“The foundation for living in God’s peace is faith — an active, confident trust in His presence and power to sustain and comfort you — which frees you from fear and anxiety, no matter what the circumstances you face.”- Dr. Charles F. Stanley
In Chapter 9 (“Why We Lose Our Peace”) of Can You Still Trust God?. Dr. Charles Stanley begins with five issues that rob us of our peace.
1. Sudden fear. Some people habitually respond to every little dip and rise in life with small doses of fear and panic. As a result, they can’t even imagine responding any other way. Therefore, Dr. Stanley exhorts, practice a life of trust. Say no to fear. On a daily basis, affirm your trust in Jesus’ peace and presence.
2. The Enemy. Satan often attempts to cause us to doubt and lose our faith in Jesus. Above all, Satan tries to achieve this through priming the pump of doubt with questions. Questions such as why God allows adverse things to happen to you. Consequently, when this happens stand up to the devil. Because he’s the ultimate source of your paralyzing fear or anxiety.
3. Sin. Next, check your heart for any resident sin. For that sin counteracts God’s peace. Most significantly, until you face up to your sins, restlessness and anxiety fill your heart. Also, it’s impossible for pace and rebellion to coexist.
4. Giving up peace. We often lay down our peace in times of crisis. However, Dr. Stanley underscores, no one can rob you of your peace. Thus, if you lose your peace, you lose it for one reason. You surrendered it.
5. Losing focus. The myriad of bad news situations often sidetracks our minds. Instead, we must set our minds on God, trusting Him for His peace and presence. Certainly, we must avoid being consumed by circumstances totally out of our control.
Today’s question: What Bible verses most help you establish a firm foundation for living in God’s peace? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The passing nature of troubles”
