LENTEN DEVOTIONAL - Day 36

God’s Peace

“Don’t be anxious about anything; rather bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.”- Philippians 4:6-7 Common English Bible

                  When reality stares us directly in the face it can be difficult not to be anxious, yet Paul tells the Philippians not to be anxious about anything. Bring it up to God, says Paul. What do we receive first and foremost when we pray … peace.  At times it can be instantaneous, other times it may not hit us until later when we notice that we are not anxious anymore. Can we thwart God’s peace?  I believe so if we continue to feed our fears rather than drink in the cool water of life through His word or through prayer and praise. Many handle stress by cussing and fussing or taking it out on someone else.  Many others make themselves numb to their surroundings thru drink or drugs. The only problem with that approach is that the fears and problems will still be there when we wake up the next morning. Whenever we allow God’s peace to take over the problems will still be there but they will no longer have a hold on us. 

                  God provides us with all we need to survive this life. We must tap into it regularly. We wouldn’t get very far with an empty tank of gas in our car; neither would we get very far spiritually if we didn’t feed our spirit. It must be a routine … regular, like clockwork. It matters not whether it is morning, noon or night, just that we do it. Read a devotional and ponder its meaning for today. Read a portion of scripture and roll it over in your mind, thinking of all its meanings. Don’t say you don’t have time, make time. Even five minutes is better than no minutes. You wouldn’t think of going through an entire day without eating or drinking something. We need to hydrate our spirits too. This stuff doesn’t just happen on its own. Just like an athlete doesn’t become an expert at his sport by being a couch potato, we will never be a useful soldier for God without putting in the time and effort to become one.

                  I’m not here to tell you that I never get anxious. I am speaking to myself as I write this just as much as I am speaking to the masses. I used to fret about things quite frequently as a matter of fact. I do know how to combat it … I pray. I rebuke the devil and all his demons in Jesus’ name and ask the Lord to calm me down. The situation is what it is; it isn’t going to disappear. The thing about it is that you will never walk through it alone. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff they protect me.”_{(Psalm 23:4 CEB)} Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing! rlkeller