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3 Bible Verses About Peace

I’m continuing my series based on the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Each month, I’ll pick a fruit and share a few thoughts and verses about it.

I’m focusing on the fruit of joy this month.

My late Pastor of more than a decade used to share a story about a painting of a bird that was on a tree branch singing. There’s nothing extraordinary about a singing bird. That’s what they do all the time, right?

When it’s bright and sunny outside, you can hear the beautiful sound of birds chirping away.

But that wasn’t the scene in the painting. What made this painting so memorable is that the bird was singing away as a storm raged all around it.

That, my friend, is a picture of peace!

It’s natural to feel peace when you’re lying on the beach or on vacation somewhere. It’s supernatural to feel peace when all hell is breaking loose around you.

How can Christians stay at peace despite the winds and the waves howling around them?

That comes through the Holy Spirit living inside of us! It’s not our ordinary peace that sustains us, but His extraordinary peace that helps us through whatever storm or trial we are facing.

Here are 3 Bible verses I hope will encourage you as you meditate on them, believe them, and apply them to your life:

  • “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
  • “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
  • “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3)

God is not surprised or unaware of what you are going through. Be at peace knowing that God Almighty is powerful enough to keep you and guard you no matter what struggle you are going through. He will see you through!

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For more encouragement, read my books Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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7 Bible Verses to Help Fight Fear!

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Is watching the news and reading the papers leaving you feeling fearful? Are you scared because you just got a troubling doctor’s report or afraid of your upcoming job review?

There’s no shortage of things that can strike fear in our hearts. We all battle fear at different points in our lives.

What do you do with your fear?

I hope you take time to talk to the Lord about your fears, cares, and worries. He can handle them!

Life can get scary sometimes, but we don’t have to be paralyzed by fear. When I’m feeling afraid, I find comfort in remembering how mighty God is and that He is in control! Nothing surprises Him!

I also read and re-read certain Bible verses. I’ve listed a few of my favorite verses to combat fear below to help fill you with courage. I pray that you will mediate on these verses and will believe and receive them for yourself:

  • “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)
  • “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
  • “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
  • “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
  • “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)
  • “‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17)
  • “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” (Psalm 91:1-6)
If these Bible verses have helped to bring you peace, I’d love to know. I’d also love to know what some of your go-to verses are to combat fear. Please feel free to leave a comment on Abounding Faith’s Facebook page. Blessings to you as you continue trusting God and walking by faith.

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For more encouragement on your faith journey, read By Faith, Abounding Faith, Crossing Your Jordan River and Waiting on God Well  (on Amazon) and visit AboundingFaith.com.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Storms Don’t Last Forever – Vacation Greetings July 2016

Here’s a short video I shot during my recent family vacation. I pray it reminds you that storms don’t last forever!

Hope you’re having a blessed summer!

To view more encouraging videos from some of my past vacations, click here.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Did this encourage you? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And don’t forget to sign up below to have my weekly encouraging blog posts emailed straight to you for free. When you subscribe below, you’ll also receive the free “12 Journal Writing Prompts” PDF I created to help inspire you as you write/journal.

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For more encouragement, read my books Waiting on God Well: How to Prevent Breaking Down on Your Way to Your Breakthrough and Abounding Faith: 30 Bible Heroes Who Will Inspire You to Believe God for the Impossible! To learn how I can come alongside of you as your Life Coach or to invite me to speak at your event, visit my website www.aboundingfaith.com. Check out Abounding Faith’s online store here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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This is Only a Test

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The other day I was with with my sister at the Port Authority Bus Terminal when we heard this beep and an announcement over the loudspeaker that went something like:

“Pardon the interruption. This is a test of our emergency system. This is only a test.”

The announcement replayed several times while we waited there, and it got me thinking, “Wouldn’t it be nice if when we were going through our trials, we could hear a similar announcement warning us that what we’re experiencing is only a test!”

What if the next time your car breaks down, you get walloped by a bill in the mail, or you hear a loved one is in trouble, etc… what if before you could panic you heard, “Beep. This is only a test. Everything is going to be ok.”

Wouldn’t that help you to not freak out as much?

Over the years, I’ve tried to make it a point to view trials more as the tests that they really are! It helps me to keep things in perspective.

You may be facing a battle that seems so colossal, so devastating, or so disappointing that you’re tempted to lose hope. You may feel as though God has forgotten you. You may think He is ignoring you. You may even be doubting if He’s good.

Could I encourage you that God is right there with you, and He will walk with you, strengthen you, and comfort you all the way through! The trial will help to build your faith and will help you to get to know Jesus in a way like never before.

Jesus is the Master at breathing life into barren places. He is the light that shines in the darkness. He brings hope, love, healing, restoration, peace, and more into chaos.

Remember that as a believer, you are safe in the palm of God’s hand! He’s got you covered better than any doctor, lawyer, stockbroker, or insurance policy ever could! He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother! (Proverbs 18:24)

What are you facing today? Be encouraged that:

This Trial Will Not Last Forever. “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

There is a Purpose for the Tests. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

As we Pass these Tests, God is Glorified. “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (1 Peter 6-7)

We have the Victory in Christ!  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

So when the tests come, let’s try to spot them early and let’s learn from Job who said:

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” 

(Job 23:10)

Did this encourage you?  Feel free to leave a comment or hit “Like” below. To get my free e-booklet MiraculousLovely Abroad: Lessons and Snapshots From the Mission Fields and to get these posts e-mailed straight to your inbox, click here. To find MiraculousLovely on YouTube, click here.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

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