Got Peace?

In His presence there is peace, safety, guidance, joy, and love.

  

Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, lacking in peace and joy, frustrated or even worried? Are you involved in various church activities, functions and attendance but don’t feel refreshed? Maybe it’s time to step away from the busyness of life and step into His presence. People may not understand, and they may try and sway you to do things. There is refreshment and restoration in His presence. Sometimes we need to say “No” to things and people, even if they are good things. Life will keep you busy. You should get into a quiet place and get rid of all distractions like electronic devices.

If we stay so busy we can have trouble hearing from God and what He wants for us. We can become easily distracted and lose focus. Our strength comes from the Lord. If we feel weak and worn-out, we may need to step away and go to the throne.

When you come into His presence He will lighten your load, and will speak truth about your situations. There is no other place to “fill up” like this. We try and bring comfort to ourselves with food, TV, staying busy with activities, electronics, and for some it can be sex, alcohol, and drugs. But there is no replacement for God’s Holy presence.

What can you do in His presence?

You can sing and worship with praise music.

You can read the Bible and selected scriptures to meditate on.

Be sill and listen for His voice.

Cry, rejoice, and talk to God as if He is your best friend.

Journal what God speaks or impresses to you.

There is no formula to being in His presence. You can do a mixture of things or just one thing, and each time you spend with God can be different. Don’t be set on spending time with God in a certain way. Let the Holy Spirit guide you to what He wants you to do.

Anyone need refreshment, restoration, and guidance? If yes, plug into the source, the presence of the Holy Spirit. After being in His presence you will feel refreshed and renewed and in His presence there is no fear, worry, anxiety, stress, and frustration. Step away, carve out time, and say, “No” to things/activities that would pull you away from this time. Everyone needs this, not just pastors and leaders but every Christian who is fighting in this spiritual battle needs to be in His presence. Every Christian also needs this for God to direct and guide their steps, plans, and pour out His anointing on what He has called you to do. In His presence you can receive an outpouring of grace, mercy, joy and peace, and every believer needs this.

You will show me the path of life. In your PRESENCE is fullness of joy;

As your right hand are pleasures fovermore.

Psalm 16:11

Proven Antidotes for Stress, Anxiety and Fear

Are there things in your life that seem to constantly cause you stress, anxiety or fear?

Are you overwhelmed at times and find it difficult to sleep at night?

90% of what we worry about never really happens, so then why do we worry, stress and plagued by daunting fears? The enemy magnifies those difficult or trying circumstances in our lives, and when we take our eyes off of Jesus and onto these nagging problems we lose perspective. When our eyes are off the Helper, we can easily slip into stress, anxiety and fear. The enemy shows us worst-case scenarios and we begin speaking out what those scenarios look like, but watch out when you begin agreeing with what the enemy says about your circumstances. A lot of the times, the enemy throws one circumstance after another at us, hoping we will take the bait of at least one of them. There is a “wearing-out” the enemy deploys upon us. You may have felt super strong with the first, second, and maybe even the third difficult circumstance, but when they keep coming you better run to the throne of God quickly. When you feel yourself weakening and getting spiritually fatigued, it’s time to run quickly (even and especially if you don’t feel like it) to the feet of Jesus. These schemes diverted at you are not to be taken lightly or not taken seriously. We are never to fear our enemy, but we must know when we are beginning to get attacked.

Another way to know the enemy is trying to get you stirred-up is that you lose your peace and joy and you become restless, even stressed, anxious and fearful.

Random thoughts pop into your mind. You try and take every thought captive but there are so many thoughts coming you find it more and more difficult to gain a hold on the thoughts. When this happens recognize this is a scheme and a plan from the enemy and you must begin to cry out to God for His help.

There are some antidotes I use when I feel attacked, stressed, anxious and fearful. The prescription does not come in a bottle or pill but through the following:

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Antidotes for Stress:

Stop what you’re doing and go to the throne of God; don’t wait!

Trust God even if it looks big and out of control and your feelings say something else.

Rest in God alone and His help; don’t try and figure out the outcomes!

Evaluate if you are tired, hungry, or sick? If you are, you need to take care of those needs.

Sing, worship the Lord. You will feel a lift in your spirit and the enemy will have to flee!

Surrender all fear, worries, anxieties, and concerns to God; do not hold on to them!

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Antidote for Anxiety:

Admit and confess you have been worrying and you don’t have all the answers.

Never give the enemy a foothold by speaking out what he shows you.

X-amine the reasons you are anxious and speak the truth over every anxious thought.

Identify the lies of the enemy concerning every anxious thought and replace immediately with the truth of God’s word.

Evaluate if all your anxiety and worrying is helping and changing things or making you sick, tired, and weak?

Turn your anxieties to God and give them to Him. Do not hold on to them!

Yearn to have a different life! You do not have to live with anxiety!

Antidotes for Fear:

Filter out all fears immediately. When fears come, pull them down, stop them, and replace with faith-filled statements, such as, “I will not live in fear.”

Entertain thoughts are lovely, of a good report, and praiseworthy.

Accept that you have a real enemy and you will have to be aggressive in your thought life.

Run to Jesus! Do not let the enemy terrorize you and cause you to have what-if fears.

To have peace and the joy of the Lord sometimes you have to fight, other times you have to be still until the attack has passed. Ask Jesus to show you what to do, but ask! If you are feeling those nagging thoughts of stress, anxiety or fear, take these antidotes and begin to apply them.