Peace for the Troubled Mind
by Renee Davis
Many of us struggle to find and keep peace
in our lives. Some days, I’m aware and thankful
for the peace I find; other days I take it for granted.
And then, there are the days that I’d do just about
anything to have even a little sliver of it.
Some days, I just need a little peaceful time—
you know, like maybe some time alone for myself,
or maybe the need for peace and quiet when the
walls of this tiny house close in tight and magnify
every little peep.
There have been times when I’ve needed
the peace of God—the kind that surpasses all
understanding. And there’ve been days when, no
matter how hard I cry, how much time I spend on
my knees, how many miles I walk while pacing my
cage…peace seems far from me.
But…it does come.
It’s my prayer that, when you’re searching (and
waiting) for the peace that only He can provide,
these three truths will reassure you to have faith
that peace is on the way.
14 kojministries.org Issue 1 2018
God Has a Plan for You
I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of
evil, to give you future and a
hope (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV).
Believing that God has a good plan for you and
your life can sometimes be difficult. Circumstances
overwhelm us. We become burdened and
discouraged by the confusion they can bring.
But the middle of the struggle is the time to
keep praying for peace. It’s not the time to give up.
For me, it’s the time I remind myself of all the times
before that He’s replaced the incessant warring in
my mind with harmony and composure.
Sometimes it takes minutes. Sometimes it takes
hours. Sometimes it takes days.
But I keep praying and crying out to Him…and
sometimes I just plain cry.
I also pull out my old journals. They clearly
remind me of the many times in my life that He
rescued me from the war, both in my mind and
around me, and helped me find peace.
If you’re not journaling, I urge you to do so.
There may come a time when you’ll need to
remember how hard the path to peace was and
how well He comforted and kept you. That written
record of His faithfulness will help bring peace by
reminding you that this too shall pass, and, like
before, He’ll be right there with you.
No matter how hopeless your situation looks
or feels, rest assured—He does have a plan for
you and your life. Like the old gospel hymn says,
“When you can’t see the plan, trust His unseen
hand.”
God Is Your Power Source
You will keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on
You, because he trusts in You
(Isaiah 26:3 NKJV).
Chances are, you already know that fretting and
living with a chaotic mindset is exhausting and
anything but peaceful. It takes a toll—emotionally,
spiritually, mentally, and physically. It also impacts
those around us, especially those closest to us.
One way I’ve found to achieve peace is to gain
power over the enemy.
Yes, that’s right. The enemy robs us of peace,
and his favorite way of doing so is to attack our
minds. And unfortunately, most of the time, we
don’t even know it’s happening.
It’s important for believers to make it a
continuous habit to be mindful about what we’re
thinking about. If we aren’t meditating on the
things of God (renewing our minds), then we
aren’t tapping into God’s power. And that means
we’re giving the enemy more power over us.
Some self-awareness questions to ask yourself
might include:
What am I allowing the enemy to tell me?
What have I been telling myself, calling myself?
What have I been focusing on most?
When I feel powerless and peace is hardest for
me to find (and I finally get a clue and examine
what’s going on inside this sometimes wishywashy
head of mine), I realize I’ve been listening
to the enemy and the voices of this world.
Romans 12:2 instructs us to be transformed by
the renewing of our minds. In other words, we’re
to focus on godly things. Renewing of the mind
must be a daily occurrence—and some days, we
even need a minute-by-minute occurrence.
Consciously replace the enemy’s defeating,
worrisome, and downright ugly thoughts with
God’s thoughts and promises. This is where
prayer, memorized scripture, understanding your
identity in Him, and spending time in the Word
proves vital. When you’ve prepared ahead for the
Fill your mind with God’s
good words, and they will
push out the bad. Then your
overburdened brain and weary
soul can experience much-needed
peace and rest in Him.
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