3 Incredibly Easy Ways to Live a Peace-Filled Life
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a cycle of constant anxiety, fear, or anger? Living a life fixated in one of these cycles will zap you of your energy, joy, and peace, and it is certainly not God’s good plan for your life. To avoid the trap of these negative cycles, here are 3 incredibly easy ways to live a peace-filled life.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. – Psalm 4:8 ESV
1. Rely on God, Not Man
According to the scripture above, who makes you dwell in safety? Only the Lord makes you dwell in safety. The source of your safety is NOT your spouse, your parent, your job, the government, etc.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. -James 1:17 ESV
Make no mistake, God can and often uses people; such as, your spouse or your job, to bring blessings to you. However, caution should be exercised to continually remind yourself of the true source of your blessings. For instance, when you’ve worked for the same employer for twenty years and relied upon that employer to pay your bills, it’s easy to view the company as your source of income. This may appear to be a harmless assumption, but what happens when your employer eliminates your job or shuts down? Overlooking that God is your provider, could leave you feeling hopeless and fearful of the future. In contrast, when you recognize and rely on God to be your provider, you will have hope that God can and will open a door to new employment. Thus, you will be setting yourself up to live a peace-filled life.
Relying on a person instead of God is dangerous and will separate you from a peace-filled life.
Be honest and admit that there is NO perfect person. No matter how wonderful and amazing your spouse, parent, or friend is, they will eventually make a mistake. It’s just a part of being human. Does this mean you should expect the worst from people? Absolutely not! You should always expect the best of the people in your life, but don’t place a person in the spot that should be reserved for God, and God alone.
2. Stop Trying to “Fix” People
Again, there is NO perfect person, and that includes you, so before you start judging others for their faults, ask God to help you identify an area in which you can grow. I’m a long, looonnng way from perfecting this skill, but I have found that when I am busy doing what God has called me to accomplish, I’m not as aware of the faults of others, and I am less critical of others.
Guess what? God uniquely designed each person with a unique and specific personality and gifts. As the Author of Creativity, God intended for each person to be different, so it’s a-okay if someone is different than you.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us… – Romans 12:6 ESV
Would you like to gain insight into your child’s unique personality in order to better relate to him? Here’s a tool to help!
3. Learn More About God
Deepening your understanding of God and His ways will help you to view your obstacles from His perspective. As you grow in your relationship with God, your character will begin to reflect His character.
Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master. – 1 Peter 1:2 MSG
Oftentimes, when anxiety, frustration, and fear are replacing peace, it is an indication that your mind has been more focused on worldly things than on godly things. Here’s an article with some tips on how to keep your mind focused on God and live a peace-filled life.
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. -Isaiah 26:3 ESV
Here’s my prayer for you:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Adapted from Numbers 6:24-26