Sunday 28th July

Sonya Forbes shared a message titled, 
'The Transformational Peace of Jesus'

John 14:27
"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.”

Philippians 4:4-9 GNT
'May you always be joyful in your union with the Lord. I say it again: rejoice! Show a gentle attitude toward everyone. The Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable. Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.'

Paul shares some pointers and action steps on how we can lesson worry and increase peace. We can pray, asking God for what we need. We can also practice gratitude. It's hard to be angry when you're grateful! 

The Word declares that Yahweh’s peace which is far beyond human understanding will keep our hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus. This is transformational! If our hearts and minds are healthy, it impacts everything about our lives. 

We can do some practical things to access peace - fill our minds with good things and put into practice what we've been taught. It is still God who GIVES us peace as a gift. 

We can imagine intrusive thoughts as being like birds flying overhead. We can let them fly past, or we can allow them to build a nest.  

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
‘For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’

From 1 Corinthians Chapter 2 NLT
'God revealed these things by
his Spirit....
and we have received God’s Spirit...
we understand these things,
for we have the mind of Christ.'

The health of our hearts, minds and bodies are all inter-connected and Christ is in it all. 

Kurt Lewin's model of Control, Influence & Concerns. This encourages us to focus on that which we have control over and the opportunity to influence, but still be aware of those things which are of concern. 

We recognise that there are places of unrest in our world, and in the the lives of our friends and family. Jesus said:

John 16:33 NIV
‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world.’

Will we be Christians who rant and rave about all the places there ISN’T peace in our world? Or will be the kind of Jesus-followers who carry peace to the places we see need it? And could that possibly start with handling our very own hearts and minds?

Some tools to swing wide the door for God's peace to blow our minds and transform our hearts are:

- Having a gentle attitude toward ours
- Joy in our union with Christ
- Asking God for the things we need 
- Gratitude
- Filling our minds with good things 
- Putting into practice what Holy Spirit teaches us


Poem - RIP
'Rest in peace…
Settle into the ease
The pain is done
True freedom has come
Victory is won
The body can’t limit your spirit
Anymore
The door to the throne room swung wide
Now in perfect love, you abide
Rest in peace

Oh, troubled heart
Oh, weary mind
Oh, broken body
Come to Jesus and find
The comfort you crave
It’s available because
He didn’t say lain in the grave

When Jesus defeated death
It’s as though He said
You won’t have the final say
You don’t get to steal life away
This means that every day
We can lay claim
To hope
We have reason to praise,
Gratitude can flow
We can know
Peace
Beyond comprehension
We can have His Presence
​In every situation'

© Sonya Cossey Creative

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​You can watch the full message below: