When my husband had leukemia, I couldn’t trust God. We were newlyweds and new Christians. I looked around and saw widows who had lost Christian husbands to cancer or some other terminal illness. How could I trust God when He allowed so many others to die?
I still can’t believe the calmness that surrounded me that summer night six years ago. My husband had woken me up. “I can’t breathe!”
I rushed into action as if I had done this before: called 911 and prayed. Paramedics worked on my husband as I made phone calls seeking prayer warriors. At the hospital, they administered a breathing treatment, and the doctor diagnosed him with a flash form of congestive heart failure. Lifestyle and dietary changes prevented future episodes.
If you know me, you would know that staying cool in an emergency situation falls far beyond my typical nature. How do we obtain a state of peace in the face of panic? How do we protect that peace once we grasp it?
Let’s examine seven roadblocks to peace. When we work on these collectively, we can obtain a tranquil mindset, one that is only given by the Holy Spirit:
1. Lack of Intimacy
I remained in bed one Christmas due to debilitating pain in my back and hip. I couldn’t do any shopping, cooking, or gift-wrapping. So, I did the most important thing as I laid perfectly still to avoid the pain of moving. I spent Christmas with Jesus, and I experienced the most peaceful Christmas ever.
It’s difficult to sleep when peace evades us, but the Bible gives us three examples of people who slept like babies through amazing circumstances.
Jesus fell asleep in the boat (Mark 4:37-39). A violent storm began tossing the little boat around, but Jesus continued sleeping until the disciples woke Him, fearful for their lives. Once Jesus awoke, He calmed the storm.
When the evil rulers tossed Daniel into the lions’ den, he lost no sleep, and they found him unharmed the next morning (Dan. 6:23-24). Only the king who cared about Daniel lost sleep that night (Dan. 6:18).
In Acts chapter twelve, we find Peter spending the night prior to his execution in prison, chained to guards and heavily secured. Peter slept so sound that the angel who came to break him out of jail had to wake him up (Acts 12:7).
All three men, including Jesus, the God-Man, had spent quality time with God. Multiple times, the Gospels tell us about Jesus retreating to a mountain to pray. Daniel prayed three times daily, and Peter had spent the past three years of his life with Jesus Christ. A coloration exists between intimacy with our Lord and peace. How can you spend quality time with the Lord, developing a closer relationship?
2. Ingratitude
It‘s almost impossible to be thankful and anxious at the same time. Scripture connects thankfulness and peace several times. In Colossians 3:15 (NIV), Paul wrote:
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
We also find the command to be thankful in Paul’s letter to the Philippians:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
Take time, occasionally, to do nothing but thank God when you pray. Show God your gratitude for as many things as you can name. These verses bring us to our next roadblock.
3. Worry
If you read the above passage from Philippians, you will see the formula for peace that surpasses all understanding. First, stop worrying. Stop the anxious thoughts. Instead of worrying, which profits nothing, pray about your situation. Finally, pray with thankfulness. Thank God for how He will bring you through your trial. Thank Him for what you have today.
Before God removes the problem at hand, He will flood you with peace when you pray and refuse to worry. This sounds too good to be true, but I’ve found when I follow the steps Paul listed, peace does surround me.
4. Stress
Worry and stress are next of kin. We can use the same formula above to reduce stress, but we can go beyond that. We need to discipline our lives. Look at Martha and Mary. Martha stays in the kitchen cooking an elaborate meal for Jesus and His disciples. Who wouldn’t want to give Jesus the best of everything? Have you ever been guilty of going overboard, putting too much on your plate? We have great intentions, but when we begin putting it all together, we realize we’ve taken on too much.
Can you sympathize with Martha, working so hard, and then she sees Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:40-41)? I’ve been there myself, doing all the work while everyone else watches football on tv.
When Martha asked Jesus to send Mary in to help her, Jesus rebuked Martha, explaining that Mary had chosen the better part.
We can reduce stress by delegating and not elaborating. The key is to delegate certain responsibilities before you feel stressed. We also need to learn to say “No!” Sometimes, we struggle with that.
Self-discipline is a fruit of the Spirit along with peace. It will help us train ourselves to avoid stress when we control our schedules, rather than allowing our schedules to control us.
5. Sin and the Flesh
We have three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Sin not only hinders our peace; it blocks our answers to prayer and blessings. Ask God to show you the sin in your life. Do some self-examination. Sin will sear our consciences (1 Tim. 4:2). We might not recognize it because we have grown comfortable with it.
We also can choose to walk by the Spirit or by the flesh. Like sin, we might not even realize the detrimental effect certain worldly activities have on our lives. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, but if we allow the flesh and the world to sit on the throne of our lives, rather than the Spirit, peace will be a rare commodity.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 NIV)
Spending more time with God and in His Word draws us closer to the Spirit. Peace comes when we are Spirit-led and not flesh-driven.
6. Our Thoughts
What’s been on your mind today? When worry ruled me, my thoughts focused on my problems. How am I going to pay that bill? What if the repair costs more than I have in my checking account? I thought I had to figure it all out myself. Now, I give it to God, because He figures it out much better than I do.
I also used to struggle with negative thoughts and the accompanying negative self-talk. I labeled myself as an idiot. No one else called me that. Just me. As women, we self-inflict more harm to ourselves than we realize. How can peace survive in such a negative atmosphere? That’s why the Apostle Paul penned:
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2 NIV). This reiterates the harm of worldliness, but it focuses on our minds. When we allow thoughts to take up residence in our minds, they produce emotions that can disrupt our peace.
7. Lack of Trust in God
When my husband had leukemia, I couldn’t trust God. We were newlyweds and new Christians. I looked around and saw widows who had lost Christian husbands to cancer or some other terminal illness. How could I trust God when He allowed so many others to die?
I had absolutely no peace throughout that season, but God proved Himself faithful. Like children learning to crawl, walk, and then run, I matured. As we get to know our Lord, faith grows.
We don’t manufacture our peace. It’s a fruit of the Spirit, but we can give that fruit the environment it needs to flourish. Don’t attempt to remove all seven roadblocks at once. Work on one at a time, preferably beginning by nourishing your relationship with the Lord. The enemy always strives to steal our peace, so we must stay alert, but clearing these seven roadblocks will open the door to a more tranquil life.
Photo Credit: ©Francisco Moreno/Unsplash
