God has such a mind-boggling,tremendous way of doing things.

Unlike doctors who prescribe medication to help ease the symptoms of / or pain, God goes beyond. He is able to take every pain away. No wonder He lovingly tells us to,‘cast your burdens on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. He also admonishes us to:‘come unto me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.’

Because He had foreknowledge that as His own we were going to face trials, financial crisis, emotional setbacks, broken relationships and homes, sicknesses, diseases, rejection, false accusation, abuse, denial and all the hurt the world has to offer, He didn’t leave us with just an anti-depressant. No, He left us with a remedy, a cure able to sink deep within our soul and heal every broken pieces. That precious remedy He called a ‘gift’ when He said:

‘I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.’ John 14:27.

How awesome it is for Him to have known that our minds and hearts were going to be affected by worry,strife, depression,insanity and beforehand,He made available His peace so we won’t fall victim!

I lay meditating on this,2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and Isaiah 66:13 whilst resting from a weeklong illness. My heart was overwhelmed and there such an internal conflict going on due to the ill health I’d been experiencing and other external factors which were not aiding my recovery .As I continuously meditated on John 14:27, I heard the Spirit of God say, ‘If I have left you a gift-peace of mind and heart, why then do you struggle with worry, fight yourself and exhaust your spirit in the process? ‘. That,came as rhema to me! I never truly understood that scripture the way I do now. I have been left a gift the world cannot give ‘peace ‘and for that alone, I don’t have to be troubled or afraid.

The good news is-that gift is yours too;the Peace that is a state of tranquillity, serenity, stillness and freedom of the mind from strife and commotion. You simply need to receive. Literally, it sounds just a word ,but this peace is real. “Making peace with ourselves is like building an inner house of peace and welcoming the God of peace to dwell there forever.” ~ John Dear.

Now,I am not insinuating our minds and hearts won’t get to worry any longer but when it does, switch your mind and heart from the troubling circumstances an unto the Word- John 14:27.

In psychology,there is a theory called Motivated Forgetting.This ”is a theorized psychological defence mechanism in which people may forget unwanted memories, either consciously or unconsciously.[1]” (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_forgetting ).

There are instances when you worry because your memory reminds you of unpleasant incidents or experiences.Motivated forgetting becomes very useful,because,you “can protect yourself by blocking the recall of those anxiety-arousing memories.” ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_forgetting ).

‘For example, if something reminds a person of an unpleasant event, his or her mind may steer towards unrelated topics. This could induce forgetting without being generated by an intention to forget, making it a motivated action. There are two main classes of motivated forgetting: repression is an unconscious act, while suppression a conscious form of excluding thoughts and memories from awareness.”(http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_forgetting).

Not only can we motivate ourselves to forget,but,we can also replace our thoughts to something much better – The Word of God.
Instead of practicing or meditating on new age techniques for stress-relief,search the word and meditate on scriptures in relation to peace. The more you learn,rehearse and practice the Word,the easier it is for it to be stored in your long-term memory and the better it is for your mind and being.

“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.” ~ Unknown

With love, Amy.

‘Father I pray You will release your peace in the heart and mind of my brother and my sister. You are the father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us all in our tribulations.

Be a Comforter to someone today.

As a mother comforts her child, I pray you will comfort us at all times. Release unto us the peace that passes all understanding and flood us with joy unspeakable. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.