Peace of Mind, Freedom from Fear

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our nation, our thoughts turn to the meaning of peace and freedom. I have said, and it's worth repeating, that the true goal behind most everything we seek is peace of mind and freedom from fear. The problem with our attempts to achieve these important states from the outside-in, is that our achievements rarely satisfy for long. So, it's important that we learn to find peace of mind and freedom from fear in ways that are not dependent on what we do or do not have.

Is this really possible? Yes, it is possible. But it requires a way of thinking that is quite different from what many of us practice daily. We want to solve the problem so we can have peace of mind and freedom from fear. Can we turn this around by learning to experience peace and freedom first, then, from this more stable state, work toward a resolution to our problem? Let’s find out.

Think of that issue in your life that you want to resolve. Let’s pray about it. Does this mean we’re going to ask God to fix it for us? No. It means we are going to release all fear, all doubt, all stress that we have accumulated around the issue. This is denial, or the release of the negative energy. This is our first step in prayer. As we clear out the unwanted negativity, we affirm the truth of what we desire—peace of mind and freedom from fear. We speak words something like this: The peace of God fills my mind. I am free of all fear.

When David came up against Goliath, his companions loaded him down with armor. He felt so awkward that he had to throw it off. As a shepherd, he was most comfortable using his sling and stone. He accomplished the desired end, but with a method most comfortable to him. When we fear, we are responding to a challenge feeling we do not have the proper armor to succeed. But the simple sling and stone of the spoken word of truth should more than suffice.

As we discussed last week, if we think less in terms of conditions and more in terms of spiritual energy, the ball is always in our court.