Finding Peace

When we put God first there’s no room for the devil’s deception.

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  Colossians 3:16 (NASB)

________________________________________

Let this be a time of worship to God.  Pray each prayer and add your own personal message to God.  Read each scripture as though reading it for the first time – listen carefully for the voice of God.  Listen to each song paying close attention to the lyrics provided.  These songs were carefully chosen.  Even if the music is not your favorite style of music, know that the musicians performing are sincerely making music to the Lord.  Try to feel the passion in their words and their musical expression.  Give thought to the message presented and confirm the truth therein by opening your Bible and taking some time to do your own personal study.  May you be greatly blessed.

________________________________________

Let’s Pray Together

Heavenly Father, we stand in your presence in awe of your awesome power and love.  We seek that which is your will in our lives and look forward to the return of your Son Jesus Christ.  Please Father, wrap your arms around each of us and provide for us all of our needs.  Forgive us Father, for all of our mistakes and failures in our pursuit of righteousness.  Develop in us the ability to also forgive those who disrupt our lives.  Open our eyes Father, to the enemy who is in pursuit of our souls.  Let us see clearly the evil trying to control our lives so that we can avoid destruction.  We offer this prayer in the Holy name of Jesus.  Amen.

Finding Peace

Make no mistake about it, each and every one of us is part of the daily battle between good and evil.  Evil is everything that pushes us away from God.  Evil is the worldly deception that panders to our selfish desires.  Evil is that overwhelming urge to have more.

 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Romans 12:21 (NASB)

The antidote for all things evil is the loving heart that God provides.  When we reach out to others with a helping hand, we step around evil and shield ourselves with good.  When we put God first, there’s no room for the devil’s deception.  Unfortunately, the world we live in is often hostile toward good – mocking those who do the right thing and supporting those who accumulate wealth through selfish schemes.  Who we hang out with can make a big difference in our effort to fight evil.

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”  1 Corinthians 15:33(NASB)

As followers of Jesus Christ, it’s important to engage the lost in meaningful conversations and friendships.  At the same time, we need to protect ourselves from those who might lead us astray.  Those who are more concerned with others than themselves are moving in the right direction.  Those who are more concerned with themselves rather than others, are lost and need our guidance.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”  Philippians 2:3-4(NASB)

As we travel through this fragile battleground our only hope is in our connection to Jesus.  Our human nature is prone to wander off in the wrong direction if we don’t keep Christ as our guiding light and the savior of our soul.

Let this song fill your spirit.

Lord of My Life – Matt Maher

A sky without a North Star

A ship without an anchor

Caught up in the current

My heart is prone to wander

All the roads I’ve taken

Lead me back to nowhere

You’re the destination

You’re the way to get there

You can have it all

Be the song I sing

Be my guiding light

Savior of my soul

Be the Lord of my life

Every step I take

Always by my side

I am yours, You are mine

Be the Lord of my life

Mercies never failing

Forgiveness overflowing

The love that You’re unveiling

A beauty just keeps growing

This is all I want

I surrender all

Be the song I sing

Be my guiding light

Savior of my soul

Be the Lord of my life

Every step I take

Always by my side

I am yours, You are mine

Be the Lord of my life

I wanna go where you go

Wanna move where you move

Wanna love who you love

Watch it break on through

Be the song I sing

Be my guiding light

Savior of my soul

Be the Lord of my life

Every step I take

Always by my side

I am yours, You are mine

Be the Lord of my life

I am yours, You are mine

Be the Lord of my life

I am yours, You are mine

Be the Lord of my life

Finding Peace in Jesus

As the battle between good and evil rages on, we find comfort and peace in the arms of Jesus.  The closer we are to Jesus the more peace we experience.  To that end, our primary objective has to be following carefully in his footsteps.  When we follow the teaching of Jesus, we connect with the spirit of God in a special way.

 “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.”  1 Corinthians 10:24 (NASB)

When we spend time taking care of our own needs at the expenses of others, there is often a feeling of guilt that follows.  On the other hand, when we spend time serving others, we experience joy and a sense of peace unlike any other – this is because we are fulfilling the teaching of Jesus.

 “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”  Galatians 6:2(NASB)

The evil forces in this world want us to feel good about satisfying ourselves.  God wants us to satisfy ourselves by satisfying others.  This simple equation can be found repeated many times in the pages of the Bible and is a central theme in the life of Jesus.

“And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  Hebrews 13:16 (NASB)

Our mission as Christians is to live for Jesus.  We accomplish this mission by structuring our lives in the manner prescribed to us in the pages of the Bible.  By trusting in Jesus and him alone, we cannot be shaken by the darkness of this world.  A peace that surpasses all comprehension (Philippians 4:7) will fill our hearts when we put ourselves aside and get busy doing something for God.

Let this song sink into your soul.

Build My Life – Pat Barrett

Worthy of every song we could ever sing

Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe

We live for you

Jesus the name above every other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe

We live for you

Oh we live for you

Holy there is no one like you

There is none beside you

Open up my eyes in wonder

Show me who you are and fill me

With your heart and lead me

In your love to those around me

Jesus the name above every other name

Jesus the only one who could ever save

Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe

We live for you

Oh we live for you

Holy there is no one like you

There is none beside you

Open up my eyes in wonder

And show me who you are and fill me

With your heart and lead me

In your love to those around me

And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation

And I will put my trust in you alone

And I will not be shaken

And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation

And I will put my trust in you alone

And I will not be shaken

Holy there is no one like you

There is none beside you

Open up my eyes in wonder

And show me who you are and fill me

With your heart and lead me

In your love to those around me

And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation

And I will put my trust in you alone

And I will not be shaken

And I will build my life upon your love it is a firm foundation

And I will put my trust in you alone

And I will not be shaken

Our Plan of Action

Nothing happens in our lives until we take a step forward and put our plan into action.  Following Jesus is not a passive endeavor.  Every moment of every day is an opportunity to take hold of the teachings of Jesus and put them into practice.

“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”  James 1:25 (NASB)

Every step we take closer to Jesus brings us one step closer to the peace-filled life we all crave.  Showing appreciation for loved ones on a regular basis is one of the ways we follow the teachings of Jesus.  Asking those in need how we might be of help rather than simply offering to pray is another step closer to Jesus.  Working together with others to provide assistance to those in need, is yet another way we can bring about the peace that serving others provides.

 “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”  1 John 3:18 (NASB)

The darkness of this world will try to convince us we don’t have time for anyone else’s needs, but that’s a lie.  The darkness of this world wants us to believe we need to spend more time taking care of our own needs if we want to be happy – that’s also a lie.  We know these are lies because our experience demonstrates these things to be untrue.  When we get busy doing God’s work, the devil’s lies drift away.

“In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  Acts 20:35 (NASB)

No one else can do what God has called you to do.  You have been placed where you are by God.  You have been given special talents and resources by God.  God intends for you to use your talents and resources to serve those around you to his glory.

Let this song inspire you to do more.

Do Something – Matthew West

I woke up this morning

Saw a world full of trouble now, thought

How’d we ever get so far down, and

How’s it ever gonna turn around

So I turned my eyes to Heaven

I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”

Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of

People living in poverty

Children sold into slavery

The thought disgusted me

So, I shook my fist at Heaven

Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”

He said, “I did, yeah, I created you” (now listen)

If not us, then who

If not me and you

Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yeah

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

Oh, it’s not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something

I’m so tired of talking about

How we are God’s hands and feet

But it’s easier to say than to be

Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves

It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”

Well, I don’t know about you

But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire

I don’t want a flame, I want a fire and

I wanna be the one who stands up and says

“I’m gonna do something”

If not us, then who

If not me and you

Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yes it is, come on

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

Oh oh, it’s not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something

We are the salt of the earth

We are a city on a hill

We’re never gonna change the world

By standing still

No, we won’t stand still

No

If not us, then who

If not me and you

Right now

It’s time for us to do something

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

It’s not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something

It’s time for us to do something

Thank you for spending this time worshiping God.

His door is now open to you.  You are in God’s presence.  Don’t leave without Him.  Keep Him with you throughout your day.

Go in peace.

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context.  Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations.  In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon.  Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.

The Way Forward