Good Morning Gorgeous,

It’s a brand new day. A fresh new start.

Friends, the last time I blogged was 3 days before Christmas. I originally wrote the following post as a message for Christmas Day, but then never finished it.

I found myself a few days before Christmas filled to the brim with activity and meals to cook, presents to wrap, and most importantly a Savior to celebrate. I so desired to be at peace this Christmas. I so needed to revel in Him. I so longed for a true experience with the King who promised peace and rest. And, with the days overloaded, I couldn’t seem to grab enough spare time to get a full blog post out without sacrificing my prayer time or my family time. This Christmas week I chose Jesus over anything else. I threw myself into finishing my bible plan for the year and to prayer and to celebrating with my family to the fullest.

And as I write this post and edit the title to reflect the fact that Christmas has passed, I realize that I found moments of sweet peace all throughout the last week and a half. And I want to keep that peace all year long. I desire the sweet, gentle peaceful rest that Jesus promises and fully delivers all year long. I am teary as I share today because I am overwhelmed by the realization that I was able to reach out my hand and receive His peace this Christmas. For the first time, I ran to Him again and again and just leaned in. And I recieved again and again everytime.

Too much to do, I ran to Jesus. He showed me what to remove from the list.

Feelings of insecurity, I ran to Jesus. He reminded me of my identity in Him.

Struggle with a family member, I ran to Jesus. He reminded me to be still as He worked out the issue.

Fears of not being enough, not buying enough, not doing enough, I ran to Jesus. In His beautiful way of sending messages, he sent me a bracelet through a gift from a best friend. A bracelet that simply says…. “Enough”

In all things, He is the answer. He has the answer. He will provide peace through it all. I took Him at His Word this season, and He showed me its possible.

In many ways, I accomplished more this Christmas than any other year while getting more rest and more time with Him than I ever remember in Christmas seasons past. He removed a few things, simplified some things for me, and also showed me new ways to honor others at Christmas.

I am feeling rested and ready for the year ahead! But before I take off running with New Years Posts, I’m going to share a summary on receiving and guarding your Christmas peace all 12 months of the year.

So this beautiful January 1st 2021, Today is a new day to rise and receive the peace that Jesus Christ brought from heaven to earth when He wrapped Himself in flesh and was born to Mary.

He was the fulfillment of prophetic promises spoken long before His earthly birth.

The Lord Himself was choosing to leave His seat on High and take on a form that humans could see and touch and relate to. He manifested His spirit in human form to conquer sin and death once and for all freeing humans from spiritual captivity and breaking every chain the enemy used to enslave people.

From the prophecy in Isaiah and then throughout the New Testament, the Lord lays out His plan for peace. The kind of peace that is not dependent on outside circumstance. The kind of peace that you can lay hold of and claim as part of your inheritance from Christ.

After meditating and thinking on how during the Christmas Season, I go from receiving the peace of Christ to then feeling stress, pressure to perform and get it all down, and also just regular daily struggles mixed in as well.

After thinking about this and how I could be at peace one moment and then feeling stressed the next, I thought maybe other believers may be feeling the same way too.

So for a short Christmas Message in my Good Morning Gorgeous Facebook Group, I went live and shared four steps to recieving and then guarding our peace from Christ at Christmas and all year long. You are welcome to join our group and watch the message!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/goodmorninggorgeousgirl/?ref=share

How can I receive and keep my peace this Christmas and all year long?

1. Receive Jesus afresh. Meditate and think about who He is and the names He was given in Isaiah 9:6

He is named Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.

He was born to bring in this supernatural, divine peace!

Look closely at the prophetic language:

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6‭-‬7 NKJV

And then look closely at what the angel said to Mary about her Son who would be born. You will see much of the same descriptions about this King whose government would never end.

This establishes that the Babe born to Mary was the same Babe prophesied about who would be called our Prince of Peace.

So, if He is all of these things, then what do we do to actually feel at peace?

2. Next, take Jesus at His Words. Not only was it prophesied that He would be the Prince of Peace, but then He spoke directly and clearly about the gift of Peace that He was offering to His people.

And He also said this about peace:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NKJV

3. To receive this peace in full measure, learn to Sit at His feet!

Jesus was invited into the home of Martha and Mary. These sisters both served the Lord in that one of them sat at His feet hanging on His every Word while the other gave all that she had to preparing the meal. Both were serving Him, but Martha was upset that her sister wasn’t serving Him in the same way that she was. She was feeling overwhelmed by all that there was left to do while Mary sat soaking up every single thing that Jesus had to say.

And this passage of scripture used to frustrate me because I so understand the way Martha was feeling. I am so often the one who is running around checking the tasks off of the list.

What I have discovered through my prayer and thinking over this scripture is that we are not called to be just Mary or jusMartha, but to be each sister at the appointed hour. And also to be sure that the tasks that we put our hands to are necessary. Yes, meals need prepared, but not at the expense of time with Jesus. I believe that we are called to be Mary first and foremost. That we are given the amazing opportunity to sit at the feet of Jesus and just receive from Him all that He has for us. And what He gives us in those quiet moments will be the very things we need to accomplish everything elsee. Things like clarity, vision, strength, and peace. And then after receiving all we need from Christ, we can rise filled and ready to take on the role of Martha and care for everyone else who needs us..

Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38‭-‬42

4. Strengthen your spirit to guard the peace deposited in your heart.

Protect the peace Jesus gives to you! As soon as you get it, the world will try to come and snatch it from you. Things like worry, fear, people pleasing, workplace issues, family struggles, and other things will come and try to move you from the place of peace that you just received.

So a spiritual strengthening is needed to keep your mind steadfast on what God says. A continual turning of your attention back to Jesus. A continual trusting in what God has given to you and said about you regardless of what scare tactics the world tries to use against you.

A continual running back to sit with Him everytime you feel your peace being moved.

It’s like strength training for your mind to keep your thoughts on all the good and wonderful blessings. A continual choosing to feast your eyes on all that is right instead of focusing on what is going wrong.

A continual lifestyle of prayer where you give to Jesus every worry,

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:4‭-‬9 NIV

Friends, needing peace?

Quick Recap

1. Receive Jesus afresh.

2. Take Him at His Word.

3. Sit at His feet.

4. Guard and protect the peace He gives to you.

I have been returning to Him again and again and again in this way and He has faithfully filled me.

He will do the exact same for you. He will meet you EVERY time you call on Him earnestly and with your whole heart!

Dear Heavenly Father,

What a gift we have been given in Jesus. You loved us with such a deep, far, wide, all encompassing love that You came to earth in a form that we could see and experience and understand. You removed the veil separating us from You. You fill us with a perfect and steadfast peace that the world cannot give and cannot take away.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Blessings and peace all year long!

Vanessa Lynn