Seven Ways to Increase Your Peace

I spent many years of my life upset, in turmoil, and living without peace. Actually, I never really knew what peace was. But as I continued to read and study God’s Word and saw what the Scriptures promise us, I began to hunger after His supernatural peace in my life.

I think it’s important to understand that we’ll never have peace if we’re waiting for our circumstances to change. I came to realize the world is not going to change, our enemy (Satan) is not going to change, and all of the people who bother me probably aren’t going to change. So I have decided to change.

John 14:27 (AMPC) has played a major role in my life. Jesus says, Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give…to you. …Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

I love this scripture! God is saying that He’s giving us His peace; however, we also have a choice to make. It’s up to us to make a decision to not be troubled, afraid, agitated and disturbed—it won’t happen automatically.

There will always be opportunities to get upset or offended about something, and that’s why we must pursue peace on purpose. For example, what if you lose your car keys when you’re running late, or you get caught in a traffic jam, or someone at work gets the promotion you wanted, or the electric bill is higher than you expected it to be? Yes, these things can be upsetting. However, right in the midst of these things, God wants you to enjoy His peace...He wants you to choose peace.

Jesus Himself told us, …In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you] (John 16:33 AMPC).

I really like this because it’s so practical. God never said that being a Christian would magically make all of our problems disappear. He’s saying there will always be things in our lives to get upset about, but we can still receive His peace and joy in the midst of it—we can learn to change our approach to life so we don’t live upset all of the time.

Over the years, God has taught me many valuable lessons in this area and, in this article, I want to share seven important ways to increase your peace.

#1: What Are You Pursuing?

For years, I didn’t value peace—I was content to lose my temper, get upset, and worry about everything and everybody. I had to come to a place where I truly desired to walk in God’s peace.

I often teach on 1 Peter 3:11 because it’s had such an impact on my own life. It says, …search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!] (AMPC).

If we want peace, we’re going to have to make some changes. As I discussed, it’s going to require us to go the extra mile with the people in our lives and sometimes be the first to apologize.

We must also pursue God’s peace. I think Jeremiah 29:13 is one of the greatest promise in the Bible. God tells us, Then you will seek Me...and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (AMPC).

Do you want true inner peace—peace that keeps you stable in every situation? Then pursue it. That kind of peace is found only in a relationship with God. It must be sought after…chased…followed. True peace is not based on stuff, other people, or circumstances. It’s based on keeping our focus on Jesus and pursuing an intimate relationship with Him.

#2: You Can’t Please All of the People All of the Time

The truth is, we’re never going to be able to keep everyone happy all of the time. And if we try, we can wave goodbye to our peace.

Now, I’m not saying we should have a belligerent, rebellious attitude that says, “I don’t care what you think, and I don’t care what you do!” The Bible actually tells us to serve one another (see 1 Peter 4:10; Matthew 23:11). But the Word also instructs us to not be people pleasers at the expense of pleasing God (see Acts 5:29).

It seems like everybody wants us to do something, but it’s impossible to please and accommodate everyone else. This is a major reason why so many people are overcommitted, too busy, in a hurry and stressed out! If I did everything people wanted me to do, I don’t think I’d still be alive.

I had to learn early on that if I wanted to have peace in my life—if I wanted to prevent stress and anxiety from constantly creeping in—then I had to be willing to say no to others and live my life based on what God was leading me to do.

Always remember: You can’t control what everybody else thinks and does. Some people aren’t going to be happy regardless of what you do, and you can’t let their decision to be unhappy control your joy.

Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has a good plan for our lives—plans for welfare and peace. When we follow His leading and will for our lives and free ourselves from trying to always meet everyone else’s expectations, it relieves tension and anxiety and allows us to serve Him with joy.

#3: It’s a Matter of Trust

This is an important one! Did you know that trusting God is the cure for almost every problem we will ever have? In fact, we can’t truly have peace without trust.

I have taught entire conferences on Proverbs 3:5-6. Let’s take another look at what these verses say:

Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.

I don’t know if it can be much clearer than this! The Lord is saying we are just not smart enough to run our own lives…but He is. In every situation—when we’re hurt, disappointed, confused, upset, anxious, stressed-out, scared, tired, or even angry at where our lives are at the moment—the greatest words we can say are, “God, I trust You.”

Like I said, we’re not always going to have all of the answers, but that’s okay. God is faithful, and He promises to take care of us as we place our trust in Him—in His will, His timing, and His way of doing things.

We are “believers,” and God has called us to simply trust and believe that He has our best in mind and is always working for our good. And when we believe, it releases tremendous joy and peace in our lives (see Romans 15:13).

The Lord promises that ...no [one] who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed (Romans 10:11 AMPC).

Do you want more peace and less anxiety? I can’t think of any better stress reliever than trusting God. After all, He’s big enough to handle every single problem you have. And when you give it all to Him, He promises you won’t be disappointed.

#4: Prune Your Schedule

A lot of people have unsustainable lives—they are simply doing too much! Their schedules are so full that they can never keep it up on a long-term basis. This is a recipe for stress, anxiety, exhaustion...and no peace.

I believe one of the greatest things we can do is look at our calendar every year and examine where we are spending our time, then make a decision to eliminate those things that aren’t bearing fruit in our lives. It’s also healthy to do this throughout the year—maybe a few minutes each day or at the end of the week.

You see, Jesus never commanded us to be busy, but He does instruct us to be fruitful. And one of the major ways to be fruitful is to continually prune back our lives and eliminate the things that aren’t necessary.

People often ask me, “How in the world do you have time to run a worldwide ministry, write all of your books, record your television program, and also be a wife, mother and grandmother? How do you keep your priorities straight?”

The last time somebody asked me, I replied, “I don’t keep them straight—I’m constantly straightening them out.”

If we’re going to have a schedule that promotes peace and keeps us from hurry and worry, we’re going to have to work at it every single day. It’s going to require us to be selective with our time and even get good at lovingly saying no to certain people and activities.

So, I encourage you to take a few moments right now and ask yourself this question: “Am I busy...or am I fruitful?”

#5: Don’t Be Nosy

A lot of people don’t realize this is even in the Bible, so I want to show it to you. First Thessalonians 4:11 (AMPC) says, …make it your ambition and definitely endeavor to live quietly and peacefully, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you.

I was always nosy and in other people’s business, and let me assure you, it steals your peace and brings unwanted anxiety. Many times, the less you know, the better off you are! The things you eventually find out can end up making you miserable.

I’ll never forget an instance years ago, in the early days of this ministry. My assistant was at my home, and we were conducting some business and having a few meetings. I met with her first, then decided to go upstairs for the evening while she finished up her business with some others.

However, as I was getting ready to take a shower, I was overcome by curiosity to know what they were discussing downstairs. So, in my towel, I went and knelt down and placed my ear to the air vent on the floor, hoping to hear their conversation.

Right then, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Joyce, just look at yourself. What are you doing?” I got the point. And over time, God helped me to understand the value in minding my own business.

There’s just something about a secret that gets us excited…we just love to know! However, many times our desire to know also involves gossiping and judging others for what they have said or done.

It used to be easy for me to look at a person and immediately judge them and be critical. But this isn’t God’s way, and it won’t lead us to a life of peace. God instructs us to not judge but always “believe the best” in others (see Matthew 7:1; 1 Corinthians 13:7).

Each one of us has enough challenges in life, and we really don’t need the stress and trouble of involving ourselves in other people’s business as well.

#6: Keep Life Simple!

I used to be so complicated. I tell this story a lot, but there was one time when Dave and I invited friends over for a casual lunch out on the patio. We planned on throwing some hot dogs on the grill. Of course, that was too easy for me...

By the time Saturday arrived, I had turned hot dogs into steaks and even bought new patio furniture, spending money we didn’t really have. Before people ever arrived, I was frustrated and worn-out. I regretted ever inviting them!

I don’t need to tell you that life can often get complicated. Between friends, family, children, work, church, commitments, activities, and all of the unexpected surprises of life, we usually have a lot to juggle!

I’ve actually found the busier I become, the more important it is to keep my life as simple as possible. Simplicity brings peace and rest. It even feels good to think about simplicity.

I encourage you to look for ways to simplify your life. Whether it’s clearing the clutter out of your house, adding more margin to your schedule, or even finding simpler, easier ways to prepare dinner, everything counts.

#7: Let Jesus Be Your Example

I think it’s fascinating to look at how Jesus handled things and how He responded to the pressures and demands of other people. I encourage you to read the Gospels and study this for yourself.

Jesus didn’t conform to the world—He walked in the Spirit. When He felt tired and pressured from the crowds who wanted Him to help them, He took time to walk away and get rest. He spent time in prayer, alone with the Father, because He knew He wouldn’t be any good to anybody if He didn’t get refreshed.

It’s so easy to let other people’s needs and emergencies control and manipulate us. And when we let others run our lives, we can get to the point that we’re falling apart! It’s not wrong to want to help or please people, but we need to take care of ourselves, calm down and stop getting upset about things that usually don’t really matter anyway.

It’s simply amazing how much anxiety, stress and pressure we can alleviate by simply pursuing peace. There’s no way I can adequately describe to you how much this one thing has changed my life. At one time, I didn’t even know what peace felt like, but now I can’t live without it!

I encourage you to set apart some time on a regular basis to get alone with God and receive His peace. Talk to Him, worship Him, and even just sit quietly in His presence, allowing Him to strengthen you from the inside out (see Isaiah 40:31). Take time to read and meditate on God’s Word.

As you do—as you focus your eyes on Jesus and make Him “bigger”—the cares and anxieties of this world will slowly dissipate and become smaller.

When life is overwhelming and the demands and burdens of this world begin to cause anxiety, it’s time to run to the Prince of Peace (see Isaiah 9:6). He is our answer for the stress and pressures of life...and He’s the One Who can calm any storm.