Finding Peace In A World Filled With Problems

5 Remedies For Stress by Sam and Debbie Bowman

We encounter many people dealing with stress these days. The world has gotten really crazy out there. But, while you can’t always control what is going on in the world, you do have a choice about what is going on in your own world. You can take control of the world that is in your mind and emotions. You can choose to live in peace. 

Jesus slept in the boat in the midst of the storm. How did he do that? He was totally at peace with Father God. He absolutely knew he was in his Father’s hands. He knew that as long as he was in his Father’s presence that everything would work out. So how do we find that kind of peace? Heres five ideas you can chew on to help you create more peace in your world.

P Is For Practice

Practice putting your mind on positive powerful things. Your body can be divided into eleven systems. They interact with each other and affect each other. Your mental system triggers your emotional system. Science tells us negative thought paths in the brain look like thorn trees. They trigger feelings of worry and anxiety, which release toxins into your muscle system and that will make your body feel bad. On the other hand, good thoughts look like lush, rounded trees in the brain. They trigger good feelings, release endorphins and make your body feel good.

E Is For Edit

Edit what your eyes see. You can choose what you look at. Watch the news on TV for a couple of hours, which puts your eyes on man’s fallen nature and think about how you feel. Has your peace increased or has you anxiety increased? Then turn off the TV and go for a walk and put your eyes on God’s nature. Now think about the difference. You can’t change the world, but you can change what part of the world you put your eyes on. Where your eyes go your body follows.

A Is For Accept

So this is a big one. Constantly thinking about what you’re going to do about problems increases stress and anxiety and that increases toxins and that increases bad feelings in your body. Make a pact with yourself today that you will spend 30 minutes in prayer turning every problem in your life over to God, one at a time. Ask the Holy Spirit what you should do about that problem and write down your strategy. Accept the things you can’t change and leave them in God’s hands. The problem with many Christians is they believe in God, but they don’t believe God. Leave ALL of your problems in God’s hands and believe He can work them out. Ninety nine percent of all we worry about never happens. Ninety nine percent of all that does happen works itself out without us doing anything! How much does that leave you to worry about? Very little. So don’t spend a lot of your time worrying about the very little.

C Is For Control

We just talked about leaving control of your life in God’s hands. Control here means I control my emotions. You have a choice in the matter! You don’t have to let any old thought go through your mind. You don’t have to focus on stressful situations. You have a choice to control your thoughts and emotions. Most people I talk to who are stressed are stressed over things they can’t control anyway, and they are applying no control to what they can control, their own thought life. You have a choice! Take a thought vacation. Decide for the next hour, or for the next day that you will take a mental vacation from worry. You may not be able to choose what life hands you, but you can chose to control your reaction to what life hands you.

E Is For Enter

E Is For enter God’s presence. Some Christians have never been taught how to enter the powerful, peaceful, healing presence of God. Even their prayers become a battleground rather than a place of peace and victory. It’s as simple as these four steps: 1) Quiet yourself down, 2) Put your eyes on Jesus, 3) Tune into the spontaneous flow of the Holy Spirit, and 4) Journal what you see and hear from God.

Let me say it again, while many Christians believe in God, they don’t practice believing God. You’ve heard the old saying, practice what you preach? It’s time to practice the peace that we preach is available. Determine that you will live in peace and that will take the world one step closer to peace by being in peace yourself, and the peace you live will spread to the people around you and that’s how you bring peace to the world.

Love, Sam and Debbie

Debbie is a retired intensive Care nurse. Sam holds a degree in psychology from Huntington University and a masters degree in Christian Ministry from Christian Leadership University. Together they make The Bowman Initiative. http://www.thebowmanintiative.com