I'm Kelly Ann Snyder. Welcome to Living Perfectly Loved, the podcast created to encourage, equip, and inspire you to live free from fear and full of joy, secure in God's perfect love. If you're longing to stand firm in Christ amidst the storms of life with a faith deeply rooted in God's perfect love, stop anxiety and fear from stealing your joy and controlling your life, shine brightly and love fearlessly, confident in who God uniquely created and called you to be, then this faith-inspiring podcast, full of practical help and spiritual tools, is for you. You're listening to Season One, Episode Seven: Experience Perfect Peace in God's Presence, brought to you by Living Perfectly Loved Ministries and my new book, Living Perfectly Loved: A Christian's 12-Step Journey to Freedom from the Grip of Anxiety and Fear. For all recommended resources, products, and freebies discussed in this episode, please see the notes for this episode. I'm happy to announce that in each episode this season, I will be sharing an excerpt from my book containing each of the 12 steps the Lord used to deliver me from the grip of anxiety and fear. In this way, you'll be getting a sneak peek into my book, Living Perfectly Loved. I'm so glad you've decided to join me. Subscribe to my email list today at kellyandsnyder.com and you will be kept in the loop with all book and ministry-related announcements I make, and be eligible to receive all free resources I create and share with my subscribers. Visit my website at kellyandsnyder.com to learn more about Living Perfectly Loved Ministries, including direct links to purchase my book and information that can help you take the next step forward in your faith journey. If you haven't yet listened to my podcast trailer, I'd like to invite you to do so after listening to this episode. All right, let's get started! The following is an excerpt From Step Six of my book, Living Perfectly Loved, titled, Experience Perfect Peace in God's Presence: Isaiah 26 verse three says,"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you." This is God's promise to us. Are you believing and trusting in one moment and in the next doubting and afraid still easily knocked down by waves of fear? Maybe you've experienced a breakthrough from the grip of anxiety and fear, but you find yourself still easily sucked back into it. The thing is, even if we've gone through the work by identifying triggers, of confessing and surrendering, without consistent time with the Lord, we will lose our focus on God. Rather than remembering to use our faith shields to deflect the wind and the rain, we'll make feeble attempts to withstand the storms of life in our own strength. This never works. Our fears end up growing bigger, louder, and stronger and we become easily overwhelmed by the day-to-day struggles we face. In life we can intentionally choose to take the path that will lead us closer to God, or we can let ourselves drift farther from God's presence. When the storm is raging and chaotic winds thrash about threatening your peace, Jesus is the anchor for your soul. He will be your shelter from the rain, He will keep you safe from the dangers of the rugged open sea, and whenever you start to drift, He will reel you back in. God will tether your heart to His when you fear you will drown, and rest assured, He will keep your little boat afloat. The Lord will command the wind and the waves to be still. He will lead you beside quiet waters. See Psalm 23 verse two. He will refill what the day's demands have emptied, refresh your spirit, strengthen your faith, and restore you to perfect peace in His presence. If we remain close by His side as sheep under the protection and care of a shepherd, we will experience God's perfect love and peace, and we will thrive. In Psalm 23, King David poetically paints a beautiful picture for us of how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, watches over us and lovingly cares for us as the sheep of His pasture. Let's take some time to soak in all this psalm has to teach us:"The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walked through the darkest valley I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" Psalm 23. As you can see in Psalm 23, our Good Shepherd is providing, restoring, leading, comforting, protecting, and sacrificing for us that we may live as abundantly blessed and loved sheep all the days of our lives. In Christ, we lack nothing. Our hopes, dreams, and longings for something more will all be met in the power of His presence. He calls to us from the deep, gently whispering our name, offering us rest in a world full of chaos. He is our protection and we will find comfort and security in knowing He is looking after us every moment of every day. With indescribable peace, our Good Shepherd blesses all those who walk with Him and follow His ways. One of the ways I connect most readily with God is through praise and worship music. It's like kindling to the Holy Spirit's fire within me. It moves me to worship, then to read my Bible, pray, and journal my thoughts. It helps me hear God's voice more clearly. In fact, one of the ways God first called me to Himself was in a song. For me, the right song can be as transformational as a powerful sermon. I love adding new songs to my music library and creating playlists for the various seasons of life I'm in. You can check out my Living Perfectly Loved Playlist on my website at kellyandsnyder.com under the free resources tab, or click on the link to the playlist in this episode's show notes. Music has been a gift from God to me, even though I'm not particularly gifted at singing or composing it myself. Through music, the Lord has drawn me closer to Himself, one song at a time. My daily quiet time routine often begins with worship. I turn on my worship playlist and I sing songs to God lifting up each word to God in prayer. While I'm singing, God often begins speaking to my heart. He puts certain words or thoughts in my head. This is when I turn to my Bible and start reading. Sometimes I read systematically through a book of the Bible. Other times I'll use a study guide or Bible reading plan in my Bible app to guide me through. I'll look up Bible commentary online or begin a word search in my Bible app for the words or phrases I feel God's speaking to me, and then read through the scriptures that pop up. Whether using my printed Bible or a digital version to dive into God's word, I'll underline, write notes, and highlight what stands out to me in the text. Then I'll spend a little time journaling what God has put on my heart. I'll record my own thoughts and various Bible verses I want to remember. Finally, I pray as I feel led for myself, my family and friends, my church, my kids' school, government leaders, et cetera. I'll confess my sins and thank God for the time I got to spend with Him, and for strengthening and leading me to fulfill His plans and purposes for my life. Where can you go to meet with God? God is ready and willing to meet with us anywhere. You may find it helps, though, to designate a specific place in your home to meet with Him, ideally away from the chaos and distractions. Should the ideal space not be readily available, you can still meet with God wherever you are. If you are a mother of young children or live in tight quarters with a big family, I realize finding any quiet space may prove to be quite challenging. In this case, bring the people in your life close to you to share in the experience of reading God's Word and praying. There is nowhere the Holy Spirit can't reach you. Nothing can separate you from God's presence or His love. See Romans 8, verse 38 through 39. One of my favorite places to get away and spend time with the Lord is outdoors in nature. When I stop to look up at the sky, I take notice of openings in the clouds that appear like portals to an open heaven. I praise Him for all He has created, for the opportunity to sense His nearness. When I hear a singing bird or see a beautiful butterfly float by, I know that God is with me. The rainbow after the rain reminds me of God's promises and His faithfulness. Amid gentle breezes rustling through the trees on a hike, or relaxing by the ocean waves crashing and bubbling up the shoreline, I see heavenly displays of His beauty and greatness. I feel Him in the warmth of the sunshine on my skin, with its brilliant rays shining down on my face. I close my eyes and soak it all in. God is in it all, if only we take time to notice Him. When do you connect with God? God is always present and available to meet with us. Often when we feel distant from God, it's our social calendars, overstuffed schedules, upside down priorities, and lack of discipline that are getting in the way of regularly entering into His presence. If meeting with God on a consistent basis has been a struggle for you in the past, you may find it helpful to set aside a specific time each day to meet with Him, in the same way you might create space in your schedule to meet a friend for lunch or coffee. Some women I know prefer to meet with God first thing in the morning. Taking this approach ensures their day gets off to a good start and it helps them avoid any distractions that might later interrupt their time with the Lord. Still others prefer to spend time with God in the evening. This is when they feel most relaxed and able to focus, or this is when they have the most available time. What's important is not the hour of the day, but the quality of the time you spend together. We want to give our best to God, not our leftovers. When our hearts aren't really in it, we end up going through the motions just to say that we did it. That's not what God wants and it likely won't lead to experiencing more of God's peace either. I typically choose to have my quiet time with God in the morning. Just as soon as I'm awake enough to focus. However, I also tend to find pockets of time throughout the rest of the day to pray, read articles, or books, that encourage my spiritual growth, and journal the things God has been saying to me or teaching me. I include my kids as well. Most every weekday we do a short 10 to 15 minute devotional as a family. We've used Right Now Media videos, various Bible reading plans, and devotional books over the years. We briefly discuss the material we cover, and then we end our time by praying together. My routine and the amount of time I spend continues to change with each new season of life. I've discovered that the quantity of time and materials isn't very important. Rather it's that I commit to spending dedicated time with the Lord every day: unrushed, concentrated, heart open and vulnerable to Him. God can be found and experienced in countless ways. Keep your spiritual eyes open and watch for God to show up in your day to day routines and mundane tasks. He's in the everyday chores, like the piles of laundry and dishes needing to be cleaned. You can find Him in the kindness of a stranger. He's in casual conversations that turn into opportunities to share the love of Jesus. He's in the love and faithfulness of your family and friends. We can meet with God anytime and anywhere. The when, where, and how of your experiencing God may be vastly different from mine, but the important thing is that you experience Him. First, by entering into His presence with Thanksgiving and praise. Then, by taking time to sit at His feet and in His Word and in prayer, to get filled back up, renew your spirit, strengthen your faith, and be restored to perfect peace. God is good all the time. When we open our eyes to His grace and pursue His loving presence, we will see His goodness and experience His peace. Without doubt, perfect peace can only be experienced in God's presence. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for being with me in the storms of life, commanding the wind and the waves to be still, and leading me beside quiet waters with You. Restore my soul. Lead me along the right paths for Your namesake. When fear threatens my peace, help me to feel Your presence and trust in Your unfailing love. There's perfect peace in You and fullness of joy in Your presence. Help me to put You first in my life and make meeting with You daily more of a priority. I want to be closer to You. I praise Your name and worship You alone. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Living Perfectly Loved podcast. While it's true that God is love and we are perfectly loved by Him, we all struggle at times to live like this true. While we should strive to grow in Christ likeness, we can rest in knowing God loves us because of who He is, not because of who we are or anything we could ever do for Him. In Jesus Christ, we are enough! Remember, you don't have to be perfect to live perfectly loved. You have always been and will always be a completely forgiven, fully accepted, deeply loved, daughter the King. Beautiful friend, His grace is for you. Please subscribe to my podcast now and stay tuned for another episode of Living Perfectly Loved. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He shine His face on you and be gracious to you. May He turn His face toward you and give you peace, in Jesus' name.