Digging Deeper: Peace with Ourselves

There is a battle going on inside every one of us. Some days it is loud and filled with anxiety, insecurity, and guilt. Other days it is quieter and filled with exhaustion, distraction, and numbness. Even if we look calm on the outside, our hearts and minds may be filled with anything but peace.

The Bible does not ignore this struggle. Philippians is written by someone who understood this deeply. Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. If anybody should have been struggling with peace, it was the man in chains awaiting trial. So how could he possibly write these words?

It is important to remember that the peace of God does not remove the chaos around you, but it protects you from being consumed by it. A danger of our day is that we confuse peace with comfort. Comfort does not always equal peace. Biblical peace rarely has anything to do with our circumstances. It has much more to do with our confidence in God’s view of us. This is an outlook on life that trusts God is in control of all things, even when life may seem out of control.

Peace begins when we release what we were never meant to carry. Philippians 4:6 gives us the ability to do that. We fight anxiety by going to God in prayer and with thanksgiving. This inner peace does not come from pretending we are okay. It comes from praying about what is not okay. When you bring your worries to God, you remind your heart who is really in control.

Prayer is how you hand God the things you cannot fix. Thanksgiving is how you remember what He has already done. Together, they protect your peace.

Another reason we struggle is that we forget who we are in Christ. We compare ourselves by success, appearance, or approval, and that leaves us unsatisfied. But when our identity is in what God says about us, peace follows. Which identity do you need to remember that God speaks over you today?

You are chosen (Ephesians 1:4)
You are forgiven (Colossians 1:14)
You are loved (Romans 8:38–39)
You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You are redeemed (Ephesians 1:7)
You are free (Galatians 5:1)

Peace begins when striving ends. When you finally believe that God’s love for you does not depend on your performance but on who He says you are. If you are struggling with peace today, ask yourself this: What steals my peace most? Is it an identity issue where you need to change what you believe, or is it a circumstance issue where you need to take action?

I want to challenge you. As you have read and processed these thoughts, return to our opening passage. Put Philippians 4:6–7 into practice today. Go to God right now and cast your anxieties on Him.