*Seek Peace

The Bible is filled with verses that can bring peace in the middle of struggles, worries and fear.If we ask God, He promises us HIS peace "that passes understanding"! Use the below Bible verses when you feel overwhelmed and are unsure the next step to take.

The best thing you can do when you are filled with anxiety and worry is to find a quiet place to pray, read Scripture, and listen to encouraging worship music. God wants you to have a life lived to the fullest and that includes being at peace! So SEEK it out and pursue it!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 

Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 1 Peter 3:11 

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.James 3:18

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:15 

May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!  Psalm 29:11 

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Psalms 85:8

Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.                Psalm 119:165 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 

"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.  2 Thessalonians 3:16 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Isaiah 26:3 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.  John 14:27 

And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.   Micah 5:4-5

Most people who lack peace simply have not taken the time to pursue it. God's peace comes to those with the personal discipline to stop in the midst of the craziness of life and take time to seek Him. It is a condition of peace that we cease from life's activity and know Him. He commands, "Be still, and know that I am God" Psalms 46:10.  .."And to those whose minds are steadfastly fixed on Him, He gives the gift of peace. " Isaiah 26: 3-4

You are Graciously Adorned!

❤Jonna

*Snow Day

Snow Day. It is a term that much in South Texas do not know much about...firsthand that is. We hear

about it in the movies or on the news but we really do not know the significance of a "snow day". Well we had our first hard freeze yesterday and about all of the state "closed" down. There really wasn't much snow to speak about...it was actually an "Ice Day". It isn't that we are afraid of ice and

snow...we close down because we don't know how to live in it or function in it. We don't have the infrastructure built with ice in mind so every overpass is a death trap and we definitely do not know how to DRIVE in it. Our cars aren't suited with the right tires and we don't have all the life saving items that most people up north keep in their trunks of their cars in case of freezing temperatures. So because of ignorance we shut everything down so that people can be safe and encourage people to stay home.

There has been many times in my life when I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to respond and I didn't even know what to think about a situation. I had never been to this place before and really was ignorant to my next step. It is in these times that I believe I have been called to my own personal "snow day". A day to stay put, a day to rest, a day to not go anywhere or even be productive...a day to just be quiet. Because Lord knows if I speak it would be the wrong thing and I am pretty sure people will take it the wrong way! Spiritual snow days are a great thing and as Christians we should take more of them. It isn't really that we are ignorant...it is just that we need more Godly wisdom and sometimes in order to get that we have to be still and hear God's voice. 

Sometimes we just need the additional strength and we need the new direction to take a problem or situation head on. We all have the infra-structure inside of us, but depending on our level of maturity, we might not have the experience to actually use it effectively. So its okay to take a break and step back to make sure the right decision is being made...go for it! There is so much wisdom in not answering or responding quickly and taking it to prayer. There is actually power in it. God doesn't want us afraid of taking a step but He fully wants us to be engaged with His heart and in His direction and we can't fully know what He wants if we never take any time to be alone with Him. 

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”    Psalms 91:9-16

Psalms 91 is a beautiful representation of where we can go when we are in need of an answer and when we are in trouble. It is one of my favorites. It makes me feel like I can do anything! I feel like I am a warrior carrying a sword when I read this. I start getting this looseness in my neck and I start feeling all tough and finding myself saying "Bring it on!" The really cool thing is that God is the one that is going to fight our battles. We just need to conduct ourselves the way that He has instructed us to. We have to have the faith that He is going to work things out but as the same time we have to do our part. God will give you the words to speak and He will give you the next steps that you need to take...we just need to have the faith to see it get carried out.

Don't wait for a crisis to overtake you...take some INTENTIONAL Snow Days. Take the time to cuddle up and enjoy the sweet presence of Jesus while the world is going crazy around you. You will be refreshed, renewed and ready to take on anything and everything with the right attitude, the right answers and with God on your side. So the next time something hits you blindsided...don't find yourself unprepared for the moment....be ready and on task to take it on!


You Are Graciously Adorned!

❤Jonna
               

*The Truth

There are so many wonderful phrases around to encourage yourself these days. There are an unlimited amount of memes and scripture photos that are so beautiful and I love to share them on social media. I also see a whole lot of them that contain phrases that at first sight are good but as notice them shared and I read the comments; it worries me that people actually believe some of this stuff! One I see a lot is "Follow your heart" or "Be yourself and don't care what anyone else thinks." Another popular phrase being tossed around is "My truth" or "Your truth". I have been seeing that a whole lot lately and in a lot of Christian circles. Although I do not object to using this term; it irks me at the same time. The term "my truth" actually refers to the thoughts and feelings that someone is experiencing and believing to be true at the moment. It is how a person sees something and feels about a situation. That sounds harmless, right?

It is harmless until you start living by your feelings and emotions and letting your "truth for the moment" guide you. Everyone has truths that they live by. Our society unfortunately has watered down what "truth" really means. To some truth is subjective and totally reliant on preference and opinion. Others believe truth is a collective judgment, the product of cultural agreement, and still others flatly deny the concept of truth altogether. 

First of all we must understand that a “truth” that contains even a hint of bias is no truth at all. God’s Word is clear. The moment we give our lives to Jesus, we are new in both spirit and mind. But if we’re to be “transformed by the renewal of [our] mind[s]” we must pay closer attention to our thoughts Romans 12:2. For, thoughts ultimately dictate emotions, and it seems biases grow best in the head of corrupted thoughts and emotions. And we all know that feelings lie! Feelings are not the Christians TRUTH...our truth is the Word of God. It is the one things that never changes and should be the basis of everything that we do, everything that we feel and everything that we believe. It is our TRUTH!

“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool” Proverbs 26:28

“The heart is deceitful above all things" Jeremiah 17:9

When we let our feelings lead the way, we end up making a lot of unwise, ungodly, self-focused decisions—and making a mess of our lives. We also become prone to “picking and choosing” our truth—receiving the things that make us feel good, and rejecting the things that don’t. We find ourselves bitter and becoming disconnected from the things of God. The enemy wants to separate us from the truth that is found in the Word of God. Finding us alone, upset and feeling unloved and undervalued is a really big strategy of the enemy as well. The enemy wants us to be confused about how we feel and what we believe and he has been doing a great job of it.

God cares deeply about each one of your painful past experiences and each one of your current struggles. We must always remember that receiving His truth—not running away from it—is what leads to clarity and victory. The answers and “reasons why” may not always be immediately clear. But if you learn to place His unchanging, eternal truth far above your own feelings and experiences, you will soon begin to experience freedom, faith, and heavenly perspective beyond what you ever thought possible. You have all heard that term "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!". It isn't a quote from Shakespeare...like some people actually think...it is a scripture found in the Bible found in John 8:32. 

Knowing the TRUTH and feeling your truth are two totally different things. Our truth is grounded in who Jesus is. God's word is the only foundation that is true and just and unchanging. Your feelings if left unchecked can flutter in the wind going here and there and leaving you fragile and vulnerable..and lost. 

When you find yourself hurt, upset and emotional about something here are a few strategies to make sure you are aligned with the truth of the Word of God:

1. What is THE truth about this hurt or situation?
2. What does God's Word say about how to deal with a situation or a feeling like this?
3. Pray about your heart and if there is any direction that you need to take to resolve it. 
4. If you are not able to resolve it on your own go to someone in authority over you and ask them to help you. Friends are great to consult about something only IF they are Godly friends that you consider a mentor. They should pray with you about it and you together regard the Bible in how to resolve it or move forward. 
5. Depending on the hurt it may take time to get over. Protect your heart and be aware of your emotions and feelings. Always have in the forefront of your mind and your day this: "God. Show me your truth today. Lead me and help me to follow your ways and not my mind or emotions. Thank you Lord for bringing me victory. You are the prince of peace over my thoughts today and I will dwell on who you are in my life. Help me today to remember who I am in Christ. I am an overcomer!" 
6. It is helpful to declare scriptures over your life every day and when something starts to enter your mind that isn't lined up with the truth of God then you will be more than able to recognize it and strike it down. 

There isn't anything better than living in harmony with others and in the freedom that only Christ can provide. As you declare small victories in regards to your mind and your emotions you will realize that it isn't that hard at all to be free of offense and hurt and being overwhelmed by your emotions, because God is leading you and He is YOUR TRUTH!

You are Graciously Adorned!

❤Jonna

 

More of Him

That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.
John 3:29-30, The Message
#YouAreGraciouslyAdorned