Recipe for Peace

I must have read it one hundred times before, but this time it felt as if the Holy Spirit was spoon-feeding it to me.  One bite of simple truth at a time so that I had time to chew on it, savor it, absorb it completely. 

Phil 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things, which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Peace in the journey, even when we believe in the outcome, can be such a difficult thing. 

Phil 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

I was longing for peace.  Wrestling with anxiety.   And there was so much.  My EVERYTHING felt like too much!  I questioned God as the spirit revealed truth to me. 

In EVERYTHING rejoice? I questioned. 

I want to but, how?  keep reading....

prayer and petition, PRAY THROUGH YOUR ANXIETY...stay in your prayer space until you have peace.

ok...

and when I leave that prayer closet? keep reading....

FILL YOUR MIND and meditate on what is true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious- the best not the worst, the beautiful, not the ugly, things to praise, not things to curse.

PRACTICE and then...

God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. 

I've been reading it again and again. I have been praying and giving my EVERYTHING to the Lord. He has been releasing me and filling me with peace and still I know there is more for me in the Secret Place so I will continue to search. 

As I continued reading the verse again and again and words I was challenged to meditate on, to think on, to soak and receive I realized I needed to write down specific truths, words, sentences, so that I could actually SEE in front of me the things that are worthy to sit in, the things that draw me back into the shelter of our King and take me away from the lies that so easily come and entangle me in Satan's twisted games within the battle. I wanted to share them with you.

Meditate on these things...

something TRUE:

- God loves me. He is for me. He has a plan and a divine purpose for every day of my life. He will NEVER LEAVE me. He has my best interest and knows exactly what I need. All that I am is secure in Him. He is my protector and army, my strong tower that I run into and I am safe.

something NOBLE (having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles):

- The fact that the Holy Spirit lives inside of me and He is able to break every chain that the enemy has ever created for evil.

something REPUTABLE (well thought of, respectable, creditable):

- That God is my ultimate authority. I have chosen for Him to be in charge and because of that this verse is true in my life: "My yolk is EASY and my burden is LIGHT."

something AUTHENTIC:

- God's love for me, the way He sees me. He knows the most true version of myself and sees it all.

something COMPELLING:

- The fact that I have been chosen for a mission here in the Dominican Republic and NO ONE can disqualify me, no one can take away the position the Lord has placed before me.

something GRACIOUS:

- The fact that God doesn't measure me by my performance. That His love and acceptance for me isn't dependent upon what I do or accomplish but was given and won when Jesus died on the cross.

something JUST:

- God's heart breaks even more deeply and drastically than mine in regards to the injustice, sin, and brokenness I observe every day. He has the PERFECT solution for justice and knows exactly what this world needs in every moment of every day: MORE OF HIM.

Something PURE:

- The fact that God created the human body and that in it of itself it is good and holy and can be used as an incredible instrument for worship, praise, and the glorification of God. He is in the business of restoring the purity of every heart and body that has been defiled/violated/corrupted/and ruined. 

something LOVELY:

That no matter how difficult it gets in the house I still can't help but admire the natural beauty the girls hold. They are just SO BEAUTIFUL to me it is astounding...

Something of GOOD REPORT:

-That we are after change. We have a new house waiting for us and individuals willing to bring it all together for God's purposes. We are crying out for help and believing that God will provide more laborers within New Hope that will come and be part of what the Lord has promised we will be.

something of VIRTUE:

-There are individuals in the ministry who get it, who want justice, who want to see growth and transformation, who want to walk in the journey and fight for the broken, marginalized, hurting and forgotten. I am not alone.

something PRAISEWORTHY:

-God is alive... He is in the midst of all of this!!!! And I know the outcome. His victory. When it is all said and done I know He wins. And we await this day of complete triumph in the midst of a ever-raging battle and storm. 

There you have it....Words of life!!! Words of testimony!!! Words of truth!!! I'm preaching them to myself... I'm letting them sink deep. They can't be stolen from me. They are my proclamation for today.

Authored by: Joy Reyes and Corinne Carver