How to Experience God's Peace

When we keep our minds stayed on the Lord and His Word, the peace of God will keep us. But, we have to always guard our hearts by meditating on the things of God. 

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8

"Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." Colossians 3:2

You will give energy what you put your focus on. You can't expect to experience God's kind of Peace if you're watching ungodly shows & movies, listening to secular music, keeping bad company & doing ungodly things in the dark. That's not how God's peace operates. Yes, God is in control but, we have responsibility. We're in a spiritual warfare & we have to continually guard our hearts. What we meditate on, will sink into our hearts & play into our lives. You can't experience God's Peace if you're feeding your flesh and not your spirit. Similar to, you can't experience an abundance of God's blessings if you aren't committed to having a faithful relationship with Him. God needs you to do your part so that He can do His. 

For example, if you spend hours plopped on the couch in front of the tv watching shows/movies full of sexual immortality, you'll be tempted to fornicate or accuse your spouse of cheating. If you're watching crime shows, you'll live in fear thinking someone is out to harm you. If you're listening to garbage music, you'll do what the music is putting into your ears/HEART… that's how the devil works. In order for him to tempt you, he has to get into your mind by tempting you with ungodly things that you focus on. If you're thoughts are on the the things of the Lord, then you can resist the devil and he WILL FLEE! (James 4:7) But, you can't resist the devil if you don't first humble yourself before God as the rest of the scripture says.

*Here's a note on Isaiah 26:3 from the Life Application Study Bible NLT: "We can never avoid strife in the world around us, but when we fix our thoughts on God, we can know perfect peace even in turmoil. As we focus our mind on God and his Word, we become steady and stable. Supported by God's unchanging love and mighty power, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos. Do you want peace? Keep your thoughts on God and your trust in Him."

My favorite verse: "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33

To "seek the Kingdom of God above all else" means to put God first in EVERY area of your life, to fill your thoughts with his desires, to take his character for your pattern, and to serve and obey him in EVERYTHING.

Are you really living for The Lord? He desires total sacrifice, to take up our cross and daily die to ourselves. James 4:4 says, "To have friendship with the world is to have enmity with God." Too many Christians are doing things of the world and people are being led astray by our Christ-less behavior. Our trust in The Lord can win over the heart of an unbeliever to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, we have to make sure we are living for God and not just professing with our lips, but with our actions…and our heart.

"I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

Note from Life Application Study Bible: The end result of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives is deep and lasting peace. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually defined as the absence of conflict, this peace is confident assurance in any circumstance; with Christ's peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future. Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and numerous other forces are at war within us. The peace of God moves into our hearts and lives to restrain theses hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict. Jesus says He will give us that peace if we are willing to accept it from Him. If your life is full of stress, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Christ's peace.

Experience God's peace by staying planted and rooted in His Word and not the world. His peace surpasses ALL understanding! ♥

"Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 NLT

See Blog Posts titled: "Worry Ends When Faith In God Begins" & "Heart Check"

Book Recommendation: "The Believer's Authority: what you didn't learn in church" by Andrew Wommack

Trusting and Obeying God's Plans

"Jesus replied, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will." John 13:7 NLT

This verse of scripture is about serving others as Jesus Christ did by the washing of the disciples feet (John 13:1-20.) In addition to humility, this verse reminds me of God's plan for our life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." We will never be able to fully understand God because our minds are finite and His is infinite. When we are told by God to do something, our choice is to obey or disobey. Of course, if we disobey there will be consequences: we miss out on our blessings and we may end up on a path of destruction. But, when we obey God, we do the greatest thing that we could ever do for Him: act in faith. When we "walk by faith and not by sight" we hope for God's best though, we can't physically see, we can spiritually see and imagine some of the good plans God has for us! Though we don't really understand, we walk out on faith and show God that we trust Him. We have to learn to listen and obey God's plans because he knows BEST! When God speaks to us, it's always BEST to quickly follow Him, so that we can avoid destruction. Plus, we can always use a blessing or even a miracle! We can't expect to receive special blessings from the Lord if we aren't wiling to obey. 

Acts 12: 1-5 James is Killed and Peter is Imprisoned. King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John's brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.)

"The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” Acts 12:6-10 NLT

Peter didn't hesitate, ask any questions, doubt or refuse to obey God's command sent through an angel of the Lord. He quickly obeyed and followed. As a result, Peter was freed from prison by the power of God and received a miracle! If Peter would have disobeyed, he would have received terrible Christian persecution from King Herod.

Not only does obedience lead to blessings, but obedience can also save us from death. It's so important that we choose God's plans over our own because He will ALWAYS go above & beyond our plans, doubts, and expectations. 

New Years Blessings!

MORE praying, MORE Bible study, MORE church attendance & MORE putting our Faith to work! God is about to do a NEW thing in your life (Isaiah 43:19)! God is going to BLESS the work of our hands (Deut 28:12/Psalm 90:17)! Start your daily Bible journey today! I declare that MORE souls will REPENT+CONFESS JESUS AS LORD & be won to the Kingdom! I declare that believers lose their tolerance for sin, daily take up their cross & be renewed in Christ. I declare that we won't give any more of our authority to the devil. I declare that every chain is broken in your life. I declare that you command the finished works of Jesus Christ into existence (No more lack, No more worrying & No more sickness because Jesus already paid it all). I declare that you soon realize your TRUE identity in Christ & GROW in the Grace & knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through His Word! In Jesus, Name! #2016 #HappyNewYear #Blessings #WalkByFaith #JesusLovesYou 

I like to call reading the Bible in chronological order the "Bible Journey." It's definitely a journey because the road does get rough but, with prayer & the help of The Holy Spirit, all things are possible! To grow in the Grace & knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, we must learn about Him in His Word. Learning about Jesus is the way you'll actually learn about yourself: your true identity in Christ. I'll be starting a 365 Bible plan along with my other readings. I've embarked on my own Bible Journey once before but, with God, we can NEVER stop gaining wisdom as long as we are constantly seeking Him.  

Check out my Blog titled: "Reading The Bible": http://www.jenniferquetant.blogspot.com/2015/11/reading-bible.html?m=1

7 days to your new Bible habit: http://blog.youversion.com/2016/01/youversion-the-bible-app-7-tips-in-7-days-2016/