GOD BREAKS CHAINS, NOT PROMISES

When we feel unpeaceful

and unrest,

let’s remember: testimonies come

from the test.

GOD BREAKS CHAINS, NOT PROMISES. He promises peace, a peace He gives to us that is not like the world.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

A few weeks ago in a way I didn’t even think was possible, I stole my own peace. I allowed myself to feel unpeaceful and fed the seeds of doubt. 

I watered seeds of self-doubt that surfaced that were not there for me to sulk in but instead for me to skim off. There were feelings that came to the surface and instead of allowing God to remove them, to help me heal, I went for a ride with them. Have you ever done that? I certainly have but I’m learning to not stay there and to not soak in the shame or guilt of it either. Instead, we can pause and turn to God.

Let’s think of it this way…

Imagine swimming in a pool. Typically as we are in there, there is residue on the bottom that we barely notice. (Yea it’s there. Take a look next time, or maybe don’t. 🤣) Then in the cleaning process, what needs to be skimmed out sometimes has to come to the surface And as that STUFF comes to the top and is there floating around, it is our job to remove, right?

It isn’t meant to stay, 

we aren’t meant to keep swimming in it,

I know I don’t want to, 

Instead, we typically REMOVE it.⬇️ 

I am learning through this season that we can be the same. We need to 

REMOVE the STUFF

the stuff that is NOT good for us 

the feelings from the past that make us doubt our gifts and calling

the comparison 

the “someone else will do it”

“someone else will do it better” 

the “I don’t have time”

the stuff we know we should not be swimming in or spending time in…

Remove them!

But if this isn’t really a pool, HOW do we do this?

♡ We remove them by refusing to swim in them.

♡Refuse to dwell in them. 

♡Speak Truth over them instead.

♡ Ask God to help you make room for what matters and let go of what is not good for us.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

No one can steal our peace.  There is a peace that transcends all understanding.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

It is why I share. It is why even when I’m having a challenging or emotional week combating self doubt or fear or whatever it is.

I have joy.

I have peace.

I am different than I was. And I know I can’t ever go back and I pray others see this in me not to brag or boast but instead so that they may seek it too, 

Seek God. 

I promise He will change your life. He will change what seems impossible in and to the world. He can set you free from anything and everything. And if He already has- Praise Him right now for that!

Freedom comes from the Lord!

I had to return to my why recently, 

to truly experience the passion, my first love #Jesus

to fuel the fire, a fire for the Lord. 

and to skim out the STUFF that cannot steal my peace. ✌🏼Because my peace has a name and it is Jesus. 

GOD BREAKS CHAINS, NOT PROMISES.  And He broke so many of my chains but He never broke a promise! Thank You Lord! And He will never break a promise!

Disordered eating, anxiety, depression, over-drinking - PEACE OUT chains that once held me silenced or dimmed. And I say this because I am no different from anyone else. His promises are available and true for us all. And He promises PEACE, a different kind of peace. No one and nothing can steal that away!

There is HOPE of so much more than anything faced. 

There is JOY that cannot be erased. 

There is STRENGTH that empowers us to LOVE.

There are God’s promises from above.

And there is a promise we can cling to, something I did not understand before: 

PEACE

I have to catch myself though when I start to say that something or even someone is stealing my peace because no one can steal His true peace away. I truly believe it’s about our FOCUS though. We are in this world but not of it. So when we focus or turn to fleeting and worldly things for peace, of course we will lose it. 

But God’s promises are eternal. 

So even when we slip, His truths remain the same ... because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews‬ ‭13:8‬)

So when the world is in a state of unrest, we can rest in Him. And when we begin to become restless and unpeaceful, let’s pray to STAND IN HIS LOVE and IN HIS PEACE.

Let’s pray to strengthen those prayer muscles and turn each worry into a prayer. So while I used to be chained to the moments and those things that “stole my peace,” I am now hooked on His words that cover and carry me to learn even more. Because with each chain broken and more importantly, more time spent reading His Word, I have become more and more... drawn to His perfect PEACE. ✨

Therefore, here is The Art of a Messy House challenge…

Because the moments and circumstances we face get hard, what can we do to stand on His promise of peace? FOCUS! 

We can FOCUS!

(The ELA teacher in me is loving this acronym…)

F - Fix our FOCUS from what is happening to our God. Focus on God’s sovereignty and authority instead. “No matter how I feel or how it looks, God is in control.”

O - OPEN your hands and lift it up. Sometimes, a feeling can make us want to hold it in or explode. Let’s unclench our fists and ask God to soften our heart to hear what He is prompting us to do. 

C - Communicate with God first. Pray. Turn the moment, the worry, the annoyance, anger, etc. into a prayer and conversation with God. “God, help me. You are my peace. How should I respond or not respond?”

U - USE it to grow. Trust God. He uses situations to help us grow, to help us remove what is not good for us to make room for what is. Ask God, what are You teaching me? What could God be teaching you?

S - SLOW down to reflect. Why do I feel this way? What can I do going forward? What is the root of why I react or why I am tempted to act this way? The peace of God flows from our hearts and that is such a beautiful Truth. Therefore, if it is not peace flowing from it, there may be a heart check in order. That is okay. Remember… we are human, not perfect.

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭45‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

God’s peace helps us with how we feel and look at life but also how we react. That is a heart check too. But while it is good to check, we must not get down on it. Instead, let’s look UP and fix our FOCUS.

See that there? It is about FOCUS, fixing our focus and even though it is difficult and sometimes seems impossible, we serve God, our God who does the impossible time and time again.

With God all things are possible 

Take it step by step. Take one step at a time. 

Some circumstances may require us to stay on one step longer before moving on to the next. Other times we may be asked to sprint up the stairs but whatever it is, stand on Who God is. 

Let’s stand on His peace and pray for it to fill us right here right now. 

Dear God,

You are our peace. We lift up anything that is making us feel unpeaceful. Help us Lord. Fill us with Your wisdom, courage and strength so we can walk away from what is not good for us and skim out it out if needed too. We don’t want to play around with the negative emotions and residue that You are calling us to remove. Instead, help us walk in everything You have for us and encourage others to do the same. Help us fix our focus on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

♡ Have you checked out the FAITH IN ACTION conference yet? It’s online and FREE! Today, my presentation will go live around 3 pm (EST) and it is called PEACEMAKERS: Being Ready to Love in a World Ready to Fight

Here is the link to sign up:

https://onedeterminedlife.com/faith-in-action-conference/?affiliate=jkosuda

♡ To have more messages and weekly devotionals like this emailed to you directly, subscribe below. You can also find @theartofamessyhouse on IG and YouTube now too.

God bless!