover the effects of stress but to discover the next new female sex hormone. He had made an extract from ovarieT
and injected the extract solution into rats. However, Selye was not very skillful with his injection techniques. He always dropped the rats an]
spent much of the morning chasing the rodents around the room, using a broom to get them out from behind a desk or a sink. At the end of S
few months, Selye discovered that the rats had developed enlarged adrenal glands, shrunken immune tissues, and peptic ulcersb


Selye, however, thought this was due to the ovarian extract that he was injecting into the rats. So, he tested another group, and he injecte]
them with only saline solution. Due to his poor coordination, however, he also dropped these rats, chased them around his lab, and also goV
the broom after them. At the end of the experiment, the control rats had also developed the enlarged adrenal glands, the shrunken immunU
tissues, and the peptic ulcers. Selye then figured out that the cause was not what he was injecting, but the tremendous stress he was puttinh
the rats under while trying to inject them. He had literally stressed the little creatures out. Dr. Selye determined that when stress is maintaine]
long enough, the body undergoes three distinct stages: (1) the alarm stage, (2) the resistance stage, and (3) the exhaustion stageb


he alarm stage is the fight-or-flight emergency system that God created in our bodies for survival.K
he brain sends a signal to the pituitarL
gland to release a hormone that activates the adrenal glands. Adrenaline then sends the body into high alert.K
he brain becomes focused, thU
eyesight sharpens, and muscles clench as the body prepares for fighting or fleeing.K
his amazing alarm system has enabled multitudes oJ
people to survive vicious attacks from animals, auto accidents, and other traumas.K
he body’s hormonal system returns to normal when thU
perceived attack is overb


However, this alarm reaction is being activated hundreds of times a day in many Christians due to deadlines at work, financial pressures
arguments with a spouse or children, traffic jams, as well as all the common stresses of modern life. In other words, frustration, anger, guilt
grief, anxiety, fear, as well as most other emotions, will also set off this alarm system, which can then lead to a heart attack or strokeb


Dr. Selye’s second stage of stress is called the resistance stage. When someone is undergoing a chronic stress such as having a child o_
drugs or alcohol or in jail, long-standing marital problems, a chronic illness, long-term unemployment, or some other situation over which hU
feels he has lost control over an extended period of time, [this] generally leads to the resistance stage of stress.K
his is another emergencL
system that God has placed within us so that we may survive periods of famine, disease, and pestilence. During this stage, our cortisol an]
adrenaline levels become elevated. Cortisol is very similar to the medication cortisone, which doctors give to treat asthma, arthritis, chroniQ
obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as numerous other illnesses. However, release of cortisol can lead to elevation of blood sugar, whicR
can eventually lead to diabetes and weight gain, especially in the abdominal area. Over time, it can result in bone loss, which can lead tM
osteopenia and osteoporosis. Elevated cortisol also leads to hypertension, memory loss, sleep deprivation, and a compromised immunU
systemb


he resistance stage is similar to having the accelerator of your car stuck to the floorboard. Your system is all geared up and is unable tM
gear down, even at night. Individuals in this resistance stage generally have insomnia, or they wake up at two or three in the morning and find iV
very difficult to fall back to sleep. After patients have been living in the resistance stage for months or years, they will eventually enter into stagU
3 of stress, which is the exhaustion stageb


PeopleK
haveK
enteredK
theK
exhaustionK
stageK
whenK
theyK
feelK
burned-out.K
ExamplesK
ofK
thisK
stageK
areK
individualsK
withK
chronicK
fatigue
fibromyalgia, most autoimmune diseases including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, and usually cancer. In other words, these people have ha]



the accelerator pressed to the floor for so long that eventually they run out of gas, and the powerful, robust bodies that God has given them
which He designed for health, begin to degenerate and die.K
he body is more prone to bacterial and viral infections, allergies, candida
environmental illness, inflammation of joints, and severe fatigue.}


It is obvious from this report that stress destroys the body’s immune defense system. Once the immune system breaks down, it can be a difficulV
and lengthy process to restore it back to full healthb


o restore the immune system, people have to do what they should have done to begin with: Get lots of good rest; eat good-quality food, not junY
food with no nutritional value; maintain peaceful lifestyles; and live balanced lives, which include worship, work, rest, and play. And people need tM
exercise as their systems permit themb


But we shouldn’t wait until we are forced into doing the right thing. Let’s act voluntarily and keep our health.K
he symptoms of stress are real, an]
though we can take medicine to mask or alleviate them, the root cause of many illnesses that we have is simply a stressful lifestyle. Unless we dea\
with the lifestyle, we will always have a new symptom pop up in some new way.K
he world will not change, so we mustb


Dr.K
ColbertK
instructsK
peopleK
whoK
areK
sufferingK
fromK
stressK
toK
avoidK
overcommitmentK
andK
learnK
toK
beK
satisfiedK
inK
orderK
toK
circumvenV
overspending. He writes


he majority of our stress comes from the demands everyday life places on us and our choosing to walk the frustration-walk instead of the lovem
walk: by trying to enforce unenforceable rules. By simply walking the love-walk instead of the frustration-walk, one will be able to pull the roots oJ
stress out of his or her lifeb


Stress depletes our bodies, our immune systems become weak, and sickness and depression can set in. Some stress is actually good for usM
you might say it exercises various organs in the body. God designed our bodies to handle a certain amount of stress; it is only when we continuallL
push ourselves beyond reasonable limits that we break down under the strain. It is when we get out of balance that we open a door for sickness i_
our lives. Excessive stress over a long period of time eventually causes our organs to just plain wear outb


Each time we say, “I am exhausted,” we should realize that we are exhausting something in our bodies also. We recover from normal stresT
through proper rest; however, we can cause irreversible damage when we don’t get needed restb


We live in stressful times, but by following Jesus’ advice and casting our cares on Him, we can live stress-free in a stressful world. If we will exalV


Jesus, lift Him up, and put Him first by following the leadership of His Spirit, we will not end up exhaustedb
Is Jesus exalted, or are you exhausted?K
o exalt someone is to put him above other things, to make him first.K
o be exhausted is to bU
completely worn-out, having no energy and being susceptible to sicknessb
here is a popular worship song entitled “He Is Exalted.” I was trying to sing this song once during a time when I was extremely tired, and I got mL
words mixed up and sang to the Lord, “You are exhausted.a


He stopped me and said, “No, Joyce, I am exalted. You are the one who is exhausted.a


Remember, God will always energize us to do what He leads us to do. It is only when we go beyond His will to follow our own will or otheP


people’s that we are likely to get exhausted. Second Corinthians 2:14 says that God always “leads us in triumph.” It is not His will for us to livU
defeated, weak lives; He wants us to be more than conquerors. His will for us is strength, not weakness and sicknessb


ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM EXHAU
IONy


Are you excessively tired all the time, and even after sleeping, do you wake up feeling tired all over again? Do you go to doctors, but they cannoV
find anything wrong with you? You may be experiencing some of the symptoms of exhaustion, or what I call burnout. Long periods of overexertio_
and stress can cause constant fatigue, headaches, sleeplessness, gastrointestinal problems, tenseness, a feeling of being tied in knots, and a_
inability to relaxb


Some other signals of burnout are crying, being easily angered, negativity, irritability, depression, cynicism (scornful, mocking of the virtues oJ
others), and bitterness toward others’ blessings and even their good healthb


Burnout causes us to be out of control, and when this happens, we are no longer producing good fruit in our daily lives. Burnout steals our joy
making peace impossible to find. When our bodies are not at peace, everything seems to be in turmoilb


God established the law of resting on the Sabbath to prevent burnout in our lives (see Mark 2:27).K
he law of the Sabbath simply says we ca_
work six days, but by the seventh, we need to rest and spend time worshiping God. Even God rested after six days of work. He, of course, neveP
gets tired but gave us this example so we would follow the pattern. In Exodus 23:10–12, we find that even the land had to rest after six years, an]
the Israelites were not to sow in it the seventh year. During this rest, everything recovered and prepared for future productionb


Everything rested on the Sabbath: people, servants, and domestic animals.K
hese were days of complete relaxation for the mind, emotions, an]
body. In Leviticus 26, we see that much turmoil and trouble come due to ignoring God’s ordinancesb


oday in America, almost every business is open seven days a week. Some of them are even open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a weekb
I have heard that after the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and began to establish America, a drummer walked through the streets, signalind
everyone to go to church on the Sabbath. After church, they rested the entire day. Sabbath-breakers were actually arrestedT


People say we are free from the law of the OldK
estament and that keeping the Sabbath was part of that old system.K
hat’s good, becausU
people who broke the Sabbath then were stoned.K
hankfully, we are not to be legalistic about it, but we do need to honor the spirit of the SabbatR
principle. Jesus said the Sabbath was designed for man, which simply implies that we must rest at least one out of seven days. When we makU
ourselves available 24/7, we are in danger of burnoutb


People today are quick to argue that they cannot afford to take a day off, but I say that they cannot afford not to do it. We often hear, “I am toM
busy to do that. I would never get everything done if I did that.” My answer is, `
hen you are too busy, and something needs to change in your life.a


When we are too busy to obey God’s ordinances, we will pay the price. Remember, the Bible says we reap only what we sow. If we sow continua\
stress with no rest to offset it, we will reap the results in our bodies, emotions, and mindsb


If someone says, “Well, my boss insists that I work seven days a week,” then I would say to get a new job. I learned from the story oJ
Epaphroditus, who was working with Paul in the ministry and became so sick from overwork that he almost died, that even if I am overworking “foP


Jesus” (in my way of thinking), I will still pay the price for abusing my bodyb
Regular time set apart for God is one of the quickest ways to restore a tired mind and body. Jesus invited us to rest when He called for thosU

“who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened.” He promised to ease and relieve and refresh our souls. He even offered “recreation an]
blessed quiet” for our souls (Matthew 11:28–30). Just lay your burdens on Jesus, spend time with Him, rest in His presence, and you wil\
experience a glorious restoration. God delights in restoring all thingsb


DONo
WAI
U‹
IL I
ISK
OO L.
.


he question is not Do you have stress? Everyone has stress.K
he question is Are you managing your stress? Use wisdom, which is reallL
sanctified common sense. Realize you cannot spend something you don’t have. Spending what one does not have is what causes financial stresT
and ultimately financial collapse. Spending energy we don’t have has the exact same effect except it’s on our physical health, rather than thU
financial realmb


Our bodies warn us when they are running low on energy. We should respect them. I can remember conferences in which I conducted fivU
sessions consisting of three hours each, and instead of going home to rest like I needed to, I went to the shopping mallb


Of course, I felt extremely tired, but I would not go home. My head hurt, my feet hurt, I was grouchy and often felt discouraged, but I would not rest. I
was not respecting my body; I was not listening to the warning signals it was giving me. I have since learned better. If I am out doing anything and I
start to feel I am running out of energy, I don’t wait until I am completely depleted. I go home while I still have some strength. I have learned thU
dangers of total exhaustion and have a reverential fear of abusing my bodyb


I ignored warnings in the past and paid the price. I am encouraging you not to wait until it is too late, and you have lost your health. Begin righV
now to respect your body, and treasure the health God has given you. I am grateful to be able to say that God has restored me, and I feel good mosV
of the time. I also must say that I will probably have to be extra careful for the rest of my life. Once we push our bodies past where God intende]
them to go, we have weaknesses that will show up quickly with the slightest provocationb


Faith and prayer work. God will restore. He is the God of restoration, but we must also realize that we cannot continually ignore warnings. God iT
merciful, but He is also just. He put natural safety alarms in our bodies to indicate when we need rest, and He teaches us what to do when thosU
alarms sound. He means what He says: We are the dwelling places of the Holy Spirit, and we should not do anything to hurt God’s temple (see
Corinthians 3:17, 6:19)b


FREQUE‹
UPS.
DAMAGES YOUR HEA.



I spent many years getting upset frequently.K
here were probably very few days when I did not get aggravated about something, and often I did sM
several times each day. As I studied God’s Word and gained wisdom, I began to realize that this required a lot of energy. I was tired most of thU
time and didn’t have any energy to spare, so I knew I had to calm down. Jesus told His disciples, as recorded in John 14:27, that they were to stoO
allowing themselves to be “agitated and disturbed.” He told them, in essence, to relaxb


I don’t know how much energy is required to get really upset and then to try to calm down, but I am sure it is a lot. It takes energy to resist gettind
frustrated, but not nearly as much as going through the entire cycleb


Eventually I learned to resist becoming upset as soon as I felt distressed. I learned to talk to myself and actually calm myself down by doing so. I
asked God for help each time I started to feel that I was losing my peace. I was learning to “hold” my peace, just as Moses told the Israelites to dob
He reassured them, `
he LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14 KJV). Frequently losing our tempers or having fits iT
damaging to our healthb


What we often do to our bodies reminds me of a rubber band: When you stretch it too far, it breaks, and you have to tie it into a knot for continue]
use. Let this occur several times, and eventually all you have is knots. Like a rubber band, we can be stretched only so far, and then we ultimatelL
break under the strainb


All the upset stretches us beyond our limits, and ultimately we break, so we tie a knot and keep going, then another and another until we go to thU
doctor and say, “I feel as if I am tied in knots and cannot relax.” We don’t know how accurate the statement really isb


Psalm 39:4–6 says, in essence, it is useless to be in turmoil, and how true that statement is. It does no good at all.K
he only one fulfilled when wU
get upset is the devil. He sets us up to get us frustrated anyway, so of course, he is delighted. He is the thief who only comes to kill, steal, an]
destroy. He wants to kill us, steal our health, and destroy our bodies and minds. We should do as Jesus did and say, “Get thee behind me, Satanb
You are an offense, and you are in my way.a


We might look at our bodies and energy levels as a bank account. We have enough for our lifetime. But if we spend it all early, we will fee\
depleted in our later years. I hate to see young people abusing their bodies through eating junk food excessively, never resting, and even perhapT
using damaging chemical substances. I have tried to speak to a few, but I always get the same response. “Oh man, I feel great, got all kinds oJ
energy.”K
hey don’t understand that if they overspend today, they will do without later on in lifeb


LEARNK
O SAY N.


One of the reasons I previously found myself stressed-out, burned-out, and sick was from not knowing how to say no. We all want to please people
but we might kill ourselves trying to do sob


I wanted to take every ministry opportunity that came my way, but it just was not possible. We must all learn to let God’s Spirit, and not otheP
people’s desires, lead us. Frequently people tell me that God has showed them that I am supposed to come to their churches or conferences an]
be their speaker.K
here was a time when that would pressure me because I thought, If I say no, then I am, in reality, saying they didn’t hear frod
Godg


Other people cannot hear from God for us. We are individuals and have the right to hear from God ourselves. I started realizing that no matteP
what they thought they had heard, I could not do the engagement with peace and confidence if I had not heard it myself. Remember, God has nM
obligation to help me finish something He did not tell me to dob


Dr. Colbert teaches that many people are unable to say no because they have passive personalities. He explains that most people fall into one oJ
three personality categories: passive, aggressive, or assertive. He wrote the following scenario to show a typical situation for a passive personl


If you are passive, you usually have problems expressing your thoughts and feelings and find it difficult to stand up for yourself. Other people



especially the aggressive type, tend to walk all over you; they are able to manipulate and even make decisions for you. Passive individualT
usually feel guilty and like they have to apologize.K
hey usually have poor self-esteem and maintain poor eye contact or look away and down tM
the floor when you talk with themb


I have found so many Christians who are passive, and much of the stress that they are under is directly related to their passivity. You see
when someone is passive, other people’s problems become his problemsb


For example, a passive person will not be able to say no when people ask him to do something. An aggressive person at work may ask S
passive fellow employee to stay later to help him finish his work because he has an important appointment.K
he passive individual is unable tM
say no, so he stays overtime, doing the other person’s work.K
his may create problems with his spouse, since he comes home late from work
and this trend continues because the aggressive person will continue to put more and more on the back of the passive person, and thU
passive person allows it. Many times this is because the passive person has a good heart and good motives, and he lets the fear of rejectio_
control his life. Instead he should assert his feelings and ideas and risk not being accepted.}


Are you saying yes with your mouth while your heart is screaming no? If so, you will eventually be stressed-out, burned-out, and possibly sick. WU
just cannot go on like that forever without ultimately breaking down under the strain. Be true to your own heartb
Don’t be afraid to say no. Don’t fear the rejection of others. No matter how many people you please, there will always be someone who will not bU
pleased. Face it now, and get it over withb
Learn that you can enjoy your life even if everyone does not think you are wonderful. Don’t be addicted to approval from people; if God approves
that is all that really mattersb
Don’t try so hard to keep other people happy that it costs you your joy, peace, and health. None of the people who put pressure on you will stan]
before God and give an account of your life; only you will do that. Be prepared to be able to say to Him, “I followed my heart to the best of my ability.a


Being committed is very good, but being overcommitted is very dangerous. As I said earlier, know your limits and don’t hesitate to say no if yoN
know that you need to.K
ell people when you don’t have peace about being involved in a certain activity or project.K
hey should respect your rightT
and want you to have peace in your life. If they don’t, then it is clear they are not thinking of what is good for youb


Remember that people can be very selfish. It is good to be a blessing, to do things for others and serve them, but not to the point that we get sicY
trying to keep everyone we know happy. I am not saying that we should never do anything we don’t want to do.K
here are always times when we wil\
serve others sacrificially, but we must not let their desires control us and push us into exhaustion and high levels of stressb


God has assigned a life span to each of us, and although we don’t know exactly how long we have on earth, we should certainly desire to live ouV
the fullness of our years. We want to burn on, not burn out. We should live with passion and zeal, not with exhaustion; we should be good exampleT
to othersb


Learn to say no when you need to—it will help you stay healthyT


BEND BEFORE YOU BREA.


People with aggressive personalities have their own sets of stress inducers that can work havoc in their health. Dr. Colbert writesl


People with aggressive behavior generally dominate, intimidate, and bully others, and they are very confrontational.K
hey tend to view their ow_
needs as priority, and they stop at nothing to get what they want. Most of us have encountered aggressive drivers who cut us off in traffic oP
shake their fists at usb


God desires for Christians to be neither passive nor aggressive, but assertive. Assertiveness allows people to communicate confidently
boldly, and clearly their thoughts, feelings, and desires. But unless they were raised in loving, stable home environments where they receive]
encouragement,K
freedomK
toK
expressK
themselves,K
andK
disciplineK
withK
love,K
support,K
andK
acceptance,K
mostK
ChristiansK
neverK
lear_
assertivenessb


Many Christians grew up in dysfunctional families. Instead of being programmed for success, they were programmed for failure.K
hey hear]
they were no good, that they would never amount to anything, that they were losers. Some children responded passively to this environmentM
some became angry and aggressive.}
While we can see the danger of being too passive, we can also see that being inflexible and aggressive will not lead to healthy situationsb
Learning to be adaptable, considering the welfare of those around us, is one way we can keep peaceb
Don’t expect the world to adapt to you; be ready to bend before you break. When you start to feel stressed because things aren’t going your way
and you sense peace ebbing away, quickly see what you can change to relieve the pressure. Most often you will need to simplify, simplify, simplifyb
he more simple your life, the more peace you will enjoyb


Keep in mind that being assertive is the healthy goal you are working toward. Assertiveness is like leather: It is tough to tear apart and will shoZ
only a small indention under the impact of a hammer, while aggressiveness is like brittle sandstone that easily crumbles if it is struck with a har]
blow. Likewise an aggressive person’s temper easily breaks or snaps under pressure, but an assertive person is able to stay flexible and in onU
pieceb


We can see from pondering this comparison why Satan’s plans can thrive in the life of an aggressive person. He intends to break us by applyind
force and pressure. However, he will not succeed if in the process we are willing to bend and remain flexible. His plans cause the stiff-necked oP
stubborn individuals to crumble easily, so they fall apartb


I used to be one of those aggressive people, but I realized long ago that it was not worth it. A little humility can preserve a lot of health.K
he Wor]
warns us: “Be not like the horse or the mule, which lack understanding, which must have their mouths held firm with bit and bridle, or else they wil\
not come with you” (Psalm 32:9)b


he Word tells us to resist the devil, but if we resist the wrong things in life, we sacrifice precious energy. Stop trying to change things you cannoV
change. Let God be God! Adapt when you need to, and the reward will be worth itb
Flexibility will cause you to look young when others appear older than they actually are, you will have energy while others are tired, and you will stil\
be bearing fruit in old age, long after others have retiredb
People break when they try to do something about something they cannot do anything about.K
hey burn out when they are trying to get somethind
that only God can give or trying to make something go away that only God can remove. Resisting everything in life that we don’t want creates S



pressure inside of us that does a lot of damage to our healthb


We all have things happen that we didn’t plan for. We may get dressed in the morning, and we find a spot on our clothing. We didn’t plan for thaV
and don’t have time for it. We can be frustrated and upset while we change clothes, we can go out with the spot on the clothes, or we can choosU
peacefully to change clothes since we have a situation we cannot do anything about.K
hink about it. What is the point in getting upset abouV
something that will not change as a result of our being upsety


I remember a time, while conducting a conference, when we sent some luggage home early in one of our ministry trucks, thinking we no longeP
needed it. When we arrived at the airport, we discovered we did not have our tickets.K
o our dismay, we remembered they were in the luggage wU
sent home. We shared our story with the ticket agent, who said he could do nothing about it; the only possible solution was for us to repurchasU
ticketsb


I felt upset building within me, then remembered my own messages and simply had a little talk with myself. I said, “Joyce, this is something yoN
cannot do anything about; getting upset won’t change it. So buy the tickets, and go home.a


hese types of situations occur regularly in all of our lives. Preserve your health by no longer trying to do something about something you cannoV
do anything about! Learning to stay calm in potentially upsetting situations is a great victory. Stability in all kinds of circumstances indicates greaV
spiritual maturityb


PEACE BRINGS RE
OR.
IO‹


One of the stress inducers we face daily in our society is noise. We live in a noisy society. In order to enjoy a peaceful atmosphere, we must creatU
one. Outer peace develops inner peace. Find a place where you can go that is quiet, a place where you will not be interrupted, and learn to enjoL
simply being quiet for periods of time. I have a certain chair in my living room where I sit and recoverb


he chair is a white recliner that faces a window to our yard, which is filled with trees. In the spring and summer, I can watch the birds, rabbits
and squirrels.K
here was a time when I would have considered that boring, but not any longer—now I love itb


When I return from a conference now, I go home, take a hot bath, and then sit in that chair. Sometimes I sit there for several hours. I may read S
little, pray, or just look out the patio door window, but the point is I am sitting still and enjoying the quiet. I have discovered that quiet helps mU
recoverb


Being still has a soothing effect on us. Peace produces more peace. If we find peaceful places and remain in them for a while, we will begin tM
feel calmness engulf our souls. We cannot live noisy lives continually and expect to feel peacefulb


Some people have to have some noise in their atmospheres all the time.K
hey always have music, or the television or radio, playing.K
hey wanV
someone with them all the time so they can talk. Each of these things done in balance is good, but we also need complete quiet and what I cal\
alone timeb


Jesus made sure He had seasons of peace and alone time. He ministered to the people, but He slipped away regularly from the crowds to bU
alone and pray. “But so much the more the news spread abroad concerning Him, and great crowds kept coming together to hear [Him] and to bU
healed by Him of their infirmities. But He Himself withdrew [in retirement] to the wilderness (desert) and prayed” (Luke 5:15–16). Surely if JesuT
needed this type of lifestyle, we do alsob
In Luke 9, we read of one occasion when Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to a mountain to pray, and they saw His face transfigure]
(changed). Verse 29 says, “And as He was praying, the appearance of His countenance became altered (different), and His raiment becamU
dazzling white [flashing with the brilliance of lightning].a


When we get alone and take time for prayer, we will also be changed: Our weaknesses will turn into strengths. Our countenances will reflect thU
peace of being in God’s presence. Isaiah 40:31 confirms, “But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change an]
renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not bU
weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.a


Waiting on God quietly does more to restore our bodies, minds, and emotions than anything else. We need it regularly. Insist on having it; don’V
let anyone take it from you. Work your schedule around God; don’t try to work Him into your scheduleb


You may have tried everything to feel better, but I encourage you to take my suggestion and try regular doses of quiet. I believe you will seU
restoration and increased peace. Remember, outer peace helps develop inner peace. Rest in God’s presence, and you will take His peace witR
you when you go back to normal activityb


If you have peace, you can minister peace to others. Jesus was able to speak peace to the storm only because He had peace within Him. I
believe He had peace within because He regularly found time to rest simply in quiet and spend time with His heavenly Fatherb
I hope that you can see how important it is to relieve yourself of emotional stress in order to hold your peace. In the next chapter we will look aV
how balancing your spending habits is both a practical and powerful way to maintain the peace you have found so farb



Peacekeeper #1k
AVOID FINANCIAL PRESSUR.


According to a survey our ministry conducted, the number-one problem most people face is financial pressure. Being in debt and not havind
enough money creates terrible stress on people, and it definitely steals our peace. Financial pressure is also one of the major causes of problemT
in marriages and is the culprit behind many divorces and even suicidesb


We realize that people can find themselves in unfortunate circumstances that they could not control, but usually people create financial pressurU
through a lack of wisdom. When you have more money going out than coming in, it will eventually cause major problemsb
he first step in people’s receiving help is to face truth about how they reached their current condition. Most people who are pressured by debV
feel sorry for themselves, believing they are not at fault, thinking that they are not responsible for the debts they haveb
If we are feeling financial pressure, we must ask, “Were my circumstances really beyond my control, or could things have been different if I ha]
made better choices?a
Of course, we cannot blame our debts on someone else, and repentance is the first step to recovery. Spending more money than we have is S
sin, just like any other excess in our lives, and it requires God’s forgivenessb


Only truth sets us free. You may have heard the statement `
he truth hurts,” which is true, but staying in bondage hurts even worse. If we havU
managed our finances poorly, made unwise choices, or acted out of emotion, we should simply admit it to ourselves and to God, ask HiT
forgiveness, and begin immediately reversing the situation through the power of right choicesb


If your finances are causing you to lose peace, ask God for a plan, get professional help if you need it, and be willing to wait on obtaining thingT
you desire. Making bad choices is what gets us in trouble, and making right choices is what will get us out of trouble. However, making one righV
choice will not undo the negative result that years of bad choices have causedb


Prepare to remain steadfast. Patience will be vital to work yourself out of financial stress, but it will be worth it in the end. Anyone can bU
financially blessed and stable if he or she really wants to beb


Every person can prosper. Every person can have financial security, but that man or woman must follow God’s guidelines.K
o simplify it, we ca_
say that His guidelines are to tithe and give offerings and use wisdom in spending. God will always provide what we need if we are givers. He maL
not always provide everything we would like to haveb


God definitely wants to bless, radically and outrageously, all of His children.K
he Word says that the Lord takes pleasure in the prosperity of HiT
servant (see Psalm 35:27)b


God wants us to prosper, but not out of proportion to our spiritual growth. If people are immature or carnal, which means they live according tM
fleshly desires, they don’t really need an abundance of money and things because they will probably use them only in selfish ways. Possessions ca_
actually take us away from God rather than bring us closer to Him, unless we understand they are tools to use as a blessing in a hurting world. Go]
will release more and more to us as we grow spiritually. Ask God for what you want and desire, but also ask Him not to give you any more than HU
knows you can handleb


CREDI
CARD


Almost everyone uses credit cards. We use them for convenience. We pay with credit cards and then weekly write checks out of our account tM
cover the charges. We put the checks in an envelope until the bill comes. It is easy to charge things, but it is also easy to lose track of the total beind
chargedb


I highly recommend that you either follow our example or keep a running total of items charged so you know at all times the state of your financesb
Losing track of what is going on is probably one of the major causes for financial pressureb
Using credit cards responsibly is not a problem, but when people charge things they don’t have the money to pay for, it is a problem. ManL
people don’t know how to delay gratification. We are accustomed to instant everything: We want what we want nowQ
Are you spending tomorrow’s prosperity today? You are if you are charging merchandise that you don’t currently have the money to pay for. If yoN
spend tomorrow’s paycheck today, what will you do when tomorrow comes? You will have to use credit cards again, and the cycle will never endb


he amount of credit-card debt in the world is unbelievable.K
he pressure that the media put on people to acquire new products is amazing. WU
are merchandise-crazy in our society; the quest to have the newest items is out of control. People will work two jobs and ignore their families
sometimes losing them in the process, just to have bigger houses or newer model carsb


Are things really that important? Do you have drawers and closets full of things you went in debt to have that you really don’t even enjoy now? ArU
you making payments on things that have already worn out or that you have lost track of ?K
he world says, “Buy now, pay later,” but that is not whaV
wisdom says. Wisdom says, “Do now what you will be satisfied with later.” We cannot be satisfied paying for something for months and even yearT
after we no longer are using it.K
he desire for instant gratification is stealing many people’s financial peaceb


We know from Scripture that God wants His children to be abundantly blessed, and He provides the following plan for it to happenl


Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? [You have withheld yourS
tithes and offerings. You are cursed with the curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation. . . . Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth oJ
your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open thU
windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:8–10.



If we do what God tells us to do, He will never fail to do what He promises to do. His way works. Millions will testify to miraculous breakthroughs i_
their finances as a result of tithing (giving 10 percent)b


As I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, being willing to tithe and give other offerings as God leads is the first step to overcoming thU
pressure of debt. Many say, “I cannot afford to do that. After all, I am in debt!” I say, “You cannot afford not to do it. If you don’t, you will stay in debt.a


One way to remember the simple principle of financial gain is that tithing brings increase, while credit cards bring decrease to your financia\
peace. Most of us, at some time or other in our lives, experience firsthand the pressure of credit-card debt. Some people are wearing their tithU
right now, or they are driving it, or they have used it up on a vacation they did not even enjoy or on other equally unwise things. Give to God whaV
belongs to God, and He will always make sure you have your other needs metb


Early in our marriage, I begged Dave for a credit card. We didn’t have much money, and I wanted to buy things. He really did not want to get onU
but finally relentedb


We began with caution, but like most people, we ended up using the card for things we really did not need but simply wanted. Soon we had S
huge balance and were making minimum payments, which never reduced the principal amount we owed. We were paying interest on things we ha]
already used up and certainly could have done withoutb


Again, wisdom is to do now what will bring satisfaction and contentment later, while impulse is to do now what will later bring regret and eve_
despair. Instant gratification—getting something we really want immediately—feels good, but later on, when we are paying and paying, we usuallL
are not satisfiedb


Dave was wise enough to refuse to live like that, so we cut up the card and kept making payments until we paid off the balance. We did withouV
credit cards for years because we had proven we were not able to handle them. We did eventually get them again, but only after we had develope]
enough self-control to use them only for convenience in paying for things while in the store.K
hen we went right home and deducted the money fro^
our checking accountb


One of our managers has shared openly that he and his wife did the same thing as Dave and I, and millions of others, had done. When theL
decided to get out of debt, they paid for eight years on credit cards, while not using them, in order to pay them totally offb


When people are making payments on houses, one or two cars, school loans, furniture, perhaps other loans, and two or three credit cards, hoZ
could they possibly be anything other than stressed to the maximum degree? Very few individuals make enough to handle that kind of paymenV
pressureb


No matter how much money someone makes, that is not the proper way to manage it. We have known of people who became bitter at theiP
employers, thinking they were not paid enough to do their jobs, when in reality they were simply living beyond their means. Don’t blame the resultT
of a bad decision on someone else—only the truth will make you freeb


Be very careful about making any kind of purchase on time payments, and when you do, be sure you look seriously at how long you will bU
making the payment and how much interest you will pay over the months or years involved. Ask yourself if you believe it will be worth it to you lateP
on, as well as right now. Remember that emotions subside. We can all do things in excitement and be very sorry later on in lifeb


hrough the convenience of the financial aids on the Internet, you can find a site that will give you an amortization schedule that will calculate hoZ
long it will take you to pay off a current debt. For example, if you have $20,000 of credit-card debt, which you are paying at $300 per month with a_
interest rate of 12.99 percent, it will take you 10 years to pay it off! And you will pay over $15,000 in interest charges! If you pay $500 per month, iV
will take you nearly 5 years to pay off the loan, but you will still pay over $6,000 in interestb


Obviously, the gratification that you may feel when purchasing items on credit will not be so tempting if you calculate the amount of interest an]
the amount of time it will take you to pay off your debtb


FILING BANKRU.
Ci


If debt has overwhelmed you, you may have filed bankruptcy—or perhaps you are thinking about making that decision now. I don’t mean any of whaV
I am about to say to condemn anyone, but I do wish to make it plain how filing bankruptcy affects your credit rating later in life and sometimeT
follows you all of your lifeb


First, let me say there may be legitimate reasons to file bankruptcy. When I was eighteen years old, I was married to a man who would not work
committed adultery, stole things, wrote bad checks, and eventually ended up in prison. When we were divorced, I suddenly found that I waT
responsible legally to pay all of his debts. At that time I felt I had no choice, it seemed impossible and unfair for me to pay for his debt, so I decide]
to file bankruptcy. Had I known God as I do now and been aware of His Word and delivering power, I might have made a different choiceb


It took a few years to overcome my bad credit rating. Bankruptcy should never be our first choice; we should do everything we possibly can to paL
our debts. FirstK
imothy 3 teaches us that Christians should have a good reputation with the world so no one has a reason to judge them. NoV
paying our bills does not help our reputationb


oday, filing bankruptcy is far too easy and becomes an answer for far too many people. It certainly should not be the solution for poor financia\
management. When people live excessively, they will eventually need to suffer to bring things back into balance. Bankruptcy may relieve currenV
pressure, but it creates another type of pressure for years to comeb


We find many people in financial trouble today; actually, the number is quite astounding. It is usually a result of poor management and choicesb
Some people have since learned wisdom and are making better choices, but they still find they are paying the price for past mistakes. Go]
forgives us, but creditors are not quite as forgiving as God is.K
hey want their moneyT


Even though God is forgiving, He expects us to pay for what we have taken from others.K
he Word says, `
he wicked borrow and pay not agai_
[for they may be unable], but the [uncompromisingly] righteous deal kindly and give [for they are able]. For such as are blessed of God shall [in thU
end] inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:21–22)b


I believe God wants people to pay their debts, and He helps people, quite often through miracles, when they begin doing what is right. It iT
encouraging to hear of testimonies about how God has miraculously gotten someone completely out of debt. It is good to believe for a miracle, buV
at the same time, we need to do what we canb


As a matter of fact, I believe people don’t receive miracles if they have not been sowing seeds of obedience to God. I tell people all the time, “IJ
you do what you can do, God will do what you cannot do.” Don’t be the type of person who believes God for a miracle in his finances but who is noV
willing to do what he can do to help the processb


If you have poor credit and a lot of debt, you might have to work extra hard for a few years and show diligence in paying off your bills. MosV



companies will work with people having financial difficulty if the people are willing to do something. Even if you can pay only ten dollars per montR
on a loan balance, do what you can. Remember that God blesses diligence, but He does not bless laziness and excusesb


Don’t take the easy way out (bankruptcy) just because you might be able to legally. Do all you possibly can in order not to have a bad financia\
reputationb


If you have already ruined your credit rating, I do believe you can overcome it, but you will need to be patient and persistent. If you are makind
financial decisions right now and still can avoid making bad choices, I pray this book will help you really think about what you are doing and thU
long-term effects of your choicesb


Remember, what we sow today, we reap tomorrow, and tomorrow always comes.K
oo often people want instant gratification, and they don’t thinY
about tomorrow, but I repeat: Tomorrow always comesg


RESOURCES FOR FINANCIAL PROSPERI
i


God gives resources to all of us. He is not a respecter of persons; He does not play favorites. God gives all of us time, energy, gifts, talents, an]
finances. If we make right choices with what we have, it will always multiply. If we make wrong choices, we deplete our resources and end up witR
nothingb


Let’s take energy as an example. Most young people feel good, they have lots of energy and can go and go like the Energizer bunny. As I
mentioned in the previous chapter, often they don’t take care of themselves; they actually abuse their bodies and later on in life find themselves sicY
and facing serious health issuesb


ime is another good example. We all have the exact same amount, yet some people accomplish a lot while others do nothing. Some peoplU
constantly say they have no time, yet they have as much as anyone else. Very often in my life, I have used my day to work on a book or teaching foP
an upcoming conference, while other people I knew played all day. A concert pianist spent a lot of time practicing while other children were playingb
A person who wins a gold medal at the Olympics in figure skating practiced while others playedb


hose who accomplished their objectives made a choice that brought an unusual reward.K
hey were not just “lucky” or blessed more than othersM
they worked hard, and they used their time to accomplish their goals in lifeb
I am certainly not saying that we don’t need to play at times, and I realize there have been times in my life when I was a workaholic, but God di]
say to work six days and rest one. Our world is way out of balance when people want to play more than work, and they too often seek entertainmentb


People often ask me how I accomplish what I do, and the answer is I work. I don’t feel that I am out of balance; I make sure I have fun and get rest
but I am also a hard worker. I am using my time to leave a legacy for the world in books, tapes, television, and radio programs. I want my being herU
to matter. I don’t want just to pass through the world and take up space for eighty or ninety years, then die and have nobody remember I was here. I
want people to be reading my books several hundred years from now, unless Jesus returnsb


ime is a resource, and most people waste a lot of theirs. I heard myself say one day that I felt I “spent” a lot of my time getting dressed, puttind
on makeup, fixing my hair, getting my nails done, and so forth. God spoke to my heart and said, `
hat is right, you ‘spend’ time, so make sure it iT
worth it.a


Any area of our lives can get out of balance. I strongly believe we should look as nice as possible, and to do so we must spend some time o_
personal grooming. Some people don’t put in any time on their appearances, and others spend too much. All we really need in any area is balanceb


Another resource is gifts and talents. Everyone can do things; they have abilities and should be using them. If we don’t use something, we ofte_
lose it; or if it lies dormant, it doesn’t do us or anyone else any goodb


What am I doing with what God has given me?K
his should be one of the questions we regularly ask ourselves. If we are not satisfied with thU
answer, we need to make changesb


here are many things I cannot do; for example, I cannot sing well enough to do anything other than make a joyful noise, but I can talk. I have a gifV
of communication, and God is using it since I offered all my abilities and myself to Him. Everyone should stop moaning about what he or she cannoV
do, and start doing what he or she can do. If you use your resources, God will be pleased, and He will multiply what you haveb


Matthew 25:15–29 teaches us about resources a master gave his servants.K
he Bible refers to these resources as “talents.” In this passage oJ
Scripture, the talents were money that the servants were to use properly until the master’s return, at which time he would require an accounting. AT
you read the story, you will find that one took what he had been given and increased it five times. Another servant took his and increased it twM
times. Another did nothing with his, except hide it in fear that the master would be upset if he lost itb
When the master returned, he was very pleased with the two who had multiplied what he had given them, but he rebuked the one who did nothingb


he master called him “wicked and lazy and idle” (v. 26) and took from him what he had and gave it to the one who had multiplied mostb


his is God’s way. He gives to all people what they can handle and waits to see what they do with it.K
hose who do nothing always becomU
losers in life, and those who work hard, investing their resources and multiplying, always become winners.K
he master told the two who investe]
and had a good return he would put them in charge of more and allow them to share in their master’s joyb


I believe people are happier and experience more joy and peace in life when they are using their resources. We all have a built-in knowledge thaV
it is right to make progress and wrong to sit idle and watch life pass us byb
Usually people who do nothing are jealous of those who prosper. Don’t be jealous of what someone has if you are not willing to do what he or shU
did to get itb
God expects us to manage what He gives us and to use it wisely so it will increase. We are not blessed in any way when we waste ouP
resources, and we always pay the price for waste. One of our resources is the ability to work. In fact, the Bible instructs us to workT


For while we were yet with you, we gave you this rule and charge: If anyone will not work, neither let him eat. Indeed, we hear that some amond
you are disorderly [that they are passing their lives in idleness, neglectful of duty], being busy with other people’s affairs instead of their ow_
and doing no work. Now we charge and exhort such persons [as ministers in Him exhorting those] in the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) thaV
they work in quietness and earn their own food and other necessities. (2K
hessalonians 3:10–12.


his, of course, does not apply to those who are too old or ill to work. God provides for them in other ways, but those of us who can work, HU
expects to do so. God worked and then rested from His labors, and we should follow His example. Deuteronomy 28:11–12 declares that God wil\
bless the work of our hands; He doesn’t bless our lazinessb



DISCIPLINE AND SELF-CO‹
RO.


Relieving financial pressure will require discipline and self-control.K
he Bible teaches in many places the importance of discipline. If we don’V
discipline ourselves, our circumstances will eventually do it for us. God’s Word tells us to be temperate, which means to be marked by moderation
to hold ourselves within limits (to compromise between two extremes or find the middle ground)b


Clearly, we are to maintain balance. It is wrong to overspend, but it is also wrong to underspend. You may be at a point where you need to stoO
spending for a while, or perhaps you need to take some of your money and go do something with it. God gives us money not to hoard, but to enjoyb
Wisdom saves some, spends some, and gives someb


My husband is a very good financial manager, and that is his motto: “Save some, spend some, and give some within your borders, and you wil\
always be blessed!a
Don’t let emotions rule you—discipline them. Don’t let them take charge or lead your decisions. As I stated previously, emotions rise, but theL
also subside. Emotions can rally you to begin a thing, but they won’t be there for the finish. You may experience excitement about making S
purchase but feel depression when it is time to make the payment. Emotions are fickle—they change regularly.K
o depend on them is a foolisR
choiceb


Part of discipline is always to know the state of your finances. Balance your checkbook regularly; if you do not, you may think you have morU
money than you do and write checks that will be returned, marked “insufficient funds.” When that happens, the bank usually charges at least a ten- oP
fifteen-dollar fee for handling.K
his costs you more money and only adds to the problemb


It is amazing to me how many people write checks they don’t have the money to cover. In our ministry, people have sometimes given offeringT
and purchased products with bad checks or credit cards that have already reached their approved limitsb
his should not occur with anybody, but definitely not among Christians. We are the light of the world; we are supposedly setting an example foP
others to follow. We are to be excellent and show forth integrity. Obviously, writing bad checks does not help accomplish any of our biblical goalsb
I realize we can all make mistakes. I have had a check returned a couple of times in my life. But it was because I just added wrong or forgot tM
deduct a check, not that I wasn’t paying any attention to my financesb
oo many people spend money without knowing how much they have. I dealt with one person who seemed to have no ability to look ahead. If shU
had three hundred dollars in her account, she thought she could spend it. She forgot that she still had not paid her electric bill that monthb


Look ahead at what bills are going to be due, and consider when your next paycheck will be, before spending money just because it is in youP
bank account. Never run your account to zero, because there will always be something that you did not expect. Put aside money for emergencies
and you will enjoy a lot more peaceb


COMMON SENS.


Managing our finances is not really that difficult if we learn to follow some commonsense principlesb
1.K
ithe and give offerings regularlyb


2. Don’t spend more money than you have coming inb


3. Always know the state of your financesb


4. Always plan for emergenciesb


5. Don’t waste moneyb


6. Don’t spend tomorrow’s prosperity todayb


7. Let emotions subside before you decide to make a purchaseb


8. Use tremendous wisdom with credit cardsb


9. Practice delayed gratification; resist impulse purchasesb


10. Always follow the guideline of “Save some, spend some, and give some within your means.a


SAVE SOM.


Always save a portion of whatever income you earn, no matter how small it may be—make a commitment and stick to it. One gentleman share]
that his father had taught him always to give 10 percent of everything he earned and to save 10 percent. He had been practicing his father’s advicU
all of his life, and at the age of thirty-seven he already had a sizeable amount of money and no debt. His house and car were both paid for, and at S
very early age he was able to work out of his home as a consultant, making his own hours, with no financial pressure at allb


Even saving 1 percent would be better than nothing. It would be a place to begin, and you could increase from there. Do something, lest you dM
nothing! Without some cash saved, you will never be able to buy things without paying interest. Save for things you eventually want to buy, save foP
retirement, save for emergencies. Save—save—save. Have several accounts at one time that you are putting some money into for future needsb
Save all year for Christmas, for example, and when that time comes, you will be preparedb


When Dave was a young boy, he hid money in his socks. He paid cash for his first car, which was preowned, but he later paid cash for a new caP
when he was about twenty-two.K
hat is amazing, but anyone can do it if he is willing to start saving and be diligent at it. Although Dave no longeP
hides money in his socks, he calls his various accounts his “stash” or his “socks.” Everyone in our family has learned a lot about finances just bL
watching Dave. He is a very patient man and can wait on things he wants. He saves and does things at the right timeb


As a result of his administrative gifts, we have been able to pay cash for everything at the ministry. We have been in ministry since 1976 and i_
our own ministry since 1985. Since incorporating, we have made payments on only one piece of equipment (a five-hundred-dollar copy machine)b
We even paid cash for the building we now occupy.K
hat sounds almost impossible in today’s economy, but it can be doneb


Dave simply won’t buy things for which he cannot pay. He had to do without some things in the beginning while saving, but once he gaine]
momentum and had money saved, it put him, instead of the debt collector, in chargeb


We could have borrowed money and built our ministry headquarters in one year, but we took five years to build it because we wanted to move i_
debt-free. Patience is always worth it in the end! I am certainly not judging anyone who cannot pay cash for everything he or she does, but I a^
sharing that it is possible through saving regularlyb



SPEND SOM.


I already mentioned the fact that some people actually need to spend some of their money. Maybe it’s time you did something special for yourself; iV
ministers to your weary emotions to do so, and that is not wrong at all. I realize this may excite you, but make sure you are one who actually needO
to spend. And I am referring to spending out of what you have saved. Don’t spend what you need for other things, and whatever you do, don’t gM
spend what you don’t haveb


he ones who actually need to spend are people who have a tendency to be excessive in saving.K
hey hoard things, save everything for thU
future, and spend nothing for now. Most of the time, people hoard out of fear or greed. I noticed that when I began saving money, I accumulated S
certain amount and thought it was awesome, and the more I saved, the more I wanted to save and became unwilling to spend any of it. I wanted S
big balance in my account. I then noticed that when I refused to spend any, God stopped supplying. He wants us to enjoy what He gives as well aT
save for the futureb


If I spent some as He directed, He then replenished it and gave more besides. It is like the principle of pruning bushes. Without pruning (cuttind
back), they can keep getting bigger and bigger, but they also become a problem. If we prune them, they grow right back, but in better shape an]
condition than beforeb


Some people won’t spend anything on themselves because they don’t feel they are worthy of anything. Some are martyrs; they want to be able tM
say that they never do anything for themselves, hoping it will invoke pity. Some people are just plain stingy, and they hoard everything because iV
makes them feel secure and powerful to own things. Whatever the reason, it is wrong to be out of balance. A balanced person saves some, spendT
some, and gives someb


If you are working your way out of debt, and as a result you are never able to spend anything on yourself, I believe God will do special things foP
you through other people. When you are doing your part, God always does His part. Ask Him to bless you supernaturally, but refuse to go deeper i_
debtb


GIVE SOM.


Giving is actually one of the wisest choices anyone ever makes.K
he Bible says to give and it shall be given to you, and “good measure, presse]
down, shaken together, and running over” will men give back to you (Luke 6:38). Giving is wisdom, because it actually causes increase. Learning tM
give is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, and many others will testify to the same thing. I heard one woman, who has a verL
wonderful life, recently say, “My life is a result of giving.”K
hat is a statement we should ponderb


Are you a giver? If not, you should start today. God requires the first 10 percent of all of our increase (as we saw in Malachi 3). We are to give it tM
the “storehouse,” the place or places where we are spiritually fed (see Exodus 34:26). In addition to that, He leads us to give other offerings aV
various times and on special occasionsb


When you give, do it with a great attitude. Don’t ever give as an obligation, but realize it is a privilege. Second Corinthians 9 gives us a lot oJ
wonderful insight about the principles of giving. It says we should not give “reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves ...a cheerful b
. . giver, [whose heart is in his giving]” (v.7).K
he attitude with which we give is very important to God. We are to give to bless. God blesses us so wU
can be a blessingb


Many people find it difficult to give, especially when they are not accustomed to doing it.K
he basic nature of the flesh is to be selfish; we want tM
own things, not give them away. But when people receive Jesus Christ as Savior, their nature changes; they receive the nature of God.K
his naturU
comes as a seed on the inside of their spirits, and they are to water that seed with God’s Word. As they do so, they begin to want to do what Go]
would do. God is a giver; those who serve Him must be givers alsob
Dave grew up in a church whose minister taught the blessing of tithing; therefore, we have been tithing since we got married. We have alwayT
seen God meet our needs. In thirty-six years of marriage, Dave has been without a job only about two days, if my memory serves me correctly. WU
had some tight years, but we always paid bills on time and never did without the necessities of lifeb


In 1976, when God touched my life and called us into ministry, we began giving more than ever. We wanted to go beyond our tithe. We endure]
times of testing, but we have never been sorry concerning the decision we made. We have continued to increase our giving over the years an]
have seen God be faithful to increase us as wellb


I believe givers receive a harvest back in any area where they have need.K
hank God He provides financially, but that is not the only area oJ
provision. He gives us grace. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you wil\
abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV). We see from this Scripture that God gives grace in abundance so we have all our needs metb


FROM POVEh
YK
O PROSPERI
i


If you have been making right choices and are enjoying prosperity, keep doing what you are doing. Don’t ever backslide in the principles of wisdo^
you have learnedb


If you find yourself in debt or in need, get started now doing what is right. If you don’t, you will still be in the same situation next year, and the yeaP
after, and so on. Pay the price to have financial freedom and security. No matter how big of a mess you are in—if you consistently do what you caJ
do, God will do what you cannot do. Remember the simple formula: save some, spend some, and give some within your means, and you will soo_
find your situation changing. Not having to worry about money will greatly increase your peaceb



Peacekeeper #1h
KEEP YOURK
HOUG‰
S ABOVE LIFE’S
ORM


Although people cannot see our thoughts, they can see the results of them. What is in our minds and hearts is what comes out through the words oJ
our mouths. If we have troubled minds, we will not live peaceful, serene lives. We will not minister peace to others, because we cannot give tM
others what we do not have within ourselvesb


Jesus said we are to be makers and maintainers of peace. Paul said to work for what makes for peace, unity, harmony, and agreement witR
others. It is very important to make peace a priority, but it begins inside of usb
As I said earlier, Jesus was able to quiet the storm outside because He maintained peace within Himself. Jesus did not have His mind on thU
storm even though it was raging against Him. While the disciples were frantic and fearful, Jesus slept. He had peace in the midst of the calamitL
and was able to actually calm it. He had peace; therefore He could speak peace to the circumstancesb


Isaiah said if we keep our minds on the Lord, He will give us perfect and constant peace (see Isaiah 26:3). God’s Word has a great deal to saL
about our minds and how we think. Proverbs 23:7 teaches us that as a man thinks, so will he become. I say it another way: Where the mind goes
the man follows.K
houghts precede actionsT


CAN WE CO‹
ROL OURK
HOUG‰
Sy


We cannot control the thoughts that come to us, but we can control what we continue to think about. For many years of my life, I simply did whaV
most people do: I thought about whatever came into my mind. I did not know I had a choice.K
he Bible teaches us that the mind is the area Sata_
tries to control. He offers thoughts for us to entertain on a regular basis; we can either keep them or cast them down and replace them with God’T
thoughtsb


God’s written Word is a record of His thoughts toward us and about the way we are to live.K
he Bible literally covers every area of life. If we ordeP
our thoughts and conversation according to God’s Word, we will be amazed at how enjoyable and prosperous life will be. But first we must believU
that we can choose our own thoughts and that we don’t have to meditate on whatever happens to fall into our mindsb


Second Corinthians 10:4–5 are important Scriptures for Christians to understand: `
he weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the worldb
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against thU
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NIV)b


his passage of the Word explains that we have spiritual weapons with which we can demolish any argument that “sets itself up against thU
knowledge of God,” and that we have been given divine power to “demolish strongholds” and “take captive every thought and make it obedient” tM
the knowledge of Christ.K
hese verses teach us that Satan tries to build strongholds in our minds so he can dominate areas of our lives througR
wrong thinkingb


Satan is a liar, and if we believe his lies, he has successfully deceived us in one or more areas. For example, Satan told me for years that I woul]
never have a good life because I had been abused in my childhood. I did not know any different, so I believed what I thought. As I became a studenV
of God’s Word, I learned that even though my past had been unpleasant, God had a great future planned for me. I learned it was not too late for me
as Satan had been telling me for yearsb


God’s Word renews our minds; it teaches us a new way of thinking. We can begin to think the way God thinks instead of the way the devil woul]
like us to think. Instead of looking at a nice home and thinking, I could never own a home like that, we can think (and say), God will bless me with U
lovely home. He meets all my needsg


Instead of thinking we will get cancer because three relatives in our family died of it, we can think, The blood of Jesus protects me, His name iO
a hiding place for me, God’s healing power is working in my body right now, making right anything that is wrongg


Instead of thinking we absolutely cannot forgive someone who has hurt us, we can think like this: I am hurting, and what has been done to me iO
wrong, but I trust God to vindicate me. I can forgive through the power of the Holy Spirit. I will pray for the one who hurt me, I will bless him, anb
God will give me double blessings for my former troubleb


hink about what you think about. If you start to feel depressed, discouraged, or angry, stop and examine your thoughts. You will find that you havU
been thinking thoughts that are producing the negative emotions you are experiencing. We can make ourselves miserable or happy by what wU
choose to think aboutb


When writing about the effect stress has on our health, Dr. Colbert included the following review on the importance of keeping our thoughts in linU
with God’s Wordl


Perhaps the greatest stresses that one encounters are the [unexpected] storms of life. It may be a personal injury or illness of a family member


friend, or oneself, a marital separation or divorce, the death of a relative or close friend, being fired at work, a lawsuit, finding out your daughteP


is pregnant out of wedlock or has had an abortion, or that your child is on drugs.K
hese are the storms of life that seem to occur at the mosV


inopportune times. Most of us want these problems to go away, and when they don’t, they leave us even more frustrated and stressed tha_


before, and our minds constantly seem to dwell on the problem, with no answer in sightb


When confronted with a problem like this, the first thing we need to do is realize that in this world we will have tribulation—we have bee_


promised that. Jesus said, “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD deliveretR


him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19 KJV)b



So, in other words, we should be able to accept problems as an inevitable part of our lives and see them as potential teachers rather tha_
analyzing, meditating on, and struggling over themb


I once heard a preacher use the term “renting too much space in our minds out to problems.”K
he preacher talked about a man who ha]
bought an apartment complex and rented out 90 percent of the apartments to drug addicts, prostitutes, and gang members, and 10 percent oJ
the complex to law-abiding citizens who actually paid their rent. Well, after a few months, the 90 percent had run off the other 10 percent.K
he_
the drug addicts, prostitutes, and gang members took up the whole complex, and no one was paying rentb


A similar thing happens in our minds when we start pondering, mulling over, and worrying about problems over which we have no controlb
We end up renting too much space in our minds to these problems, and they eventually take over most of our thoughts. In other words, we dwel\
on the problem, not the answer. We forget the second part of the Scripture in Psalm 34:19: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but thT
LORD delivereth him out of them all ” (KJV, italics mine)b


Instead of renting so much space to our problems, we have got to learn how to turn the channel of our minds from the worry channel to thU
praise-and-worship channel, the joy channel, the appreciation channel, the love channel, or the laughter channel, and start focusing on thU
things that are good in our lives. When we focus too much on a problem, it only makes the problem stronger.K
hen fretting actually becomes S
habit, and the habit becomes very difficult to breakb


he average person has about fifty thousand thoughts a day, and for many, these thoughts are mainly pessimistic and negative. When yoN
are confronted with a negative thought, you have the option of either ignoring it or inviting it in and analyzing it, meditating on it, and allowing iV
to rent more space in your mindb


When you do the latter, you begin to speak out the problem with your mouth, and it becomes a word. You ponder it more, and it becomes a_
action. You then analyze and meditate on it more, and it becomes a habit, and unfortunately for the majority of Christians, most of theiP
problems are simply negative thoughts that have become habitsb


When confronted with a problem that you have no control over, ask God what He wants you to learn from it.K
ry to find out what He is trying tM
teach you by permitting the situation to remain longer than you would likeb
Do you need to be more patient, more forgiving, more loving? When you allow your problems to be your teacher rather than your punishment
you will begin to learn from them and develop godly characterb


herefore, when one of the storms of life comes on you, how will you react? Will you learn to ignore little, insignificant problems and not renV
space in your mind to them? Will you instead change to the appreciation, joy, love, peace, and praise-and-worship channels? When a massivU
storm, like a hurricane, enters your life, will you allow your thoughts to actually bring you closer to the Lord? Can you practice love, forgiveness
patience, and all the fruits of the Spirity


Many times, the storms of life actually show us what is really inside our hearts, and unfortunately most Christians fail the test; they react in thU
flesh, with anger, self-pity, hostility, unforgiveness, fear, or bitterness. I tell patients to practice the love walk during the little trials of life: PracticU
patience and kindness, instead of being envious or rude.K
hrough intense practice we will be ready for the storms of life; and when they do hit
we will be able to turn the channel in our minds to the love, peace, joy, forgiveness—to all the fruits of the Spirit channel. And thus, we wil\
weather the storm of life and see the storm as a teacher that makes us even wiser.}
We know the fruit of the Spirit dwells in us, but as Dr. Colbert’s article illustrates, we never really know how developed it is until it is squeezedb
rials squeeze our fruit and reveal our level of spiritual maturity. We learn more about ourselves during trials than at any other time in lifeb


We must remember that God is not the author of our problems, but He will use them to help us once we have them. God is good, and He getT
good out of everything if we trust Him to do so. Romans 8:28 teaches us that all things work together for good to those who love God and are calle]
according to His purpose. All things may not feel good, seem good, or even be good, but God can cause them to work out for good! What thU
enemy intends for our harm, God means for good (see Genesis 50:20)b


FIG‰
K
HE GOOD FIG‰
OF FAI



Keeping our thoughts pure and in the will of God will be a lifetime battle. We must “fight the good fight of the faith,” according to FirstK
imothy 6:12b
he mind is the battlefield on which we fight. Satan wages war in the realm of our thoughts because he knows that if he can control our thoughts, hU
can control us and our destiniesb


Study again the following verses in the Amplified Bible, and ask God to help you really understand the depth of their meaning: “For the weaponT
of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds
[inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge oJ
God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5)b


Paul said we are to lead every thought captive unto the obedience of Jesus Christ.K
hat means we take authority over wrong thoughts and brind
them in subjection to God’s will. His will is His Word, so we must think according to His Word to be in obedience to Him.K
he devil likes to arguU
with us, tempt us to live in the mental realm of what reasoning dictates to us. He injects proud and lofty thoughts in our minds. He suggests that wU
are better than other people, saying they are wrong and we are right. He puts judgmental thoughts in our minds. We must cast down thesU
demonically induced thoughts and replace them with humble thoughts of love and concern for othersb


Since we are thinking most of the time, we will find the renewing of the mind quite a battle, especially in the beginning of our journey with Godb
When I initially started learning these principles, I felt all I did all day was cast down thoughts and watch them come right backb
I finally cried out to God, telling Him that I didn’t know how to just not think about something. He replied that the answer was very simple; I was tM
form the habit of filling my mind with good things so bad things could find no roomb


I was once an extremely negative person, but God has taught me and brought me about-face so that now I am very positive and really have a_
aversion to being around negative people. Negative thinkers are not the type of people with whom I want to work or fellowship. Romans 12:2
shares one of the most powerful principles in God’s Word; it says that we overcome evil with good! It works in every situationb


Being good to people who have treated you badly is the way to win them and break the power of Satan. It is the open door to the radica\
blessings of God in our lives.K
hinking good thoughts is the way to overcome the habit of thinking bad ones. Yes, good always overcomes evilb


God is stronger than the enemy: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than thU
one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NIV).K
his makes reference to the fact that God and everything He represents is greater than the devil an]
anything he represents. God is good, the devil is evil; therefore, good always overcomes evilb



If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16). We don’t have to spend our lives fighting with sin, temptation
wrong thoughts, lusts of the flesh. We can choose the right thing, and the wrong thing will find no place to exist in usb
here will be times of fighting the good fight of faith, but as in any other war, if we win enough battles, we will eventually win the entire warb


LI
LE BY LI
L.


We overcome the devastations of our past ways of life little by little. We make a big mistake if we look at everything that is wrong in our lives due tM
many years of bad choices and expect to eradicate the results overnightb


God delivers us from our enemies little by little (see Deuteronomy 7:22). Expecting anything else only sets us up for discouragement. If yoN
discover, as a result of reading this book, that you really have some problems with your thinking processes and need some big changes in your life
don’t even think it will all happen overnight or even quicklyb


Having your mind totally renewed is a process that can take years. Be thrilled about your progress, and don’t be discouraged about what stil\
needs to be done. Be excited about how far you have come, not depressed about how far you still have to go. Even realizing you have a problem iT
progressb


We have thoughts in literally thousands of different areas, and God deals with them one at a time.K
he Holy Spirit worked with me for a long time
helping me learn to think better thoughts about myself.K
hen we worked together on how I viewed other people, my past, my future, the world, mL
work, and so on. In the beginning of my journey with God, I felt defeated most of the time because I kept thinking about how far I had to go. NM
matter how much progress I made, I was overwhelmed by what still needed to be doneb


Satan wanted to make sure I did not feel at all victorious, but eventually I realized I needed to be careful how I thought about my thoughts. I coul]
think, I will never change. I’ll never be positive enough to overcome all the junk in my mind. Or I could think, I may still have problems in man[
areas of my thinking, but I have made progress, and I will continue making progress. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will keep pressinh
forward and will enjoy new victories dailyg


At first, thinking in this new way was awkward, it was work, it required effort. Eventually, being positive was natural, and being negative felt al\
wrong.K
hinking wrong thoughts actually makes me uncomfortable now; I feel a burden on my spirit when I do. Just think how someone would fee\
who was perhaps twenty-five years old and had never worn shoes in her entire life—when suddenly someone put shoes on her. She would definitelL
be uncomfortable. When God places this halter on our minds, it is uncomfortable at first; but it is the discipline that leads us into the good plan HU
has for us. He wants to transform our thinking, as this verse showsl


Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed.
by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good an]
acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. (Romans 12:2.


When our minds are completely renewed, we will prove for ourselves what is the good and perfect will of God. We must think in agreement witR
God in order to manifest His gloryb


Don’t be in a hurry! I know from experience that it does not do any good. It only serves to make us feel defeated all the time. Our own wrond
expectation sets us up for feelings of failure. I was a very impatient individual most of my life and finally realized that God would move in His timing
no matter how big of a hurry I was inb


I saw the problem in me once I began studying God’s Word. I wanted immediate change, and when I didn’t get it, I felt discouraged, frustrated
and defeated. But 1 Peter 5:10 states, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace . . . will Himself complete and make you what yoN
ought to be.a


Why does He allow us to suffer? I believe the suffering begins when we realize we have a problem and that we cannot change ourselves—onlL
God can. As we wait on Him, trusting Him for deliverance, we will see victory.K
he waiting tests our faith to see if it is genuine. Everyone goeT
through the same process, so we may as well settle down and enjoy the journey. If you struggle with keeping your thoughts above life’s storms, I
encourage you to read my book titled Battlefield of the Mind. It will help you learn to renew your mind and stand firmly on God’s promises for youP
lifeb


We can be transformed from people who worry all the time to people who enjoy peace of mind on a regular basis, but we will have to fight thU
good fight of faith and not give up if everything does not change as quickly as we would likeb


FORG.
YOUR PA


hinking about the past, especially the bad, does not do any good. We can learn from mistakes we have made, but beyond that, the best thing wU
can do is repent of our mistakes and forget themb


God is greater than any mistake you or I have made in the past, and we have all made plenty of them. Everyone has some skeletons in his closeV
that he would rather not expose. God Himself encourages us to forget the past and move on: “Do not [earnestly] remember the former thingsM
neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed tM
it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18–19)b


God is always doing something new. When we mentally stay in the past, we miss our right now, and our future. We must make an effort not tM
spend time on things that are useless. We talked about worry and how it does no good, so why engage in it? Dwelling on the past is anotheP
excellent example of spending time doing something that does no good. We can apologize to people if we have hurt them, we can ask God tM
forgive us, but we cannot undo what has been done, so moving on is the only real solution. As I said, we can learn from our mistakes, which iT
actually very valuableb


hrough not using wisdom, you may have ruined a relationship, lost a job, made bad financial choices, or gotten involved in something that di]
not succeed. Whatever the case might be, take the lesson you learned with you and move on—there is nothing else to do. We learn from the Wor]
of God and from life’s experiences (see Proverbs 3:13)b


God is merciful and does not hold our sins against us. Hebrews 4:15 states that He is a High Priest who understands our weaknesses an]
infirmities.K
hat knowledge always comforts me, as I am sure it does you. God is not angry with you if you messed upb



he apostle Paul stated in Philippians 3:12–13 that one thing he definitely attempted to do was let go of what was behind and press on to thU
things that lay ahead. If he had to do this, perhaps we should not feel so bad when the same thing happens to us. Paul was a great apostle—hU
received about two-thirds of the NewK
estament by direct revelation from God—and yet he made mistakes and had to move past them. I am surU
he did not permit himself to dwell on the past. We cannot get beyond anything we refuse to let go of mentallyb


he Word confirms that not pressing on will rob us of the futures God has planned for us. Hebrews 11 talks of those who pressed on by faith, an]
verse 15 says, “If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have foun]
constant opportunity to return to it.” Peter is a great example of a man who made a terrible mistake and had to let it go. God had called an]
anointed Peter to do something great. He had been one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and was actually one of the three with whom Jesus frequentlL
spent special time. Yet, at Jesus’ crucifixion (His greatest agony, the hour of His need), Peter disappointed Him by denying that he knew Him. PeteP
was afraid; it was just that simpleb


On resurrection morning, when Mary found the tomb empty, the angel she saw told her to go tell the disciples and Peter that Jesus had risen fro^
the dead (see Mark 16:7). It has always really blessed me that the angel mentioned Peter by name.K
he others were lumped into a group calle]
“disciples,” but Peter was singled out. Why? Peter probably felt as if he no longer even had the right to be part of the group; surely his grief waT
intenseb


I am sure Peter felt he had destroyed his chance to serve God, that he had made a fool of himself and failed miserably. Peter had gone out an]
wept bitterly after he realized what he had done, and that was his time of repentance. Since he had repented, Jesus had already forgiven him, buV
then He let Peter know that he did not have to live in his mistake. Jesus included Peter in His plans for the futureb


If you have made mistakes and find yourself still stuck in the past, I strongly urge you to make a decision to let go. Stop thinking about the past
stop talking about it, and press onb


I also encourage you not to dwell excessively on past victories. Don’t turn your past miracles and mighty feats into memorials that you admire; iV
may prevent you from doing even greater things in the futureb


Matthew 6:3 teaches us not to let our right hand know what our left hand is doing concerning good works. I believe this statement partially meanT
not to dwell on the good things we have done. Give God the glory, thank Him for letting you be involved, and then move to the next thing He has foP
youb
I led a women’s ministry in St. Louis for about seven years. We built a weekly congregation with four hundred to five hundred women i_
attendance. We had wonderful times, learned and grew together, saw mighty works in women’s lives, but the time came when it needed to be overb
God had directed Dave and me to take our ministry to a larger part of the world. In order to do so, we had to let go of what was behind. It was har]
to do and even harder for many of those in attendance. After all, I was moving on to something new, but some felt as if I was abandoning them. FoP
years after we disbanded those weekly meetings, people kept talking to me about “the good ole days” when we had the women’s ministryb


I was excited about the future, but they were hanging on to the past. Eventually many of those women were no longer involved in my life an]
ministry. When God moves, we must move with Him, or we will get left behindb


One of the women actually apologized to me on her deathbed, saying she had been angry with me for over ten years because she felt I ha]
abandoned the women who depended on me. Of course, she realized she was wrong, but she had needlessly suffered emotionally for many yearT
because she was hanging on to the “good ole past.a


Had I allowed the emotions of my friends to dictate my decision, I would not be seeing the good fruit I see today worldwide. Life is always flowind
and going somewhere; we must be able to go with the flow. Don’t stagnate and make memorials out of what God might be finished withb
We will not find peace while living in the past. God’s power is available for us to live today; yesterday is gone, and we must let it go mentally an]
emotionallyb


FILL YOURK
HOUG‰
S WI
H FAI



Although we have already discussed worry, I want to say a few more things regarding excessive thinking about the future. We would all love to knoZ
what the future holds, but nobody knows except God and those to whom He reveals coming events. He may, from time to time, give us supernatura\
insight into what the future holds, but generally speaking, we must live by faith dailyb


Having faith means that we don’t see or have any natural proof of what tomorrow may hold. We believe for good things, we expect good things
and we wait on God. We may be disappointed occasionally, but in Christ we can always get quickly reappointed. We can shake off thU
disappointment or discouragement and move on with what God is doingb


I was pondering just this morning the future of our ministry. We have been in ministry since 1976, and many things have changed during thosU
years. I realize that things will not be the same ten years from now, but I don’t know exactly what they will be. Dave and I are getting a bit older, an]
we realize that we will not always be able to maintain the heavy travel schedule that we have nowb


When I try to look into the future with my thoughts, I must admit I don’t really see anything definite. I intend to keep doing what I am doing an]
prayerfully helping more and more people. I just believe whatever God does, it will all be good. I believe it is important for many of our readers tM
realize that even ministers and authors don’t always have exact direction from the Lord; we walk by faith just like everyone else. I trust that God wil\
always take care of us, that He will always do the right thing. God does not make mistakes—people do. Often we make ours from excessivU
personal planning that becomes so important to us we miss what God wants to dob


Making plans for the future is part of our thinking process. If we go overboard, we can cause ourselves a lot of misery. We expect things to go thU
way we have planned, then when they don’t, we are unhappy and lose our peaceb
God’s plan is always better than ours, so we should be careful about making too many of our own. I always say, make a plan and follow your plan
but be ready to let it go quickly if God shows you something else. God should always have the right of way and the right to interfere with our plans aV
any timeb


We cannot live without making plans; if we tried to live without a plan, most of us would do nothing. But there are people who are obsessive abouV
making plans, and I have noticed they seem upset a good part of the time. Why? Simply because they are not in control, but God is. Make plans i_
areas that you need to, but don’t plan your future so precisely that you create problems for yourself. One of the best pieces of advice we can receivU
is to live one day at a timeb


hese verses of Scripture teach us that God will get His way in the end, so be careful about excessive planningl


•K
he plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. Proverbs 16:



• A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Proverbs 16:


Our minds can come up with what seem to be great ideas, but in reality they will not work because they are our plans, not God’s.K
he Bible sayT
that there is a way that seems right to man, but the end of it is death (see Proverbs 16:25).K
hat does not mean we will literally die because of ouP
plans, but it does mean they won’t add to our lives, they will subtract from them.K
hey will cause trouble and not minister peace and joy; they won’V
workb


We should thank God that our plans don’t always work, once again remembering that God is smarter than we are, and His plans are better. I wanV
His will in my life more than I want my own, and I am sure you feel the same wayb
How much mental time do you spend planning what you will do tomorrow, or even the rest of your life? If it is too much, then I suggest you spen]
more time telling the Lord that you want His will, asking Him to make His plans come to pass for youb
he Word says that if we will roll our works on the Lord, He will cause our thoughts to become agreeable to His, and our plans will succee]
because they will actually be His plans (see Proverbs 16:3)b
What does it mean to roll our works on the Lord? I believe it means that we genuinely want His will, not our own, and that we avoid getting intM
works of the flesh by trying to make things take place according to our designb


I am grateful that I can usually discern when I am trying to make something happen and when God is behind it, making it happen. When God iT
involved, things flow, there is a certain holy ease about the project. He gives favor and opens doors; He provides. When it is all me, I struggle, therU
is not enough of anything, and I certainly have no peace or enjoymentb


No matter how strongly I want a thing to happen, I have learned it does no good to keep pushing a project in which God is not involved. Our workT
of the flesh produce no good fruit.K
herefore, we should roll our works on the Lord and trust Him to put right thoughts into our minds, thoughts that wil\
be in agreement with His will so they produce good thingsb


RU
IS B.
ERK
HAN KNOWLEDG.


We usually think we would like to know the future, yet in many cases if we did know all the future holds, we would be miserable and even afraid to gM
forward.K
rusting God enables us to handle life one day at a time. God gives us what we need. We do not have everything we need right now for ouP
future because it is not here yet, so if we did know the future, we would all feel overwhelmedb


I have discovered that I lose a lot of peace by what I know. Knowing is not all it is cracked up to be. Some things are better left alone. FoP
example, I don’t want to know if someone doesn’t like me and has been talking unkindly about me; all it does is make me unhappy. Sometimes wU
are quite peaceful and then we receive some information, and suddenly we lose our peace over what we just learnedb


I would love to know all the wonderful, exciting things that are going to happen in my future, but I don’t want to know the difficult or disappointind
ones. However, I realize both will be in my future. Just like everyone else, I will have good and bad times. I really believe I can handle whateveP
comes if I take it one day at a time, but knowing it all now would be too much.K
his is why God withholds information from us and tells us simply tM
trust Himb


rust really is better than knowledge.K
rust ministers peace, and that is very important. I suppose we can ask ourselves this question: Do I wanV
peace or knowledge? I choose peace. How about youy


S.
YOUR MIND ONK
HINGS ABOV.


he Word admonishes us to think about things above, not things on the earth.K
his does not mean to sit and think about heaven all day, but it doeT
mean to think about what God would think aboutb
He thinks of high things, not low things; good things, not bad things. We can think about anything we choose to, but we must remember that wU
reap what we sow.K
houghts are definitely seeds that will always produce a harvest in our livesb


he Word says we are to “aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of Goda
(Colossians 3:1). When we do this, we will indeed be raised with Christ to a new way of living. Verse 2 says to “set your minds and keep them seV
on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.”K
his clearly means that we seek whatever we think about. Whatever wU
fill our minds with is what we are looking for, desiring, and will more than likely end up with. Remember, where the mind goes, the man followsb


Set your mind on eternal treasures where Christ is.K
he mind has a tendency to wander. Our powers of concentration are not too strong.K
his iT
partially due to the age in which we live. We have literally thousands of messages coming at us on a regular basis. Just driving down the highway iT
like driving through an encyclopedia. We might view hundreds of various types of advertisements on billboards and posters in a short driveb


We live in the age of information. As many as five or six things can be advertised during one commercial break on a television program, and thiT
occurs numerous times in one hour. Most of the time, commercials are so overwhelming and even frustrating to me that I will not watch regulaP
television programs. I either watch noncommercial stations or videos that I own. I want peace of mind, not so much information coming at me at onU
time that I cannot possibly take it inb


he Bible says to set our minds and keep them set.K
hat basically means, think on right things and keep thinking on them—don’t give up quicklyb
For example, if you think about starting an exercise program, you will need to keep your mind set to do it, otherwise you will quit when you get tire]
or soreb


Satan steals from us by getting us to change our minds about doing right things. He shows us what is difficult about everything we try to do. WU
have to remember that the Holy Spirit empowers us to do difficult things and to tell the devil so. Believe that you can do whatever you need to do foP
as long as you need to do itb


We can live the good life, but not if we don’t set our minds and keep them set on good things. Be careful when choosing what to think about, foP
your thoughts help determine your future. God has a plan for you, but so does the devil! With whom will you agreey


Any thought that does not minister peace is one we should cast down and reject. God is the God of peace, not confusion and turmoil. Jesus is thU
Prince of Peace; He left His peace for us to enjoyb


If we begin to feel upset in any way, we should examine what we are thinking about. Sometimes thoughts are so vague that we are almosV
unaware that we are thinking them. We might, for example, have an underlying bitter thought about someone who has hurt us. Several times a day
this little vague thought comes to us and we don’t think about it long, but it keeps coming back, and by the end of the day we have actually spenV



quite a bit of time dwelling on something we should not have on our mindsb


Recently an individual aggravated me by seeming to be always in disagreement with me. No matter what I liked, this person never liked it
making simple decisions much more difficult. I just wanted to decide something and go on, but this individual always had to make a big deal out oJ
things that were minor issues to meb


Although each time this occurred, I consciously made a decision to forgive the offensiveness and let it go, I found myself feeling irritated severa\
times a day when I thought of this person. My mind reviewed events where we had disagreed, and I even began to anticipate the same behavior i_
the future meetings. I needed to show this individual another project and found myself dreading it because I “thought” I would face the samU
opposition as in previous encountersb


I finally got rather violent with the devil. Realizing that he was responsible for injecting these negative thoughts in my mind, I began saying out loud
“I get along quite well with ———, and we are able to make quick decisions together. We like a lot of the same things and enjoy harmony with onU
another.a


Although I have never experienced agreement and harmony with the individual I am talking about, I desire to do so in the future, so I am callind
those things that are not into existence as if they already existed. As I’ve mentioned, Romans 4:17 teaches us that God does this same thing: HU
“gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed.” We, too, can declare i_
faith what we believe is God’s will for our situations because He created us in His image and encourages us to practice doing what He doesb


It certainly is not going to help me in any way to keep thinking and saying what I have experienced in the past; it will only create more oJ
something I don’t wantb


What if, even after making this good confession, my experience does not change with the person in question? I will continue to war againsV
negative thoughts about this individual, because those thoughts make me feel bad inside, they steal my peace, and it is not God’s will that I thinY
bitter thoughts. I will continue to fight the good fight of faith, knowing that my reward will come from Godb


HE MIND IS AMAZIN.


No matter what upsetting circumstances are going on in life, if we can get them off of our minds, they no longer upset us—it is as if they do not exisV
for us. When we recall them, they once again become part of our reality. No wonder Satan continually brings up things that steal our peace. He eve_
uses other people to remind us of things we want to forgetb


If we want to enjoy peace, we need to be willing to tell people that we don’t want to talk about certain things. Recently I made a phone call tM
another minister I know, and he began telling me about a minister we both know, sharing details of a messy divorce situation, lies, and immoralityb
He explained the situation but then obviously wanted to go on and on, talking more about it. I started losing my peace and was feeling irritated, so I
simply said, “Well, you have told me what I need to know, so let’s go on to something else.a


Was I rude? I don’t think so. Once I would have listened as long as he wanted to talk and participated myself. But those were also days when I di]
not enjoy a peaceful life and didn’t seem to know why. I have found that being a garbage dump for other people does not promote peace for me
and I want peace more than I want to know what is going on in everyone else’s lifeb


Don’t let Satan use other people to steal your peace through giving you upsetting information you don’t really need, and make sure that thU
enemy doesn’t use you to upset other people in the same wayb
he mind is an absolutely amazing organ.K
houghts affect our emotions, our health, our futures, our attitudes, our relationships, and much moreb
Certainly we should be careful concerning themb


What we think about literally becomes our reality. We can think of something that is not even true, but our thoughts will make it real for us. I ca_
imagine that someone is ignoring me and feel hurt when in reality he didn’t even see me.K
he pain is the same to me although my min]
manufactured it allb


Make sure your thoughts are not deceiving you. Find out what the truth is, knowing that the truth will set you free. Paul said
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure
whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy oJ
praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and hear]
and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you. (PhilippianT
4:8–9.


If we follow this advice, we will please God and enjoy much more peace. Having peace with God and with yourself is the foundation of havind
peace in life. But there is still more—you must have peace with the people around you. Only then will you enjoy the full, abundant life that God’T
Word directs us to enjoyb


Peaceful relationships are the real evidence of living a Spirit-led life. In the next section of this book, I will share with you seven ways to keeO
peace with othersb



Part k


BE .
PEAC.
WI
H .
HER


So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and thT
Prophetsg


—JESUS, Matthew 7:1X



Peacekeeper #1›
E
EEM .
HERS AS HIGHERK
HAN YOURSEL.


he only way we can ever hope to have peace in our relationships is if we are willing to humble ourselves and esteem others the way Jesus doesb
his means that we are not to think we are too good, or too important, to be the ones who initiate the act of making and maintaining peace witR
someone elseb
I realize that the things I will be suggesting in these next few chapters will sound easier to do than they actually are. Your heart may say Amen, buV
your flesh may cry out, “I cannot do this” when the time comes to act. However, humility inspires harmony in relationshipsb


Humility has an enemy called pride. Pride is the enemy of us all. While we reviewed in previous chapters that it is important to love ourselves an]
to be at peace with who we are, we must never consider ourselves as more important than anyone else. In fact, the real test of humility is to regar]
others as a prize, better than ourselves.K
hese verses hold important keys to our keeping peace with people we encounterl


Do nothing from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and emptL
arrogance. Instead, in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinkind
more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his ow_
interests, but also each for the interests of others. Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesusl
[Let Him be your example in humility]. (Philippians 2:3–5.


Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul was telling us how to avoid strife through the true spirit of humility by regarding each other as betteP
than and superior to ourselves.K
hat is a difficult challenge because our flesh wants to shout, “But what about me?a


Yet, this Word clearly exhorts us to be of the same humble mind that Jesus displayed: to think of others as better than ourselves, to be morU
concerned for their interests and welfare than for our own, and to do nothing from conceit or empty arrogance. If we are obedient to this instruction
if we humble ourselves to tend to the needs of others, we will live in harmony and therefore be pleasing the Lord. Jesus taught us to respect all me_
and treat them with kindnessb


Sometimes a person who does everything fast will look down on a slower person, even showing irritation.K
his kind of arrogance often shows uO
in people who are waiting in a line to be served at a fast-food restaurant. And a person who learns quickly may become impatient with someonU
who has to hear more than once how to do something.K
ruly humble people demonstrate patience, and even an eagerness to help the person whM
is weak where they are strongb


But we all have real faults, and this Scripture tells us very plainly how to handle the faults of othersl


Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the SpiritS
should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye o_
yourself, lest you should be tempted also. Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill an]
observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. For if any person thinks himself to bU
somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], hU
deceives and deludes and cheats himself. (Galatians 6:1–3.


I have personally read and meditated on these Scriptures hundreds of times. I have a natural temperament that avoids humility, so I need all thU
scriptural help I can get. I do want to please God, and I am willing to do things His way, no matter how difficult it is. Reading these ScriptureT
reminds me that while misconduct should be confronted in a loving way, I will also have times of needing simply to bear and endure the troublesomU
faults that others have. Humility allows us to be patient with the mistakes of others. As we walk in love and pray for people, God will intervene an]
deal with their faults. We reap what we sow: If we sow mercy, we will reap mercy when we need itb


Even though we find it difficult at times to bear with the weaknesses of others, the Word of God actually strengthens and enables us to do God’T
will. When you are being tempted to be prideful, study and meditate on the Word, asking the Holy Spirit to do through you what you certainly cannoV
do by sheer willpower. Remember, pride is a sin, and it is the culprit behind all broken relationshipsb


he signs of pride include an unwillingness to admit fault, to take responsibility for one’s actions, and to initiate making peace. Pride wants to dM
all the talking, and none of the listening. Pride is stubborn; it does not want to be instructed, it wants to instruct othersb


Pride was Lucifer’s sin; he said he would lift himself and his throne above God’s!K
herefore, we see that pride manifests in one’s esteemind
himself above the value of another, but God says we are all equal in His eyes. Lucifer, of course, was not equal with God, but as far as huma_
relationships are concerned, no one is better than anotherb


AVOID UNREALI
IC EXPEc
.
ION


We all have personal standards that we expect other people to meet, and we are disappointed when people fail to act the way we hoped. But is iV
really what they do that hurts us, or is it our own unrealistic expectations that set us up for the pain we feel when they don’t perform to our standardsy


God’s Word tells us to expect things from God, but not from man. But how can we have relationships and not expect anything from people? I_
reality, there are some things we have a right to expect, but there are also expectations that we place on people that are not rightfully theiP
responsibilities to fulfill. For example, my joy is not my husband’s responsibility—although I thought it was for many years. If he was not doing whaV



made me happy, I became angry. I thought he should be more concerned about my happiness and do things differently. It was what I thought thaV
caused the problem, not what he didb


Dave and I have very few arguments now that I know my personal joy is my own responsibility, and not his. Dave should do things for me thaV
make me happy, just as I should try to please him, but there were many years in my life when it would have been practically impossible for anyone tM
keep me happy. My problems were in me; they were the result of abusive treatment in my childhood. I was filled with bitterness, resentment, rage
anger, and self-pityb


here was no way I could ever be truly happy until I dealt with those things. Dave could not deal with them; I had to. I was placing responsibility o_
Dave to make up for pain he had not caused. I was literally trying to punish him for the unfair abuse that someone else had perpetratedb


Over time, I noticed that no matter had badly I acted, Dave remained happy. It irritated me but also served as an example. I eventually becamU
very hungry for the peace and joy I saw in his life, which were not dependent on any of his circumstances. In other words, he never made mU
responsible for his joy. If he had been dependent on me to make him happy, he would have never enjoyed life, because I gave him no reason tM
rejoiceb


Are you perhaps trying to make someone else responsible for things that only you can do anything about? Are you blaming people for youP
problems when Satan is actually your true enemy? Let us take responsibility and stop expecting people to do for us what we should, in reality, bU
doing for ourselves or trusting God to dob


If I give someone some of my time by doing a favor for him or her and then expect to receive the same thing in return, I am setting myself up foP
disappointment. He or she may not know of my expectation. When people don’t know what we are expecting from them, it is unfair to become angrL
when they don’t meet our requirementsb


he Bible says when we give a gift, we are to expect nothing in return from people. It is God who returns to us what He wants us to havU
according to our investment and heart attitude (see Matthew 6:1–4)b


We often think people should be able to read our minds when we should be willing to clearly communicate what we expect from them. If I have S
certain expectation for return of a favor I am willing to grant, I should say in the beginning, “I will be glad to do this-or-that for you, and then would yoN
be willing to do thus-andso for me?a


I can say to Dave, “Well, I expected you to stay home tonight.” But if I did not communicate my desire to him ahead of time, it is not fair later tM
blame him for something he did not even know I wanted. I agree that some people should frequently be more thoughtful than they are, but we shoul]
also be willing to ask for what we want and humble ourselves by being quick to forgive those who do not fulfill our wishesb


If you truly want to have peaceful relationships, examine yourself and ask God to show you if you have expectations for people that you should noV
haveb


We all have times when perhaps we have worked really hard or endured a difficult trial and need some special blessing to balance things out. I
have learned over the years to ask God to give me encouragement when I need it.K
rue, He frequently uses a person to do so, but I put mL
expectations in Him as my source, and not on peopleb


I ask God to provide encouragement when I feel that I have reached a place in life where I need something special to happen. I spent many yearT
getting angry with people when I had times like this because I looked to them to make me feel better. It never produced anything but strife an]
offense. People are not our source, God isb


Go to God, and if He wants to use people to bless you, He will; if not, trust that whatever He chooses is what is best for you at the present timeb
Even if God should choose not to give the encouragement immediately, you can trust that His timing is perfect in your lifeb


ACCE.
WH.
.
HERS HAVEK
O OFFEh


We expect people to give us what we would give them. We also expect people to love us the way we would love them, but this produceT
disappointment—and quite often, even more serious problems. We need to appreciate what other people are willing to do for us and receive theiP
offerings with thankfulnessb


One of the ways I show love is through communication. I say uplifting things to people or spend time talking with them. My husband, on the otheP
hand, is not a big talker. I have often wanted him to sit and talk for long periods of time, but he says what he wants to say and then prefers to bU
quiet. I will often go over and over the same thing, talking about it in different ways; Dave hates to do that. I have expected Dave to talk to me in thU
way I want him to, but he is not able to comply. It would be unnatural for him. Dave and I do talk and have good conversations, but I like to analyzU
things and people while he absolutely loathes doing thatb


Another way I show love is to buy people things, so naturally I would like it if Dave bought me more gifts. He will let me buy whatever I want that wU
can afford, and he will buy me anything I ask him for, but he is not the type to go out shopping and bring surprises home to me on a regular basisb
He is more logical, and his logic says, “Why should I spend all day shopping for a gift for you when you will probably take it back and exchange iV
anyway? Why not just let you go get what you want to start with?” I, of course, like most women, would like him to spend the day shopping for me jusV
to know he did itb


One of the major ways Dave does show love for me is by protecting me.K
hat is very important to him. He feels he is my covering and shoul]
make sure I am safe. For years, some of the things he did while trying to protect me irritated me immenselyb


For example, Dave might tell me to make sure I bend my knees when I pick something up off the floor. He does that so I don’t injure my back as I
have in the past. I, however, don’t want to be told how to bend over, so it has irritated me. When I get out of the car, he reminds me to watch foP
traffic. He is making sure I don’t get hurt, but I have felt as though he thought I was dumb and couldn’t cross the street without his advice. (I am surU
you can see that my main problem was that I just plain did not want to be told what to do..


After several years of his protectiveness becoming a bone of contention between us, I read an article explaining that not everyone shows love i_


the same way, and it set me free. I now realize thaV


Dave is showing me love in his way, and I received it wrong because it was not my wayb


One of our daughters had a similar experience with her husband. She is very affectionate, like most women, and would like lots of pretty words
hugs, kisses, flowers, and candy. Her husband is not like that at all, so for years she felt that he was not showing her love. She even shared publiclL
in one of our conferences that she was very unhappy for a long time because of how she viewed her situation. She read the same article I did an]
realized that he did indeed love her very much. He showed his love by being a good provider, by taking care of things around the house, makind
sure the walk was shoveled during snow or ice so she didn’t get hurt, and other things like thatb



his does not mean that women have to settle for having no affection, but it does mean that women are different from men, they approach lifU
differently, and we cannot expect our spouses to give us what we would give themb


Men are providers and protectors; God has designed them that way, and it only causes trouble when wives constantly try to make their husbandT
be something they are not. Should men show affection? Absolutely! But most of them will never demonstrate their affection as women do. OJ
course, there are men who are very affectionate and some women who are not, but I am making my statements based on what most wome_
experienceb
I am sure my husband would like it if I enjoyed sports with him, simply because it is something that really gives him pleasure. But I don’t likU
playing or watching sports very much, and he has accepted that. I don’t think he feels that I don’t show him love because I don’t watch football oP
play golf every week. I do play golf occasionally, and I do listen when he shares about sports he enjoys, but my enthusiasm level is certainly not whaV
his is. He knows I love him, and he accepts me the way I amb


Being accepted by those we love is very important because we all want to receive acceptance. But are we giving it to othersy
Remember, according to God’s Word, we should esteem others as a prize—just the way they are—especially if we want to enjoy peace in ouP
relationships with themb
I believe a humble attitude and a willingness to accept what demonstrations of love others offer to us may really help a lot of people, as it did meb
Realize how your family and friends show love for you, and stop concentrating on how they don’t. Be positive and not negativeb


DONo
GRIEVEK
HE HOLY SPIRI


We’ve already studied in previous chapters how stress causes a great deal of diseases. We know that the symptoms are real, but how manL
bottles of medicine are sold to combat emotional disorders when the root cause is actually a lack of peace in an individual’s lifey


I wonder how many cases of stress and depression are the result of strife between relationships in the home or on the job. We treat thU
symptoms of stress, but we often ignore the sin of pride as the underlying cause of our lost peace. Our general health is much better when we live i_
peace. Humility, always esteeming others as higher than ourselves, will keep us full of peace and free from grieving the Holy Spiritb


Ephesians 4 teaches us that we grieve the Spirit of God (“offend or vex or sadden Him”) when we are not getting along with each other—whe_
we lack harmony and unity. Paul exhorted us to let go of all bitterness, wrath, passion, rage, bad temper, anger, animosity, quarreling, clamor
contention, slander, evil speaking, abusive or blasphemous language, malice, spite, ill will or “baseness of any kind” (see vv. 30–31). If we are livind
in those conditions, no wonder the Holy Spirit is grieved! Yet many homes are filled with these demonstrations of strife every dayb


But it is quite plain; in essence, the Word says we are to stay in peace at all times.K
he power of peace binds us together.K
he presence of thU
Holy Spirit produces peace, and Paul encouraged us to “be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep” it (Ephesians 4:3)b
he thought of grieving the Holy Spirit makes me very sad. I am willing to humble myself and resist strife when I remember that what I do affectT
the Holy Spirit. When He is grieved, we also feel that way because He lives in usb


AVOID BLINDNESSK
O YOUR OWN FAU.


One of the ways to maintain godly humility and promote peace in our relationships is to take a good, long, honest look at our own faults. Selfm
deception is one of our biggest problems as human beings. We easily and quickly see what is wrong with others but rarely, if ever, see what iT
wrong with us. We judge others, and the Lord tells us there is no justification for this: `
herefore you have no excuse or defense or justification, .
man, whoever you are who judges and condemns another. For in posing as judge and passing sentence on another, you condemn yourself
because you who judge are habitually practicing the very same things [that you censure and denounce]” (Romans 2:1)b


Why would we judge someone else for the same thing we are doing? Because we look at others through a magnifying glass but see ourselveT
through rose-colored glasses, a tinted glass that makes everything look lovely whether it is or notb


In our thinking, there is absolutely no justification for the wrong behavior of others, but for us there always is. We always seem to have some vali]
reason why we have behaved badly that excuses us from being responsible. For example, someone might be short-tempered with us, and we fee\
it was inexcusable for him or her to treat us that way. We might have treated someone the same way on another day, but we had done so becausU
we felt ill or had a bad day at workb


In reality, we should practice being harder on ourselves than others simply because the Word tells us we will not be asked to give an account oJ
their lives, but of our own: “Why do you criticize and pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon or despise your brothery
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10)b


I read this Scripture often because it reminds me how God views my critical judgment of other people. Second Corinthians 13:5 says we are tM
examine ourselves, but we are usually examining others, which produces nothing but judgmental attitudes and eventually troubleb


Paul said to examine ourselves before God, not unto condemnation, but in order to recognize areas of need in our own lives, and to ask God foP
His help. But nothing will change if we are blind to the truth of our own shortcomings. Psalm 51:6 says, “Behold, you desire truth in the inner beingM
make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.a


Jesus has paid for our freedom to see the truth, yet it does us no good until we are truthful with ourselves, about ourselves. We fear looking aV
ourselves; our pride keeps us from wanting to see our own selfish tendencies.K
he way we evade facing this needed truth about ourselves is bL
finding fault with other people insteadb
But when we judge others, we are setting ourselves up as gods in their lives. We have no right to judge others; they are God’s servants. JameT
4:12 says it very plainly: “[But you] who are you that [you presume to] pass judgment on your neighbor?a
Can you remember a time, or times, in your life when God has strongly convicted you of some fault? Perhaps some situation exposed it.K
imeT
like this tend to humble us, at least for a whileb
I had always been short-tempered with people who gossiped about me, not admitting that there were times when I also gossiped about othersb
hen I got caught, and a friend who heard what I had said confronted me. I had no way out and was terribly humbled. For a while after that, I waT
very patient with other people who said things about me, but eventually my pride crept back in, and I had to be humbled all over againb
God tells us to humble ourselves, but if we don’t, He will do it for us. He either corrects us privately, or if we persist, He will do it publicly. We eitheP
fall on Jesus (the Rock) to be broken, or the Rock falls on us to break us—the choice is oursb
If God begins to deal with us about some wrong behavior, there is no point at all in trying to avoid Him. When God admonishes me for mL



behavior in a relationship, it is particularly difficult for me if I feel the other person does the same thing that God is asking me to change. I have tol]
God more than once, `
his is not fair. What about the other person?” He always reminds me that howK
and when He corrects another is HiT
business. All I need to do is receive my chastisement from Him without complaint or comparisonb


I remember one particular time when God was strongly dealing with me about not being rude to my husband. However, I felt Dave was also beind
rude to me, and I told God so. I was so frustrated about God confronting me and not Dave also, that I went to Dave and asked him if God waT
correcting him about anythingb


He pondered for a moment, and then with an innocent look on his face, he said, “No, I don’t believe He is.” I look back now and those eventT
amuse me, but they sure were not funny at the timeb


Being willing to be first to do whatever is right is commendable behavior. Being willing to do what is right, even if no one else ever does what iT
right, is something that God may call upon us to do. We also may have to do what is right for a long time before we will get right results, and wU
may have to treat people in our lives right (humbly love them) a long time before we begin reaping the good seeds we have sownb


CORREc
WI
H SINCERE LOV.


Remember, we have a right to pray for people but not to judge them. Should we ever try to correct another brother or sister in the Lord, or someonU
in our families? Yes, as we read in the beginning of this chapter, there may be times when God will use us to confront someone for misconduct, buV
once again it must be with humility, not having an exaggerated opinion of our importance or spiritualityb


Paul was an apostle, and therefore God used him to bring correction to the churches quite frequently. But he said, “By the grace of God give_
unto me, I warn you not to estimate and think of yourself more highly than you ought to” (see Romans 12:3). I have always been struck by the fact thaV
Paul said he corrected people because of God’s grace in him to do so, not just because he had an opinion and wanted to express itb


When we do anything by God’s grace, it has God’s power on it and therefore produces good results. When we try to correct people, but God haT
not given us the assignment to do so, we only cause troubleb


I quickly learned in the early years of my marriage that I am not my husband’s teacher, nor have I been assigned the job of correcting him.K
herU
have been rare occasions when God has used me in that way with Dave, and each of those times he has received the correction.K
he times I jusV
decided I was going to tell him a thing or two only initiated a small war between usb


When we do correct people, it should be because we truly love and care about them, not just because we want to tell them what is wrong witR
them and act superior. I do have an assignment from God that requires frequent correction of people, both in my teaching and among my staff. I trL
to maintain a truthful attitude about myself also, lest I become bossy with themb


I can be the boss and not be bossy. I always share with people what they are doing right as well as wrong, and I also try to admit my own faultT
with them as well because I find this puts people at easeb


BE WILLINGK
O BE WRON.


Most of us have an out-of-balance craving to be right about everything. My personal belief is that the need to be right rises from insecurity, which iT
also a manifestation of pride. If we have peace with God and are secure in ourselves, why do we need to be right all the time? Why can’t we bU
wrong about something without feeling wrong about ourselvesy
It is amazing, the fleshly feelings we have when we try to sit quietly and let someone else think he is right when we are convinced we’re the onU
who’s right. Dave and I both have rather strong personalities in many ways and neither of us enjoys saying, “I was wrong.” We both do it at times
but we are still in the process of learning to enjoy itb


First Corinthians 13 says love doesn’t demand its own way.K
hat means there are times when we will have to give up what we think is our right tM
be right. It is amazing how many arguments we can avoid if someone is willing to say, “I think I’m right, but I may be wrong.” Even if one party has thU
humility to say he could even possibly be wrong, it seems to dissipate the argumentb


Sometimes we argue over things that don’t even make sense— things so unimportant that they should be left entirely alone. Dave and I used tM
argue over directions on how to get to a place we were going; he wanted to go one way, and I thought another way was a little bit shorter. It woul]
have been better to take a little longer to get there, if that ended up being the case, rather than argue about it. Most of the time there is more tha_
one right answer, and peace is much more important than having your own wayb


he Word says that a servant of the Lord must “have nothing to do with trifling (ill-informed, unedifying, stupid) controversies over ignoranV
questionings, for you know that they foster strife and breed quarrels” (2K
imothy 2:23). Staying out of strife is not a suggestion; it is a command fro^
the Lordb


We lose our power when we lose our peace. We hinder the flow of our anointing, which is one of the most precious treasures we have, and wU
also hinder our blessings from flowing in abundance. Remember the example I gave in the beginning of the book abouV


Abraham and Lot? Abraham was so determined to stay out of strife that he allowed Lot to choose the best part of the land for himself, while hU
(Abraham) took what was left. God blessed Abraham and rewarded him for his right choice by telling him he could have all he could see as hU
looked north, south, east and westb


We can be prideful or peaceful. Pride says, “I am right” and has no willingness to even consider it might be wrong. Humility says, “I may be wrong
and it is not that important whether I am right or not.a


I believe you can see why humility is the basis for any successful relationship. Even if only one person in the relationship will treat the other witR
loving humility, the relationship will flourish, because God promises to lift up the one that is humble (see Psalm 147:6).K
he Word also says that thU
one “who is of a humble spirit will obtain honor.” In this light, we should never fear the consequences of adapting ourselves to the needs of someonU
else. In the next chapter, we will look at the rewards of being Peacemakers by remaining flexible and encouraging othersb



Peacekeeper #1


ADA.
YOURSELFK
.
HE NEEDS OF .
HER


he Word says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). First Peter 3:11 makes this very clear: “LeV
him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitatind
passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, buV
pursue, go after them!]a


Peaceful relationships seem to be fading away in our society.K
he divorce rate is still climbing, and the percentage of failed marriages is said tM
be even higher among Christians than other people in the world. What is wrong? Is it the stressful society in which we live, or is selfishness still on S
rampagey


he Word says that in the last days will come “times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. For people will be lovers oJ
self and [utterly] self-centered” (2K
imothy 3:1–2).K
hey will love money, be greedy, hard-hearted, disobedient, immoral, lacking self-control, an]
they will have no desire to make peaceb


We are living in those times.K
hese are days of great moral darkness, and we, as believers in Jesus Christ, must let our light shine out in thU
darkness. In practicality, that means we must let our behavior emulate that of Jesus and not be sucked into the world and its system. If people treaV
us badly, we cannot return evil for evil, but rather forgiveness and love so that others will see God’s love in the way we treat peopleb


Unity among people is pleasant. It releases blessings from God and the anointing power of His presence (see Psalm 133:1–3). Unity, harmony
and peace in relationships won’t just come to us; we must go after them with all of our might. We must not wait for someone else to make the firsV
move; we must be Peacemakers; we must make and maintain peaceb


One usually must be spiritually mature before he will choose aggressively to be the peacemaker. Jesus said the Peacemakers will be called “thU
sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). As I have mentioned before, He said “sons,” not children, indicating maturity. We are called to lay aside childisR
behavior and make and maintain peace as responsible sons and daughters of Godb


Not all people are as easy to get along with as others. It seems we all have some people assigned to us in life who are like sandpaper.K
heL
always seem to grate on us and make a habit of being difficult.K
hey are never happy, no matter what we give or do for them.K
hey regularly fin]
fault and rarely, if ever, encourage us in any way.K
hey are takers and not giversb


hen there are the people who have irritating habits. We love them; we may even be married to them, yet they have one or more idiosyncrasieT
that continue to rub us the wrong way. An example is those who feel they must give their opinion on everything, whether anyone asks for it or notb


hen there are the people who dominate all conversations, to whom we rarely, if ever, get to express ourselves. Even when we try, they interrupt usb


hey may not even realize they are making conversation difficult; they may be doing something as simple as slurping their soup or popping theiP
chewing gum, but the distraction throws off our concentration and frustrates usb


My point is that we all get opportunities to hold our peace and to be Peacemakers. I dare say that every person in this world has somU
challenging people in his or her life. Of course, we must remember that we are also challenges to others. Someone struggles with us, with ouP
personalities and habits, just as we struggle with othersb
ARE YOU REAPING WH.
YOU HAVE SOWNy


We like the law of sowing and reaping if we are reaping good seeds we have sown, but we will also reap from the bad seeds we cast along ouP
paths. I remember a time when I felt Dave was being particularly crude and rough in the way he was speaking to me. I immediately felt offended an]
began to complain to the Lord. He quickly reminded me that I had talked to Dave the same way for years and was only reaping on seeds I ha]
sown in the pastb


Actually Dave rarely talked to me in that brisk way, whereas I had probably spent many years being grumpy with him. I had improved and ha]
forgotten about all the years I had spoken that way to him. We want other people to be patient with our faults, but we are not always willing to givU
others the same mercy and grace we want to receiveb


Facing truth is one of the most beneficial things we ever do in life, but it must be truth about ourselves that we face.K
ruth sets us free; selfm
deception keeps us in bondageb


Why is it so painful to see ourselves as we really are? Simply because of pride. When we see ourselves in reality, the way others see us, ouP
pride is hurt and we are embarrassedb


When someone talks unkindly about me, is he sowing seeds to reap unkindness, or am I reaping on what I have sown in the past? When we havU
an appointment and the other person is late, is he sowing seeds that will cause others to be inconsiderate, or are we perhaps reaping on timeT
when we have been late for other appointments?K
hese are questions we must ask ourselvesb


We must be honest with ourselves and not go through life blaming others for everything that goes wrong in our relationshipsb


Pride causes us to be blind to our own faults, but God’s Word encourages us to be careful when we think we stand, lest we fall. In other words, wU
shouldn’t think more highly of ourselves than we ought to because this type of pride will also cause our own downfall (see Proverbs 16:18)b


DONo
FORCE YOUR CONVIc
IONS ON .
HER PEOPL.



It is arrogant of us to try to make other people agree with our convictions. For example, I try to eat reasonably healthy meals, and I have studie]
nutrition and its effects on the body. Consequently, I have strong opinions about how we should take care of ourselves. I do eat sweets, but onlL
small amounts, and I am usually concerned when I see anyone regularly consuming large amounts of sweets and other foods that I know to bU
unhealthyb


I have tried to tell people that they are eating poorly, and they have not received my advice well, to say the least. I even had one person say, “If wU
are going to spend time together, I don’t want you telling me what to eat all the time and making me feel guilty when I eat something you don’V
approve of.a


he person went on to say, “I know I don’t eat right, but I am just not at the place yet in my life where I am ready to do anything about it. I have lotT
of things wrong with me that I feel are more urgent than my appetite. So I am concentrating on what I feel God is dealing with me about, and I havU
no time to pay attention also to what you are dealing with me about.a


he person sounded pretty harsh and actually did not display a good attitude toward me, but I got the point, and I have been less likely ever sincU
to tell anyone how he or she should eat. We all tend to put our convictions on others; we think if they are priorities for us, they must be priorities foP
everyoneb


he fact is that people have a right to make their own choices, even wrong ones. God will actually protect people’s right to go to hell if that is whaV
they choose to do. In other words, even as much as God wants them to spend eternity with Him, He won’t force them, and we cannot force people tM
do things we want them to do eitherb


Romans 14 shares examples of how people were in a quandary about whether or not they should eat meat that had been offered to idols. SomU
thought it would be a sin, and others said the idols were nothing anyway and therefore could not harm the meat. Some could not eat because oJ
their weak faith, and others ate because of their strong faith. Paul told them to let them each be convinced in their own hearts and not try to forcU
their personal convictions on others. God seems to meet each of us where we are at in our faith. He begins with us at that point and helps us groZ
gradually and continuallyb


GIVE PEOPLE FREEDOMK
O BEK
HEMSELVE


One of the most devastating things one can do to a relationship is try to make the other be what he or she can never be. We must accept peoplU
and not reject them when they don’t change to suit us. We all seem to look at the way we do things as the standard for everyone, which is, of course
another manifestation of pride. Instead, we should see that God created us all differently but equally. We are not alike, and we all have the right tM
be who we areb


I am not speaking at this point about faults that God will deal with in time; I am speaking of our inherent, God-given traits that vary from person tM
personb


I talk a lot; Dave is quiet. I make decisions really fast, and he wants to think about things for a while. As I’ve mentioned, Dave loves all kinds oJ
sports, and I don’t really like any of them—at least not enough to put much time into them. Dave wants each item in a room to stand out, and I wanV
everything to blend. I am sure you could tell similar stories about personal differences you have in your relationships with othersb


I am a serious person (sometimes too serious), but I know people who seem to be serious about nothing.K
here are people I can say almosV
anything to and they are not easily offended, and then I know others who are very sensitive and I have to be more careful around them. I am blunV
and straightforward, so sometimes I struggle with those who have tender personalitiesb


Why does God make us all different and then put us together and tell us to get along? I am convinced that it is in the struggle of life that we groZ
spiritually. God purposely does not make everything easy for us. He wants us to exercise our “faith muscles” and release the fruit of the Spirit
including love, patience, peace, and self-controlb


If everyone pleased us all the time, if our faith was never stretched and our fruit never squeezed, we would not grow spiritually. We would remai_
the same, which is a frightful thought.K
here are two kinds of pain in life: the pain of change, and the pain of remaining the way we are. I am morU
fearful of remaining the same than I am of changingb


Dave and I argued and lacked peace in our relationship until we agreed to accept each other the way God had created us. I cannot say thingT
were perfect after that, but they certainly improved. People cannot change people; only God can. We discovered it would be wiser to accept an]
enjoy each other while God was making whatever adjustments He wanted to make in His timingb


I learned that all people have God-given variations in their temperaments and therefore realized I was expecting people to be something theL
couldn’t. I was asking for a response from them that they did not know how to giveb


Some people are gifted with thoughtfulness, and others rarely think about doing things for other people.K
hey are willing to do thoughtful acts iJ
someone suggests it, but they don’t take initiative on their own.K
he person gifted with thoughtfulness might also be impatient, while the person whM
is not very thoughtful (he will always forget your birthday) is extremely patient in every situation. We all have good qualities, but none of us is gifted i_
them allb


Accept people where they are, and trust God to change what needs to be changed in His timing, His way. Rejection is one of the greatesV
emotional pains we endure in life. I don’t want to be the source of that kind of pain in anyone’s life ever again. I finally realized I have more tha_
enough faults of my own; I don’t need to magnify anyone else’sb


ell people the good qualities you recognize in them; don’t point out what you think they need to improve. Compliment, don’t find fault. Accept
don’t reject. Be positive, not negative. Be encouraging, not discouraging. You and I will never lack for friends if we will practice giving people thU
freedom to be themselvesb


I honestly believe acceptance is something that all people crave. We cannot endure a person who constantly wants to turn us into something wU
don’t know how to be.K
o be around such a person for too long is like living in prisonb


We can easily fall into the trap of trying to change our children, as well as spouses, friends, and coworkers. We should merely encourage otherT
to become all God has intended them to be. We must not expect to live our unfulfilled dreams through the lives of our family or friends. Everyone haT
a right to his or her own lifeb


BE ADA.
ABL.



One of the major ways to avoid strife and stay in peace is to be adaptable. We always want others to adapt to us, but they want us to adapt to themb
Until someone decides to be adaptable as unto the Lord, strife and contention will rule, or in reality, the devil will rule because he is the one whM
instigates the turmoil to begin withb


he Word says, “Readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in youP
own conceits” (Romans 12:16).K
his Scripture has been very helpful to me. It is amazing how peace increases when we make the simple act oJ
adapting or adjusting to someone else.K
his principle was once foreign to me. I wanted everyone else to do the adapting, and it never occurred tM
me to try adapting to other people’s preferencesb


When I tried, my flesh screamed out against it, because we are inherently selfish and our flesh always wants what it wants when it wants itb
However, God calls us to follow the leading of the Spirit, not our flesh.K
he flesh was legally nailed to the cross with Jesus, and we have bee_
resurrected to a brand-new life. We are called upon daily to put off the old man and put on the new man.K
his literally means to ignore the pleadingT
of the flesh and follow the Spirit of Godb


Paul talked about buffeting his flesh, keeping it under discipline and self-control.K
his is all part of pursuing peace. For example, Dave and I
planned to watch a movie tonight. We agreed to take our showers and prepare for the evening so we could begin the movie. I got ready, and DavU
was sitting on the couch, reading a travel brochure about hotels around the world. I kept asking him to get ready because it was getting later an]
later. He kept saying “Uh-huh, okay” but was not moving. I could feel my flesh getting irritated, so I made a conscious decision to say nothing morU
and remain in peace no matter what happenedb


Once I would have simply followed my feelings, and the entire evening would have been ruined. I would have nagged him until he either got up oP
got mad. I finally realized, somewhere along the way, that getting my way is highly overratedb


In other words, relieving the pressure the flesh feels when it does get its own way is not worth the pressure we endure from arguing and losing ouP
peace to get it. When the flesh rules, everyone loses, except Satanb


An adapter is a device used to bring compatibility between two totally different parts. We use electrical outlet adapters when we travel to foreig_
countries.K
he outlets in the walls are different from the plugs on our electrical appliances, so we always take our adapters. One side plugs into ouP
appliance and the other into the wall outlet, thus bringing the two into compatibilityb


When we enter any type of relationship, we need to become willing to adapt simply because no two are ever exactly the same. Dave and I havU
recently become friends with a married couple. We like a lot of the same things, and it appears it will be a great relationship; however, we do havU
differences and will therefore need to adapt to one another. I am also certain from my experience with other relationships that the longer we knoZ
one another, the more things we may need to adapt to in each otherb


What happens when one person in a relationship is willing to adapt, and it seems the other person never does?K
his, of course, makes it morU
challenging, but it has been a great help to me personally to remember that I am responsible to God only for my part, not what the other perso_
does or does not do. We are not liberated to do wrong simply because someone else chooses to do wrongb


BE HAPPY FOR PEOPLE WHENK
HEY ARE BLESSE.


I love to be around people who are really happy for me when I am blessed or have something wonderful happen in my life. Not everyone is like thatb
We should pay heed to the Scripture that says to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (see Romans 12:15)b


I received a very special gift a while back, and it was interesting to see how different people responded. Some said, “Joyce, I am so happy foP
you. It really blesses me to see you blessed.” I knew they were sincere, and it increased my joy. It also made me want to pray that God would dM
something awesome for them toob


Another friend said, “I wish someone would do something like that for me.” Actually this particular person almost always responds in a similaP
fashion when I receive nice things. Even when my husband does lovely things for me, the individual will say, “My husband just doesn’t seem to knoZ
how to do things like that.”K
hese responses indicate a spirit of jealousy or some deep-seated feeling that she is not getting what she deserves i_
lifeb


At one time I was like that: I pretended happiness for people when God blessed them in some special way, but inside I didn’t really feel it. At thaV
time in my life, I compared myself to others and always competed with them because the only way I could feel good about myself was if I was ahea]
of or at least equal to others in possessions, talents, opportunities, and literally anything else you could think ofb


I am grateful that God has worked in my life, and I can be genuinely happy for others when He blesses them. I must be honest, though, and say I
still sometimes have a little problem if the blessing comes to someone I might consider an “enemy.” You know the type—someone who has hurt yoN
in some way. I am not responding perfectly yet, but at least I have made progressb


I love the friend I just mentioned, and in many ways she meets my needs. I know this friend loves me and this is just a small character weakness
so I let it go. But I also know it prevents me from wanting to share what God is doing in my life because I know she cannot be truly happy for me. I
also believe it prevents her from being blessed. Dave and I both feel strongly that we will not receive blessings until we can be truly happy for thU
blessings of othersb


All of these areas are ways in which we can adapt to the needs of others. When we can adapt ourselves to both their needs and theiP
celebrations, we will enjoy lasting peace with them. If we are struggling in our ability to adapt to the needs of others, we must be careful to avoi]
foolish, unproductive comments that will quickly tear apart even close relationships. Next, we’ll talk about how idle words can steal our peaceb



Peacekeeper #1
BEWARE OF IDLEK
AL.


he Bible teaches us to beware of idle talk—vain, useless words that do not minister life to either the speaker or the hearer. Believers are tM
speak words that are full of God’s truth, that build up and encourage, but idle words cause life to drain out of relationships with one another.K
hU
Word says, “He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3)b


Some people really seem to know the Word of God; they appear to have good relationships with God, yet when we are with them, we sensU
death instead of life through the words they speak.K
here is something about them that just doesn’t seem right. Many of these people leak life an]
have nothing left but death because of their idle talk.K
hey have received life from God, but they drain it away through unguarded, carelesT
commentsb


I believe that idle words can affect our health and even the length of our lives, but it is our spiritual lives that are quickly emptied when we indulgU
in vain, useless, idle talk. Other than obvious sin, idle words cause the most damage to our livesb


he Word says, “But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. FoP
by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced” (Matthew 12:36–37). Imagine havind
God judge every idle word that we speak.K
his Scripture is not talking about unclean words, evil words, negative words, or even slanderous wordsb
It speaks of ineffective, unnecessary words; idle words are those that have no value and are the faithless things we simply did not need to sayb


What does the phrase mean, `
hey shall give account thereof” (Matthew 12:36 KJV)? I believe it means that we pay for them.K
hey actually brind
a curse with them, and in some ways, we endure the effect of it. Idle words steal our lives.K
he Word says clearly, “Death and life are in the power oJ
the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]” (Proverbs 18:21)b


You have probably heard the phrase, “You will have to eat your words before it’s over,” and this Scripture backs up the statement. We do eat ouP
words! What we say not only ministers life or death to the hearer but also to us who speak themb


We can literally increase our own peace and joy by the things we say or the ones we don’t permit ourselves to say. God’s Word encourages us tM
think about what words we will use before we speakl


•K
he mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. (Proverbs 16:23.
• Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; thereforU
let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2.
• Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. (James 1:19.


Words are containers for power, positive or negative. Words actually are a tremendous responsibility, and we should be more careful how wU
use them. Proverbs 6:1–2 says, “If you have given your pledge for a stranger or another, you are snared with the words of your lips, you are caughV
by the speech of your mouth.a


Many relationships are destroyed because people speak foolish words that they don’t even mean. People blurt out hurtful words that are verL
damaging. Wrong words cause a lot of problems because they are not easily retracted or erased from our memoriesb
As individuals, we are often uncomfortable if we are with people and nobody is talking. We seem to feel someone should be saying something al\
the time. During these times when we simply try to fill up the air space with words, we may speak idle words that cause problems. We can chatteP
on and on about things that don’t even deserve discussion. Idle people with lots of idle time usually say lots of idle thingsb


Paul gave instructions about widows whom the church leaders were to support. He said younger widows should not be put on this list becausU
they might become idlers and spend their time talking about things they should not mention. I believe Paul was assuming that younger wome_
would have enough energy to work and be active. If they had nothing to do because the church was supporting them, it would lead to trouble. HU
wrotel


But refuse [to enroll on this list the] younger widows, for when they become restive and their natural desires grow strong, they withdraZ
themselves against Christ [and] wish to marry [again]. And so they incur condemnation for having set aside and slighted their previous pledgeb


Moreover, as they go about from house to house, they learn to be idlers, and not only idlers, but gossips and busybodies, saying what theL
should not say and talking of things they should not mention. (1K
imothy 5:11–13.
I have been practicing thinking before I speak, and it is amazing to me how many times I realize that what I am about to say simply does not nee]
to be said. It won’t do any good; it does not build up or add to anyone. In many instances, what I was about to say could have been downrighV
harmful, or at least useless. I believe forming this habit is adding peace to my life and the lives of those around meb


Idle words are one of the easiest ways to break unity and sabotage the power of peace. Apologies don’t quickly repair the bad impression thaV
heated, foolish words can leave. We can confess our sins, but how can we ever make amends for idle words spoken against other people? HoZ
can we repair someone’s reputation that we have destroyed with foolish accusations? We may go to the person and ask forgiveness, but wU
cannot take the words back.K
heir message has already entered people’s ears, and we have no way to eliminate them. You can pay someonU
back for something you steal, but you cannot repay the damage done by idle, careless wordsb


People who talk a lot (like me) are more apt to make mistakes with their mouths than quiet people are.K
hose of us who talk a lot will need tM
exercise even more caution than others. With much speaking, the tongue becomes heated, and in being overheated, it loses gentleness. ProverbT
15:4 says, “A gentle tongue [with its healing power] is a tree of life, but willful contrariness in it breaks down the spirit.” We should strive to keep S



gentle, wise tongue, for idle words are the opening through which our power for life leaks awayb


GUARD YOUR HEAh


Out of the heart the mouth speaks. If we permit wrong thoughts to dwell in our hearts, we will ultimately speak them. Whatever is hidden in ouP
hearts, our mouths will sooner or later express openly. Satan may make an evil suggestion to us, he may try to plant a wrong thought; however, wU
need to be diligent to guard our heartsb


here is too much at stake not to use diligence in keeping our hearts full of God’s truth. Our outer lives are only visible representations of ouP
inner lives. If a tree is rotten, it will bring forth diseased and rotten fruit, and if it is good, it will produce good fruitb


We’ve seen that we must cast down wrong thoughts and bring them into subjection to God’s Word (see 2 Corinthians 10:5). If we are thinkind
things that are contrary to God’s Word, we must renew our minds with proper thoughts. We should think on good things, excellent, and noble thingT
(see Philippians 4:8)b


If the attitudes of our hearts are not in line with the heart of God, neither will the words of our mouths reflect His Word. Although you maL
sometimes say things in the heat of emotion, don’t excuse yourself by saying that you did not mean what you said.K
ake responsibility before God
and ask for His grace to change if you are speaking idle words that are not full of faith or edifying to othersb


Another example of idle words is those we speak to ourselves that upset us and get us in a bad humor. For example, we may have been dealind
with a particular upsetting issue, which we have prayed about and have even cast our care on God. By doing so we have enjoyed peace eve_
though we have an unpleasant situation. But then someone asks us about it, and in talking about it, we give gruesome details and discuss hoZ
unfair and painful the entire thing is. Soon we find ourselves upset once againb


We can actually upset ourselves by how we choose to talk about our situations. When we are filled with life, we are filled with peace; when wU
leak life, we experience a loss of peaceb


SAYK
HINGSK
H.
EDIFi


Speaking idle words can become a bad habit.K
hankfully, we can break bad habits and form good ones. Let us strive to form a habit of speakind
words that edify people. Words of edification minister life, not death. Make a commitment to spread good news, and let all bad news stop with youb
When someone tells you some kind of an unclean, unkind, or negative story, don’t spread it to anyone elseb


If you have an opportunity to stop people before destructive words escape their mouths, do so.K
o have these leaks in us completely stopped, wU
must get rid of our curiosityb


Most people are full of curiosity; even Christians are nosey. People tend to enjoy knowing all that is going on in other people’s lives. Beind
delivered from this morbid curiosity, we will sin less. We will have less opportunity to speak idle words if we know lessb
I must admit I have always been a curious person; I’ve said already that once I liked to be “in the know.” But I discovered that I could be verL
peaceful and thoroughly enjoying my life and then find something out that immediately stole my peace. I then wish I had never asked a question oP
listened to what I just heard, but it was too lateb


I have often paid for my curiosity with a loss of peace. I may have heard a negative or judgmental comment about me or someone else I love, an]
then suddenly I lost my peace. If only I had not heard it, if only someone had been wise enough not to speak it— but it is too late.K
he words havU
done their damage and cannot be retracted. We can help one another stay strong and enjoy the peace of God by not speaking idle wordsb


Our challenge is to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19 NIV).K
he Amplified translation sayT
we are to “eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual upbuilding (edification and development) of one another.” I have made a point tM
repeat, throughout this study, that we must pursue peace. It seems that we must pursue all good things.K
he flesh has a natural negative bentM
without restraint it will always go in the wrong direction, just as water will always flow to the lowest point unless a dam is built to prevent it from doind
sob


Edifying others not only increases their peace and joy, it also increases our own. We feel better when we are saying kind things, things thaV
minister life. We are to help develop one another, not destroy one anotherb
here are times when we think good things about other people we are with or know, yet plain laziness prevents us from opening our mouths tM
say the good things that are in our hearts. Be aggressive in saying good things and passive concerning saying evil thingsb


I am not naturally an exhorter, but I have developed a habit of looking for good and expressing it. Some people have this gift; they are called to bU
encouragers. It is, of course, easy and natural for these people to do what God has gifted them to do, just as it is easy for me to teach and preacR
the gospelb


For a long time, I simply made an excuse for not being exhortative by thinking, I’m just not that way. I just don’t think about it. It even seeme]
uncomfortable for me to try to do, but God corrected me and told me to start doing it on purpose.K
here are many things we can choose to do o_
purpose that will help to increase our peace immensely. Saying good things to people is only one of themb


Establish a boundary in your own heart, and determine that you will not cross the line and speak careless, destructive words to or about othersb
As you will see in our next chapter, boundaries are important to protect peace in all of our relationshipsb



Peacekeeper #1.


E
ABLISH BOUNDARIES WI
H PEOPL.


o enjoy peaceful lives, we should learn how to establish and maintain boundaries. Without boundaries, we have no ownership of our lives. WU
need to learn that even though people may be good at heart, without boundaries most will go farther than we would like them to, and they may eve_
try to control us. Boundaries protect usb


Having an unlisted telephone number is a boundary. If I didn’t have one, many people would call me all the time, asking me to meet their needs
and my own life would fall apart. We cannot be available to people all the time and enjoy peace in our lives. Saying no when we need to is noV
wrong or unchristianb


We are not offended to see the boundaries of fences on someone’s property.K
hey communicate “You can come this far, but no farther.” SignT
that say “Keep Out” are boundaries telling us `
his is private property, and you are not welcome here.” We accept boundaries in other areas of lifU
yet often fail to establish them in our own livesb


Home owners who have boundaries on their properties are usually strict about maintaining them. People who put up fences might become angrL
with neighbors who violate their boundaries. People don’t want their neighbor’s dogs to do their business in their yards. People usually don’t wanV
the neighborhood children playing in their yards. People don’t want their neighbors’ daily newspapers collecting in front of their houses. Whe_
people purchase property, they pay for surveys to make sure their boundary lines are what they think they are, so they get all they are paying forb


We want to know our property boundaries—so why do we care more for a piece of property than we do our own personal livesy


Like many people, I was guilty of not establishing and maintaining boundaries in relationships for many years, but after seeing how this adverselL
affected my health and peace, I made some drastic changes. People don’t always like boundaries, but we are definitely wise to establish themb


E
ABLISH BOUNDARIE
O PR.
Ec
YOUR PRIVACi


We live very close to all of our children and our eight grandchildren. We wanted to live close because most of us in the family travel, and living neaP
each other allows us the opportunity for quick visits. I can go to a son or daughter’s house with my coffee cup in hand and chat for thirty minutes an]
return home.K
his helps keep our relationships strong and healthyb


When we first made this decision, I was a bit concerned about how I would handle the grandchildren wanting to go to Grandma and Grandpa’T
house all the time.K
his is certainly a normal desire for a grandchild. I knew I would not be happy if they just started showing up whenever theL
wanted to, so I talked with my children, and we agreed they would not let their children come over without asking or calling first.K
o some people thaV
might seem strange, but it was vitally necessary for me because of my busy scheduleb


Dave and I and our children talked about our boundaries, and as long as everyone respects them, we get along great. It is not wrong to havU
personal boundaries; it protects the privacy to which we are entitledb


What should you do when people don’t understand the boundary you have set? Most of the time, when this is the case it is simply because it iT
not a boundary they need in their lives, so they don’t understand why you do. People have different needs because of the differences in theiP
personalities, as well as lifestylesb


We should respect each other’s needs, not judge and criticize them. Some people are just plain selfish, they want to do whatever they want to do
whenever they want to do it, with no regard or consideration for anyone else.K
his, of course, is a wrong attitude, and being forced to respect otheP
people’s boundaries is actually good for these types of people. Selfish people can certainly steal our peace if we allow them to do sob


As I stated, everyone has different needs and boundaries.K
his is true even of our four grown children. One of our daughters wants people in thU
family to call her before stopping by, and the other says, “Come by anytime, the door is always open.” We improve our relationships with others bL
respecting their boundaries. Respect is vital for good relationshipsb


Everyone in life has a right to privacy.K
here may be things we don’t want people to know or see. No matter how close we are to someone, we al\
have a right to and a need for privacy. Even in a marriage, we need a certain amount of privacy. For example, I don’t like for anyone to get into mL
purse without my permission, not even my husband. It is not because I am hiding anything— there is nothing in my purse that would be a problem foP
anyone to see—but it is my private space to keep my personal things, and I want others to respect my right to have that spaceb


I never get into Dave’s wallet unless he asks me to. If I had an emergency and needed money, I would do it, but I don’t go through his privatU
things. I don’t go through his briefcase, because that is another area where people keep things that are special to them. Once again, it is noV
because people are hiding something, it is simply to respect their privacy. By doing so, we are respecting their rights as personsb


I had a relative once who came to my house, and without asking, ate things out of the refrigerator. Often the person ate the last of something, noV
caring whether or not we had any plans to use it ourselves.K
his is rude and unacceptable behavior. I had to talk to this person about it, though thiT
individual really should not have even put me in the position to need to say somethingb


Sometimes we pressure others and cause them work because we don’t respect their privacy properly. Some people ask questions they shoul]
not ask, some are nosey, and some are just unwise. I am a very straightforward individual and I ask lots of questions, but I also try to use wisdo^
and not breach anyone’s privacy. I would not ask someone how much money he or she made, for example. I would never ask someone who waT
obviously over-weight how much he or she weighed. I would not ask someone how much he or she paid for an outfit of clothing unless it waT
someone to whom I was very close and whom I knew I would not offend. If someone is wearing what appears to be a large diamond, I would noV
normally ask if it was real or fakeb



Because I am straightforward, I usually tell people, “If I ask you something you don’t want to answer, just tell me, and I won’t be offended.” I a^
very open about my life and sometimes need to be reminded that not everyone is that wayb


Be clear about what you want in relationships, and be ready to confront people lovingly when they do not honor your boundaries.K
he way yoN
begin relationships is the way they continue, so if you don’t approve of something, don’t be afraid to speak up. When you let something go an]
don’t deal with it, people view it as approval and usually get worseb


Very often people don’t confront others, which is another way of saying they don’t establish boundaries. Confrontation frequently offends peoplU
simply because unbridled human nature wants to do whatever it wants to do without concern for others.K
his is not healthy for any relationship oP
person. We all need to hear people say in various ways, “You can go this far and no farther.a


We need to let people know what we are and are not willing to do. For example, grandparents should be able to say, “I will baby-sit once in S
while, but not all the time.” If they want to do it more, that is fine, but they should not be made to feel as if they are bad grandparents if they don’V
choose to. Once again, we should remember that we all have different lifestyles and tolerance levels, and no one should be shamed because he oP
she doesn’t desire to do what someone else doesb


My daughter’s mother-in-law loves to watch the grandchildren. She does it all the time, many times for days at a time. I would not want to do that
not because I don’t love my grandchildren—I do love them very much, and I minister to them in other ways—but my lifestyle would not permit me tM
spend most of my free time baby-sitting and at the same time remain happy. I would resent itb
Lots of people do many things they resent simply because they don’t understand the importance of boundaries. Boundaries not only protect us
they protect other people and the longevity of relationships. Boundaries protect our peaceT


KEEP WRONG PEOPLE O.
OF YOUR LIF.


Perhaps nothing affects us more than the people with whom we spend a lot of time.K
he Bible has a lot to say about what kinds of people we shoul]
not let into our livesb


For example, the Word tells us not to associate with someone who gets drunk or is a glutton or robber, who is guilty of immorality or greed, is a_
idolater, or is a person with a foul mouth (see Proverbs 23:20–21; 1 Corinthians 5:11). Why not? Simply because we are tempted to do what otherT
do, and these behaviors lead to unhealthy ends. Have you ever decided you were not going to eat dessert and then changed your mind becausU
others decided to eat it? Obviously I am not saying it is wrong to eat dessert; I am simply making the point that we are easily swayed by what otherT
dob


If people have no measure of discipline in their lives, they may gossip and tell your secrets. Undisciplined people quite frequently live under thU
curse of a spirit of poverty, which literally affects every area of their lives. Prosperity or poverty is much more than merely a financial matterb
People who function under a poverty spirit will usually do everything poorly, or at best, mediocre; they never press into excellence.K
hey are ofte_
late for appointments if they show up at all.K
hey are in debt, and their possessions are in disarray.K
hings they own are dirty or in need of repairb
hey may have poor health and many broken relationshipsb


he people with whom we associate partially determine our reputations. I choose to associate with people of whom I am proud, not ashamedb
Occasionally we spend time with people for the purpose of trying to help them, but we must have our boundaries so we make sure they don’V
eventually hurt us. Scripture warns us about associating with those who indulge in idle conversation: “He who goes about as a talebearer revealT
secrets; therefore associate not with him who talks too freely” (Proverbs 20:19)b


We can be sure if someone is talking to us unkindly about others, he will most likely talk the same way about us. I had many disappointments i_
relationships until I realized this truth and set boundaries on whom I choose for friendsb


I once met someone I actually liked very much. We had a lot in common and could have been good friends, but I kept noticing that we never spenV
time together without this individual saying something derogatory about somebody. It actually made me afraid to go deeper in relationship becausU
I felt sure this person would do the same thing to me. I might spend time with someone like that occasionally, but I would not let him or her get verL
closeb


We should not be hesitant to establish boundaries to protect ourselves. If we want peace, we need to fellowship with people who work for an]
make peace toob


We should not develop relationships with people who have a spirit of rebellion. Paul said at the end of his message to believers inK
hessalonicS
that they should not associate with anyone who refused to follow his instructions given in the letter (see 2K
hessalonians 3:14). In other words, avoi]
people who rebel against God’s guidelines. In our society today, it seems that rebellion is rampant, and many think rebellion is cool, or a sign oJ
freedom. However, this is the exact opposite of the attitude that God teaches us to have in His Wordb


We are to submit to right authority in our lives, and those who refuse to do so have a serious problem.K
he Bible actually states that the spirit oJ
rebellion at work in the world today is the spirit of antichrist (see 2K
hessalonians 2:7–8). We will never learn godliness from a rebellious personM
instead, we will learn lawlessness.K
he following is a strong Scripture to which I have had to give much thoughtl


But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed
or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling
slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person. (1 Corinthians 5:11.


I believe the same guideline applies that I mentioned earlier: help people if you can, but don’t let them hurt you. If we are spending time witR
people hoping to be able to help them, to be an example to them, or to minister to them, we certainly cannot do so by refusing ever to be near themb
But we must influence them and not allow them to influence us. I often say we need to make sure we affect them, and they don’t infect usb


Jesus ate with publicans and sinners, but He did so in order to help them see the light, and by His example, also see the life that was available tM
them. Jesus said we are the light of the world, and we should not put our light under a bushel. In other words, we cannot stay hidden all the time an]
do the world any goodb
When I am with people I know have problems, and I don’t want to have the same problems, I keep my heart guarded to a certain degreeb
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” In other words, I
am especially careful not to adopt attitudes or opinions that are contrary to what Scripture tells me. I set a boundary, and I let people come closU
enough to try to help them, but not to hurt meb



BEWARE OF E‹
ANGLEME‹


It is unwise to become entangled in other people’s problems. Some individuals are what I call drains.K
hey add nothing to my life, and Satan useT
them to drain me of needed strength. Hebrews 12:1 states that we are to avoid every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles us. It is noV
only sin that does this, but also messy circumstances in other people’s lives.K
hey weigh us down and steal the energy we need in order to pursuU
the call of God on our own livesb


SecondK
imothy 2:4 encourages us as soldiers in God’s army not to get entangled in things of civilian life.K
he word entangle is the key thing tM
consider. Of course, we will always be involved with people, and many of them will have problems; we will also try to help them in the love and mercL
of Christ.K
he Scripture does not say, “Don’t have any involvement with these types of people”; it says not to get entangledb


o entangle means to complicate or confuse, to get into a snarl or a tangle.K
hese difficult relationships bring pain into our own lives, just aT
trying to comb a bad tangle out of our hair brings painb


We comb our dog daily so her hair does not become tangled. On occasion, when we have let it get messy, it has been very painful and timem
consuming to get the knots out. Likewise, we should watch over our lives and relationships regularly to make sure we are not out of balance, that wU
are not getting entangled in things that will drain us of energy and never really help anyone elseb


I love people, and the call on my life is to help them in whatever way I can; however, I finally had to learn that not all the people I try to help wil\
actually receive help. Even the ones who claim they want it won’t always take what we offer.K
hey may want to entangle us in their problems, theL
want to talk about them, go over and over them, and be bitter about them, but they don’t really want to move on beyond themb


For some people, their problems have become their lives, and they wouldn’t know how to spend their time without them.K
heir problems becomU
who they are: persons with problems to whom everyone is supposed to cater.K
his may sound a bit too stern if you are tenderhearted or arU
blessed with the gift of mercy, but when enough people have stolen your time, people who will never change, you understand what I meanb


I spent three years ministering almost daily to a relative I loved and desperately wanted to help.K
he person claimed to want help and even madU
progress for periods of time, but the person always fell back into the same pit. It cost money, time, effort, and at the end, nothing was different fro^
how it had been the day we beganb


I am not sorry I did what I did; I don’t regret any of the investment because I believe God often uses us to give people opportunity. All people arU
entitled to opportunity, but what they do with it is up to them.K
his individual had literally every opportunity to have an awesome life and still made S
choice that brought more destructionb


I knew very definitely when the day came that I was finished.K
he desire to be further involved totally left me. I received phone calls from otherT
telling me I needed to help, to do something, to provide an answer for the person, but I was finished. I could not let this person make me feel guiltL
because I knew that I had followed God not only in trying to help but also in letting go. I had to establish a boundary that in this case said “Keep Out.a


If I could have been emotionally driven or accepted a false guilt, I would have become entangled in something that God would not have given mU
the grace to withstand. When we do things without God’s grace, we are doing them in the energy of our own flesh, and it not only frustrates us, iV
also confuses and defeats usb


I wasted a lot of my life trying to do things myself, independent of God’s help and approval. I flatly refuse to do so any longer. I will not bU
entangled with people who want me to use my time and energy trying to help them, when they really don’t want to change. I will not permit them tM
frustrate me and therefore steal my peaceb


Remember that Jesus said to stop allowing yourself to be “agitated and disturbed” (John 14:27). Some of the people and circumstances in lifU
that upset us will never change until we establish boundaries and keep them outb


Of course, we have helped thousands of people over the years. People who had serious problems have received what we offered an]
completely changed for the better. We have also learned to recognize the signs of those who will never change.K
hey have had eternal problems
they talk about them incessantly, their problems are always someone else’s fault, they are hurt if you try to get them to face the truth or take anL
responsibility, and they won’t follow a program that someone designs for their recovery. As before, they say they want aid, but they somehow neveP
end up applying itb


You should never feel guilty about placing a boundary around your life that keeps out these types of people. You are actually not using wisdom iJ
you don’t establish such boundaries. God’s Word calls us to peace, and boundaries are one thing that will help us keep itb


FAMILIARI
Y BREEDS CO‹
EM.


Establishing and maintaining proper boundaries prevents familiarity.K
his is very important because familiarity breeds contempt or disrespectb


hink of how a person treats a new car. He admires it, thinks it is beautiful, washes it all the time, and expects everyone to be very careful whe_
inside it. He allows absolutely no dirty shoes or food in the carb


But what happens when the car has been around for a few years? It is now dirty all the time, dented, full of empty soda cans and hamburgeP
wrappers. What happened?K
he owner became familiar with it, took it for granted, and no longer showed it the same respect he did when it waT
new. He could have kept it looking and running as if it was new had he given it the attention he had in the beginningb


When people first come to work for our ministry, they think it is the greatest thing that has ever happened to them, and they are amazed at an]
extremely thankful for the opportunity God has given them. However, if they are not very careful, after time goes by they find themselves complainind
about the very things they previously thought were wonderful. Why does this happen? One reason and one only: familiarityb


We find a great example of the dangers of familiarity in the Bible concerning the ark of God. When David was attempting to bring it home, a ma_
called Uzza put out his hand to steady the ark on the cart that was carrying it, and God struck him dead because no one was supposed to touch iV
(see 1 Chronicles 13)b


Uzza knew the strict guidelines concerning the ark, so why did he touch it? I believe it was because it had been stored in his father’s home foP
quite some time, and he had become familiar with it.K
herefore, he felt he could take liberties. His respect level had lowered without his eve_
knowing it, simply due to his being around the ark too much. In this case, familiarity cost him his lifeb


Perhaps familiarity costs us more than we realize in our own lives. Perhaps we let godly relationships with people slip away because we havU
lost sight of their value in our livesb


It is the same thing that happens in a marriage, or a friendship, or with any privilege we are afforded. New things seem wonderful, but when wU
become familiar with them, we begin to have less respect for them, or even contempt. A new bride may hang on her husband’s every word an]



agree with him about each thing he says, admiring him openly for his wisdom. After ten years of marriage, she may be argumentative about all oJ
his opinions, and yet someone she barely knows can have the same opinion as her husband and she will respect and receive whatever he saysb
Have you ever said to your spouse, “I told you the same thing they did, and you argued with me”? I have had it happen to meb


he Lord once spoke to my heart, saying, “If you would show your husband one half of the respect you show your pastor, your marriage would bU
a lot better.” I am ashamed to admit that He was absolutely correct. Why did I behave that way? Not because I didn’t love my husband, but I had leV
familiarity lessen my admiration and willingness to receive advice from him.K
he pastor was a newer addition in my life at that time, and I had noV
known him long enough for him to seem familiarb


How can we live with someone and not become familiar? Certainly we will know very well those with whom we spend a lot of time. But losind
sight of why we first admired a person is what breeds familiarity and destroys the peace in God-ordained relationshipsb


For this reason, many people in authority feel they cannot spend a lot of time with those under their authority.K
heir experience has been that mosV
people will lose respect through familiarity. It takes a wise person, who is very spiritually mature, to work under someone’s authority and also bU
close friends with him or herb


People usually admire and look up to “the boss,” which is a good thing; we are to give respect and honor to whom it is due. It helps us servU
people properly if we really respect and admire those over us. Being around them a lot, however, can cause us to begin to look at them as “Goo]
ole Joe” or “My buddy Charlie,” and something happens in the heart that eventually kills the relationship. Respect is a key in good relationships, an]
I feel the lack of it is one of the main reasons that relationships are destroyedb


We should not allow ourselves to become too familiar with the things and people in our lives that are now special. Some things I own are verL
special to me; I treat them as valuable, taking precaution that they encounter no harm. How we view things determines how we will treat them. Eve_
more, the people in our lives who are special to us we should treat with great respect, handle them carefully, be appreciative, thanking God for theiP
friendship. Don’t let what is special become mundane.K
o keep from taking each other for granted, we can practice remembering how preciouT
people are and focus on thankfulness for their presence in our livesb


It may even be healthy to think about how it would affect our lives if we lost certain persons’ presence or friendship. What if Soand-so and SoV
and-so were no longer in my life? What if suddenly they were gone? It could help us keep in the forefront of our thinking how vital they are an]
assist us in treating them as such. I have done this with my husband, Dave. I have thought about how it would change my life if he suddenly was noV
in it. He is very valuable to me, and I intend to treat him with respect and honorb


S.
BOUNDARIES ONK
EASIN.


I am aware of a relationship between two men who really enjoyed one another that was ruined through excessive joking.K
he relationship bega_
with tremendous respect and admiration; they were both fun-loving guys who enjoyed teasing people. As they became more and more familiar witR
one another, the teasing took on a more tense nature. At first, their jesting was cute and funny, but it soon became a point of rivalry, and I notice]
they used the pretense of “I’m joking” to make crude comments to each another when they were upsetb


hey should have shown respect for each other by practicing honest confrontation during a disagreement, but instead one would make S
comment to the other that he intended to bring correction, but he did it under the guise of joking.K
hen the other one would respond with similaP
statements.K
his bantering would go back and forth, all, of course, under the mask of “I’m joking.a


When someone’s character, physical appearance, or family members are the brunt of “the joke,” it ceases to be funnyb


he comments became more and more rude and crude until these two men began to disrespect each other and lost the desire to have S
relationship. I certainly did not enjoy being around them; their way of dealing with one another was uncomfortable. I could tell there was underlyind
strife. I could tell that the “joking” was not really as funny as they were pretending it was.K
he Bible says in Ephesians 5:4 that we are to rid ourselveT
of all “coarse jesting, which [is] not fitting or becoming,” because it causes problems between people that in turn grieve the Holy Spirit of Godb


hey could have teased one another and enjoyed it, but only with boundaries. Even something like having fun must have boundaries, or iV
becomes an evil thing. In other words, we need to know how far to go and when to stop. We can set boundaries on ourselves and never puV
someone else in a position of having to enforce his own boundariesb


I know within myself when I am spending too much, talking too much, working too hard, and not getting enough rest. I also know that when teasind
becomes rude, it has gone too far. At that point, I need to apologize and stay within God-ordained boundaries, or I may ruin an otherwise greaV
relationshipb


Familiarity is often the root cause of coarse jesting. When we don’t know someone really well, we are more careful what we say, but it seems thU
better we know an individual, the more the “real us” pops out and the importance we place on good manners diminishes. It is better to remai_
respectful in all relationships and always to treat everyone with courtesyb


FOLLOWK
HE HOLY SPIRI


Our goal is to let the Holy Spirit of God lead us into what will produce good fruit in our lives, such as discipline, which is another way of saying wU
have boundaries in our livesb


Without boundaries, everything is out of control. God wants to be in control, but He won’t force us. We discipline ourselves to follow Him, whicR
means we learn to live within boundariesb


We cannot follow the Holy Spirit and also follow people. We will either be God-pleasers or people-pleasers. If we establish boundaries for otherT
as well as ourselves, we are on the pathway to being led by God’s Spiritb


If you really think about it, life is filled with boundaries. A bedtime is a boundary. It says, “I will stay up until this time and no later.”K
hat boundarL
allows us to get good sleep and feel healthy the following day; it provides much needed energy. If we frequently ignore our boundaries in this area, iV
will adversely affect our healthb


Stop signs and traffic lights are boundaries, as well as speed-limit signs and the yellow lines in the middle of the road.K
hese boundaries are seV
in place for our safetyb


Don’t look at boundaries as something to be despised, but as something that provides safety and security for all of us. If boundary is a word yoN
are not familiar with, I suggest you learn all you can in this area. I highly recommend Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. JohnK
ownsend’s book title]
Boundaries. It was very helpful to me as well as several people I know. Without boundaries, we will never enjoy peace in our livesb



If you have made a decision to pursue peace, then establishing and maintaining boundaries must become a priority to you. Boundaries wil\
protect you from being easily offended, which is the next way to keep your peaceb



Peacekeeper #1


L.
GO OF OFFENSE


We must learn to pick our battles.K
here are simply too many conflicts in life to fight them all. We will have many major things to deal with, so thU
least we can do is practice letting go of all the little things that people do that irritate us. As we saw in the chapter on esteeming others, God maL
lead us to confront people for misconduct, or even for crossing our set boundaries, but there will be many little issues that we need to just ignoreb


We are not alone in our dilemma; even the twelve disciples whom Jesus personally trained had relationship problems with each other. PeteP
asked Jesus how many times he must forgive his brother for the same offense (see Matthew 18:21–22).K
his indicates that someone, maybe onU
of the other disciples, continually irritated Peter in some way. It may have been as simple as a personality conflict or an irksome habit, but whateveP
it was, Satan used it to steal Peter’s peaceb


Jesus told him to forgive seventy times seven, which meant the perfect number of times. However many times it takes to remain in peacU
throughout our lives, that’s how many times we are to overlook the offenses of othersb
People should enter into close relationships with their eyes wide open, realizing there will be things about people that bother them. After we enteP
these relationships, we will have to close our eyes to many things. It will not do any good to concentrate on faults, because some of them may neveP
go away. Some things change with people as the years go by, and others seem to remain foreverb


“Love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]” (1 Peter 4:8).K
he Bible instructs us to make allowances for onU
another (see Ephesians 4:2). In other words, we are to allow people to be less than perfectb


I personally respond much better to people who allow me to be human than I do to those who expect me to be divine (perfect). I hate the pressurU
of trying to please someone in all things. It makes me uneasy and on edge, and I feel as if I must tiptoe around lest I offend in some minor thing. If I
want to reap relationships that allow me to be myself, I must sow themb


I was recently speaking with my administrative assistant. We discussed the fact that it is impossible to spend as much time together as we dM
and never see each other’s imperfect side. We must be generous with letting things go.K
hat means we don’t need to make a big deal out of everL
error and many times don’t even need to mention them at allb


I have noticed in myself and others that even when we are willing to forgive, we want the person we are forgiving to know that we are forgiving hi^
or her. We usually want to at least mention itb


YOU WILL BEK
E
ED EVERY DAi


Why is it so hard to completely ignore offenses? We want to mention the fact that we overlooked their obnoxious behaviors so the people whM
offend us do not think they can treat us improperly and get away with it—it is a type of self-protection. But God wants us to trust Him to protect us aT
well as to heal us from every hurt and emotional wound, every dayg


I wonder how weary we would be at the end of each day if God mentioned every tiny thing we do wrong. He does deal with us, but I am quite surU
He also overlooks a lot of things. If people are corrected too much, it can discourage them and break their spiritsb


We should form a habit of dealing only with what God Himself prompts us to address, not just everything we feel like confronting, or every littlU
thing that bothers us. I am the type of person who would not be inclined to let anybody get away with anythingb


I don’t like feeling someone is taking advantage of me, partially because I was abused in my childhood and partially because I am human, an]
none of us embraces disrespect. In the past, I was quick to tell everyone his or her faults, but I have learned that is not pleasing to Godb


Just as we want others to give us mercy, we must give it to them. We reap what we sow—nothing more or less. Even God may withhold HiT
mercy from us if we are unwilling to give mercy to othersb
We are to be Peacemakers, not Peace Breakers. Always remember that it takes two people to fight. If you respond with harsh words, you will stiP
up anger, but if you respond to an offensive statement with “a soft answer,” you will “turn away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). Someone has said that angeP
is one letter away from danger. Just add a d, which could well represent devil, in front of anger, and you see the trouble with rageb


I believe that our lives can be full of peace if we simply decide to do what is right in every situation that comes along.K
here is a right and a wrond
way to handle the storms of life. But until I was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to learn about the power that is available to me as a believer tM
do the right thing, I never handled offenses rightb


Jesus’ economy is upside down from what the world teaches us. He says that we can have peace in the midst of the storm. Now just think abouV
how awesome that would be, if no matter what happened, you could remain full of peaceb
You can keep your peace in an unexpected traffic jam. You can keep your peace when you have to wait in the grocery store line, while the perso_
in front of you doesn’t have any prices on his products, the clerk runs out of cash-register tape, and she’s new, and she doesn’t know what she’T
doing anyway, and she is fumbling around trying to get the tape in the register, and you are in the biggest rush you have faced all weekb


Even then, you can keep from losing your peace, from getting a headache or an ulcer, and from blowing your whole witness by acting like a foolb
Even then, you can just stay steady because you have the power living in you to stay in peaceb


Jesus said that He gives us power even to “trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all thU
power that the enemy [possesses]” (Luke 10:19). He promised that nothing will harm us in any way. If we have the power over the enemy, surely wU
can overlook the offenses of others. He gives us the energy we need to treat people rightb
Understand that every time you are tempted to be offended and upset, your faith is being tried.K
he Word says



[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, so thaV
[the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purifie]
by fire. R
his proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointe]
One) is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6–7.


Peter was saying, “Don’t be amazed at the fiery trials that you go through, because they are taking place to test your quality.” Every relationshiO
test is an opportunity to glorify the work of God in you as a testimony to those watching you endure the offenseb


Why do you think that in school you had to take final exams before passing to the next grade? You didn’t graduate to the next level just becausU
you showed up at school every day. You got a diploma only when you took the final exams and showed that you could answer the questionsb


he Bible says that God will never allow more to come on us than what we can bear. But with every temptation, He also provides the way outb
Remember, the only time we will not find the strength of God in our lives to do what is before us is if we’re trying to do something that God never tol]
us to do. He never told us to hold offenses against others. In fact, forgiveness is a very big issue with Godb


Jesus said
For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenlL
Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, an]
giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14–15.


DONo
ASK YOURSELF FOR ADVIC.


Solomon said that he took counsel with his own mind, and in essence he concluded that it was like “searching after wind” (see Ecclesiastes 1:17)b
Our minds say to be upset if someone offends us, but God says to let it gob


I often share a teaching that I call “Shake It Off,” which is based on the time Paul was on the island of Malta. He was helping some people build S
fire when a poisonous serpent crawled out and attached itself to his hand. At first, when the people saw it they thought that he must be wicked tM
have such an evil thing happen to him.K
hey watched, waiting for him to fall over deadb


But the Bible says that Paul simply “shook it off.a


We can learn so much from that. When somebody offends or rejects us, we need to see it as a bite from Satan and just shake it off. If we heaP
that somebody has been talking about us, we need to shake it off. When we are sitting in a traffic jam and begin to feel upset, we need to let it gob


Frustration won’t stop on its own. It keeps raising the pressure higher and higher, as if somebody is tightening the screws on our nerves. BuV
when you feel that happening, you can literally shake it off and refuse to give in to it. Sometimes we make things bigger than they need to be; wU
blow them out of proportion. We can choose to let offenses go before they take root in us and cause serious problemsb


Jesus told the disciples that if they entered towns that didn’t receive them, they should just go to the next town. He told them to shake the dust ofJ
of their feet and move on. He didn’t want the disciples to dwell on the rejection they had experienced; He wanted them to stay focused on sharind
their testimony of His working in their livesb
Likewise, as we follow the Spirit, we can shake off offenses and hold on to our peace. When others see that we are able to remain calm eve_
when “the serpent” bites us, they will want to know where that peace is coming from in our livesb


When we are in a state of upset, we cannot hear from God clearly.K
he Bible promises us that God will lead us and walk us out of our troubles
but we cannot be led by the Spirit if we are offended and in a ditherb


We can’t get away from the storms of life, or the temptation to be irritated at someone. But we can respond to offenses by saying, “God, You arU
merciful, and You are good. And I am going to put my confidence in You until this storm passes over” (see Psalm 57:1). We cannot prevent feelind
negative emotions, but we can learn to manage them. We can trust God to give us grace to act godly even in an ungodly situationb


One day we were looking for a parking place, and a car was backing out, so Dave waited so he could get the spot. He had his blinker on, clearlL
showing that he was waiting to park. Well, a guy behind us on a bicycle was very put out because we had stopped. He was ranting and raving, an]
he pulled around Dave, but we held our peace and smiled at him. But while this guy was railing on us, somebody else took our parking placeT


I can remember when that kind of thing might have really irritated us, but we’ve been through so many trials that we could shrug and say, “BlesT
you, hope you enjoy that parking place!” And we found another one. We’ve learned not to let offensive people steal our joy anymore. You might saL
that we have learned not to let offensive people offend usb


What good does it do to get upset at someone who takes your parking place? You can get all mad and bothered, but the other person will stil\
have your spot. And you probably will never see that offensive person again as long as you live, so why let it steal your peace, even for a feZ
minutesy


As soon as you lose your peace, the devil wins. If getting you offended works once, believe me, he will set you up with the same opportunity oveP
and overb


Later, Dave said that person who took our place actually helped us. We didn’t know that we were in the wrong block, and if we had parked therU
we would have been far from where we wanted to go. What Satan means for our harm, God intends for our good. Doing what is right leads tM
peace and joyb


Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost are a progression. If we don’t know who we are in Christ, then we won’t realize that we have HiT
strength in us to do the right thing.K
hen we won’t have peace, and if we don’t have peace, we won’t have joy. So if you have lost your joy, you nee]
to back all the way up and find out where it was that you lost your peace, and then do what is right in that situationb


People without Christ, who don’t live in the kingdom of God, don’t have the power to keep from being offended. When they have a problem, theL
only have one choice, which is to get upset. But we have a choice. We can believe that Jesus is in our situation with us, and even thougR
sometimes it feels as if He is sleeping through our storm, we can know that He is able to tell the storm to be still—and when He does, it will stopb


DONo
CRY OVER SPILLED MIL.


If you are going to walk in peace, you have to be willing to be adaptable and adjustable to people and circumstances. When I lived in the “explodU
mode,” it never failed that one of my children spilled something at the dinner table—every night. And every night I had a fitb



hey would tip over their cups and start crying as soon as they saw their milk running under the bowls. I learned that when you spill something, yoN
have to try to get to it before it gets to the crack in the table, because milk will sour quickly in there with all that other hidden dirt! And then eventuallL
you will have to take the whole table apart and scrape dried milk and foodstuff out of its crevices with a table knife. (Now I have a table with a glasT
top, but everybody scratches it! You see, there is always something you will have to put up with and let go of in life..


I used to shout at the kids, “Can’t we ever have one meal in peace?” I didn’t realize we could have had a meal in peace if I stopped shouting aV
everyone. I could have brought peace to our table every night if I had just cleaned up and shut upb


So, if you have wondered how to have peace, I can tell you that it will come if you will quit making a big deal about everything. You will have to bU
willing to let go of getting distraught over accidents or not getting your wayb


One night I was under the table because whatever the kids had spilled had made it to the crack in the table before I got there, and the liquid waT
running down the center table legs. I was having a fit, and the kids were upset, and somebody kicked me in the head, and that made me eve_
madder. I knew it was an accident, I knew he or she didn’t do it on purpose. Poor Dave had to be weary from sitting down to dinner after workind
hard all day and having to endure my outburst. (And I couldn’t figure out why he wanted to go to the driving range every night and hit golf balls, so I’]
throw a fit about that too..


So there I was, under the table, saying, “Every night somebody’s got to spill something, and we just need some peace around here. ...” And thU
Holy Ghost came unto me (right under that table), saying, “Joyce, once the milk is spilled, no matter how big of a fit you have, you are not going tM
get it to run back up the table legs, across the table, and into the glass.” And He said, “Joyce, you need to learn how to go with the flow.a


here are some things that we can do something about, but there are a whole lot of things that we can’t do anything about. If it is something wU
can’t do anything about, then we need to let it go and keep our joy. We need to hold our peace, do what is right, and let God work on our behalfb
When Jesus said, “Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be . . . unsettled” (John 14:27, italicT
mine), He was saying that we must control ourselvesb


For many years, I argued, “God, I don’t want to act like that, but I just can’t help it.”K
he Bible says that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, who dwellT
in us. We don’t have to give way to unbridled emotions. God will give you power to do whatever you need to do, as often as you need to do it. Go]
will help you manage your emotions. Be sure to read my book Managing Your Emotions if you frequently lose your peace through emotiona\
responses to life’s trials. Whether it is to help us not get upset over spilled milk or to forgive an offense, the Lord will give us grace as often as wU
need itb


he only way we will have peace is if we let little offenses and irritations go. Why not save some time and grief and just forgive people righV
away? When we are upset, we are much less likely to be led by the Spirit of God. We are not sensitive to His touch when we don’t maintain a quieV
inner life, which we will look at nextb



Peacekeeper #2g


MAI‹
AIN A QUI.
INNER LIF.
o enjoy more peace in our lives, we need to practice just being still and staying calm even when we feel like spilling out everything we think an]
feel. Many relationships break apart because everyone wants the last word. Sometimes, simply holding our peace is the right thing to dob


Although we have already talked about the importance of not speaking idle words, there is also great value in learning to entrust our battles to thU
Lord. Knowing He will fight for us fills us with deep peace that passes understanding, like the peace Daniel felt when he was thrown into the lionso
den. David wrote some words that may express Daniel’s feelingsl


He has redeemed my life in peace from the battle that was against me [so that none came near me], for they were many who strove with meb
God will hear and humble them, even He Who abides of old—Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!— because in them there has been nM
change [of heart], and they do not fear, revere, and worship God. (Psalm 55:18–19.


If we will spend time meditating on God’s promises, considering the great things He has done in our lives, it will fill us with a deep peace that wil\
cause us to be calm even when others seem full of fear, rage, or anxiety. Our peace will bring peace to others.K
he Word teaches that we will wi_
the respect of other people by how we live our lives: “Make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your ow_
affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you, so that you may bear yourselves becomingly and be correct and honorable and comman]
the respect of the outside world” (1K
hessalonians 4:11–12)b


God wants us to have a disposition that will bless others; we are ambassadors of Christ, Peacemakers who should demonstrate the calm
soothing presence of Jesus. God created us in His image, and our lives should be filled with the fruit of His indwelling presenceb


Many people believe that if Jesus walked into a roomful of strife, it would take Him only a few minutes to bring peace to whatever thU
circumstances were. He had a soothing nature; He was clothed with meekness. He wasn’t out to prove anything. He wasn’t concerned about whaV
people thought about Him. He already knew who He was, so He didn’t feel the need to defend Himselfb
In fact, even when Pilate brought charges against Him, Jesus made no answer (see Matthew 27:14). Other people got upset with Jesus and trie]
to start all kinds of arguments with Him, but His response was always peaceful and loving. His mellow disposition was the result of a quiet inner life
and a confident relationship with His Father. Inner peace produces outer peaceb


Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecyl
Behold, My Servant Whom I have chosen, My Beloved in and with Whom My soul is well pleased and has found its delight. I will put My SpiriV
upon Him, and He shall proclaim and show forth justice to the nations. He will not strive or wrangle or cry out loudly; nor will anyone hear HiT
voice in the streets; a bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering (dimly burning) wick He will not quench, till He brings justice and a jusV
cause to victory. And in and on His name will the Gentiles (the peoples outside of Israel) set their hopes. (Matthew 12:18–21.


God wants us to enjoy the same inner peace that was visible in the life of Jesus, and He expects us to bless others with the same grace. FirsV
Peter 2:15–16 confirms, “For it is God’s will and intention that by doing right [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignoranV
charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons. [Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; buV
[live at all times] as servants of God.a


he Living Bible .
LB) paraphrases this verse: “It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospe\
without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power.a


MEDI
.
E ON GOD’S GOODNES
Peter’s letter called for believers to show respect for everyone and especially to love other Christians. We are to honor those in government an]
submit ourselves not only to those in authority over us who are kind, but also to those who are unjust (see 1 Peter 2:17–18). Keep in mind, thU
reason God asks us to do this is so that we are a testimony of His love to people who have never experienced His power. God does not delight i_
our suffering in these types of situations, but He does delight when we behave in a godly manner and glorify Him with our attitudes during themb


I know how difficult this sounds, but our peace must come from the confidence that the Lord will fight our battles for us. Hebrews 13:6 says, “SM
we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say,K
he Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread oP
be terrified]. What can man do to me?a


We are to keep our minds on God, who works “wonders in the earth” and makes wars cease.K
he Lord says, “Let be and be still, and knoZ
(recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:8–10, italics mine)b


If we spend time meditating on the wonders that God is doing in the world and exalt Him above all of our differences with other people, we wil\
enjoy a calm joy deep within our hearts.K
hen, when squeezed by the pressure of relationships and the trials of everyday life, we will emulate thU
soothing fruit of the Spiritb


We have outer lives and inner lives; there’s more to us than what we see when we look in the mirror.K
here’s another whole life going on insidU
each of us, and this inner life needs to learn to be still and know that God will work everything out for our goodb


We know that people can pretend one thing on the outside and have something else totally different going on inside. And the Bible makes it verL
clear that our inner lives are more important than our outer lives to God, because He looks at our hearts. It was really life-transforming for me tM



realize that I might be fooling a lot of people, but I wasn’t fooling Godb


For me to act as if everything were okay while I had strife in my heart was not pleasing to the Lord. I decided I had to find a way to make thingT
right inside of me. Real peace cannot be faked. Even though we may hide our real attitudes from people, we cannot hide them from God, becausU
He lives in usb


KEEP GOD’SK
EMPLE FULL OF PEAC.


First Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and thaV
God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?a
he Scripture teaches us that when we are born again, we become the home of God. Isn’t that about the most awesome thing you can imaginey


We are God’s home, we are His dwelling place, and we should want Him to be comfortable living in usb
No one is comfortable living in a house of strife, and the HolL
Spirit is especially grieved when we are not in peace. All those years I spent in turmoil were wasted.K
he peace I enjoy now is so inspiring that I


want to reach everyone in the world with the good news of its availability through Jesusb
Before I learned how to enjoy the inner life of peace, I was always angry; if not with somebody else, with myself. I found out that if I wanted to havU
peace, I had to choose peaceb
When I read in First Peter 3:11 that we weren’t to just “desire peaceful relations” (italics mine), we are to pursue peace with everyone, I realize]
that this meant we aren’t to just wait for peace to happenb
I believe a lot of people desire to have peaceful relations, but they are waiting for the other persons to act right so they can feel peaceful. I alwayT
remind people that they don’t need a wishbone; they need backbone. We have to make peace happenb


PRAc
ICE BEING
IL.


I found out that in many instances, Dave and I could have peace if I adapted myself a little bit, or if I chose not to say something that I really wanteb
to say. I discovered that simply being still made peace happenb


See, in the beginning, I wanted peace, but I wanted Dave to give it to me. I wanted my children to give it to me. I wanted God to give me peace
and so I was always praying: “Oh, God, give me peace.” But then I realized that Jesus had already left His peace with me, so begging God to give iV
to me was futile. I just needed to use the peace that was available deep within meb


I had enjoyed days when I was peaceful, I had plenty of money, nobody was bothering me, everybody was doing what I wanted, I was getting mL
way, I felt good, and the house was clean. But that was the kind of peace that the world gives us, and we don’t need the power of the Holy Spirit tM
have peace on days when everything is going wellb


he peace that Jesus said He left for us is a deep sense of knowing that even though everything isn’t all right today, things will work out in thU
end. We believe this too shall pass.K
hat peace is from the power of the Holy Spirit, and it equips us to have peace when it doesn’t make anL
sense to have peace. As Spirit-filled believers, we have the strength of the Holy Spirit not to worry even when there are plenty of things to worrL
aboutb


Calming down is something you do on purpose. You can get upset without trying to, but if you’re going to calm down, you will have to work at itb
Keeping quiet is a powerful way to calm down. Often to have peace, as I just mentioned, I have to not say something that I really want to say. An]
I’m a talker, so usually it is hard for me not to make the point or have the last word. But I have learned that the fruit of peace is a greater reward tha_
the temporary satisfaction of putting in my two cents. I’m learning that (as I said in chapter 16), being right is highly overrated. We usually strive to bU
right, but is it worth all we go through for the momentary, fleshly satisfaction we get from ity


Calming down is a decision. It has nothing to do with feelings. It is an act of obedience, and we do it to honor God because He lives in our house
and He’s saying: “I want it—I want some peace in this house. I want it quiet in here. I want you to be full of peace.a


What is normal for a Christian? Are we supposed to be all stirred up and anxious while trying to figure out something? Are we to be angry whilU
wild thoughts and wicked imaginations go on inside of us? No. But it’s amazing how many people live that way; they go to church on Sunday an]
think that’s all it takesb


Having a right relationship with God is going to take a commitment of your time, and you’re going to have to dedicate your inner life—not jusV
church attendance, a few good works, and a little bit of your money—to the Lord. A quiet spirit is probably the greatest sacrifice we can offer up tM
Godb


Watchman Nee, author of The Spiritual Man, was a gifted preacher of the gospel in China during the early 1900s. He wrote the following excerpV
about how Christians are to have quiet spiritsl


`
o aspire to live quietly” (1K
hess.4.11).K
his is the duty of every Christian. Modern Christians talk far too much. Sometimes their unuttere]
words surpass in number those that are spoken. Confused thought and endless speech set our spirits to wandering away from the control oJ
our wills. A “wild spirit” often leads people to walk according to the flesh. How hard it is for believers to restrain themselves from sinning whe_
their spirit becomes unruly. An errant spirit invariably ends up with an error in conductb


Before one can display a quiet mouth he must first possess a quiet spirit, for out of the abundance of the spirit does the mouth speak. WU
ought to carefully keep our spirits in stillness; even in time of intense confusion our inner being should nevertheless be able to sustain a_
independent quietude. A placid spirit is essential to anyone walking after the spirit: without it he shall quickly fall into sin. If our spirit is hushe]
we can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit there, obey the will of God, and understand what we cannot understand when confused. Such a quieV
inner life constitutes the Christian’s adornment which betokens something manifested outwardly.}


he thing we need to do when we are in trouble is hear from God.K
hat’s why it’s so important that when we have some trial, some turmoil goind
on outwardly, we manage to keep our spirits quiet. If we get all stirred up inside, we are not going to hear from God. We cannot understand Hi^
when we are confused and then cannot obey the will of Godb


We will have peace when we learn to maintain an inner quiet.K
hat’s not a job we can give to God; we have the job of leaning on the power of thU
Holy Spirit by faith to maintain a quiet spirit.K
hen we can hear from God and obey the leading of His Spirit. I share more about how to do this in mL



book titled How to Hear from Godg


When we get disturbed in the flesh, we release idle words that cause damage. But being still isn’t just refraining from speech; it is about livind
every day in a calm state of confidence in God that encourages the Holy Spirit to thrive in our houseb


he serenity of God’s presence makes us attractive to others and is a powerful testimony of God’s work in our lives. I just love peace. I’^
addicted to peace. Paul knew the value of peace, as we see when he was trainingK
imothy, a young preacher. When he was givingK
imothL
instructions on how to handle his ministry, Paul told him, “Be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the worY
of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry” (2K
imothy 4:5)b


hat is good advice for all of us. If we are calm and steady, people know they can depend on us. God can depend on us. No one has to wondeP
what we might be like one day from the next. When our unsaved friends see the calm and steady faith we have, they will be open to our testimony oJ
the gospel. Stability is the fruit of living a peaceful lifeb



ABILI
Y RELEASES ABILI
i


I believe that stability releases ability. I think a lot of people have ability because God has given them gifts, but they’re not stable Christians, and sM
God cannot use their gifts publicly in ministry.K
hey would end up hurting the cause of Christ because of their unpredictable behaviorb


We can’t be stable just when we’re getting our way. We have to be stable when we’re having trouble and trials, when people are coming againsV
us, and when people are talking about us. Paul knew a lack of stability would hurtK
imothy’s witness and anointing; it would prevent him fro^
hearing from God. We don’t enjoy life unless we develop an ability to remain stable in the stormb


When we’re upset, we are usually not listening. People don’t hear because they don’t get quiet enough to hear what God is saying. God isn’V
going to yell at you. He usually speaks in a still, small voice, and to hear Him, we must maintain an inner calmness. Actually, peace itself is S
guideline for what God is approving and disapproving of in your life. We must all learn to follow peace if we intend to follow Godb


You have to choose purposely to stay calm, to put your confidence and trust in God, and to be a ready listener for His voice.K
hen you have to bU
willing to make whatever adjustments are necessary to have peace in your lifeb


Some people might say, “Well, it’s not fair for me to always be the one who’s changing and adjusting to keep harmony with everyone else.” IV
might not be fair, but God will bring justice in your life if you do what He’s asking you to do. It might not be fair, but it will be worth itb


Just because somebody else is hard to get along with, we don’t need to be hard to get along with too. We have to stop letting somebody else’T
bad behavior steal our joyb
I’ve mentioned that in the early years of our marriage, when I threw temper tantrums and didn’t talk, Dave just stayed calm and happy. He wenV
around the house singing and whistling; he went to play golf and watch football and play with the kids; he continued to enjoy life. When I was about tM
blow my cork in another room, he was steady and stable, and even though it made me so mad that I couldn’t get him upset, he eventually won mU
over by the peace that he always maintainedb


Unhappy people want to make other people unhappy; it irritates them to be around someone happy. But people who are full of peace ca_
positively affect unhappy people. I saw Dave’s example and became hungry for what he had. I know, without a doubt, if Dave had not had thaV
stability in his life, I wouldn’t be in ministry todayb


I needed an example of peace because I grew up in a house of strife. I actually did not even know how to remain peaceful when I did not like mL
circumstances. Even someone preaching it to me would not have been enough; I needed to see it. His example was very important for what Go]
had planned for meb


So, if you are in a relationship with somebody who is like I was— angry, upset, out of control, throwing temper tantrums, making bad choicesO
you can influence him or her to receive the grace of God to change if you will be stable in the power of the Holy Spiritb


It won’t do any good to leave gospel tracts around the house or play my teaching tapes real loud. It won’t help to leave books opened witR
underlined passages for that person to find.K
he Word says that we win people over, not by discussion, but by our godly lives (see 1 Peter 3:1). OJ
course, sometimes God uses our verbal witness to help others, but He uses our example even moreb


Dave didn’t preach to me: His life was a sermon. He lived his confidence in God in front of me. And his stability is one of the things that I stil\
appreciate in himb


I grew up in a home where I never knew from one minute to the next what was going to happen. Somebody could be happy one day and ready tM
hit me the next day, and I didn’t even know why. I lived through a lot of violence and anger, where ranting and raving was a daily eventb


Perhaps you live in such a home now, but God can change it if you will abide in Him. Isaiah 32:17–18 promises this: “And the effect oJ
righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever. My people shal\
dwell in a peaceable habitation, in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.a


First Peter 3:2 gives us guidelines on how to live our lives to win over those who do not know about the grace of God.K
hough it is written in lighV
of women with their husbands, the same principles apply to all relationships that we have with others. It says to conduct ourselves with reverencU
toward others, “to respect, defer to, revere, . . . esteem, appreciate, prize, and, in the human sense, to adore” and enjoy those whom God has give_
us to love. People’s attraction to us will not be based on our outer lives, our hairstyles, or our pretty clothesb


Instead, we will draw people to us by “the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading char^
of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4). We are true sons an]
daughters of God if we do right and let nothing terrify us, if we “don’t give way to hysterical fears or [let] anxieties unnerve” us (v. 6)b


Our circumstances won’t change until we change. Remember, we are to keep our minds stayed on God, and He will keep us in perfect peaceb
And whoever heeds wisdom will “dwell securely and in confident trust and shall be quiet, without fear or dread of evil” (Proverbs 1:33)b
Watchman Nee said that we should keep our spirits in a position of “being light and free all the time—keeping in mind that the outer man iT
different than inside.” We can have raging storms taking place around us and still enjoy perfect peace on the insideb
I realize that I have already given you a lot of information on how to keep peace in your life, but in the next chapter I will share one morU
Peacekeeper that will keep you in God’s will for the rest of your journeyb



Peacekeeper #2
AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE PEAC.


he main point I hope you remember from this study is to aggressively pursue peace.K
hrough Jesus Christ, God has provided everything yoN
need to enjoy a life of peace.K
he Word tells us, “Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which nM
one will [ever] see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, italics mine)b


he word strive has been translated in various Bible versions as “follow,” “pursue,” and “make every effort.” It’s important to understand that Go]
expects us to interact with people. I know believers who withdraw from everyone, who don’t think it is important to go to church or spend time witR
people. But that is not the heart of God. He wants us to find peace with people, not away from them. In fact, the Lord tells us to look after each other
helping each other to be built up in faith, as these next Scriptures commandl


And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to lovU
and helpful deeds and noble activities, not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, buV
admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24–25.


God gives His blessings as a free gift, yet we receive or appropriate them through faith. If we don’t release our faith in the promises oJ


God, they will not help us. We can encourage each other to remain faithful. We can pray for each other when our own faith weakens. Above all
we can encourage each other to aggressively pursue peaceb


An aggressive peacemaker remains on watch to see that no one in the body falls away from God’s grace. Hebrews 12:15 charges us tM
“exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (HiT
unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitteP
torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it.a


People could conceivably have money in the bank and yet live as those with none simply because they never went to the bank to get it. JesuT
arranged for us to enjoy peace, but we must pursue it. Actually it is important to remember that God’s Word says in Psalm 34:14 that we are tM
“seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it!” (italics mine). When I saw this Scripture and then this similar one in 1 Peter 3:10–11
it was life-changing for mel


For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good—whether apparent or not] keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guilU
(treachery, deceit). Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbednesT
from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen
and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!S


When I first understood this Scripture, I realized that even though I prayed for peace regularly, there was something else I needed to do: I neede]
to pursue it, go after it in a strong wayb


I began to study peace and examined what types of things caused me to lose my peace. I decided that I was absolutely unwilling to live my lifU
frustrated and upsetb


HINGS DONo
CHANGE OVERNIG‰


I would like to be able to tell you that things changed overnight; however, they didn’t. I had to study the subject of peace for quite a long time an]
practice principles of peace until they became habit for meb


We form addictive habits throughout our lives. We learn to respond in certain ways and do so without even thinking about it. We must break thesU
habits and form new ones, and this takes time. I want to stress that becoming a peacemaker and developing peaceful ways will take time
otherwise you may become discouraged in the beginning and just give up. I encourage you to stick with your pursuit until you experience victory
because it is well worth itb


One of the habits I had to break was getting upset whenever I did not get my way. I examined my pattern to understand why I always reacted likU
this. I realized that I had watched my father respond this way for years, while I was growing up. He was a very angry and controlling man and alwayT
got furious when things did not go his wayb


As I have said before, my childhood home was filled with turmoil. It was our normal atmosphere. I doubt that I ever really enjoyed peace as a childb


My alcoholic father was abusing me sexually, and he was violent toward almost everyone. My life was filled with fear: fear of being hurt, oJ
someone’s discovering what my father was doing to me, of no one’s ever discovering it and helping me, of the fact that somehow it might be mL
fault, of making mistakes because I always got into trouble when I did. Fear! Fear! Fear!K
hat was what life was to meb
I never learned peaceful ways as a child, but thank God we become new creatures when we enter a personal relationship with God througR
putting our faith in Jesus Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). I share more about the story of God’s redemptive work in my life and my father’s in mL
newly revised book Beauty for Ashes. It bears our testimonies that we clearly receive a new beginning through faith in Jesus Christ; we can havU
our minds renewed and learn how to think and respond correctly to every situation in lifeb


God has blessed me with a strong personality. It helps me in many ways, but it can also be a great hindrance because I don’t give up easily. I_



other words, if I have my mind set that something should be a certain way, it is not easy for me to let it go and trust God. Now, when I need to presT
through to the finish of something and refuse to give up, my personality is a benefit. But when I really cannot change a thing and need to let go an]
let God work, I have often found it difficult, to say the least.K
his is why I often say that it is so important to change what we can change, let go of whaV
we cannot change, and have the wisdom to know the differenceb


You might say, “Well, Joyce, I was not raised in a home filled with turmoil, and I don’t even have the kind of personality you do. But I still don’t havU
peace! So, what is my problem?” Satan works hard all of our lives to make sure we don’t have righteousness, peace, and joy. He finds ways tM
steal from everyoneb


We have examined many of the ways he will steal our peace in great detail, but the important thing is to be determined to have peace no matteP
how long it takes, or what it requiresb


Crave peace, pursue and go after it! I love that statement. Each time I hear or read it, I feel a surge of determination within me to enjoy the life oJ
peace that Jesus died to give meb


S.
AN
EALS PEAC.


Satan relentlessly attempts to steal everything God has provided for His children through Jesus Christ. Peace is one of the biggies; it is one of thU
things he works extra hard to prevent us from enjoying. Remember, we have peace—Jesus provided it—but we must appropriate it. Satan doeT
everything he can to keep us from doing so, beginning with deception; he wants us to think that peace is not possible, that it is not even an optionb


How can we remain peaceful while life seems to be falling apart around us? He screams into our ears when we have a challenging situation
“What are you going to do? What are you going to do?a


We frequently don’t know what to do, nevertheless, Satan pressures us for answers that we don’t have. He tries to make us believe it is ouP
responsibility to solve our problems when the Word of God clearly states that our job as believers is to believe. We believe, and God works on ouP
behalf to bring answers to meet our needsb


A good example appears in Exodus 14.K
he Egyptians were pursuing the Israelites; all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen an]
army were in pursuit of God’s people. When the Israelites found themselves stuck between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army, it seeme]
hopeless.K
hey could see no way out, so naturally, they became fearful and upset.K
hey began to complain and make accusations against theiP
leader, Moses. “Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work foP
you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.K
he Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain aV
rest” (Exodus 14:13–14)b


It may have sounded foolish to the Israelites to stand still, hold their peace, and remain at rest, but that was God’s instruction to them—it was theiP
way of deliverance. When we remain peaceful in tumultuous circumstances, it clearly shows that we are trusting God. We often say, “God, I trusV
You,” yet our actions show that we do notb


he lies of Satan steal our peace; however, the truth sets us free. Satan’s lie is that we have to take care of ourselves:K
he truth is, God will takU
care of us as we place our trust in Him. When I began to practice this “peace principle” of simply trusting God, I actually felt guilty, as if I were noV
doing my part. I felt obligated to worry and try to figure out how to solve the current problem.K
his, of course, is exactly what Satan wants. He desireT
more than anything to bestir us to action that is useless.K
hen we end up exhausted and discouragedb


o enjoy a life of peace, you will need to examine your own life to learn what your “Peace Stealers” are. Satan uses some of the same things o_
everyone, but we also have things that are particular to each one of us. For example, one person may be very disturbed by having to do two thingT
at one time, while another person may actually be challenged and energized by multitasking and doing several projects at once. We are al\
different, and we must learn to know ourselvesb


My husband is not the least bit concerned about hearing that someone is talking unkindly about him, but he is easily disturbed when a driver doeT
not stay in his lane of traffic or cuts in front of us. I am just the opposite. Although I would not appreciate unsafe driving, it does not disturb me aT
much as hearing I am being accused unjustlyb
When our children are going through hard things, Dave says it is good for them and will help build their character; on the other hand, I want tM
rescue them. Since we are all different, Satan uses different things on each of us, and he usually has studied us long enough to know exactly whaV
buttons to push at what timeb


I can endure things better when I am not tired, and the devil knows this, so he waits to attack until I am worn-out. I learned by pursuing peace whaV
Satan already knew about me, and now I try not to get overly tired because I know I am opening a door for Satan when I dob
It will be virtually impossible to enjoy a life of peace if you don’t study to know what your Peace Stealers are. Keep a list of each time you geV
upset. Ask yourself what caused the problem, and write it down. Be honest with yourself, or you will never break freeb
You may have things on your list like thisl


• I didn’t get my wayb


• I had to hurryb


• I became impatient and got angryb


• Financial pressure upset meb


• I was too tired to deal with anythingb


• I had to deal with a certain person who always frustrates meb


• A friend embarrassed meb


• I was in a traffic jamb


• A very slow clerk waited on meb


• A friend disappointed meb


• I got a stain on my dressb


You will have a lot of different things on your list, but it will help you to realize what bothers you. Remember, we cannot do anything about thingT
we don’t recognize.K
hat the truth sets us free is a wonderful fact from God’s Word that has truly been life-changing for me. Of course, truth must bU
faced in order for it to help anyone.K
his is often the painful part. Why does truth hurt? Simply because we don’t like to see ourselves as we reallL
are, and we have spent a lifetime developing systems of escape through making excuses and blaming others for our problemsb



For many years, every time I became upset, in my mind it was always someone else’s fault. I thought, If Dave would just act differently, then I
would not get upset. If life was not so challenging, then I could live peacefully. If my children would behave better, I could enjoy peace. In mL


mind, my loss of peace was never my fault; it was always something and someone else’s faultb


Only when I took responsibility for my reactions and decided to pursue peace did I begin to see change. Excuses and blaming others does us nM
good at all. If this has been your pattern, as it was mine, I strongly encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you about you, and it wil\
be the beginning of enjoying a life of peaceb


PEACE EQUALS POWEh


I have learned through my experience as well as God’s Word that peace is power.K
hat is one of the big reasons that Satan tries to steal our peacU
all the time. He wants all of God’s children to be weak and powerless, not strong and powerfulb


Maintaining your peace is your power over Satan. Consider this Scripture: “And do not [for a moment] be frightened or intimidated in anything bL
your opponents and adversaries, for such [constancy and fearlessness] will be a clear sign (proof and seal) to them of [their impending] destruction
but [a sure token and evidence] of your deliverance and salvation, and that from God” (Philippians 1:28)b
We see that remaining peaceful is a clear sign to Satan of his upcoming defeat. Peace is powerQ


We studied in an earlier chapter that the Bible teaches us that staying calm and giving a “soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). In otheP
words, if someone is angry and yelling, answering him or her calmly and gently will change the situation and stop the possibility of an argumentb
How awesome! But in order for this to work, one of the people in the situation must be willing to humble him- or herself and respond the opposite oJ
how he or she might feel like responding. Someone has to choose to be a peacemaker in every situationb


Even when a person is sick, staying peaceful and calm will help him or her recover more quickly. Just think of the instructions given to a woman i_
labor. I was told to “Breathe deeply,” “Don’t get tense,” “Don’t be fearful,” “Stay calm,” and that if I relaxed, the labor would be easier. In other words
when difficult situations face us, becoming upset only makes them worse—it does not help. Being upset steals our power; it does not release itb


he Word states that “the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mildm
tempered [preserving the bond of peace]” (2K
imothy 2:24)b


Why is a servant of the Lord required to be a peacemaker? I believe the Lord instructs us to avoid quarrels because they not only hurt our ow_
witness to the world, but they also cause us to lose our power. We need to walk in this world with power—power against the forces of darknessb
Satan seeks to stir up strife between people because we walk in power only when we walk in peaceb


SecondK
imothy 2 continues to tell us clearly how a peacemaker is to train in the skill of keeping peace with othersl


He must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong. He must correct his opponents with courtesy an]
gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know theK
ruth [that they will perceive and recognize and becomU
accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it], and that they may come to their senses [and] escape out of the snare of the devil, having bee_
held captive by him, [henceforth] to do His [God’s] will. (2K
imothy 2:24–26.


I realized that often Dave and I got into arguments or experienced turmoil right before we went out to minister to people or conduct a seminar. IV
took a while for us to see Satan’s plan, but finally we understood that the devil was “setting us up to be upset” so he could steal our powerb


Proverbs 17:1 says that a house full of sacrifices with strife is not pleasing to the Lord. In other words, we could make all kinds of sacrifices oJ
time and effort to try to help people, yet God is not pleased unless we stay in peaceb


Pursuing peace means making an effort. We cannot maintain peace simply by our own fleshly effort; we need God’s help, and we need grace
which is His power assisting us and enabling us to do what needs to be done.K
he effort we make must be in Christ. So often we just try to do whaV
is right without asking for God’s help, and that type of fleshly effort never produces good fruit.K
he Bible calls this a “work of the flesh.” It is man’T
effort trying to do God’s jobb


What I am saying is, be sure you lean on God and ask for His help. When you succeed, give Him the credit, the honor, and the glory becausU
success is impossible without Him. Jesus said, “Apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing” (John 15:5)b


It takes most of us a long time to believe this Scripture enough to stop trying to do things without leaning on God. We try and fail, try and fail; iV
happens over and over until we finally wear ourselves out and realize that God Himself is our strength, our success, and our victory. He doesn’t jusV
give us strength—He is our Strength. He does not just give us the victory—He is our Victory. Yes, we make an effort to keep peace, but we dare noV
make an effort without depending on God’s power to flow through us; failure is certain if we dob


he Lord blesses Peacemakers, those who work for and make peace. Peacemakers are committed to peace; they crave peace, pursue peace
and go after it. Jesus promised: “Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor an]
salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!” (Matthew 5:9)b


Peacemakers take the first step in working things out when disagreement, disharmony, or disunity exists.K
hey work toward peace; they don’t jusV
hope or wish for it, they don’t even just pray for it.K
hey aggressively pursue it in the power of Godb


Make a commitment to pursue peace from this day forward: to discover all you can about what your Peace Stealers are, to know yourself an]
face the truth that will set you freeb
Call yourself a peacemaker, one who works for and makes peace with God, himself, and othersb



About the AuthoI


Joyce Meyer is one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than seventL
inspirational books, including Look Great, Feel Great, the entire Battlefield of the Mind family of books, and many others. She has also release]
thousands of audio teachings as well as a complete video library. Joyce’s Enjoying Everyday Life® radio and television programs are broadcasV
around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. Joyce and her husband, Dave, are the parents of four grown children an]
make their home in St. Louis, Missourib

.



JOYCE MEYER SPANISHK
I
LE
Las Siete Cosas Que Te Roban el GozR
(Seven Things That Steal Your Joy`


Empezando Tu Dia Bien (Starting Your Day Right`


BY DAVE MEYEh


Life LineO



*Reprinted with permission. For more of Dr. Colbert’s advice on better health, please visit his website at www.drcolbert.comb
*Reprinted with permissionb
*Reprinted with permissionb
*Reprinted with permissionb
*Watchman Nee, The Spiritual Man, Vol. 2 (New York: Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc., 1968), 180–181b
*Study Guide available for this titleb



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