It is impossible to navigate our way through this life without encountering difficult situations and roadblocks. God has promised us peace, but He did not guarantee that the road to peace would not have a few potholes. Sometimes the path is bumpy and makes turns that scare us and shake our faith. God uses these potholes to build our faith and draw us closer to Him. When we profess to believe in God and make the statement that we want to follow Him, the world begins to take notice of us. They are watching us even if we are unaware of it. They are looking to us to be examples of how to deal with the difficulties and strife that life brings our way. We are told not to conform to this world, but to be transformed. God wants us to be an example to the rest of the world. He wants others to see what He has done in our lives and desire the same blessings for their own lives.

One way we can show people the influence of God in our lives is by how we handle our challenges. When we cling to God and have faith that He will direct our steps, we can face the challenges with a different spirit. His love and peace and our faith in His love and peace can ease our worry and doubt, which makes facing challenges easier. We have to allow God to carry the worry and doubt for us. He is far more capable of doing that than we are. Now, I am not saying that we will not have worry and doubt in our lives, especially when we are facing a challenge, but it can be greatly reduced. When we have faith that God will see us through and when we let God know how we feel and let Him guide our path, we will see challenges differently. We should talk to God and let Him talk to us all the time in the good times and in the bad times. If we spend the good times talking to God and letting him talk back to us, it will become a habit. Then when we face difficult times, we will naturally talk to God and let Him talk to us. If we only talk to God during the difficult times, and not during the good times, we may not be in the habit of listening for Him during the challenges that we face.

Like I said before, the world is watching us, especially the skeptics. They want to see how we handle the challenges in our lives. If they see us face the challenges head on with peace in our hearts, they will begin to realize that our relationship with God is real. They will begin to see that God is love and that He wants to comfort us and renew our hope. They will see that what we have is an amazing gift, and they will begin to want the same things for their own lives. So, the next time your path gets bumping, do not fret. Lean on God, talk to Him, and let Him talk back. Thank him for the challenge and rest in his promise of peace.

We are supposed to pray without ceasing. He wants us to do that in the good times and the bad times. He wants us to be an example to the world of what His love can do for everyone. Turn your worries over to God and be thankful for what you have been given. Stand up straight and proud and continue moving forward. Let God be your guide. After all, He is in front of you, beside you, behind you, and in you. He will sustain your peace and PEACE MATTERS.

~Dan~