"With Peace"

Did you know that God says if you want to live in peace and avoid anxiety, you must avoid two things and you must pursue one thing? Jesus teaches us of this principle through the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. These were cities destroyed by God with fire and sulfur due to extreme wickedness and corruption.

In the story, Lot and his wife are leaving, and God tells them the first principle. Do not to look back and dwell on the past. Lot’s wife looks back and she gets turned into a pillar of salt. Why? Because she was dwelling on the past, got hardened, stuck, and calcified right where she was and could not move forward.

The second principle Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:43, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own". When you get caught up in the “what if’s” and the future fears, Jesus is saying that you will be riddled with fear and anxiety that will paralyze you…just like looking back on the past.

However, there is one principle that He tells us to do. He says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things". You get out of the “what if’s”. You leave the past in the past and you stay in the present moment with Jesus. He tells us that when us do this, He will flood our hearts and minds with peace.

Friends, He will flood our hearts and minds with peace! You can't get there dwelling on the past and you can't get there if you're ahead of what God wants to do. He wants you in the moment with the Spirit of God, trusting the finished work of the cross, and knowing the love of your Heavenly Father.

Many blessings!

THE VIEWS OF SUBMITTED EDITORIALS MAY NOT BE THE EXPRESS VIEWS OF THE ALABAMA GAZETTE.