5 Things You Need To Live With Peace and Joy Now
What does it take to live with peace and joy?
Paul wrote the following while sitting in a Roman prison…
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
Philippians 4:4
It seems like the last place in the world where someone would be able to live with peace and joy. But as the Life Application Bible Notes add…
Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances.
The truth is … we can choose where we focus our thoughts and attention but we can’t choose joy.
Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit found in God’s presence.
Two years ago, when Rev was diagnosed with ALS, I never imagined we would experience so many joy-filled moments throughout this journey. But we prayerfully asked the Lord to walk with us and daily asked Him to help us not lose today’s joy because we were worried about tomorrow’s potential struggle.
We learned the truth of these words of David…
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
Psalm 28:7
We learned that the more time we spent in the presence of the Lord, the more joyful we were. Sure there were moments we cried but God, the source of hope, also gave us joy and hard-to-understand peace.
When you and I focus our hearts and minds on Jesus, His Spirit makes it possible for us to have what we need to walk through the impossible with hard-to-understand peace and joy … and strength.
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12–14
Really? How?
By keeping an eternal perspective…
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Colossians 3:1–2
We live with the promise that our future is in heaven with Jesus but He is also with us now!
“Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
And He gives us everything we need to live with peace and joy.
“He is the God who made the world and everything in it … He himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need.
Acts 27a and 28b
5 Ways to Live with Peace and Joy Now
1. Focus on Jesus.
I have placed the Lord always in front of me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be moved. And so my heart is glad. My soul is full of joy. My body also will rest without fear.
Psalm 16:8–9
2. Savor each moment. Don’t lose today because you’re worried about tomorrow.
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”
Matthew 6:34 (MSG)
3. Learn God’s promises.
“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Him.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
4. Fill each day with love for God and people.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
1 Corinthians 13:4–5
5. Pray.
Never stop praying.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Let’s pray…
A Prayer to Live with Peace & Joy Now
Father God, You are the source of peace and joy. You have given us everything we need to live with inner peace and joy. You cleanse a repentant heart of guilt and shame and You fill that heart with peace that passes understanding and joy in the Spirit of Truth.
And when I focus my heart and mind on who You are and all that You have done for me, I can live each day with the peace and joy You want for me.
Your Word tells me that when I SEEK Your Kingdom above all else, You will give me everything I need. It tells me that through Your Son, Jesus, You will give me the strength I need to face each day. It tells me that You will never leave me or forsake me. It tells me that You are the source of my life satisfaction.
Lord, please help me focus on Jesus. Help me live in the moment without worrying about the future. Help me cling to Your promises, love well, and pray without ceasing … for those are the only ways to truly live with peace and joy.
I love You. I thank and praise You. Please help me live today for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
C. S. Lewis wrote…
“God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
He’s right! If we want lasting peace and joy, we need a relationship with God through Jesus.
I wrote this a couple of weeks before Rev entered heaven. And I’ll admit that my heart still hurts and my tears flow frequently. But my grief is overshadowed by peace when I focus on God’s trustworthy promises and I even have moments of joy when I think about the fact that Rev’s suffering is over … he’s in the glorious presence of the Lord.
Our God makes the impossible possible and helps me remember that “we don’t grieve as those who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
We have a God who gave His Son to save us and make us His own.
So, I will continue to pray these words of Paul for you and me…
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
May you live each day with faith, hope, and love all because of Jesus, and experience peace and joy by grace through the power and presence of His Spirit.
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Deb
This touched me in a very powerful way this morning. I learned on Friday I either have a rare protein disease or cancer. Biopsy scheduled for March 7th. Western medicine treats protein disease with chemo and it’s incurable. My ENT said do not let western medicine treat me let my holestic doctor take lead. Then you run into financial difficulties.
Over the weekend lot of time in prayer. My greatest times of peace is knowing whatever my journey will be long or short I will be living each day for my lord. Quality of life for the days I have left. God may choose to cure me. He may use me in a different fashion. I am his. Spending time with him asking him “how can I serve you today?” This is my goal. Give him control of everything else. He will let me know what treatment if any to do. He knows the number of days I will spend on this earth. As long as I am here go and make disciples.
Then I will rejoice I. Heaven with those who proceeded me.
Oh, Laurie, I’m sorry to learn this. I’m praying for you … asking the Lord to give you strength through these days of waiting and you you with His healing hand. Sending hugs!
I was so moved in reading your words here today, Deb. May God continue to uphold and comfort you as you continue on the journey He has planned for you and yours.
Love, peace, blessings!
Thank you, Martha! Blessings, my sweet friend!
Deb,
How beautiful this is! What a wonderful post. I hope that you don’t mind, but I did copy and paste and print off the 5 Ways to Live with Peace and Joy Now! And the prayer! I will keep this in front of me as I start each day, very early in the morning, with my devotional. I realize every day how precious life is and how short it can be.
I especially love your ending Scripture, Romans 15:13 as a prayer for us. I pray the same for you. You are such a sweet and brave lady, full of wisdom and encouragement. I know that you are grieving and I grieve for you. What a wonderful testimony you and your late husband, Rev. are to all of us.
God Bless You, our friend, as you have blessed us.
Sue
Of course, I don’t mind. It’s a blessing. I truly appreciate you, dear friend. Your prayers and kindness are holding me up and giving me strength. God be with you and bless you!
Hi Deb. This post really blessed me. I admire that you daily send us your posts and have benefited from them greatly.
I was so sorry to hear of Rev’s diagnosis. I kept reading. Then I was sorry to see that he has passed on to his heavenly home. (You know what I mean……I am thankful that his suffering is over but I know that you miss him)
Anyway I wanted to make sure that you know (that you know) that your daily posts are a blessing to me! I look forward to reading them and have gleaned so much from you.
God bless you on your journey.
Yet another,
Deb
Thank you, Deb! Thank you for letting the Lord use you to bless and encourage me. It is precious friends like you who are holding me up and helping me keep my focus on the Lord even through the moments when I’m overwhelmed with sadness. God be with you and bless you!
Absolutely loved this post- I am memorising those scriptures. Thank you for sharing your heart, in a world where people feel the need to put on facades, it’s refreshing to hear an open heart. I feel for your loss, my prayers are with you, grief is hard,your post is even more powerful considering your circumstances. Thank you so much for sharing.
I truly appreciate your beautiful words of encouragement, Carolyn. Thank you! The Lord is using friends like you to give me the strength I need each day. Thank you for allowing Him to use you. You’re a blessing!
Amen! Thank you for the beautiful words and prayers to give us peace and joy daily even in hardship. Lord Jesus continue to guide me in my life so that I may always seek and pray to have peace, joy, and grace for you and others.
You never fore sake me and know what is best for me.
Have a blessed day!
Thank you, Ana! God is faithful and good. We are truly blessed! God be with you!
You are awesome and always uplifting even through all your pain and grief!
That’s very kind of you, Cindy! It helps to stay in the Word and a blessing to be able to interact with all of you! Blessings!
Thanks Deb, from the bottom of my heart. ❤️
My prayers are also going up for you… 🙏🏻
Thank you for your prayers and your kindness, Angie! God bless you!