Practicing Peace

• October 25, 2021
• By Kimberly Mervyn

Practicing Peace

It has been said that until we can offer ourselves grace, mercy, and empathy, we will find it extremely difficult to walk in God’s Peace. We are our own worst critics. The greatest hurdle for us as image bearers, when it comes to experiencing the joy of God’s Peace is our own mind. When our mental chatter draws us away from God’s definition of who we are, we deprive ourselves of the ability to live in His perfect peace. That internal voice of judgement or condemnation can quickly become our default setting, because it’s so sly and sneaky. We can become immune to questioning the validity of the chatter and find ourselves living much of our lives in anxiety, fear and insecurities. 

We not only have the deep longing, but also the hardwiring for our minds to be continually renewed and transformed to receive God’s love, love God and love others. We also have the assurance of the promise of shalom when we keep our mind on God and trust Him. 

5 Practices that Cultivate Peace with Self 

1. Nurture the wound with deep empathy. Asking God for the lens of His loving kindness.
2. Offer yourself compassion through loving actions. How would God offer you mercy in this situation?
3. Forgive, forgive, forgive (that means yourself also!).
4. Embrace the wonder of living in His presence. 
5. Take time to meditate on Isaiah 26:3.

“You will keep the peace, a perfect peace, for all who trust in You, for those who dedicate their hearts and minds to You.” Isaiah 26:3, VOICE.

Practicing peace is a front and center topic of our new spiritual formation program, Immerse. With the Immerse Spiritual Formation Program, you can start a year-long apprenticeship with Jesus and discover a faith of depth and contentment.

Enrollment closes soon, so head here to register today.