AND the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7.
INTRODUCTION
God’s peace is different from the world’s peace. True peace is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings. It comes from knowing that God is in control.
Our citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom is sure, our destiny is set, and we can have victory over sin. Let God’s peace guard your heart against anxiety.
God wants us to enjoy His peace at all times so please use this ACROSTIC to enjoy the peace of God that passes all understanding for you and your family.
• P – Prepare
• E – Engage with God
• A – Align Your Heart
• C – Carve out time
• E – Enjoy
A. PREPARE. PREPARE OUR HEART! How do we do that? First, dig out any¬thing that would hinder an intimate relationship with God. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Many years ago, I taught a group of young children about clutter in their hearts. I used a beautiful bowl, deco-rated on the inside with bright, beau¬tiful colours, as an example of what our hearts are like. Then we discussed how things like lying, meanness, and jealousy upset God and make our hearts dirty.
We wrote down all these things on pieces of paper and then wadded them up and filled the bowl so that we were no longer able to see its beauty.
We then talked about how we can ‘dump’ out all the ugliness by asking God to forgive us and create in us ‘clean’ hearts.
The simple act of just coming to God on a daily basis and asking Him to wipe away anything that would make our hearts unclean is a great way to prepare ourselves for Advent.
Is there anything that you need to ‘dump’ out of your heart before the Lord today? Spend time asking Him to create a clean heart and to renew a steadfast spirit within you. He is faith¬ful to do so always.
B. ENGAGE WITH GOD. Not just during our quiet time but engage with Him all throughout our day. Talk to Him. Argue with Him. Pray to Him. Surrender to Him.
Trust Him. Call upon Him. I love the story in Acts 10 about Cornelius, a Roman army officer who was a devout, God-fearing man and who prayed reg¬ularly to God.
Let’s engage with God in prayer all day long, in the shower, in the grocery line, in the standstill traffic. Remem-ber that we can pray to a living God who sees us and knows our every need.
Let’s stop engaging with God after our quiet time, but continue through¬out the day and even right up until we lay our head down to sleep.
C. ALIGN OUR HEART. Proverbs 3:1-5 teaches us how to align our hearts with God (“My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favour with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding”).
To be continued
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•By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author