What is Peace?  We have all seen the hand gesture making the peace sign – or the symbol for peace that is globally accepted.  But what does it really mean? 

I personally believe it’s easier to explain what peace isn’t than it is to accurately define what it is.  COVID-19 - that’s not peace. A war breaking out or riots, that’s also not peace.  The past year-and-a-half have proved to be one of the most challenging times in my lifetime and probably yours.  Because of the global pandemic there has been a war on your peace and on mine.  Virus outbreak, illness, wars, and riots are great conditional descriptions of things that don’t give us peace. 

What does God’s word say Peace is and how can we receive it regardless of the challenges we are facing? The answer is in today's podcast.

Scripture references:

Judges 6:1-24, Isaiah 9:6-7, John 14:27, Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:4-7

Have you ever lost someone you really cared about and felt alone and unsure about how to go on with your life? Maybe you wonder if God really sees you, thinks about you or cares at all about what you are going through. If so, this story is for you…. 

Psalms 139:17-18 NIV says, “How precious to me are your thoughts, God. How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand…” 

Have you ever been to the beach and scooped up a handful of sand? Can you count the grains of sand in your hand? It’s impossible – and I’m only talking about what is in your hand! Look around on that same seashore and imagine being able to count every grain of sand as far as your eyes can see. That’s how often God is thinking about you and He wants you to believe it and experience it today.

God may be sending you an angel with a message - or He may use you as His messenger to encourage another. Don't underestimate who you are and the impact you can have on a stranger, friend or family member.

1st Corinthians 1:27 NIV - “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong”.

Psalms‬ ‭34:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ - “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Psalms‬ ‭56:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ - “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

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Each of us carry a yoke in this life and for many of us it's heavy, oppressive and restrictive. Jesus came to bring freedom to us, to destroy the yoke of slavery and to replace the yoke we carry alone today with His yoke, that He has promised to wear with us. Mathew 11:28-30 is an invitation for us to find rest, hope and power as we walk with Jesus through all of the challenges of life.

Don't miss the secret of the yoke!

Galatians 5:1

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Mathew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Jeremiah 33:3

"Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Luke 4:18-19

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Hearing the voice of God through all the noise in this life can be challenging. Especially with the strong influence technology and social media have on our lives.

On average a person taps, swipes and clicks on their phone 2,617 times per day. That's 109 times per hour where people are picking up their phone to do something! TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are now a part of daily life calling us to check in to see what people are doing and what they think of us.

Your true identity needs to come from one place, God. We need to silence the noise to hear the one who is calling us by name not because of a great post we put out on social media, but because He has written a fantastic story for our lives and wants to share that with us.

This episode is our attempt as a family to silence tech and connect together. We haven't perfected it - matter of fact, we fail more often than we are successful....but we won't give up as it's too important!

Biblical References: Psalm 139:16, 1 Kings 18-19, Revelation 3:20, Hebrews 12:2

In Daniel 10:19 an angel brings a message to Daniel. "Fear not. You are greatly treasured. All will be well with you. Be strong!"

This isn't something the angel came up with but rather a message directly from God himself. Angels are only messengers who share what they have been told to say by God. Your prayers are always heard by God. And like Daniel, an answer to your prayer is coming and can be found in the promises God has already written and spoken in the Bible. Dig into those promises, write them down, memorize them and repeat them. Speak those promises over your life and all its challenges and see what happens!

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 says, "Place these words I'm speaking on your heart and in your very being. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. Teach them to your children, by talking about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up."

References: Daniel 10:19, Deuteronomy 11:18-19, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

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How far are you willing to go to believe God's promises and that He is able to do 'immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine'? Are you willing to step beyond what you can see to take Him at His word?

Everything is possible for those that believe because He is the master key to every lock in the universe!

Ephesians 3:20, Mark 9:22-26 & Jeremiah 29:11

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An unexpected encounter that was met with fear and doubt quickly proved that God had setup a divine appointment with a stranger who was 6'6 and 300lbs. All for the purpose of delivering a specific message and promise directly from God's word.

Ephesians 2:10

email: [email protected]