Thou will keep him in perfect peace

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"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Isaiah 26:3

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on Thee.

Marvel not that I say unto you,
Marvel not that I say unto you,
Marvel not that I say unto you,
Ye must be born again.
Author:Unknown

Love this song!!

We search for peace in many places and through different ways but do these solutions or actions really give us that peace?  The peace this world gives is only temporary.

This morning I am reminded that the peace that the Lord gives is perfect.

How do we get this gift of PEACE?

You must be born again. We get this peace through:
Jesus Christ. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil 4:7.

When we are born again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and the Word of God says "……the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruits in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…." Galatians 5:22-23

Who is the one that God will keep in perfect peace?

It’s the one whose mind is stayed on God. 
When this person goes through turmoil, hardships and challenges in life, their mind is focused on the GREATNESS and FAITHFULNESS of God.

It’s the one who TRUSTS God.
Trusts Him enough to allow Him to takeover! Trusts Him enough to cling on to His Words no matter what!

When these conditions are met, perfect peace takes over.

I love you Lord. Thank you for the peace that You so freely offer.

You are the voice of hope

You're the voice of hope

The anchor of my soul

Where there seems to be no way

You'll make it possible

Love You Lord!!

Perfect peace

It’s almost a month since I’ve moved here to Suzhou. It’s a city with beautiful gardens. It’s well known not only for its gardens but also for its canals and silk. My goal for the next few weeks is to learn Chinese especially asking the taxi driver to take me home without using my taxi cards. These are cards which have different addresses (shopping centres, medical, schools, apartments etc.) written in both Chinese and English.

Each day I’m grateful for His blessings, the beauty of this place and the different cultural experiences. This morning my reading was from Isaiah 26:3 – 4. It reads: You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal.
He will give us peace..perfect peace when we place our trust in Him. Who will have that peace? It's those whose minds are steadfast on Him. I looked up the word 'steadfast' in the dictionary and it says: fixed in direction, unwavering. When I hand my situation, my family, my concerns, my everything to Him.....my eyes and my trust is FIXED on Him and Him alone ...I believe that what He says in His word, He will surely accomplish.....His peace will overwhelm me!

My nerves, my thoughts, my 'what ifs' are calmed with His perfect peace when I place my trust in His ability to perform His word and when my gaze is steadfast on Him and not on those around me!

The More I Seek You

The more I seek You...the more I love You!

The joy of the LORD is my strength

What is my strength? The joy of the Lord!


Nehemiah 8:10
........the joy of the LORD is your strength


 "What is the joy of the Lord?" The fuel or the driving force that gives me the strength to endure whatever I face. When my heart is totally focussed on God and my eyes fixed upon His glory, I am oblivious to things hapenning to me as I see His attributes; goodness, faithfulness and His love.  As I delight myself in the Lord and worship Him, He fills my heart with this inner joy of His promises. This joy fills me with content, hope, peace and it empowers me to endure.

Rom.15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Giving

'If you seek to be understood, then dedicate your life to understanding others.
If you seek to be comforted, then dedicate yourself to giving comfort.
If you seek greater faith, then commit yourself to planting it in others.'

I had to ponder for a moment this morning when I read this. Isn't it so true that when we take the focus off ourselves and what we're going through to reach out to others, we're comforted. It helps us to forget about our own problems for that one minute!

This reminded me of the news coverage about the bushfire victims rebuilding their lives. A particular story that caught my attention was about a man who had lost alot of his personal possessions and despite his own hardships he had thrown himself into helping his neighbours. The news reporters called him 'the good samaritan.' I guess that by giving the comfort he was seeking, he found a even greater measure of it.

Dear Father,
Help me to remember that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

It is well with my soul

His peace is perfect

Listen to the whisper

It is well

It is well

With my soul.