Peace Principles

By Dorothy Woods

Peace Principles is constructed to give you a daily journey in your search for peace. Each day is equipped with biblical, practical and personal experiences to give you the reader your own daily journey to overcome the storms of your life. This book is designed to help you understand that the peace you are searching for is within you, and it helps you to get to that point where fear is a thing of the past and peace will conquer all fears. May his peace dwell with you now and forever more. Amen

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453521168

Dorothy Woods

Dorothy Woods earned her degree in sociology and has been a minister for nineteen years as well as the president of an Outreach. She has owned her own business and has published her autobiography, The Welfare Queen. The author loves to write and currently resides in California.

Book preview

PEACE

PRINCIPLES

DOROTHY WOODS

FOR PTP OUTREACH MINISTRIES

Copyright © 2010 by Dorothy Woods.

Library of Congress Control Number:          2010908710

ISBN:                Hardcover                         978-1-4535-2108-3

                           Softcover                           978-1-4535-2107-6

                           Ebook                               978-1-4535-2116-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

78549

Contents

Introduction

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Dedication

To My Beloved Daughter . . . Lesah

Where do I begin? Words are not enough to express your support, love, and understanding. You have been a positive source of inspiration in my life and a true leader when it comes to setting an example and helping your sisters and brothers. Your acts of kindness do not go unnoticed, and I pray for a stronger relationship with you everyday. I hope your daughter and sons bring joy to you in their adult lives like you brought to mine. I dedicate this book to you as an expression to remind you that the beauty you possess inside and out always glows and breathes a whiff of freshness wherever you are. I put together this journal, and I thought it encompassed the blessings you have brought to my life.

Introduction

A study done in 2005 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 2.4 billion drugs prescribed during visits to doctors and hospitals, out of which 118 million were antidepressants. Depression is a major public health issue, said Dr. Kelly Posner, an assistant professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. The fact that people are getting the treatments they need is encouraging.

Yes, we agree with Dr. Posner that getting treatment for your depression is very encouraging, but PTP Outreach wants to introduce you to the peace that comes from God. We are not offering a temporal solution, but with the introduction to this peace you can have a permanent solution. In lieu of the economic crisis that many of us face today, let us access our Spiritual Boot camp to take us through our adversities. We promise you that this is the answer to all of your depression. If you are troubled today, then this peace is available to you, and it will not cost you a penny.

Depression comes from a sense of being deprived of something you want and do not have. Remember you are not deprived of anything except by your own decisions, and then decide otherwise.

In His days shall the righteous flourish; and the abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth (Ps. 72:7).

Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled: neither let it be afraid (John 14:27). The peace that Jesus laid deep within you will quietly extend to every aspect of your life surrounding you with glowing happiness and a calm awareness of complete protection.

The Lord does not want you to be afraid of what you are looking at. He wants you to build your confidence in Him. The fact that God is with you should dispel all fear.

Remember The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace (Ps. 29:11). The Word of the Lord will thrust you to the level or to the position where God wants to place you and give you His peace. God wants you to have peace. It’s your God-given right. You must believe it, accept it, and live like it. Peace is yours; this is a promise from God. You have the right to use the name of Jesus and the full armor of God.

01 January, Day 1

Peace = a state of tranquility or quiet: Peace is an attribute in you. You cannot find it outside. Fear is an enemy of peace; when you are afraid of anything, you are acknowledging its power to hurt you. Jesus says, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give me unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27). Perhaps we are now ready for a day of undisturbed tranquility. If this is not yet feasible, we are content and even more than satisfied to learn how such a day can be achieved. If we give way to a disturbance, let us learn how to dismiss it and return to peace. We need to tell our minds with certainty, The stillness of the peace of God is mine, and nothing can intrude upon the peace that God Himself has given to His children.

Today’s Activity

There is power in knowing! The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem and inviting the peace of God to dwell within you so that those problems will not affect your peace. Make a list today of ten issues that have an effect on your peace of mind and present them to the Lord.

02 January, Day 2

Peace is Praying without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Prayer is the medium of peace. It is a means of communication of the created with the creator. Through prayer, love is received, and through peace, love is expressed. Each day should be devoted to peace. Spend at least five minutes early in the morning in prayer. The purpose of this time in prayer is to enable you to learn how to use time constructively. It will help us make the right choices throughout the rest of the day.

Today’s Activity

Sometimes we have troubling praying because we are not sure what it is that we wish to talk about. Make a prayer book, or you could use this journal to write down the things you would like to talk to God about. Begin today by jotting a thought that has been a burden in your heart and then pray about it.

uary, Day 3

Peace of mind is clearly an internal matter. It must begin with your own thoughts and then extend outward. It is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises. Peace is your God-given right. If you don’t accept this as true, you will never experience peace. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever (John 14:16). That comforter is the Holy Spirit. If you are born again, you have the Holy Spirit in you: You are never alone. The Holy Spirit is with you forever. The Holy Spirit being ever present gives us the security of knowing that wherever we are, God is there also. We can be no place that God is not with us.

Today’s Activity

List some places that you want God to be with you in your life, e.g., school, home, etc. Remind yourself daily that God is with you wherever you choose to be. Say, God, I want You to be with me in school or wherever the places that you need the peace of God to dwell with you . . .

04 January, Day 4

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22. When Jehovah Shalom, the Lord which is your peace, manifests Himself in your life the torment of worry and misery will dissipate from your thoughts, and you’ll find refuge in the cradle of His arms. The Lord doesn’t want us to be afraid of what is going on around us. He wants us to look up to Him. God, being multifaceted, reveals Himself as one that will see to His Word: the one that will provide for you, the one that will protect you, and the one that will fight for us. This is why Jesus is revealed to us as the Prince of Peace, so that we may allow Him to speak to the problems of our lives and walk us through them.

Today’s Activity

Read Galatians 5:22 and write down the other Fruits of the Spirit that go along with peace. Examine your fruits today in this life, see where you are, and aim to be like the Prince of Peace!

05 January, Day 5

Forgiveness is the key to peace. Colossians 3:13 says to forgive is a choice; we have to make a decision to walk in forgiveness daily. Each and every day we make choices; we choose what to wear, what to do, what to eat, and where to go; the list goes on and on. It’s the same with forgiveness; we make the choice to forgive: That ain’t forgiveness. Many people resist forgiveness because they have a mistaken view of what it means. Let’s clarify.

Today’s Activity

Make the choice to forgive today! If you need to forgive anyone, start with those who directly affect your peace. Make a list of those you need to forgive, and start today!

06 January, Day 6

Forgiving is not excusing. It’s not saying, Well, with his background, no wonder he acted that way. Forgiveness still holds the person responsible for his actions. Forgiving is not forgetting. We will still have memories of the event, which may cause sorrow and pain. But we will no longer be imprisoned by anger and bitterness, which only hurts us more than our offenders.

Today’s Activity

Spend at least five minutes early in the morning in prayer. First ask for God to forgive you and then ask Him to allow you to forgive those who have disturbed your tranquility. Make a note of the things you want to be forgiven.

07 January, Day 7

Forgiving is not tolerating. We are not letting the person get away with it. Criminal, harmful behavior is unacceptable and may warrant consequences, including prison, restitution, or some other method of correction. Forgiving is not dismissing our pain. Rather, and this is the difficult, lengthy part, it means being brutally honest about our pain and what caused it. It’s saying no to repressing, denying trivializing, or hiding our feelings. Forgiving is not reconciling.

Today’s Activity

Think about the issues that are hampering you from forgiving. Make a note of these issues and pray about them!

08 January, Day 8

Forgiveness may lead to reconciling . . . or it may not. Forgiveness is something we do to heal ourselves, regardless of what the offender does. Reconciliation requires a restoration of trust, and that requires true repentance (a turnaround) from the offender.

To forgive is to set a person free and to discover that the prisoner was you.

Today’s Activity

The onus is on you to reconcile! Only you can set yourself free! If you wish to do that today, write below beginning with your name . . . wants restoration. Say it till you believe it!

09 January, Day 9

I am the Lord, the God of all people. Nothing is too difficult for me (Jer. 32:27).

You are expected to make a mistake; any learning experience involves trials and error.

One of the greatest needs of the church today is to bring God’s victories out of the realm of theology and discussion and into our practical daily lives. How seldom is the cry of victory heard?

Today’s Activity

Are you struggling with anything you consider too difficult for you? Make a note of these things and take it to the Lord in prayer . . . Say to the Lord that because you have confidence that nothing is too difficult for Him . . . nothing will be too difficult for you. Go and try these things again and make a note of your progress.

10 January, Day 10

The forces of evil are all around us. We are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but against wicked spirits in high