Category: Peace

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A Box of Promises

Were you able to encourage someone yesterday? I had a pretty tough afternoon and I am so thankful for dear friends and family who were there to encourage me. It meant so much.

As I sat here this morning I found myself thinking about my Grama Mac’s kitchen table. When I was a little girl and we would go to visit her and Grampa we never left the breakfast table without one of them taking a card from the Promise Box, reading it aloud and then taking time to pray. Do you remember those little “Promise Boxes”? I didn’t realize it then but she was planting God’s word in my heart.

We found out yesterday that success, true success, in life comes one way!

“Joshua, you must be strong and brave! You must lead these people so that they can take their land. I promised their fathers that I would give them this land. 7 But you must be strong and brave about obeying the commands my servant Moses gave you. If you follow his teachings exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Always remember what is written in that book of law. Speak about that book and study it day and night. Then you can be sure to obey what is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything you do. 9 Remember, I commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-9 ERV

Meditate on the Word of God and obey it! It’s a simple instruction. God’s message is consistent. See what he spoke through Moses:

“Always remember these commands that I give you today. 7 Be sure to teach them to your children. Talk about these commands when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads to help you remember my teachings. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9 ERV

Maybe we should make our own box of promises. Take one promise from God’s word and write it down. Keep it in our pocket read it over throughout the day. Let it bring life to our situation. Moses preached it, so did Joshua, King David, Isaiah, and Jesus did too. After Jesus ascended back into heaven Peter made teaching God’s Word his daily ministry.

“The apostles did not stop teaching the people. They continued to tell the Good News—that Jesus is the Messiah. They did this every day in the Temple area and in people’s homes.” Acts 5:42 ERV

Every day. Day in and day out. Just like breathing, eating and drinking. Every day the Word gives life and causes us to succeed.

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Casa de Paz

I wanted to continue on with yesterday’s teaching on peace. Can we ever have too much peace? I don’t think so. As I said in my post script to yesterday’s blog, I just about lost my peace when I went to post what I had written.

My computer was acting strangely and since I’m not skilled in trouble shooting computer situations I figured it was best to save my work, exit the document, refresh the screen and return to it. Before I did that, I saved a copy of my writing and then proceed with the steps I just mentioned.

Coming back to the post I found the original work there but none of my recent edits. I “paste” the copy I had saved to the clipboard and nothing happened. The document had not saved and I had none of my changes. It was so frustrating! Why? Where did it go? I had no answers and realized the more I messed with it the more my frustration increased. So I prayed, committed it to the Lord, as is, and posted it for all of you to read.

Just moments after I clicked on the publish button another Scripture verse on peace came to mind. It is one I knew I needed to share with you. One that I pray every morning. I pray it over my children, grandchildren and now my great grandchild.

“I, the Lord, will teach your children, and they will have real peace. 14 You will be built on goodness.  You will be safe from cruelty and fear. So you will have nothing to fear. Nothing will come to hurt you.” Isaiah 54:13-14 ERV

My words each morning are these “Lord, thank you for always being with my children. ‘Great is the peace of my children this day because they are taught by You, Lord’. Teach them today. Let them know that You love them and You are there for them in every situation.”

We never really know what our children, grands and great grands need throughout the day but the Lord does and He is always there to teach them and protect them. I trust Him to do that because He says He will and He doesn’t lie!

When we moved to our current home we named it Casa de Paz, house of peace. We want it to be a place of peace for our friends and family. God wants our lives to be filled with peace also.

The message that the angels proclaimed on the night of Jesus birth was one of peace. Peace on earth; good will to men. Jesus also declared peace, peace with God, and that message still continues today.

I encourage you to pray for your families – children, grands and great grands. Pray that their lives are covered with peace. Let peace reign and rule in every situation that you face – small and large. The Lord wants us all to live in a house of peace. Remember some of the final words of Jesus, this was part of His last will and testament – it is our inheritance.

“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 NLT

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Sleeping Like A Baby

With everything that has been in the news lately about the coronavirus and the stock market some have found it very hard to sleep well and maintain their peace.

Peace of mind – tranquil thoughts – going to your happy place! Generations have sought peace, inner peace, as if it were some sort of illusive butterfly! This isn’t something that is unique to the American populous and it has a been a problem for thousands of years; the prophet Isaiah talked it about long before Christ was born.

There is only ONE place where we will find real and lasting peace. When we focus our thoughts and attentions on God and His love; His provision and His strength, we find peace.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Isaiah 26:3-4 KJV

Some key words in this verse; keep, stayed, trusteth. Keep – to hold on too; to preserve; to value. God is the one who does the keeping. Stayed – fixed; focused on; established; single-minded – we are the ones who are responsible for the staying. Trust – to believe in; confidence; hope; assurance; intimate knowledge – we are also the ones who do the trusting. However, the trusting part comes easier the more we keep our minds stayed on the Lord.

Another translation puts it this way:

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. 4 So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].” Isaiah 26:3-4 AMP

The long and short of it is this – is our mind at peace? Then we’re trusting God. Is our mind worried or in turmoil – then we’re not trusting God. It’s an easy thing to ascertain. The more we walk with God the easier it is to trust.

Maybe today we need to say like the man who wanted Jesus to heal his son. Jesus asked him if he believed and he answered “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” This father had so many years of “experience” with his son’s illness that he found it hard to believe but He also knew that Jesus was able to do miracles so he CHOSE to KEEP his mind STAYED on what God could do.

Peace is God’s gift to us. Once we receive it I guarantee we will be sleeping like a baby!

P.S. Just as a side note – I had this all written and ready to publish and it disappeared! I had a wonderful opportunity to “stay in peace” and I almost failed. Don’t let circumstances steal your peace – stay focused. God is faithful!

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Good Sense

Knowing the right answer, having the solution to life’s problems and gaining wisdom are things that most of us desire to have. But where do we look for those answers, that solution or the wisdom?

The world around us spouts their proverbs and practical solutions but those can lead us from the truth.

A couple days ago I read one simple verse in Proverbs. It was been quietly teaching me and I know that it will continue to do so for many days in the future. Just a few simple lines but contain within them is a deep and marvelous truth.

“If you have good sense, you will listen and obey; if all you do is talk,  you will destroy yourself.” Proverbs 10:8 CEV

How often do we talk off the top of our heads and not listen with our hearts?

Jesus taught his discipleship the principle of A-S-K.

“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks. ” Matthew 7:7-8 CEV

Ask the Lord for what you need – Search the Scriptures for the answer – Knock on the door of wisdom and it will open.

I enjoy good conversation. As much as I love visiting with family and friends there is a time to be quiet. A time to listen. A time to draw from the instruction of my heavenly Father.

Today I am determined to speak less and listen more. I know that when I do I will hear the sweet sound of God’s voice and He will open the doors of His goodness before me.

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Finding Love in Silence

A cool morning, a warm cup of coffee, a cozy blanket and quiet! Truly an enjoyable way to start the day!

Alone with just the thoughts of my heart and there is peace! I didn’t always enjoy being alone with just my thoughts. My heart would become anxious; I would turn on the tv or the radio – anything to block out the silence, anything not to focus on the unrest and the distress I felt churning inside.

Maybe you’re like that. You don’t want to get up and be “alone” with your thoughts or with the Father. You want to get up and get going right away to keep yourself from pausing in the quiet of the morning.

King David wrote in the Psalms to “be still and KNOW that I AM God”. To know means to be intimately acquainted with, a deep personal knowledge or understanding.

“God is our protection and source of strength. He is always ready to help us in times of trouble. 2 So we are not afraid when the earth quakes and the mountains fall into the sea. 3 We are not afraid when the seas become rough and dark and the mountains tremble. Selah…10 God says, “Stop fighting (be still) and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.” 11 The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Selah” Psalm 46 ERV

This verse says to stop fighting where another translation of the same verse says be still. The psalm ends with the word Selah, which means to pause, reflect, take time to let what you just heard sink in.

I used to hate being alone with my thoughts. They told me I was unworthy, I was alone, I wouldn’t amount to anything. My thoughts pointed out all my failures and my shortcomings. I never measured up so why did I want a quiet time to reflect on all that was wrong with me?

However, when I began reading God’s word and taking time to sit silently and let it sink in, I found God’s love and peace.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

When I come to His throne, in the quiet of the morning, I find grace, mercy, kindness and help. I find Jesus! I’ve had folks ask me why I get up so early – it’s not a chore, I’ve been doing it for years. It’s my place of peace and strength. I can’t imagine starting a day without this time.

In the silence I know that God is with me and He surrounds me with His love!

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Lessons in Your Closet

It’s so strange what’s on my mind this morning. I’m thinking about my closet and in particular the hangers. Now before you assume I am going to talk to you about cleaning out your closet, let me put your mind at ease. I’m not.

Our closet has two kinds of hangers. Dark and light. The light ones are for my clothes and the darker ones are for Dave’s. When I take shirts and pants out of the dryer the hangers are there in the laundry room and it makes it simple to grab the right ones. I know that everything will have a hanger when I do it that way. I guess there’s a bit of OCD there, however, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.

I wanted to talk about the way the hangers are placed on the rod. They should all be going the same direction. The hook should go over the top of the rod, facing to the back of the closet. If they don’t, they get all tangled and the clothes get jammed in and wrinkled. It’s very frustrating, to me anyway. And if I see backward hangers I have to turn them correctly before I close the closet door.

Those hangers are like our thoughts. Sometimes, our thoughts get backwards and it throws our perspective off. It takes the order out of our thinking and creates confusion. Just one or two misplaced thoughts can ruin an entire day.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8 NLT

When we commit our plans, our thoughts, to the Lord He will lead us and our path will be right, even if we fall He will lift us up and provide us with strength.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives. 24 Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. 25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:23-25 NLT

Let’s take time to examine our thoughts today. Is there something out of order? God will show us how to correct our thinking; get everything going the right way – His way! That’s the best.


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My Favorite Place To Be

Where is your favorite place to be?

Dave and I spent quite a bit of time watching YouTube videos of people who RV full time. It gives us a great perspective on different areas of the country and helps us with our “wish list” of places we would like to travel. We were telling our neighbors about the place I refer to as my favorite place, Virgin River Recreation Area. It’s located on the border of Utah, Nevada and Arizona. It’s gorgeous! The rock formations are absolutely beautiful. After talking about it for several months, they booked a trip for the end of the month. Dave and I plan to go in March sometime.

However, when I really began to consider my favorite place or places this wasn’t it.

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

My favorite places to be are in contentment, relaxation, peace, safety – in the presence of the Lord! The list of places I desire to travel will lose their appeal and the experience of being there will be lacking if I’m not focused on His presence.

“The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. 5 For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.” Psalm 27:4-5 NLT

Each day can be the most wonderful vacation spot when we focus on the Lord’s presence. King David said that life can be like a green pasture and a quiet stream when we let the Lord lead us.

Where will you go today? Make it a place where you recognize God’s presence and then you will be filled with joy!

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Fear Not!

Here we are only a few days into this new year and I am sure that some of you have had to face circumstances or situations that are less than favorable. Some may have even received bad news that left you reeling. This isn’t God’s design or plan for you. His word is very plain – fear not!

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me” Psalm 23:4 NLT

Like a good shepherd, Jesus walks with us through the darkest times and He brings protection and comfort where our enemies would like to infuse fear and unrest.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NLT

God, our Father, is loving and gracious. Any situation that we face doesn’t surprise Him; He has seen it coming and He has the answer. We need to press in to Him and let Him show us what it is.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,  all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 NLT

To have our thoughts fixed on the Lord is to be focused on Him. It’s like looking through the lens of a camera, everything on the peripheral blurs while we concentrate solely on what’s right before us. Look at every detail of the Father’s character, see His wisdom, His love and compassion. See His words of promise and stay in a place of peace.

Our emotions and imaginations can lead us down the path of “what if’s” if we allow them too. That’s why it’s so important to keep our minds filled with God’s word. When God makes a promise He keeps it.

“God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers 23:19 NLT

Give any worry or fear over to the Lord. Let Him carry the load and fear not!

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” I Peter 5:7 NLT

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He’s Not Mad

As the year comes to a close many become introspective; examining their lives over the past year. They also become determined to make changes; to improve themselves in the coming year. Part of the self-examination is letting go of bitterness and also making amends with those who have been hurt.

Religion, man’s idea of how God is, tries to tell us that we have failed God and that He is angry with us. Maybe you’ve grown up with that concept of God, maybe you think there is nothing you can do to please Him so why try.

The angels message on the night when Jesus was born is this, “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” Jesus came to show us how greatly God loves us. His whole life was spent doing good and displaying the compassion and unconditional love of the Father.

Jesus ended the war between God and man. God judged our sin by placing it on Jesus and He paid the price. He was convicted, found guilty and punished with death for crimes (Sin) He didn’t do. Our spiritual indebtedness was Paid in Full.

“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.” John 16:7-11 NLT

The Holy Spirit corrects people who don’t believe that Jesus was and is God’s Son and He is the sacrifice for our sins. He shows us that we are made righteous (in right standing) through relationship with Christ and that God’s judgment belongs to satan and those that follow him.

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.” II Corinthians 5:17-18 CEV

New Year’s Eve is one of the prime times that people are plagued with depression and loneliness. It is our job to tell them that God has made a way of “peace” for them through Christ. The good news that was proclaimed in the angels’ message is still true. Peace on earth, good will to me.

I am doing my job of bringing this good news to you. I hope you will share it too.

“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. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

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“With” Is Better

Where are you going today? Doing anything special? I always find that even the mundane is more fun when I have someone along to share it with. Yesterday, Dave and I had lots of errands to run and we enjoyed it more because we were “with” each other.

We are never alone even in the dullest or most difficult moments. We have a promise that God is with us. That’s what His name means:

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].” Isaiah 7:14 AMP

Immanuel, God with us!

God came to walk with Adam in the cool of the day; then He came and walked and talked with Abraham and Moses, David and Daniel, Enoch and Elijah, you and me. God loves being with His people. It’s only fitting that one of His names should mean God with us. That was His goal – to have relationship with us, to walk and talk with us, friend to friend, Father to child.

Do you recall the first time your child didn’t want you around? I remember hearing our toddlers say “I do this”. It was cute but then when they were in their teens, they got too big to need my presence or it wasn’t cool to have their folks hanging out with them. It hurt. I can only imagine how much it must hurt the Father when we exclude Him from our activities, not wanting Him around, taking the attitude “I’ve got this”.

He’ll let us try to handle things, sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail but He’s always there. He never leaves us alone – that’s who He is, that’s what He does.

“God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” Hebrews 13:5b ERV

Friends may come and go; relationships change. Death may separate us from the ones we love. But the Lord will be with us forever and when we have Him, He takes care of the rest.

What’s on your list of things to do today?

Take Him along. Lunch with a friend, bring the extra guest. Need some down time, the two of you can sit quietly together, after all He IS Immanuel! He’ll be excited you’ve included Him in your plans.

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