God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. {1 Corinthians 14:33)
This has been so comforting & eye opening for me over the years. Just this simple phrase alone can help us discern if something is true or not.
It is the foundation of truth.
When I went through years of searching new age philosophy for continuity & truth, I always ended up feeling confused & unsure at the end of my studying.
There can be no peace where there is unsure ground.
The new age way of thinking has no real foundation & is made up of many different religions, folklore, & superstition. No basis for a peaceful thought pattern. This scripture helped to eliminate a lot of false ideas from my life, resulting in an abundance of peace.
Sometimes we think that temporary escapes will fill us with peace, but escapism never gets to the root of the issues with which we are dealing. Moving from place to peace will never assure us peace. We will never have peace looking in other people, places or things. It needs to come from our Creator.
Peace can move with you when you find it in Christ, rather than having to seek it out in other areas. This produces peace under pressure. Pressure doesn't mean an absence of peace.
Peace is not just something you are supposed to “get” occasionally, but a permanent state we live in through the Holy Spirit.
We can be at peace knowing that we never have to go through anything alone. We have an advocate with and within us. Peace is a foundational, soul level knowing that our Creator has everything under control & will work every situation out for our good.
Peace also stems from what we allow into our minds & hearts. I find that I have to be very careful with what I watch & listen to, as that has a direct effect on my soul. Where I used to watch horror movies & certain TV shows that had excessive violence, I now find that it puts me on the defense afterwards & my attitude actually becomes more aggressive.
Cultivating a soft heart means we have to protect its softness & guard against anything that would make it calloused.
Peace also can begin at a physiological level- making sure that we are as rested as we can be, cutting down on caffeine, alcohol, sugar, introducing plenty of living greens & protein. Recognizing anything we are consuming that is making our mind run wild & depleting our natural energy reserves.
Job 38
Then the Lord said to Job out of the storm:
Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
While the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy?
Who restrained the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,
When I made the clouds it’s garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,
When I fixed limits for it and set it’s doors and bars in place.
Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn it’s place?
Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked into the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
Have you comprehended the vast expanse of the earth?
Tell me if you know all this.
What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed?
Who cuts a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no one lives?
Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?
From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens, when the waters become hard as stone, and the surface of the deep is frozen?
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead the Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Who gives the Ibis wisdom?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens, when the dust becomes hard and the earth sticks together?
Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy their hunger as they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?
Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?
Then Job replied to the Lord:
I know that you can do all things, no purpose of your can be thwarted.
My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.
There is a Creator-designed order and purpose in life and throughout all of nature.
We do not need to be concerned with how life and creation will fall into place. This is not our responsibility. The one who knows the cycles and ebbs and flows of life’s waters is in control.
Wrestling for control with our Creator creates a turbulence in place of progress and growth.
Sometimes the first step is quieting ourselves. Giving gratitude and praise where it is due & turning our face towards the sun- finding strength through resilience after the storm.
Reflection
Before you even get out of bed in the morning, find 3 things for which you are grateful. Starting a morning journal can help in keeping you accountable!
Make a note of your level of peace (1-5) while listening to music that you normally listen to, books you read, TV/movies you watch. Be mindful of what type of thoughts they stir up & even the slightest amount of unrest in your spirit. You can either choose to do this mentally or write it down as well which may be very beneficial.
Remember a time when you took a stand & rather than looking for a temporary escape, you remained peaceful through a storm in your life.
Identify an area in your life where you see peace at work, even under pressure.
Peace,
Lo
lauren@laurencrawfordwellness.com