Peace

We have a powerful enemy. He lies to our hearts and tells us that we are not worthy of love, or forgiveness, or joy. We run around our lives searching for the magic bullet that will make us feel better, never understanding that the peace we long for already resides in us.

Stop believing the lies. You are good enough and worthy enough for happiness. Real happiness, the kind that comes from knowing that there is a God who loves you. Loves you more than you can even imagine.

True peace can be found by quieting your mind, letting go of the lies, telling yourself the truth and best of all believing it!

YOU ARE A ONE OF A KIND MASTERPIECE AND YOU ARE LOVED!

Phillipians 4:6-7

A prayer for those who are struggling to find peace:

God, thank You for loving me! You created me for purpose and life. Help me to feel the peace you know I crave so badly. Help me to let go of the lies that I have believed for so long. Keep me grounded in the reality that you have my best interests at heart and the challenges that I face are designed to teach me how to rely on You. Your Son paid the price for my sin, I no longer need to carry that burden. AMEN

Any Given Day: 20

Forgiveness

This is a tough one. Some people are more open to forgiveness than others. Sometimes it takes a long time. Some never forgive and harbor anger and resentment the rest of their days. They walk around, head down, bitter and beaten.

We all get to a point in our lives where we have been hurt by another person so bad, and our grief is so painful, even the most mundane tasks seem impossible. We try to process what has been done, only to come up empty. Thoughts twirl and swirl in our head, we feel lost and hopeless... then we get angry. Shoving the anger down and pretending it isn't there isn't a viable solution. It will surface eventually. Many times with no warning! Then it gets ugly.

As a vital part of the healing process, anger is a defense mechanism that provides us with energy and momentum for a while. The problem is that if we hang on to it too long, it turns on us like a rabid animal. Our anger doesn't hurt the people that we are angry at, it hurts us! Jesus is very clear about forgiveness of others. When asked about how many times we should forgive the same person, his reply was "Seventy times seven." Pretty sure that wasn't the answer Peter wanted to hear.

Forgiveness requires giving up control of the situation. We think we will be viewed as weak. However the opposite is true. It takes great strength to forgive the people who hurt us. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, He asked God to forgive the people who were mocking him. We need to remember that God forgives us for everything we ask, and we in turn must forgive others. Even the Lord's prayer that many of us recited daily as kids addresses this issue.

You can not heal and grow as a person until forgiveness is possible. Be patient and pray this simple prayer:

Lord, forgive me for my anger and hostility today. I am in pain because of the actions of someone else. Free me from my addiction to control of this situation. Allow me to forgive and move on. Remind me to stay focused on the present and not the past. Thank you for sending Jesus, so that we will all be forgiven. AMEN

Matthew 18:21-35

Any Given Day: 19

Guilt

Overwhelmed with guilt? Sometimes it feels like it is coming from all sides! It is a destructive emotion that can eat away at our sense of self worth and we lose our self respect. Our fear dictates guilt. Fear of losing people we love because of our actions. Fear of not being able to change present circumstances, and fear that we will never measure up!

There are two types of guilt. True guilt is an objective fact based on real circumstance. Perceived guilt is the feeling of the pain of rejection. Both can be powerful motivators for change, but they can not build and encourage and inspire.

So how do we stop feeling guilty? For true guilt, make amends, fix what damage that we can, and move on. Perceived guilt is a little trickier because it is conditioned in us from an early age. People surround us who are experts at illiciting that feeling in us. We just can't ever seem to do anything right. Somehow we must understand that this is their way of managing their own guilt, by projecting it on to us. Some of us have been a victim of this for so long, we have actually come to believe that we are the guilty ones.

Regardless of what kind of guilt you are feeling today, the prayer is the same:

Lord in Heaven, You created us in Your image. My free will gets me into trouble time and time again. Help me to understand what my feelings of guilt really are! Help me to look at my self worth through Your eyes instead of my own. Guide me in understanding the powerful motivation that Satan has in keeping my guilt front and center. It keeps me from being closer to You and those that I love. Your Son bore the burden of all my sins, God. I am forgiven by You by Your grace and awesome power. It is time for me to forgive myself. It may be the hardest thing I ever have to do. AMEN

Romans 8:1