Joyce Meyer

Every week I sign off with "Selah…" I love this word because it reminds me to "pause and calmly think about that" or to meditate on the message that precedes it. It helps me slow down, take a deep breath, and relax…get into a calm, peaceful place. And we can all use more peace in our lives.

The pace of our technology-driven culture tends to be a primary peace-stealing culprit. It's no fun to find ourselves all stressed-out because of all the emails, texts and Internet activity that seem to be constantly generated. It's like the World Wide Web is alive! Along with those little electronic devices we have either with us or literally on our person at all times. These things aren't necessarily bad, but it seems obvious that overuse and over-stimulation from 24/7 technology has robbed many of their peace.

Of course there are other peace stealers, like strife, unexpected changes or challenges during the routine of our day, and a number of other things. You may have one in mind right now. But the good news is, Jesus offers us supernatural peace that transcends all of them. We just need to take hold of it and learn to live with it.

If you're interested in living with peace 24/7, check out Joyce's article. She has the answer to getting more peace in your life. Selah… susan

Did you know that you can choose to live a peaceful life? And as a Christian, God's will is for us to have peace. But many Christians allow their circumstances or other people to get them upset and angry, or they fret and worry about things they can't control. When they do, it allows the devil to steal their peace. But if we really understand God's Word, this doesn't have to be the way we live. Christians can live in peace.

We waste so much time and energy worrying about stuff we can't do one thing about…things that only God can change. But He's not going to change them until we put our faith in Him instead of getting anxious and worrying.

And worry doesn't do any good. The Bible says in Matthew 6:27 (NIV) "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Yet, many Christians still do it. We worry about this and worry about that…and it gets us nowhere.

Here's something I had to learn: Don't use up all of your emotional energy trying to fix something that only God can fix. It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health. And anxiety steals your joy.

Meanwhile, nothing changes.

Peace is the answer. Take a look at this encouraging scripture in John 14:27 (AMP), where Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled."

Interestingly, this is one of the final things Jesus said to His disciples before departing. Of all the things He could have said, Jesus made a point to talk about peace.

Notice that Jesus said He wanted to give them His peace. That's because there is a worldly type of peace that people can have when everything is going their way. And you don't need to be Christian to have that type of peace.

As Christians, we display the power of God in our life by remaining peaceful and calm even when everything isn't going our way and we're experiencing the same difficult circumstances everyone in the world experiences. We really show the world who Jesus is when we are enjoying life instead of wasting time worrying and being frustrated.

It's easy to see that the peace Jesus offers is much better than what the world offers. And when we live with the peace that can only come from God, it has a huge impact on others.

There's a common reason many people have trouble getting more peace in their life-it takes more than "wishing." It's easy to think, "I wish I didn't get upset so easily," or "I wish I didn't have such a fiery personality," or "I wish my circumstances were different, because then I'd have more peace." But the truth is, wishing doesn't change anything. God has given us some responsibility here.

Take me for example. I've been through a lot in my life. Living with an abusive father, I grew up in a home that was far from peaceful. I saw my dad manipulate people by ranting and raving and getting angry. And usually, the way you are raised is the way you behave in your adult life. So until I learned better, I used to do the same thing in all my relationships.

But through the grace of God in my life, I realized that I had to take responsibility for my lack of peace if I wanted to grow and change. And I could no longer get by with the excuse, "Well, I was abused, so I can't help the way I act."

I finally understood that if I was going to have a great marriage and if I wanted to be able to minister to more people, I needed to change-I needed to become more peaceful with others. The good news is the Holy Spirit is always willing and able to help us. John 14:26 (NCV) says "But the Helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name."

Make a decision to have peace in your life. Even if you get mad easily or worry about things all the time, you can overcome it with God's help. You can learn how to live with the peace Jesus gives. Just ask the Helper, and He will lead you to the peace of God that surpasses our understanding.