Peace Is A Power

Fear is usually underLYING before anything, there is NO truth in it.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

 - 2 Timothy 1:7

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
for the Lord will be at your side
and will keep your foot from being snared. -Proverbs 3:24-26

Remember Christ overcame death fear and the grave.

Break the spirit of fear and random fear in the name of Jesus!
Scripture says do not fear. That means BE confident in GOD. Confront fear and fight for your peace. Your peace is worthy. Be a fighter, Be a prayer warrior. Pray everywhere you go! Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - James 4:7

We cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; - 2 Corinthians 10: 5

That means bind and break the spirit of fear. "Bring every thought into captivity so you can crush the ones that are invalid.

Claim Peace

photo credit: Iyanla Vanzant

Claiming Peace makes the enemy flee. Claim Peace to dominate over all the voices you hear in your mind that say you aren't good enough. 

Based on my experience, if anyone wants to mock or belittle you, they can't do it properly when you claim peace. Based on my history anytime there is spiritual warfare taking place in my life, when I claim peace that is the end of that. Jesus sacrificed his life so that believers could have peace. 

I'm reminded of a vision that I once had of being in a tug of war. It was a tug of war with any force that could hold me back. The vision seemed symbolic and significant of me being victorious, but having to be strong enough for the task. 

The simple fact that I believed I could do it, and be victorious in the win, is the main thing that made me excited about the vision. The reason I believed I had the strength is because in that moment I was empowered by GOD during worship. 

It reminds me of Yolanda Adam's song "The Battle Is The Lord's". The inspiration for the song is probably from the Bible when Jahaziel got filled with the spirit of GOD and proclaimed in front of King Jehoshaphat and a bunch of other people: "the battle is not yours, but God’s." (2 Chronicles 20:15)

This sense of empowerment must've been what David felt when he slayed Goliath. It must've been what Jesus felt when He pursued and lived out his purpose with boldness. 

Scripture says "stand firm with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15) and that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). So peace causes us to behave, and for sure peace comes from faith. 

In my estimation the way to truly claim peace in all things would be to continually seek GOD and be devoted to doing His will. So, cheers to everlasting peace! May we continue to claim it.

Rise Above It – 4 Ways To Release High Stress Situations

credit: Iyanla Vanzant Team

Let’s face it, dealing with people and life situations can be stressful. We know about eating, drinking, or trying to sex it away like Solange tried to do. We can only pacify ourselves for so long, the results only lead to more distress and disease, but how can we release stress in a healthy, progressive way? A few of these tips should help:

Breathe Intentionally

Take focused intentional  deep breaths in and out, do this repeatedly. There is no cap on how many times it can be done. Do it enough times for it to be effective. Do it until your thoughts are completely focused on your breathing and not on the situation. Inhale good vibes, exhale bad ones.

Practice gratitude

In the heat of a situation when the stress of the moment is heavily searing your mind, make a focused effort to redirect your thoughts on what is going right, whatever is working and going good for you right now. There are plenty of things to be grateful for even if they are simple. Those are the best ones. There’s a Scripture reads “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.” Doing this helps you preocupy your mind on good and increase your good vibes.

Talk to a Mentor or Therapist

Problematic thoughts and emotions left unchecked, eventually turn into problematic actions which only causes more stress down the road. By all means make sure those thoughts are expressed audibly. Vent to someone who actually has wisdom. If you’re fortunate enough to have a mentor link up with them and talk about the situation. A therapist or coach are other good alternatives. Don’t hold it in, if you’re stressed, sad, frustrated etc. Have a little talk with somebody other than Jesus about your troubles.

Freestyle Dance It Out

Dance it out. Sometimes bussing a move, over a bomb groove is all you need to release negative energy and create positive vibes. The combination of breath, gratitude, and expression it takes to move is a perfect relief, even if for a moment. Exercising is said to release stress, but if exercise isn’t your thing, just straight up dance. Go for it! Dance freely and whenever you can.

What are some other stress relief techniques you use? Use the comment section below or let us know @BOLDJournal on all social media sites.

Don't Get Even, Heal

"DON'T GET EVEN. HEAL."

In the days leading up to Easter I've come across this post on social media a few times. It spoke to me deeply each time I saw it. "Don't Get Even, Heal". Four words with so much depth. As today is Easter and many celebrate the resurrection of Christ, I thought about the four words in the context of everything that Christ went through leading up to crucifixion on the cross. He didn't try to get even, and he did more than heal, He manifested so that we as believers could be whole. 

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. - Romans 4:25

 But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. - Isaiah 53:5

Just letting that last part sink in: "By His stripes we are healed." Because Christ didn't think to get even, didn't think to fight back or get revenge, WE are healed. 

The world needs our WHOLE, HEALED selves. Being that Jesus was healed he knew and walked in his purpose. Although that may have been hard to carry out, his determination was stronger than his distractions. A life of peace and abundance is a focused life, where the focus is on GOD's will (our divine calling). I'm definitely grateful for the inspiration that Christ's story presents and the peace that I've experienced with focusing on GOD's will in my own life.

I pray that we continue to focus on our healing and wholeness that's promised to us as believers, in Jesus name. 

Happy Resurrection Celebration From BreathOfLifeDaily.com