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Bread For the Journey





In the past few weeks, God has been speaking to me about peace;
in particular, the many times I do not feel peaceful.
Times when I am upset with my husband, when I worry about my children, 
when I am afraid of what the future holds. 

The Bible assures me that through Christ's death I am granted peace with God 
upon my acceptance of salvation. 
I know that in my heart, so why don't I always experience this peace? 

In Ephesians 6 Paul uses the armour a Roman soldier would wear to illustrate how we as Christ followers 
need to prepare ourselves for battle with the enemy.
One part of that armour that I've never paid much attention to until recently is the footwear.  
Paul says, "our feet need to be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." 
Ephesians 6:15 NIV

What part does footwear play in battle?  If we want to stand firm, we need shoes that grip,
if we don't want to lose our balance, our shoes need to provide good support,
when the terrain of a battlefield is rocky and uneven, we need shoes that give our feet protection
and when we are part of a defense line
we don't want to slip and fall thereby providing the enemy a way through our defense.

So what does peace have to do with battling the enemy?
When I am discontented, anxious, or fearful my state of mind and heart is far from peaceful. 
In fact it is a good indication that the enemy is making a successful assault on my life. 
 I may have peace with God but I am not experiencing the peace of God.

Isaiah 26:3 says, 
"You will keep him in perfect peace, 
Whose mind is stayed on You.  Because he trusts in You."

How do I keep my mind stayed on God?  How do I access the peace God promises?

  By always rejoicing in the Lord, by being gentle with others, 
by bringing everything to God in prayer, by trusting Him
 and by thanking Him.( Philippians: 4:4-7)

This brings the Perfect Peace that guards our hearts from Satan's darts,
strengthens us in the most disheartening circumstances,
and  unifies us as believers.

12 comments:

  1. I too have been going through a very difficult time and wonder where is the Peace God promises. I do not feel it and just give up and cry.

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    1. Janine, thank you for sharing - I'm sorry you are feeling overwhelmed. You'll find that some of the others that commented zeroed in on the answer to finding the peace of God.... Taking everything to Him in Prayer, with thanksgiving and choosing to trust Him. I will be praying with you, Janine, that God would flood your heart with His Peace.

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    2. Thank you for your prayers. I am struggling, but have not given up.

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    3. Pray to God and keep crying to Him... I have been there. Sometimes it takes a long time. Always be ready to be obedie t and take the hard steps, doing difficult things He may ask. He is bringing you into a deeper relationship with him. It will help you understand others and ewip you to work in His kingdom. Keep praying. Just keep looking to Him and believe that He is with you.

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  2. The last line of your first paragraph is a mirror image of this past week. Whenever I get to feeling hopeless and afraid, I realize I have drifted from the Word and distracted...again! I am so glad is God is faithful and ever patient with me and he never forgets me even when I forget Him...thank you so much for your words of encouragement.

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  3. Once again, very good Word and excellent reminder for me to abide in His peace. I enjoy reading your Sunday posts.

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  4. Thank you for your words, I love your analogy and how that paints a picture in my mind. It is so true, the enemy waits to find a foothold in our lives, and if we are not careful to keep our feet firmly planted in His Word and by spending time in prayer, we lose traction and fall away from all that God wants for us! He loves us and there is great hope in His name! Thanks again!

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  5. I called my mother a few weeks ago for a minute (she was busy), and in those 5 minutes she said that the words to the old Hymn Trust and Obey, had been running through her mind and she
    couldn't shake it. Now I have a real focus on just those two words, Trust and Obey. I know
    I Trust, but do I always Obey? Working on it.

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  6. I just finished reading a book about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. A paragraph that stood out was one in which a worker with International Displaced People shared a personal experience. He got so lost in all the sadness that more than anything he wanted hope. Eventually he learned that hope is not something you catch in your hands, rather we get it when we trust God that He's doing a good thing in our lives, no matter how bad things might look.
    I think it's the same with peace... we can't catch it in our hands, but we can experience it in a non-explainable way when we tell God we trust Him to work out all things for our good.

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  7. Just this morning at church our pastor spoke about putting on the 'amour of God'
    in his sermon. Thank you for reminding us of this most needed protection against
    our enemy, satan.
    These Sunday posts always speak to my heart!

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  8. I just finished a Bible Study on courage that focused on the armor of God. Your post is a great follow up to the study. Thank you!

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  9. I have been on this journey for a lot of years and still, I need to be reminded of the precious Words of God. So many times I find myself distracted by problems within our family and I don't feel the peace that I know I have in God. Thank you for being an instrument that God uses to send me a message. I very much enjoy your recipes and Bread for the Journey. The Lord is Faithful!

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