08/18/2026
This is a long post but worth the read!
# Finding Peace, Growing in God
**“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28**
There is a kind of peace that the world cannot give you.
We often spend our days trying to fix everything around us—our circumstances, our finances, our relationships, our responsibilities, and even the things happening inside our own minds. But sometimes the peace we are searching for isn't found by changing everything around us. It is found by changing where we are looking.
**True peace begins when we place our lives in God's hands.**
Spiritual growth doesn't happen overnight. It happens one day at a time, one decision at a time, one habit at a time. The closer we walk with God, the more we begin to recognize His voice, trust His direction, and understand who He created us to be.
# # # Finding Your Place With God
Sometimes we wonder, *“Where do I fit? What is God calling me to do? What is my purpose?”*
Before we discover everything God wants us to **do**, we need to discover who He wants us to **be**.
Our first calling is to know Him.
Jesus said in John 15:5, **“I am the vine; you are the branches.”** A branch doesn't have to struggle to produce fruit by itself. It stays connected to the vine.
The same is true for us.
We cannot expect spiritual strength while living spiritually disconnected from God. We cannot expect peace while continually carrying things God has asked us to surrender.
**Your place is first at the feet of Jesus.**
Before the ministry, before the calling, before the accomplishments, before the answers—there is relationship.
# # # Change Your Daily Habits
If we want our lives with God to change, we have to be willing to change what we do every day.
Small habits can create major spiritual growth.
Instead of reaching for your phone first thing in the morning, reach for God's Word.
Instead of allowing worry to consume your thoughts, take those thoughts to God in prayer.
Instead of ending your day replaying everything that went wrong, thank God for what He brought you through.
Instead of only talking to God when you need something, develop a relationship where you talk to Him throughout your day.
**Spiritual growth is built in the ordinary moments of life.**
You don't have to spend hours every day studying Scripture to begin growing. Start somewhere. Read a chapter. Pray for ten minutes. Write down what God is teaching you. Worship while you're driving. Talk to God while you're working.
The goal isn't perfection.
**The goal is consistency.**
# # # Give God Your Mind
Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
That means spiritual growth isn't simply about changing what we do. It is about allowing God to change the way we think.
What are you feeding your mind every day?
What voices are influencing you?
What are you constantly watching, listening to, reading, and thinking about?
We cannot fill our minds with the world's noise all day and expect God's voice to be the loudest voice in our lives.
Sometimes finding peace requires turning down the noise so we can hear God again.
# # # Stop Trying to Control Everything
One of the greatest obstacles to peace is our desire to control things that belong in God's hands.
We want to know how everything will work out.
We want the answer before we take the step.
We want the entire plan before we trust the One who created the plan.
But faith doesn't always give us the whole map.
Sometimes God gives us enough light for the next step.
**Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us to trust in the Lord rather than relying on our own understanding and to acknowledge Him in all our ways.**
Peace comes when we stop saying, *“God, here's what I need You to do,”* and begin saying,
**“God, whatever You want me to do, I'll follow You.”**
# # # Growing Through the Difficult Seasons
Spiritual growth doesn't mean life becomes easy.
Sometimes God grows us through uncomfortable seasons.
Trials teach us patience.
Waiting teaches us trust.
Disappointment teaches us surrender.
Failure teaches us humility.
And difficult seasons can teach us that God is still faithful even when we don't understand what He is doing.
Don't waste your difficult season.
Ask God:
**“What are You trying to teach me?”**
Instead of only asking God to remove the situation, ask Him to grow you through it.
# # # Start Again Today
Maybe your relationship with God hasn't been where you want it to be.
Maybe you've become distracted.
Maybe you've allowed your Bible to collect dust.
Maybe prayer has become something you only do when life falls apart.
Maybe you've been searching for peace everywhere except in the presence of God.
**Today is a good day to start again.**
God isn't asking you to become perfect before you come to Him.
He's asking you to come.
Come with your questions.
Come with your failures.
Come with your burdens.
Come with your doubts.
Come with your past.
Come with your plans.
And give Him all of it.
Then begin building new habits that move you closer to Him.
**Pray daily.
Read God's Word.
Worship.
Serve.
Forgive.
Love people.
Guard your mind.
Listen for God's direction.
Obey what He shows you.
And when you fall, get back up.**
Your relationship with God is a journey.
You don't have to have everything figured out today.
Just take the next step with Him.
# # # A Prayer for Peace and Growth
**Father,**
I come before You today asking You to help me grow closer to You.
Help me find my place in Your presence and understand the person You are calling me to become.
Change the habits in my life that are pulling me away from You. Help me develop habits that bring me closer to You.
Teach me to pray when I'm worried instead of trying to carry everything myself.
Teach me to open Your Word when I need direction.
Teach me to worship when circumstances are difficult.
Teach me to trust You when I don't understand.
Renew my mind. Change my heart. Strengthen my faith.
Help me stop chasing the peace that the world promises and start seeking the peace that only You can give.
Give me the discipline to seek You daily, the courage to obey You, and the wisdom to recognize Your direction.
When I don't know where I'm going, remind me that I don't have to know the entire path. I only need to trust the One leading me.
Father, help me become more like Jesus—not just on Sunday, but every day.
**When I know better, help me do better.**
Let my life become evidence of Your work in me.
In Jesus' name,
**Amen.**
# # # Remember This Today
**You don't find peace by getting everything under control.
You find peace by putting everything under God's control.**
And spiritual growth doesn't happen because you decided to become a better person overnight.
**It happens when you choose God again and again, every single day.**
Take the next step.
Open the Word.
Pray.
Listen.
Obey.
Trust.
And keep walking.
**God isn't finished with you yet.**
