Driven to a Place of Peace

by Linda Evans Shepherd

 Bad moods happen, and they happen to me especially when I find myself tired, frustrated or anxious.  But what if, as Philippians 2:5 states, we can, ““Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. . .” (NASB).

 Is it possible to trade a bad mood for God’s peace? 

Not long ago, I tested this idea, when after a long flight, I found myself squeezed inside a crowded shuttle heading for off-airport parking. Once safely in my seat, I took a deep breath, readying myself to dive into my bucket purse to retrieve my keys.

But as I searched the dark cavern, shoveling the contents this way and that, I discovered my keys were missing.

I felt a bead of sweat pop out on my forehead. I was forty miles from the house, and my husband was off riding his Harley with his Christian motorcycle friends. He wouldn’t be available to rescue me until late that night. I felt my eyebrows knit together. I was in a pickle.

I looked up from my search to see that for the first time in history, my car would be the very first shuttle stop in the parking lot. I shot off a quiet prayer. “What do I do, Lord?”

I felt the peace of his presence. “Trust me,” he seemed to whisper.

I told the driver, “My keys seem to be missing.”

He said, “I’ll call the office to see if anyone turned them in. What do they look like?”

My cheeks felt hot. “Uh, the keychain is a plastic square with a book cover on it.”

The woman next to me said, “You’re an author?”

I gave her a sheepish nod. “What’s the title?” the driver asked.

This time I laughed, “Well, it’s When You Don’t Know What to Pray.”

“Sounds like you’d better do a little praying now,” the woman suggested.

“I’m on it,” I said with a grin.

The driver dropped off the other passengers while I fumbled in my purse.  When I was the last passenger in the van, the driver drove back to my car. “Maybe you could see your keys through your window.” Good idea, only they weren’t there.

I reboarded the van and kidded with the driver as he drove me to the office so I could do a purse dump and maybe try to call for a ride home.

With the entire contents of my purse piled high on an office table, I stared into the deep, black hole of my purse. My keys weren’t there and I shook my purse to prove it. Wait!  Was that a jingle I heard? I carefully ran my hand against the interior walls of the purse until I discovered a huge whole in the lining of a zippered pocket. When I pushed my fingers through the hole, I touched my keys!

I happily boarded the van again and the driver took me back to my car. He said. “You’re not like most who lose their keys around here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were laughing and cracking jokes, but my last lady was crying hard.”

“Oh no!”

“Then there was the passenger who lost his Lexus.  Just before he called the cops, he decided to call home. That’s when his wife reminded him he’d driven the station wagon.”

So why hadn’t I lost my cool?

It was because I’d called out to God and felt his presence. In that moment he’d asked me to trust him. That gave me permission to relax despite my difficulty.

Try it.  Relax in God and enjoy the journey.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Linda Evans Shepherd is the founder of Right to the Heart Ministries and the publisher of Arise Daily.  She is an author of 38 books including her latest, Make Time for Joy and Praying Through Hard Times.  Visit her at:  http://www.GotToPray.com

Join the conversation: Has God ever given you peace in the midst of difficulty? Please share!

Cheerful Heart

by Sheri Schofield

My husband Tim and I must be brave and crazy parents: we flew to Alaska to spend Christmas with our daughter and her husband. Burr! As we flew out of Montana—also burr!—we ran into the incoming storm blasting the northwest. The plane shuddered as it climbed. When it turned toward its assigned route, a gust of wind hit it and nearly turned it over. Shrieks sounded throughout the aircraft. Not from me, though. I was too scared to peep. I clutched the arm of my seat and reminded myself that the Lord was with me while the plane bucked wildly.

Suddenly, a woman with a gruff voice shouted, “They didn’t tell me I’d need spurs for this!”

If I hadn’t been so nervous, I would have laughed. As it was, I just held on. However, that humorous shout did ease the tension considerably, and I began to relax.

It looks like this world is headed into another year of struggle and strife. Many people are tense at life’s unpredictable twists and turns. The Bible tells us the world will become more and more treacherous as we near the return of the King. How can we encourage one another during these days of struggle?

Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

We are surrounded by a world of people with crushed spirits, worried about tomorrow, nervous about many things during these turbulent times. We who belong to Jesus have been given the pathway to His peace. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV).

If we can stay focused on Jesus, we can be filled with His peace. If we are filled with His peace, we can be those cheerful hearts that bring good medicine to the souls of others.  We can lighten their loads by caring, by listening, and by covering them—shielding them—with our love. The world is full of people who do not have Jesus’ peace. When they see God’s peace and His love for others shining from our lives, we bring them comfort.

I recently walked into a convenience store just as someone else stormed out. The cashier is a withdrawn young man who shows little emotion. I see him often, as I pick up my daily caffeine at that store. I said, “How’s your day going, Levi? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between?”

He responded with powerful but quiet emotion, “I hate people! They’re always throwing things at you for no reason!” His eyes teared up.

I got it. The customer just before me had verbally abused that young man. I listened to him express his pain. We were alone for just a couple of minutes. I said, “I’m going to pray for you.”

“What?” His mouth dropped open.

“I’m going to pray for you. Now.” I paused. “Father in heaven, Levi has been hurt. Help him to know that you love him unconditionally just the way he is. And heal his heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” I smiled and left.

Since then, Levi has started to open his heart a little. He knows I am his friend, that I care about him, and that I belong to Jesus. I have shared Jesus’ love with him. In the storm he was facing, I brought a healing touch of peace. Eventually, he may meet the Author of that peace, as I continue sharing my Savior with him.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. Psalm 16:11 NIV

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Award-winning author, illustrator, and Bible teacher Sheri Schofield ministers to children and their families through her ministry, Faithwind 4 Kids. After serving Jesus through children’s ministries and personal evangelism for many years, she understands how to communicate God’s plan of salvation clearly to those who are seeking God.

Her first book on salvation, The Prince and the Plan, was designed specifically for children. But during COVID, Sheri sensed the need to also provide help for adults. Her new book for adults, God? Where Are You?, tells tells who God is, how we became separated from him, and what he is doing to bring us back to himself through Jesus. At the end of each chapter is a section called “Food For Thought”, which answers questions many unbelievers have, such as—If God is good, why do terrible things happen?—Is anyone too “bad” for God to want to rescue them from sin? This biblically based book is short and easy to read. 

Join the conversation. How do you bring peace to others?

Trust the One Who Knows

by Nancy Kay Grace

On New Year’s Day, when changing the calendar on the fridge, I uncovered a familiar magnet.

Once hidden by pictures, coupons and notes, the revealed message resonated in my head and heart as if I read it for the first time. The magnet featured a quote from Corrie ten Boom:

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

A new year brings new challenges. Every day will be an opportunity to trust God with our fears and problems.

Trust. A simple but powerful word. It is the belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, or effective. We put trust in someone who is greater than us. What better source of trust is there than the all-knowing God? When we can’t see through the darkness, His presence is with us. He sees the beginning and the end, the first days of the new year through its closing hours.

Consider these 5 assurances to trust our God in the new year:

• God sees the whole picture of history. We see only our present and have an understanding of the past, but God holds the future. He knows how all of history fits together. “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness and light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:20-22 NIV).

• God is aware of His creation. The Creator cares for each of us, His workmanship. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.” Hebrews 4:13 NIV He is involved in every detail of the world around us.

• God is the great comforter, the God who is “with us.” “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who knows my way” (Psalm 142:3 NIV). We are never alone.

• When we trust in God, we gain peace. His peace stabilizes us in uncertain situations. “He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV).

• Our strength may wear out, but God’s strength is ever present. “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7 NIV). He is strong enough to carry us through. We can rest in the sovereignty of God’s grace. Whatever 2022 holds, always look to the Lord. He is soooo trustworthy—he has been in the past and will continue to be trustworthy in the future.

These five assurances show us Who to trust in these changeable times. Which one do you need the most?

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Nancy Kay Grace is the speaker and award-winning author of The Grace Impact, a devotional about God’s grace. Her website, blog, and GraceNotes newsletter sign-up are found at www.nancykaygrace.com. As a cancer survivor, she writes about hope, perseverance, and God’s grace. Nancy enjoys hugs from grandchildren, playing worship songs on piano, hiking, and travel.

Join the conversation: What do you know about God that helps you trust Him?

Peace Like an Inlet Creek

by Candy Arrington @CandyArrington

He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!    Isaiah 26:3 TLB

A number of years ago, my cousin and her husband owned a second home on a coastal island. They purchased the house and surrounding property from an old sea captain and renovated it. The house was a sprawling ranch-style, with quarters on one end of the home for the captain’s crew. On the other side of the house were tattered ruins of slave quarters, remnants of the plantation that once dominated the island. Live oak trees dotted the yard. Spanish moss dripped from their branches and swayed like long, gray tresses in the ocean breezes.

The house backed up to the marsh and was situated on an inlet creek. At high tide, the water level rose sufficiently to allow shrimp boats to navigate up the creek to an ancient fish processing plant. Their net extensions bobbed like wide-open arms as the boats made their way past the house.

The way in by car was a sandy side street off the main paved road. Once on it, the outside world faded. On the right was the house of the lady with too many cats; cats who lounged on the porch and in the yard and on the roof. On the left, colorful cinder block houses and palmetto woods lined the drive. Finally, the house came into view, low and long, beside the creek and marsh. In the evenings, as the sun slipped down, the  swath of orange and pink on the horizon were a stark contrast to the gray-green marsh grass.

At a time in my life, when I was struggling with many concerns, my cousin asked if I would like to use the house for a week. I gratefully accepted. That week, early each morning, I took my Bible, prayer journal, and a mug of hot tea down to the picnic table at water’s edge to read, pray, and watch the marsh come to life.

One morning, as I poured out my concerns to God, I said aloud, “Please give me a sign that you hear me!” Moments later, a dolphin surfaced in the creek and exhaled so close to me the spray touched me. It was as if God breathed on me. I laughed, and then cried, thanking my Heavenly Father for the quickest answer to prayer I’d ever received. In that moment, I experienced a sense of peace that flooded my mind and heart like the ripples of incoming tide up the inlet creek.

Sometimes, the reason we don’t experience peace is because we really don’t trust God. We spend lots of time worrying, trying to work out problems on our own, or escape them, instead of praying and trusting God to provide answers. But Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) reminds us: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Perfect peace hinges on trust, and trust is a by-product of frequent encounters with the Lord.

Perhaps you are navigating a difficult season of life and need a flood of reassurance that God knows your circumstances and is near. Take time to pray, asking for wisdom and direction. Trust that God is aware and working on your behalf. Although you may not receive an immediate resolution to your situation, watch with peace-filled expectation for what happens next.

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Peace Like an Inlet Creek – encouragement from @CandyArrington on @AriseDailyDevo (Click to Tweet)

About the author: Candy Arrington has written hundreds of articles and devotionals, often on tough topics. Her books include AFTERSHOCK: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide (B & H) and When Your Aging Parent Needs Care: Practical Help for This Season of Life (Harvest House). Candy is a native South Carolinian, who gains writing inspiration from historic architecture, vintage photographs, nature, and the application of Biblical principles to everyday life. Learn more about Candy at www.CandyArrington.com, where you can also read her blog, Forward Motion: Moving Beyond What Holds You Back.

Candy’s book, When Your Aging Parent Needs Care, is a help to those who face the special effort of caring for a parent. It provides support and direction to enable the caregiver to be spiritually, physically, and emotionally prepared for the day to day challenges they face.

Join the conversation: Has God ever reminded you of His presence in an unmistakable, obvious way?

 

Then Sulks My Soul

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea

I think my spirit gets a little pouty every now and then. It’s a spoiled rotten little spirit, mind you, and the things that inspire the pouting are most often quite trivial. Like having to get a new phone and not being able to keep the old number. Or like when you’ve been thinking about that last Ding Dong all day and then find somebody ate it and left the empty box.

I so hate to admit this, but I’m just climbing out of a ridiculous pouty-mope right now. The other day I sighed so hard I’m pretty sure my neighbors felt a breeze. Embarrassing.

To add to it, as usually happens when I’m brooding, suddenly I hated all my clothes. I’m not sure exactly why, but sulkiness always seems to bring out the worst in my closet. It’s not that I necessarily want new clothes even. It’s more that I become discontent with absolutely everything and I’m convinced I need a different body to put inside the clothes I already have. It doesn’t matter that I know I’m to blame, I still blame the closet. Goofy closet.

When I’m overwhelmed or blue or hormonal or discontent or just plain pouty, there’s one thing that can snap me back around like nothing else. It’s dwelling on the Lord. Not just passively thinking. No, really and truly meditating. Contemplating to the point of being overwhelmed and undone by the glorious God of all joy. It’s an altogether better “overwhelmed.”

“I greatly rejoice in the Lord, I exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,” (Isaiah 61:10, HCSB). The New Living says, “I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!” As I focus on Him and rejoice in His goodness, it’s amazing how those trivial, pout-inducing circumstances shrivel in significance.

It’s at the moment of praise, as I ponder amazing grace, that I remember—I remember all the way to my soul—that when He gave me the gift of salvation through the cross of Christ, He gave me absolutely everything my soul needs. Whatever I’m whining about looks small and petty. And even when I’m fretting over something that’s not small or petty, that something is still nowhere near as big as the grace of God.

It makes me smile to recognize that as I dwell on His goodness and the sulkiness fades into worship, the Lord totally takes care of the closet thing. The spiritual closet, anyway. The very reason for rejoicing is that “He has clothed me with the garments of salvation.” It’s impossible to whine about the “robe of righteousness.” It’s borrowed from Christ. And though this whiny woman doesn’t deserve it, it fits perfectly.

The sweet, old hymn expresses it well:

“And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,

Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.”

A soul can hardly sulk when it’s singing about the greatness of God.

            “Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:

            How great thou art! How great thou art!”

Reveling in our great God. It reboots a mope. It inspires a joy that goes all the way to the soul. And all the way to the closet.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.                                                                                                                                       Isaiah 26:3 NIV

TWEETABLE
Then Sulks My Soul – insight on praising God from @RhondaRhea on @AriseDailyDevo (Click to Tweet)

About the author: Rhonda Rhea is a TV personality for Christian Television Network and an award-winning humor columnist for great magazines such as HomeLife, Leading Hearts, The Pathway and many more. She is the author of 17 books, including the Fix-Her-Upper books, co-authored with Beth Duewel, and the hilarious novels, Turtles in the Road and Off-Script & Over-Caffeinated, both co-authored with her daughter, Kaley Rhea.

Rhonda and Kaley are also excited to be teaming up with Bridges TV host, Monica Schmelter, for the Messy to Meaningful series, with My Purse Runneth Over coming soon. Edie Melson and Rhonda have a new book as well, Unruffled—Thriving in Chaos.

Rhonda lives near St. Louis with her pastor/hubs and has five grown children. You can read more from Rhonda on her website or Facebook page.

Join the conversation: What do you do with the sulks?

Claim Your Promise

by Evelyn Taylor  @drevetaylor

So Joshua said to the Israelites: “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you?”                                                                                                                                           Joshua 18:3 NIV

I tend to book early flights.

I like to get to my destination early in the day, so I can arrive and still have time to enjoy the sunlight of the day. This means I have to plan. Airports can be exhausting, and when I’m standing in a TSA line before sunrise, it helps to know I have a window seat waiting for me when I get on the plane.

Imagine my surprise when I recently boarded a plane only to find another passenger in my assigned seat! Now, on a midday flight, I don’t mind settling for an aisle seat. But the window seat is the best place for sleeping at that early hour. No worries about getting knocked by the beverage cart or slumping onto another passenger.

I’m not always the most assertive person, but in order to receive what was promised me, I had to inform my seatmate of his mistake. It meant a bit of shuffling and reorganizing as the middle seat was also occupied. I felt a little uncomfortable that I was causing my fellow passengers some inconvenience. But I couldn’t be timid. I needed to claim what had been promised.

Just before entering the Promised Land, Joshua told the Israelites that they should lay claim to what God had already given them. They were to take God at His word and step forward in trust. It would take action to receive their inheritance.

As with the Israelites, God has given us blessings that we have yet to claim. They are already ours, but we must step forward to receive them. Our obedience to God is the action necessary for him to release his promises to us. When we yield ourselves to his will, we are positioned to receive all that he has promised. As the Lord told Isaiah: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19 ESV).

When we belong to him, we don’t have to live in fear and anxiety. He promises to keep our hearts and minds in perfect peace as we step forward to trust him. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV). In the stressful times in life, we can receive the peace of God.

As Moses spoke to the Children of Israel encouraging them, we can have faith trusting that God will always be with us as well. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).

The Apostle Paul wrote concerning the magnificent abilities of our God: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV) We can be assured that he is able to do more than we can imagine. We don’t have to settle for less, nor do we have to worry that our present reality is all that he has for us. There is no need to be afraid to ask for what is rightfully ours.

Focusing on the promises of his Word rather than on a surrounding disturbance will allow you to enjoy all God has promised. Ask in trust, confident in a God who keeps his promises. Faith is more than saying we believe. Faith actually believes.

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Claim Your Promise – encouragement from @DrEveTaylor on @AriseDailyDevo (Click to Tweet)

About the author: Evelyn Johnson-Taylor is a professor of theology, author, speaker, and coach. She shares her life experiences through mentoring and encouraging others to move forward in whatever God has called them to do.  Evelyn believes that nothing is wasted with God and that everything He allows us to walk through in life is to be used to help someone else. You can connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, and Facebook.

Evelyn shares her experience of caring for her husband for a decade in See Me Hear Me Know Me: From The Heart of a Caregiver, a book that she and her husband wrote together. God has given her a passion to enlighten caregivers on the importance of self-care and has graced her to share a message of hope and encouragement.

Join the conversation: What promise of God do you need to claim today?

Receiving Peace in the Night

by Judy R. Slegh

A while ago, an event precipitated a sleepless night for me. It involved a choice my son made to hang out with friends over the weekend. Because of past compromises proving his inability to say no, I became fearful of what might happen while he was away. As I wrestled with the reality of placing my loved one into the complete care of God, I asked Holy Spirit a simple question.

“Holy Spirit, am I awake due to my spirit being unsettled or due to my soul (mind, will, and emotions) being unsettled?”

Immediately I heard, “It is your soul.”

He chided me saying, “Your loved one isn’t having a sleepless night, why should you?”

I then repented for allowing my soul to rob me of my peace and my sleep. I deliberately handed the issues with which I had been struggling to God. He assured me He was taking care of the situation and I could sleep restfully now. Within minutes, I fell asleep and stayed asleep for the rest of the night.

In the morning, I searched Scripture to validate this conversation with God.

I came across Psalm 16:7-9 NIV which states,

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

The prayerful interaction I had in the night was God counseling me! Remembering His watchful concern and care prodded me to stop worrying about possible catastrophic events. I had let my mind race out of control. He was urging my mind to not be shaken so I could rest.

Then I was reminded of a verse I learned long ago. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) states: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Once again, this was a confirmation to my mind and gave me peace.

I also asked the clarifying question, “What should I have done if my spirit was unsettled?”

Quickly I heard, “It would be an unction to intercede as needed for your loved one. I will keep you up as long as is needed, and then perfect and peaceful sleep will come easily.”

At times, this has happened after I ask the question, “Is it my spirit or soul?” and heard that my spirit was unsettled. I obediently and groggily got up and contended in prayer for about an hour. Sometimes it is more. Sometimes is it less. Then I sense it is time for sleep. This has been a great revelation to align myself to His promptings in the night and get peaceful sleep when He tells me everything is fine.

Asking the right questions has brought incredible peace to me at night. Especially when my children were in their teen years. Now they are spread across the world. It has been a stretch for me to let them go in obedience to the call of God, but asking the right questions in the night has brought many restful nights.

Paul assures us to trust Him in prayer, even when we don’t know the details. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 NIV

TWEETABLE
Receiving Peace in the Night – insight from Judy R. Slegh on @AriseDailyDevo (Click to Tweet)

About the author: Judy R. Slegh is passionate in helping others get free of emotional baggage through healing prayer. She leads and mentors the growing team of prayer ministers and prayer intercessors at Nephros Ministries. Being a Minnesotan, she enjoys kayaking on lakes and rivers as well as bird watching with her husband Daryl.

In her first book, Help! I Have a Prodigal, Judy offers compassion and hope to those wearied by the turmoil of loving someone who has turned away from the faith and value systems of his or her upbringing. Experience compassion, hope, and healing through devotional readings, thoughtful questions, and prayers designed to help you identify and unpack your emotional baggage, freeing you to welcome your prodigal home.

Join the conversation: Has God ministered to you in the night?

Distractions and Pickpockets

by Linda Evans Shepherd

One sunny December day in New York, my friend Eva and I were in town to explore the city. I was ready for anything, especially with my huge, blue tote bag I’d stuffed with everything I might need; an umbrella, my coat, snacks, bottles of water, all piled high on top of my wallet.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and Eva and I caught the subway from our hotel so that we could walk down Canal Street to take in the sights. We browsed through the faux designer purses and fingered the bright wool scarves and smirked at the fake Rolexes on display. As we strolled, we were caught in a throng of tourists who flowed down the street like a slow moving river.

As I walked along gawking at the sights around me, a pretty, young woman appeared beside me. She turned to face me and with her arms opened wide, she side-skipped to my steps as if she was trying to block me from turning right and walking past her. What in the world is she doing? I wondered. I craned my neck for a better look and she seemed to disappear. Where’d she go?

Suddenly I snapped my head to the left, and there she was, her arm rammed deep into my tote bag as her fingers groped for my pocket book. I instinctively jerked my tote away from her and instantly she disappeared into the crowd.

It seemed I’d just encountered a New York City pickpocket. But what struck me about the experience was the pickpocket’s maneuver to distract me–to cause me to not only take my attention away from my tote, but to place my focus in the opposite direction so that she would be free to snatch my wallet, something I’d wanted to hang onto throughout my New York adventure.

As I thought about it, I could see that distraction is exactly how the enemy tries to steal from me in an effort to keep me from living my life with joy, peace and the presence of God.

Distractions can zing toward me like fiery arrows of worry, stress, offenses, and frustration as the enemy takes aim at my peace.

I may not be able to stop the fiery arrows, but if I focus on trusting God, then the enemy’s arrows will not stick but will bounce off of me.  Otherwise, the enemy’s arrows can wound my heart.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.” To live distraction free means I must guard my heart, trusting God as I let go of offenses and open my soul to more of God’s peace.

When I do that, God’s peace will shield my heart so that the enemy cannot steal my joy or wound me with worry so God’s spirit will continually flow into my life.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

About the author: Linda Evans Shepherd is the author of 33 books including When You Don’t Know What to Pray and Winning Your Daily Spiritual Battles.  She is the CEO of Right to the Heart Ministries, and the founder of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.  She’s the publisher of Leading Hearts Magazine and Arise Daily.

Linda has been married over thirty years and has two grown kids.  She loves to travel and bring the word to groups and events across North America.  You can read more about Linda at Arise Speakers.

Join the conversation: What distractions are stealing your peace?

 

 

Becoming a Warrior Instead of a Worrier

by Edie Melson

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

To be perfectly honest, I’m both a worrier and a warrior. I hate when the worrier in me raises its ugly head but ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. It’s only when I acknowledge the tendency, that I can fight it effectively. My hardest battles against worry come in the arena of parenting.

My sons are grown men—capable and wise—and yet I still find myself fearful about some of the things they choose to do. Several years ago two of them decided to spend an afternoon kayaking on a nearby river. They’re experienced outdoorsmen and have logged hundreds of hours doing that very thing. But for some reason that particular trip made me uneasy.

I found myself at a familiar crossroads with a choice to make.

My boys—like all sons—don’t appreciate the love behind my worries. And experience has taught me that nagging does absolutely nothing except make them more determined to do the thing I dread. I could either worry and nag, or I could go into what I’ve come to call warrior mode. This particular practice is how I refer to certain times of prayer. It’s more intense than just devotional praying. That day I chose warrior. I wished them well, warned them to make wise decisions, and retired to my room for some serious prayer intervention on their behalf.

As I talked out my fears and my feelings with God, a peace came over me. Worry dissolved and I went back to my regular routine. I slept like a baby, but the next morning I discovered why I’d felt such a need to pray.

When they’d put into the river, it had been a sunny day. The clouds were fluffy and the water calm. Several miles into this idyllic venture a sudden summer thunderstorm came up almost out of nowhere. Before they could put to shore, the lightning began and their world went black.

Three hours later they awoke, out of their boats—thankful for the life vests they wore—and covered in scrapes and burns. They’d been struck by lightning.

They made it back to their truck and limped home to their wives. They were shaken up, but fine.

Their experience reminded me that even though my children are grown, they still need me. I could have voiced my fears that day, but the outcome would have been the same. Instead I learned the value of a solid set of knee pads and the readiness to do battle for them in prayer. When I take my worries to God, I put them in the hands of the One who could keep them safe.

About the author: Find your voice, live your story…is the foundation of Edie Melson’s message, whether she’s addressing parents, military families, readers of fiction or writers. As an author, blogger, and speaker, she’s encouraged and challenged audiences across the country and around the world. Her latest book, While My Child is Away; Prayers for While We’re Apart is available at local retailers and online. Connect with her further at www.EdieMelson.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

Free Book Contest!  Arise Daily will use a random number generator to pick a winner from today’s comments. To enter our contest for Edie’s book, While My Child is Away,  please comment below.  By posting in our comments, you are giving us permission to share your name if you win!  If you have an outside the US mailing address, your prize could be substituted with an e-book of our choice.

Join the conversation: 1 Peter 5:7 says to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” What fears have you given to the Lord? What are you still having trouble relinquishing?

Driven to a Place of Peace

by Linda Evans Shepherd

 Bad moods happen, and they happen to me especially when I find myself tired, frustrated or anxious.  But what if, as Philippians 2:5 states, we can, ““Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. . .” (NASB)?

 Is it possible to trade a bad mood for God’s peace? 

Not long ago, I tested this idea when, after a long flight, I found myself squeezed inside a crowded shuttle heading for off-airport parking. Once safely in my seat, I took a deep breath, readying myself to dive into my bucket purse to retrieve my keys.

But as I searched the dark cavern, shoveling the contents this way and that, I discovered my keys were missing.

I felt a bead of sweat pop out on my forehead. I was forty miles from the house, and my husband was off riding his Harley with his Christian motorcycle friends. He wouldn’t be available to rescue me until late that night. I felt my eyebrows knit together. I was in a pickle.

I looked up from my search to see that for the first time in history, my car would be the very first shuttle stop in the parking lot. I shot off a quiet prayer. “What do I do, Lord?”

I felt the peace of his presence. “Trust me,” he seemed to whisper.

I told the driver, “My keys seem to be missing.”

He said, “I’ll call the office to see if anyone turned them in. What do they look like?”

My cheeks felt hot. “Uh, the keychain is a plastic square with a book cover on it.”

The woman next to me said, “You’re an author?”

I gave her a sheepish nod. “What’s the title?” the driver asked.

This time I laughed, “Well, it’s When You Don’t Know What to Pray.”

“Sounds like you’d better do a little praying now,” the woman suggested.

“I’m on it,” I said with a grin.

The driver dropped off the other passengers while I fumbled in my purse.  When I was the last passenger in the van, the driver drove back to my car. “Maybe you could see your keys through your window.”

Good idea, only they weren’t there.

I reboarded the van and kidded with the driver as he drove me to the office so I could do a purse dump and maybe try to call for a ride home.

With the entire contents of my purse piled high on an office table, I stared into the deep, black hole of my purse. My keys weren’t there and I shook my purse to prove it. Wait!  Was that a jingle I heard?

I carefully ran my hand against the interior walls of the purse until I discovered a huge whole in the lining of a zippered pocket. When I pushed my fingers through the hole, I touched my keys!

I happily boarded the van again and the driver took me back to my car. He said. “You’re not like most who lose their keys around here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were laughing and cracking jokes, but my last lady was crying hard.

“Oh no!”

“Then there was the passenger who lost his Lexus.  Just before he called the cops, he decided to call home. That’s when his wife reminded him he’d driven the station wagon.”

So why hadn’t I lost my cool?

It was because I’d called out to God and felt his presence. In that moment he’d asked me to trust him. That gave me permission to relax despite my difficulty.

Try it.  Relax in God and enjoy the journey.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV

About the author: Linda Evans Shepherd is the author of 33 books including When You Don’t Know What to Pray and Winning Your Daily Spiritual Battles.  She is the CEO of Right to the Heart Ministries, and the founder of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.  She’s the publisher of Leading Hearts Magazine and Arise Daily.

Linda has been married over thirty years and has two grown kids.  She loves to travel and bring the word to groups and events across North America.  You can read more about Linda at Arise Speakers.

Free Book Contest!  Arise Daily will use a random number generator to pick a winner from today’s comments. To enter our contest for Linda’s book, The God You Need to Know -Discover his Story,  Experience His Love please comment below.  By posting in our comments, you are giving us permission to share your name if you win!  If you have an outside the US mailing address, your prize could be substituted with an e-book of our choice.

Join the conversation: Can you think of a time when trusting God made a difference in your attitude?