Charisma Magazine

Sadly, many Christians have no idea what God's peace feels like.

Peace is a precious commodity that sometimes seems just out of reach. But the Bible teaches that God has already provided us with peace. John 14:27 records Jesus' words to His disciples, which apply to followers today as well: "'Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you'" (The Amplified Bible). If peace is available, then it is up to us to learn how to appropriate it.

Sadly, many Christians have no idea what God''s peace really feels like. The first 40 years of my life, I lived without the blessing and benefit of peace, and I can tell you from experience that life without peace is miserable.

We simply cannot enjoy life when we live in turmoil--always worried, anxious and upset about something. But Psalm 4:8 says, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust." The good news for believers is that even in difficult times we can be safe, blessed and content when we are led by peace.

How do we experience this all-encompassing peace? The answer is quite simple: obedience. We are called to walk in the Spirit--to be led, guided and willingly controlled by the Holy Spirit.

But God will not force us to do what is right. He shows us what to do and leaves the choice up to us. If we make right choices, we will reap peace; if we make wrong choices, all we will have is regret.

I have often said that peace is the umpire that lets us know if we are in God's will or not. Ask yourself the following question, and be honest with your answer: Are you walking in God's will to the best of your ability, or are there areas in your life in which you know you are not obeying Him?

You will not experience peace if God is pulling in one direction and you are pulling in the other--you will feel as though you are being torn apart.

A perfect example of what can happen when we disobey God is found in the story of Jonah. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the people. But Jonah did not want to go, so he boarded a ship headed for Tarshish--in the opposite direction!

A violent storm came up and frightened the men on the ship. Jonah knew he had disobeyed God, so he told the men to throw him overboard in order to deliver them from danger.

When they did what he asked them to, the storm immediately stopped, and a whale swallowed Jonah. From the whale's belly he cried out to God for deliverance and repented of his stubborn ways.

When the whale vomited Jonah out on dry land, the word of the Lord came to him again. God told him a second time to go to Nineveh and preach to the people there (see Jonah 3:1-2).

Many of the storms we face in life are the result of our own stubbornness. We may try to blame our problems on other things, but the truth is that in many instances we have been disobedient to the voice of God.

No matter how long we try to avoid God's will, we eventually must learn that God's way is better than any plan we could devise.

Peace with God is available to all of us, but we cannot have it on our own terms. We have to trust that God's way is better. God is good, and He has good things planned for His children. His Word assures us, "For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome" (Jer. 29:11).

It is far, far better to trust God to take care of us and enjoy His peace than to insist on our own way and live in fear, turmoil, and anxiety. Enjoying the peace of God requires us to trust Him enough to allow Him to lead us and take care of us.

If God is leading you to do something difficult, choose to obey Him by taking baby steps of faith. He will lead you step by step on the path toward peace. Relax and allow yourself to be led by the only One who knows what is best for you--the Prince of Peace.

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Joyce Meyer is an internationally recognized minister and author of 60 books, including the best sellers Beauty for Ashes and Battlefield of the Mind (Warner Faith) and The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word (Warner Faith, 2004). She is the founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. and the host of Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide.

 
One the greatest sins in the church is not necessarily gossip, strife, addictions, adultery, or fornication—even though all these things are sin. What I believe is the greatest sin today, especially in America, is the sin of prayerlessness or leaving God alone.

We can easily become caught in the trap where our only consistent time of prayer is offered before each meal and that's about it. You know what I mean by the meal prayers, don't you? “God is good; God is great. I'm so hungry I could eat this plate.” I've been so hungry before that sometimes I have felt like eating the plate.

One time when I prayed a quick prayer over my meal, I felt the Lord say, “Now, Hank, did you mean that from your heart?” Like most of us, I didn't mean or even hear what I had prayed. Since then, I always feel convicted when I pray insincere prayers, even if the food is making my mouth water.

Prayer, however, is about so much more than that. The truth is that we need a deep commitment to prayer that goes far beyond our meals. Additionally, it is far more than praying only when problems arise. I have found prayer becomes easy when you are in some kind of trouble. It seems like you have more energy to reach out to God when you need an answer to a difficult situation. But God has our time consistently, regardless of what circumstances are present in our lives.

The way to develop this type of personal relationship with God—the kind that moves His heart-is to set a time and a place to meet Him. The Lord looks forward to your special time together. You can become determined to not leave God alone by developing a consistent prayer habit. Give God the desire of His heart—He wants to be with you, to spend time with you. Be committed to it until the habit takes a permanent hold in your life.

Talk to the Lord about your desire to be with Him. By verbalizing your commitment, you remind yourself that to have a fruitful walk with God, you must find devoted time to fellowship with Him. Imagine what would happen. If we would refuse to leave God alone that way, miraculous things would begin to take place.

If you would commit yourself to prayer, you will learn the secrets to a powerful prayer life. I have learned the most about prayer by staying with it no matter how I felt or what the present circumstances were.

If you ask Jesus how to pray, He will teach you. Much of my learning about prayer came from just getting alone with God. When you get alone with the Lord, He will teach you-if you are determined to learn.

We do not have to make powerful prayer complicated. After more than 20 years serving God, I keep it simple. I make God real to me. He is real to me. And the more real I make Jesus, the more real He becomes in my life.

Just get alone with the Lord, and He will teach you to pray. Don't be discouraged if some of your prayer times with the Lord feel dry or unproductive. Begin with a hunger to spend time with Him, and the Holy Spirit will help you succeed.

Adapted from Don't Leave God Alone by Hank Kunneman, copyright 2008, published by Charisma House. The Bible is filled with examples of great men and women who would not leave God alone. Their cries to God changed their lives and the lives of others and altered the course of history. This book will help you discover the secrets to powerful prayer that can move God to change even what appears impossible in your life. To order a copy click on this link http://www.strangdirect.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17841&source=SWSPON

God's protection is not automatic. There are choices you have to make for God to be your refuge.

The Bible is filled with accounts of God's supernatural protection. Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace? What about Daniel and the lion's den? God has no problem bringing you out of threatening circumstances. Time and again He has proven He is well able to get the job done.

But God's protection is not automatic. There are choices you have to make for God to be your refuge. The psalmist says: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust'” (Ps. 91:1-2, NKJV).

I grew up with Santa Claus, and I’m guessing you probably did too. I still remember the sad day when I learned from some really mean kids on the playground that there was no jolly man in a red velvet suit putting dolls and Michael Jackson records under the Christmas tree. And there were no elves to manufacture the Atari game system, over which Santa received many, many pleading letters. Oh, the horror. It was the grownups the whole time.

But even when that chapter of Christmas magic finally closed, one Christmas myth persisted in my family and in my own experience well into adulthood: the debt fairies.

The debt fairies are a mythical creation with far more impact than Santa. Their legend goes something like this: Because it’s Christmas, you can charge whatever you want and it’s going to be OK. After all, you’re celebrating Jesus’ birthday.

Heard that one before?