Welcome to “30 Days of Praise!” Every once in a while I go into a month long journey of fasting, praying and praising. It helps me re-commit my life to Christ, keep my priorities in order, slow down from the craziness of everyday life and take time to really listen to what God wants to tell me. I am always amazed and excited where my journey takes me, and this time I will be journaling everyday and sharing my experiences with you.
Day 11 ~
I wanted to share with you today one of the greatest treasures I have learned so far in my walk with God. It is how I found the secret of happiness. I’m not talking about smiling and laughing and having a good time. I’m talking about how to find contentment in those deep, dark places where it seems we are alone and struggling. A place of peace.
In the Christian world we quote scriptures all the time about peace and contentment. Here are some of my favorites:
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.”
Psalms 29:11 “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.”
Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him on perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:13 “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”
I could go on and on but you get the idea. We are given the promise of peace. So why does it seem so hard for us to find it? To actually live a life of happiness and peace all the time? The answer is actually pretty simple but sadly it’s just not taught much. It is one of those treasures just waiting for us to find, and it is so valuable that the enemy puts blinders over our eyes so we will not see it. Because if we, as Christians, can conquer this one battle, our lives will be completely transformed and we could change the world.
Most people search for happiness from people, possessions, prestige, money etc… And the fact is THAT IS A LIE! True happiness can only come from God. And it begins with yourself. I had to learn through the school of hard knocks, and let me tell you that school threw some pretty hard blows. The enemy was constantly sending people to me to plant seeds of doubt, negativity, hatred, bitterness and revenge. It seemed that every time I thought I had found happiness, it was robbed back away from me again. It was many years of struggling through this until one day my husband said the most profound words that he has ever spoken to me. He probably had said it a thousand times before, but for some reason this time it was like a light bulb turning on in my head. This particular time a person had accused me of having an affair with her husband. It was an outright lie and we both knew it, but still I let myself get thrown into her whirlwind of chaos and bitterness.
My husband said to me, “Sarah, why do you let people make you feel guilty of something you are not guilty of?” Why did I? Well who wouldn’t get nervous and upset if they were being accused of having an affair? But God pricked my heart with those simple words. I was innocent. I knew it. Why did I let her rob my joy? Well I wasn’t going to any longer. I spent alot of time praying and knew that I was safe in God’s arms, that I had nothing to fear. A couple days later I saw her and she tried to go on and on, like she had for the past several weeks. I stopped her half way through her first sentance and very calmly said, “You should be ashamed of yourself! You know me well enough to know I wouldn’t do anything like that and I’m not appologizing for anything!” And I turned and walked away from her. I’m sure I left her with her chin to the floor. I had learned a VERY POWERFUL lesson that day. The minute I listened to her lies I got myself out of God’s will and let anger and bitterness lead me astray. But if I kept myself on the right path with God, then nothing and nobody can take me out of God’s arms. I was safe as long as I kept myself there!
Romans 8:35-36 “For I am pursuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Needless to say the gossip ended that day and we never heard another word about it. I realized that the secret to happiness was within me the whole time. I had to learn to be confident in the path God was leading me on. It wasn’t that I was necessarily happy where I was at, infact I knew there was still alot of changing God had to do in me. But if I was safe in his arms, then no devil in hell could knock me down. I also learned that day to thank God for the trials in my life and the people that come against me. Because I chose to keep myself close to God, he was able to use the trials in my life to show me great lessons, and teach me to be what he wanted me to be. I would not have broken that stronghold in my life if I had not been falsly accussed in the first place. So now I thank God for the people and circumstances that come against me, for they are actualy being used by God to lead me where I need to be with him.
I recently saw Bishop T.D. Jakes preaching this mesage and let me tell you if you take the time to watch it and let God speak to you, your life will change TODAY! I encourage you to take the time for yourself and feed your spirit some good food! Are you ready to find the secret to happiness?
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About Sarah @ Stand By Faith
