Encouragement

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How do you sustain happiness, joy, peace? One of the key elements in my life, in my hopes and dreams, in my future plans... is peace. I'm a huge fan of ensuring I not only get peaceful, quiet time each day, but also as I encounter family members, social gatherings, or maybe even just interactions with others. Too quickly I can get caught up trying to 'keep the peace'. No... there's no fighting or blatant conflicts occurring... I just have a 'people pleasing', tendency and can get lost being flexible, agreeable, and even compromising so much that the Lord's peace in my life gets dimmer and dimmer. John 7:38 reminds me; "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.", which admonishes me to remain in touch with my core belief and faith in the Lord, His living waters of peace will flow... much better than any efforts I can bring to an encounter with others.

See... too quickly, we can get swept up solving a problem and offering support 'with good intentions', but lose that 'divine leading' in the Lord. Then our efforts, our support, our solutions can culminate in half-baked resolves (man's solution to man's problems). Getting too wrapped up in 'what others think', the opinion of others, and maybe even the fear of others (not wanting to taunted, teased, ridiculed) influences our otherwise solid relationship with the Lord. Philippians 4:6-7 helps covey this as; "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.", and I really like the '...be careful for nothing...' part, because it reminds me that only Jesus' acceptance of me is everlasting, only Gods peace in my life is sustaining, and surely only His grace goes beyond all understanding, reasoning, and debatable stratagem. Not getting caught up in the peer pressure, the opinions, even the simplest efforts to be agreeable is not easy at all. That is why SO many people don't earnestly surrender to the Lord... it's too hard.

How, then?
Diligence in your life, giving attention to His Spirit, and especially when we 'watch and pray' through these conflicting moments in our lives. See... Ephesians 5:18-20 clarifies it with; "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (19) Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (20) Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;". Sure, it sounds 'holier than thou' at first glance, but when you devote your heart and life to His leading (not drunk on man's ways), the filling of the Spirit in your life will grow... a trickle of a stream at first... growing into a creek... then into a stream, until ultimately... a mighty river. That's how His peace flows!



G.W. Bill Elliott, Jr. MDiv
VocalBillity Devotionals - http://vocalbillity.blogspot.com

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