This is part 2 of a 9 part series I will be sharing with you on the book Breaking Free by Beth Moore. The first part talked about being a captive and what held me back was that I was unaware that I was even a captive. This second part is focusing on Experiencing Peace in God, the verse that I want to share is
2 Thessalonians 3:16 "No may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." This verse taught me so much while I was on the journey of Breaking Free and one that I will hold dear to.
When I am talking about being peace with God, many of you may ask what is she talking about? Peace comes in situations that are completely given to to God. Have you ever experienced that? Have you ever had a situation where you needed Him and you just cried out to Him, even if you haven't ever or maybe in a long time asked God for anything, but in that moment you needed Him. I know that I have been there many times, when I tried to do it all on my own without God's help, then when I am at my breaking point I call out to Him.
I had to let go of many things in my past in order to experience true peace, the hurts caused by people, the pain of losing friends and I longed to feel peace. I just never knew that I could just lay it all down, until I finally realized I had been carrying around years of baggage and in order to move forward in my life and also in my walk with God, I had to let go.
It was hard for me to face that I would have to forgive those who had caused me so much pain in order to truly have peace. I had to to pray that God would just take away the resentment I had towards them, and give me a heart of forgiveness. Trust me it wasn't easy, I wanted to hold the grudge since they had caused me so much pain, but God tugged at my heart saying " Ruth, you need to forgive them, forgive them and I will give you peace" in that moment I had tears running down my face and I just asked God to help me deal with the pain and give me a heart to forgive.
I can honestly say, that night and as each day passed I felt a calmness I had never felt. I could feel peace, I was letting go of the baggage that consumed my life and for the first time I felt peace. I can't describe how it all felt, but I will in the best way I can. How I felt is that this huge burden was lifted off me, I could actually smile again and it was genuine not a show, I had learn to let go and now I could look forward to what God was going to show me and do in my life.
I learned that in it all He was always there, in my darkest days He was there. God doesn't always calm the trials that we are going through right away , but He does allow us to learn from it and to see His hand in it all. Don't worry if you're experiencing some trying times with your spouse, family, or friends. He will calm the storm and give you peace, but you have to seek Him. That was the one thing God showed me was that He was always there but I had just pushed Him aside and tried to handle it all on my own. One of my favorite sayings is from my mother she always says "This too shall pass" and she is so right when we give everything to God and learn to let GO we can experience peace that passes all understanding and we can be FREE.
I want to leave you with this verse Hebrews 13:5 " I will never leave you or forsake you" This is a great promise from God to us, and it is one that I cherish. He's always there, to comfort, provide always there right by your side. It took me a while to figure this out but I can't imagine my life without the Peace only He can give me, my life has been forever changed.
My prayer is that if you going through a challenging time or know someone who is give it all to God and in Him you can find true peace.
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